Active/semi-active suspension

[chickenstrip]

I could just Google it I suppose. But what does BCF think? Pros and cons in the real world? Your experience?
____________________
Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Nobby the Bastard]

Active suspension is largely to eliminate roll, which would be next to useless on a bike.
____________________
trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Triumph Sprint ST 1050

[chickenstrip]

Semi-active then.
____________________
Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Polarbear]

If you mean semi active as in can adjust on the move?

I have that on my Trophy. All it means is I don't have to get off the bike if a fat bird gets on the back, I just dial up the 2 crash helmets and luggage symbol and alter the ride to hard.

It's very idiot friendly. Almost car levels of idiot
____________________
Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[chickenstrip]

I was prompted by this in another thread:

[grr666]

MT10-SP has semi active Ohlins.
____________________
Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[chickenstrip]

[chickenstrip]

[Polarbear]

[chickenstrip]

Oi!

Ok, is semi-active suspension just a way to make it easier for the uninitiated to tie themselves in knots with suspension settings?

I really can't be bothered to look it up
____________________
Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[MCN]

My 1300 has e-suspension.
three settings
one up
two up
luggage.

Then there's

Normal
Sport
Cruise

M/way is cruise. Softer more comfy.

Sport is for twisties/track. Stiffer and prevent the beast wallowing. (A 1300cc bike is Absolute shite on a track. I took it (by mistake) onto Nurburg GP track. Like taking a knife to a gunfight. )

Normal is 'normal' everyday riding.

Some of the settings are kinda imperceptible as the change is not noticeable.

But maybe that's what it is meant to do.
____________________
Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[stonesie]

The SDGT has it and it seems to work well, I like it.

Comfort is very soft and wallowy but on the motorway it's very comfy, good for grinding out some miles.

Street is firmer, eliminates dive on the brakes and soaks up bumps at a decent pace, this is my usual setting.

Sport is like a sporty naked, not razor sharp but similar in front end feel to my MT-10 which was set to my weight but all factory stuff, the KTM is way better at the rear.

I also have load settings which adjust the rear preload but I generally leave that alone. I usually flick between Sport and Street.

[Enduro Numpty]

[Pigeon]

[talkToTheHat]

"Semi-active" as per the current market appears to be having the computer set the preload and damping in response to how much sopping you did and the local pothole density. For a bike that does many things, it's proabaly really useful. For a start it saves remebering to fight with the preload adjust when you drop your pillion off so you can sill get your feet down....

When I left automotive engineering there was barely any research out there on fully active suspention on 2 wheelers. Yes, it's really handy on 4 wheels not only in terms of mechanical grip but also in terms of maintaining ground effect.

Motorcycles are dependent on the geometry changes and weight transfer associated with conventional suspention for thier handling characteristics, particualrly in that riders familiar with conventional forks find it very difficult to be race-fast on mechanical anti-dive girder forks where the steering rate does not change with front tyre load.

Whilst theoretically posible to have an active system emulate the geometry changes of a hydrodynmic system, this may be beyond current technologies, futhermore as a significant part of in corner behavour is from lateral flex of the swingarm, forks and frame, only part of the suspention behaviour can be replaced by acticve hydraulic or electromagnetic actuators, unless significantly stiffer frames with active lateral deflection is used, which to the best of my knowledge is way beyond today's technology. There's also a much bigger weight penalty for active systems on a motorcycle.
____________________
Bandit. does. everything.

[McJamweasel]

[Polarbear]

[chickenstrip]

[rpsmith79]

[chickenstrip]

Does anyone here actually have experience of riding such a bike, and care to comment on how they found this system to work/not work, whether they liked it or not, and why?
____________________
Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Pigeon]

[Enduro Numpty]

[chickenstrip]

[Enduro Numpty]

No we don't need it but we didn't need disc brakes before we had them. The motorcycle world seemed to revolve around parallel twins till Honda gave us an IL4. It's the same old story - progress, for better or worse but at least go and get a coffee from local BMW dealer. If it's as good as the stuff in Aberdeen it'll be worth the trip

[chickenstrip]

What's the very best suspension you have experienced on a road bike, on the road, other than semi-active?
____________________
Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!