Mono-shock linkage...

For all you guys who have done this...when you decide to go mono-shock, how do you decide where to put the top shock mount? I have seen where the shock if fairly straight up with a mount right is the middle of area under seat to where the mount is on a crossmember welded in between framerails running down behind engine. Does it really matter the angle of the shock? How did you determine the height of the top mount? I am assuming this is a way to adjust the ride height while building your bike. Mount the shock higher in the frame to lower the ride height or does the bottom mount determine this to some extent? What linkage is best to use? Do you just find the cheapest setup you can and build around it or what? I know some buy a whole bike and take pieces from it but what if you can't find a whole bike to rob from and have to buy piece by piece...are the parts able to mix and match...say a zx12 swingarm using a gsxr1000 linkage? Been looking around E-Bay and its hard to find a complete front end with brakes, wheels, forks etc. as well as finding a complete rear setup with swingarm. wheel, brakes, linkage, etc. to use on a build. As you can tell, I'm lost on this so any information and insight you want to share would be great.

Sorry about the multiple posts...this site is giving me lots of problems logging on, cutting me off and now this...

racer54 wrote: For all you guys who have done this...when you decide to go mono-shock, how do you decide where to put the top shock mount? I have seen where the shock if fairly straight up with a mount right is the middle of area under seat to where the mount is on a crossmember welded in between framerails running down behind engine. Does it really matter the angle of the shock? How did you determine the height of the top mount? I am assuming this is a way to adjust the ride height while building your bike. Mount the shock higher in the frame to lower the ride height or does the bottom mount determine this to some extent? What linkage is best to use? Do you just find the cheapest setup you can and build around it or what? I know some buy a whole bike and take pieces from it but what if you can't find a whole bike to rob from and have to buy piece by piece...are the parts able to mix and match...say a zx12 swingarm using a gsxr1000 linkage? Been looking around E-Bay and its hard to find a complete front end with brakes, wheels, forks etc. as well as finding a complete rear setup with swingarm. wheel, brakes, linkage, etc. to use on a build. As you can tell, I'm lost on this so any information and insight you want to share would be great.

Sorry about the multiple posts...this site is giving me lots of problems logging on, cutting me off and now this...

You should be able to get all the parts from one model....maybe not one bike but at least all the same model. Avoid mixing things if at all possible.

I got forks and wheels with brakes from a guy in Canada, swing arm and shock off ebay. The worst part was bidding on f'n foot pegs. You would not believe what a pain in the ass that was :laugh:

Look at how the shock mounts on the model you get that stuff from. You'll see if there's angle to it or relatively straight. This may help. It's from when I was doing my LTD 1979 LTD Streetfighter

Bingo... "angle to it or relatively straight."....

Also insure when shock is compressed, travel doesn't bind the shock coil going through the arm thus provides you exactly where the top mount it will need to be...

Oh the PITA of figuring out where the new battery box/electrical tray needs to be.... :laugh:

NOTE: Not laughing at you but the mind numbing experience you'll be going through. Larry and I still laugh about what we went through to get this dialed in right... A whole bunch of "Oh shit, didn't think of that"...

OMR

The battery thing was a real pain for me also. I looked at all kinds of smaller, high tech batts to save space but did not like the disclaimers. Have fun, it is a learning experience.
Wayne

I'll give you some helpful pointers if you want but I"m sure as hell not typing it all out. Call if you want them. Make it in the evening about 6:30ish

I used rock's design with ZX6 stuff battery box was moved forward and lowered

Les Makes a complete bolt in kit I've seen up close and personal if I were
building another mono set up it would be his 1 stop shop bolt on.

about the same money if you count the countless hours bidding buying and
head scratching & modifications :lol:

This won't be a road bike per se....more of a strip/street bike...heavy on the strip part. I'll have more leeway as to where everything goes on this bike so hopefully things will go a little easier in fitting parts. Hard to get a dual shock arm built long enough so thought about a mono-shock beings it isn't so hard to get the length I want. Will be giving Les a call beings he can make both styles. Just didn't know where to start as to where mounts should be, etc and beings you guys have sorted this all out, you are the experts.

My single shock setup which I used as a prototype build for future builds, I brought in a Purdue design engineer and coincidentally, a like minded gear head to put all the dimensions into autocad to get a full picture of the real movements and limits of the original design of the ZX suspension. With that information we worked around the stock centerstand mounts, stock ZX linkages, and position of the upper mount and shock angle to determine where the placement of the linkage hookup on the arm should be and the upper shock mount. Basically, we threw darts at a dart board using a funnel to hit a predetermined target. WE DIDN'T GUESS!

Now, to build a long swingarm without 2 shocks but build long for single is probably due to the available shocks that can be tuned to work in a drag racing application

Right now we are working on a flat link to allow lowering the bike quite a bit more while still using the center stand mounts but getting the correct ratio of movement has proven to be somewhat elusive. We will get it but it takes more time now, my engineer moved to another job and we don't get together as often as I need.

Les

Many years ago on my first monoshock builds i used to make a jig off which ever bike was the donor.
The jig clamped on the swingarms pivot tube and picked up the shock mounts etc so it could easily be transfered over to the project bike.
It was a simple matter of building out the mounts off the frame to meet the jig.
I've done so many now i rarely use a jig and any ride height hiccups can be rectified with adjustable linkage bars.

If you're only drag racing it, it will be relatively easy to sort out.

I am in the midst of sorting out this very thing on my swing arm swap. I have a 2006 GSXR 600 rear suspension that I am putting in I probably belaboring the linkage to death. The GSXR 600 design has the tension arms attaching to where the center stand ear were. I am wondering what kind of forces this will see and will the thin little ears there withstand the force of the 2 - 12 mm linkages or would I be better off putting new thicker tabs in there?

I plan on welding in the upper shock mount tonight, I will take a picture of what the lower linkage looks like. My back ground is in industrial construction and not used to doing anything with material that is less than 1/4" thick but then again, I am not supporting 40' of 24" pipe either; just my large self...

Here is pic of what I working with. I think I am going to be cutting off the old tabs and putting new 12 mm thick tabs with a clevis for the attachment center stand cross member and a 12 mm turn buckle assembly back to the linkage to replace the one hanging there by a zip tie.

Does this seem logical?