Posts
1469
Joined
1/30/2010
Location
Houston, TX, USA
Edited Date/Time
2/9/2015 3:30pm
As I'm clearing out my stash of parts that I'd been accumulating for over 12 years, I'm rolling out a project built by Marc Shade of FullFloater.com. I'm of an age where this was the dream bike that I was too young to ride (I was 13 when it came out), but old enough to never forget as I grew up.
Dirt Bike Magazine did a test and mounted a set of the world's first upside down forks by Simons, the UDX-60s (Upside Down eXperimental; 60 was the diameter of the top tubes in millimeters).
You hardly ever seen these anymore; they were rare when they were new. ALL forks nowadays (that is, upside down) owe this design, so much so that KYB, Showa, Ohlins and WP have been paying a royalty to Steve Simons for his suspension innovation brainwave to flip forks for better front-end rigidity.
Dirt Bike Magazine did a test and mounted a set of the world's first upside down forks by Simons, the UDX-60s (Upside Down eXperimental; 60 was the diameter of the top tubes in millimeters).
You hardly ever seen these anymore; they were rare when they were new. ALL forks nowadays (that is, upside down) owe this design, so much so that KYB, Showa, Ohlins and WP have been paying a royalty to Steve Simons for his suspension innovation brainwave to flip forks for better front-end rigidity.
The forks were, apparently in dire need of a rebuild, with bushings / leg clearance so w i d e that the forks were jamming / locking. I don't write this to slag the Simons forks, it just shows the risk of testing a well worn race bike. With short upper legs, the Simons certainly worked the bushings hard. A company I worked for, brought one or two Simons forks in, but I had (and still have) a pair of Fox 44s that I was quite happy with, and, more importantly, I had no money to spare. I did Lust over the Simons UDXs.
Well do I remember , with the first few years of USD forks introduction on Japanese bikes, blokes desperately changing springs, / valving to alleviate front end problems, when most of it was down to loose tolerances on fork bushings. You could grab the axle block, and move the lowers, at the axle block, on some bikes, as much as 10mm from the center line of the tubes. It amazed me to see so many "suspension experts", oblivious of the problem - re - sizing / re - bushing was a good earner for me.
I recall also - I think it was Steve Stafeski (sp?), his mechanic, pointing out how much they could do the carburettor, especially in a 500s use. They have more than enough power, and are - were at a relatively low state of tune, so you can play with a pretty wide range of jetting, without melting an engine. I've applied the same thinking to all of my 500s over the years - I still have a CRE500 - just a 1/4 - 1/2 turn on the air screw, can change it from quite a beast, to a more mellow ride, without even changing brass or needles. And, I've never fouled a plug, even when I leave to bike leaned up against a tree, or deliberately bogged in a creek section, whist I do a bit of trail maintenance.
PS :
Thanks for putting up the FullFloater site link!
I've just unearthed my 1983 RM 125 chassis that was used for an RM / XR Hybrid, during a long delayed (30+ years) clean up. That site should be a good resource. I've the chassis, minus the FOX 44s I had on it (they've been hung up amongst a few other front ends I re-discovered) now hanging from the head tube, with the standard drum brake front wheel and the Disc conversion front wheel I ended up putting on it, on either side of it. I forgot about the loose ball upper bearings, when I took the front end off, they scattered all over the place, the little blighter's. Perhaps, one day, it may all go back together...............
I've Got to get that book by Don Richardson - it was a long, long saga of litigation, and Suzuki trying to rip him off. I've told people of the limited amount I know of it, and they don't really believe it all. Ironically, the best pictures I ever saw of his Floater set up ( well , one of them) I found were in a Brit Road Motorcycle mag, years later, when they reported on one of the many stages of the fight between him and Suzuki. I don't know what iteration of his design it was, but it was so, so trick - the upper rocker set low ( perhaps lower than) the last generation (upper rocker arm , with the shock on / in the swingarm) Full Floaters, and the Rocker was a triangulated / welded tubing structure.
>I've Got to get that book by Don Richardson - it was a long, long saga of litigation, and Suzuki trying to rip him off.
Would you know the name of the book?
It's why I mentioned it. - saw it, and thought this should be good. whether or not he can go into much detail on the Suzuki rip off, we'll have to see. Every year or so, you'd see he was awarded royalties, on all Full Floater labelled Suzukis, to then read that Suzuhi was recontesting the verdict. Made me hope he got millions for it - as a bloke whose had his ideas / worked ripped off by bastards, I really relate to his, and other stories of being done over by the 'Big Guys'.
Looks to be only an E book, so far - I'll get it, but I'm old, and much prefer a book in my hand.
Are you an Oliver Reed fan? Looks like him as your Avi, Or is that your mug? That bloke lived bloody hard and fast.- you too, I guess, if that's you..........,. Well, that generally applies to most Dirt Bike riders, when compared to the average 'consumer'.
The Shop
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
>Are you an Oliver Reed fan? Looks like him as your Avi, Or is that your mug? That bloke lived bloody hard
Yes to everything except I don't look like him.
It's a trip that Ollie's brother is 1) still alive 2) can speak coherently and 3) was recognized as a relation to the person in my icon. Tip of the hat to you both, sirs.
My old set I sold to Diamond Don so Lackey would have something to ride. Now Lackey doesn't ride...lol.
Post a reply to: Anybody Remember Simons UDX-60s?