Why did Suzuki's Full Floater sink?

newmann
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newmann
Edited Date/Time 1/30/2018 8:02am
World Champion Trampas Parkers son goes diving for the answers. You guys should venture to Old School every now and then.Laughing

http://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Old-School-Moto,22/Bad-day,1284991
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RPM68
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RPM68 4/21/2015 7:11am
4/21/2015 7:11am
Fly Racing is making wet suites now! That was interesting to watch! Thanks for posting.
bultokid
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bultokid 4/21/2015 7:51am
4/21/2015 7:51am
Bro was there, said the dude damn near drown....went in, bike on top of him then came up but boots and all filled up and luckily Trampas' boy was there jumped in and pulled him out or they wouldn't have found him to the flood waters went down.....that'd be one helluva of way to go

The Shop

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JeepnMike
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JeepnMike 4/21/2015 8:09am
4/21/2015 8:09am
Not sure why the names manufacturers gave their rear ends (for lack of better term) brings back so much memories. Trying to remember them all.. Suzuki was Full Floater, Kawasaki was Uni-Trak, Honda was Pro-Link, I forget what Yamaha called theirs.. I want to say Mono-Link?
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hvaughn88 4/21/2015 8:11am
4/21/2015 8:11am
Uncle Tony wrote:
Old school to these guys is 2005
Haha, I just wanna know how long I have to wait until I can race my '03 RM125 in the vintage class
Wasatch Rider 4/21/2015 8:32am
4/21/2015 8:32am
JeepnMike wrote:
Not sure why the names manufacturers gave their rear ends (for lack of better term) brings back so much memories. Trying to remember them all.. Suzuki...
Not sure why the names manufacturers gave their rear ends (for lack of better term) brings back so much memories. Trying to remember them all.. Suzuki was Full Floater, Kawasaki was Uni-Trak, Honda was Pro-Link, I forget what Yamaha called theirs.. I want to say Mono-Link?
Mono Cross.

The 82 Full Floater rear end is as good as anything today properly sprung and valved.
Just a bit heavy.
de883zx
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de883zx 4/21/2015 9:00am
4/21/2015 9:00am
didn't they have the deltabox swingarm to?
G-man
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G-man 4/21/2015 9:09am
4/21/2015 9:09am
hahaha trick question there Newman okay I'm doing this from my phone gotta be quick anyway the real reason the Full Floater went away was due to production costs and they were also in a lawsuit with the guy who invented the Full Floater he made it while going to Pasadena college matter of fact he designed it on campus the lawsuit went on for I think something like 10 years and the Suzuki lawyers really drained the guy.

I believe he ended up winning not sure on the amount but it's something along those lines and now you know the rest of the story.

But I do agree The Full Floater was one of the best rear suspensions ever in the history of motocross. Smile
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Darryl916 4/21/2015 9:43am
4/21/2015 9:43am
Uncle Tony wrote:
Old school to these guys is 2005
hvaughn88 wrote:
Haha, I just wanna know how long I have to wait until I can race my '03 RM125 in the vintage class
I was about to post the same exact thing. My 07 2 stroke should be close to vintage, right?! lol
The Rock
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The Rock 4/21/2015 10:25am
4/21/2015 10:25am Edited Date/Time 4/21/2015 10:26am
Wasatch Rider wrote:
[img]http://vintage-original-ads.com/Pictures/albums/uploads/normal_1977-Yamaha-monocr-endur-p2.jpg[/img]
Great find Wasatch Rider. It appears monocross was enduro speak while monoshock was MX lingo.
TX24
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TX24 4/21/2015 10:41am
4/21/2015 10:41am


I don't know how long Trek has used this design or called it a Full Floater. This is my 2014.

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DownSouth
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DownSouth 4/21/2015 11:21am
4/21/2015 11:21am
The Rock wrote:
Great find Wasatch Rider. It appears monocross was enduro speak while monoshock was MX lingo.
Monoshock was a generic term. The name Yamaha officially gave their single shock system was "Mono Cross." As others have noted "Mono X" was used for a short time in the early 80's. It was the same for MX and their enduro bikes.

The display photo he posted of the original single shock Yamaha MXer has the Mono Cross name right on it.
Samsquanch Gingerbeard 4/21/2015 12:20pm
4/21/2015 12:20pm
TX24 wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2015/04/21/88282/s1200_DSCN5373.jpg[/img] I don't know how long Trek has used this design or called it a Full Floater. This is my 2014.


I don't know how long Trek has used this design or called it a Full Floater. This is my 2014.

Trek began using the "Full Floater" on It's redesigned Fuel series in 2008. They have refined the design over the last 6 years and it is found on a range of Trek full suspension bikes. It technically shares the same functionality as the Suzuki rear suspension from 1982. Both the top and bottom of the rear shock articulate independently. It's a fantastic design and very rewarding when ridden fast which is exactly what reviewers said about the Zuk in '82.

The Rock
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The Rock 4/21/2015 12:23pm
4/21/2015 12:23pm
Didn't Suzuki have to stop using the Full Floater over a rights dispute? Wonder if the bike company will have any similar issues?
brocsdad
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brocsdad 4/21/2015 12:26pm
4/21/2015 12:26pm
They claimed it was too expensive to manufacture.
croom mx
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croom mx 4/21/2015 12:32pm
4/21/2015 12:32pm
I had a Full Floater, On rough straights I would pass other riders on Honda's or Yamaha's because their rear wheels couldn't stay on the ground as well as mine.
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OldYZRider1 4/21/2015 12:51pm
4/21/2015 12:51pm Edited Date/Time 4/21/2015 12:54pm
Samsquanch Gingerbeard wrote:
Suzuki abandoned the design because it was expensive to manufacture, it was heavy, and created a high center of gravity.
Code speak for "they couldn't get around having to pay the inventor royalties for using his design". But if it was patented it has likely expired (I think 20 yr protection) and this maybe why its appearing on MTB's now.
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Falcon 4/21/2015 1:01pm
4/21/2015 1:01pm
TX24's mountain bike is different... if looks do not deceive me, the function of his full-floating design is to slow down the shock shaft speed relative to wheel travel. Both ends of the shock appear to travel downward when the wheel hits a bump. The Suzuki Full Floater actually compressed the shock from both ends - up from the bottom and down from the top.
Just an interesting observation.
edgo897
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edgo897 4/21/2015 1:16pm
4/21/2015 1:16pm
I'm a 54 yo vet rider. I have an 82 RM465 Full Floater and an 05 RM250. Either bike it faster than I'm capable of riding on a track. I put the legendary 1987 Showa forks on the 465. It's a sweet setup.
edgo897
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edgo897 4/21/2015 1:45pm
4/21/2015 1:45pm
I'm a 54 yo vet rider. I have an 82 RM465 Full Floater and an 05 RM250. Either bike it faster than I'm capable of riding on a track. I put the legendary 1987 Showa forks on the 465. It's a sweet setup.

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