suspension or no suspension

[Mr X]

im about to start making a minibike for myself and what im trying to decide is wether to make it with rear suspension or no. i will be riding it through mud, snow and on trails. i made minibikes and scooters before and some with rear suspension and some problems i had were the swing arm being crooked because i dont really have any jigz or anything else to alight stuff with. also rear suspension will take longer to build and i will have to find pipes somewhere into which bearings will fit for the swing arm. in the past pipes that i had, had small play which causes problems with alot of power.

the reason i was thinking of making it hardtail with just front suspension is because it will be lighter, take less time to make and will be alot easier.

the engine i will be using is a honda g200 which im told has alot of power and the gearing will be towards power as well.

so should i go through the trouble of making rear suspension or make it hard tail?


also here is a picture of my last project

the problem with this one was that the swing arm would shift because the bearings were a tiny bit loose in their pipe and the chain would get loose and fall off. for the new one im making i will use a jackshaft to eliminate chain troubles and use motorcycle shocks if i decide to do rear suspension.

 

[Motra]

I ride a hard tail Tote Gote off road a lot and it's a rough ride but I've had a lot of fun. It does keep the weight down. It sounds like you have the ability to change it down the road if you decide you'd rather have a cushy ride.

 

[Strigoi]

my Cat has suspension and i've ridden many without it. i only do street riding and prefer to not have any at all.

 

[spacecoast]

Since your building your own and can design it anyway you chose, how about a balloon tired mini? Your tires could be your suspension.

 

[GTO]

The only bikes I have that don't have a rear suspension yet are still comfy to ride on trails would be the Bronc which uses a seat suspension and the Tule Trooper which was a unique design and uses that frame as a spring, The Tropper is a real soft to ride but it ain't light! It will wench a deer up a hill though!. :thumbsup:

The Black one has fron't shocks and a trailer hitch.

 

[Mr X]

the thing is i already have tires picked out, the rear one is from a snow blower. it is 13 inches in diameter with a 6 inch rim.

 

[spacecoast]

Ok, your committed to your tires. That's cool, how about a hard tail frame with a sprung seat? You shock the rear of the seat while the front of the seat pivot's. Like Tom's Duck.

You could also spring the forks.

 

[Mr X]

the thing is i dont want a sprung seat and the fork will be suspension either way. the reason im asking is because i will be taking this thing offroad and abusing it. i dont care if it is uncomftarble to ride i can always stand up and soak up bumps with my legs. i was thinking of suspension because that would put less stress on everything like the rim and the frame and the comfort is a bonus.

 

[offroadwhatever8]

im about to start making a minibike for myself and what im trying to decide is wether to make it with rear suspension or no. i will be riding it through mud, snow and on trails. i made minibikes and scooters before and some with rear suspension and some problems i had were the swing arm being crooked because i dont really have any jigz or anything else to alight stuff with. also rear suspension will take longer to build and i will have to find pipes somewhere into which bearings will fit for the swing arm. in the past pipes that i had, had small play which causes problems with alot of power.

the reason i was thinking of making it hardtail with just front suspension is because it will be lighter, take less time to make and will be alot easier.

the engine i will be using is a honda g200 which im told has alot of power and the gearing will be towards power as well.

so should i go through the trouble of making rear suspension or make it hard tail?


also here is a picture of my last project

the problem with this one was that the swing arm would shift because the bearings were a tiny bit loose in their pipe and the chain would get loose and fall off. for the new one im making i will use a jackshaft to eliminate chain troubles and use motorcycle shocks if i decide to do rear suspension.

Just wondering, Where did you get the sprocket for the rear wheel? how many tooth? thanks

 

[5hpminitech]

your problem is the chain loosens and tightens when the swing arm moves you need a jack shaft close to the pivot point

 

[mardyn]

My old ass has gotta' have suspension to ride... I'll hardly consider a bike without it.

Agree with the above poster, the pivot for the rear swing arm is too far back causing the chain to loosen excessively when moving through the range of travel. Moving the engine back as far as possible might help a little.

mardyn

 

[spacecoast]

A spring loaded chain tensioner might help.

 

[GTO]

Just wondering, Where did you get the sprocket for the rear wheel? how many tooth? thanks

Those wheels look the Harbor freight wheels which are NOT safe for any kind of bike. Put them on a hand truck. :doah:

 

[Mr X]

i actually sold this bike, and yes those wheels do suck. the guy i sold it to broke the rear wheel already. but i replaced it with a better wheel and reinforced it.

the sproket is 60 teeth and i got it from a store called princess auto in canada.

yes the chain fall off because the chain loosens i will pobably help the guy out and make him a spring tensioner. but all it really needs is a longer rear shock that would place the swing arm further down so the chain would be loose at the very bottom of the travel and be tight half way and then be loose again at the very top of the travel. this is sort of my fault because the suspension geometry isnt right. but thats why i keep making new ones because it gets better with each bike so eventually i will make a perfect one :smile:

 

[GTO]

but thats why i keep making new ones because it gets better with each bike so eventually i will make a perfect one :smile:

That chain was too long, it's easier to look at bikes that work then you won't have to make so many getting it right. :001_tt2: Take a look at a Sears with a pivoting mount then use good parts.

 

[Oldsalt]

If you are really going to ride fast in really rough stuff get a full sized dirt bike. There's no way to make a mini bike, or anything that even sorta looks like a mini bike, perform well in the rough. However, if a person likes mini bikes and likes to ride then in areas that the rocks are no larger than axle heigth then put some suspension on it. A sprung seat has a number of advantages over a swing arm, especially on a mini bike. Some have been mentioned but here is my list.

-Cheaper to build
-Quicker to build
-More accurite frame geometry for a one-off build
-No bushings to deflect or wear
-No problem with too tight/too loose chain
-Lighter weight
-No loss of ground clearance at any time
-Rear brakeing is better. Unless the rear brake on a swing arm is "Full Floating" or it's hydraulic it's action changes with the joust or rebound of the wheel.
-More room within the frame area for motor, jack shaft, gas tank and etc.
-Softer, more confortable ride. True. Again,we are not talking about jumping doubles on an indoor course here. What is necessary on a full sized motorcycle with large diameter wheels bears no resimulance to a mini with 13" diameter wheels and 3" of suspention on the front forks. When both machine and rider are sprung, as with a swing arm, the spring rate of the springs MUST be greater than when just the rider is sprung, as with the sprung seat.
-Last but not least...It will be an old school mini!

 

[george3]

first of all you have about what 75.00 worth of chain on there its too long. you need a jack shaft. you are thinking this backward as well your travel to your engine line up is wrong you say longer shock wrong its to long now. every time you put weight on it the chain loosenes its not at the rite pivit point. jack shaft might cure it. stand back and look at it.