air bags?

I was wondering if it would be possible to mount an airbag to my swingarm. My idea and my dad gave me this idea... was to mount it where you would find a monoshock on other swingarms. I would weld on some mounting brackets to the swingarm, and some to the frame and it should work right? Has anyone ever thought about this? Or done it?

If You're talking about an airbag for suspension on a truck(pick-up),then I don't think You'd be happy with it.(or safe,but not sure).Don't think it would be sensitive enough for quick response when You REALLY need it.OR...it could bounce You off the bike!:pinch:
I've never thought about that actually.:huh: :whistle:

I really dont know much about airbags but I dint think the type off a truck/car would work persay but it would be the same theory. I belive the they make airbags for custom choppers and harley soft tails, dont know what else they make them for... My idea came to me because my dadsaid something to me about the way I was going to do my custom exhaust and he noticed that the muffler I got stuck out to far because of my side mounted shocks. I dont want to spend the time doing a mono shock swingarm convertion because I want to ride my bike at lease one day while we have good weather. So I thought about this.

Air bag is just a spring, so you are still going to need at least one shock.

I don't think I would try and reinvent the wheel, I'd just go with either a monoshock, or twinshocks.

badboie wrote:

I was wondering if it would be possible to mount an airbag.......... Has anyone ever thought about this? Or done it?

:sick:

I remember once on one of the "custom" chopper shows one of the guys did an air bag like that and when he parked the bike he could lower the bag and the bike squatted down and rested on the frame so he didn't need a side stand. Then when he started the bike the air pump pumped it back up. I thought it was a cool idea at the time,,, :laugh: :laugh:

On one of the milk trucks I used to drive the tag axles were raised with a small 3 step bag that was like a pancake when it didn't have any air in it, and it had a taller 1 chamber bag that did the actual weight holding when the axle was down. I think goodyear made the bags.

Post edited by: The Milkman, at: 2007/05/22 00:53

Here is a website on the bags:

Air Bags

Post edited by: The Milkman, at: 2007/05/22 00:58

You can the chopper guys use it all the time on bikes.

it can be done, but dont do it to a swingarm that was designed for use with dual shocks mounted in the back. a monoshock swingarm is designed to take the extra abuse/leverage. pick one up from a wrecked ninja cheap and go at it. but i think it would be easier to just use the whole monoshock setup from a newer bike