Suspension for a motorcycle

A motorcycle and suspension system, said motorcycle having a body frame, two wheels spaced axially along the length of said body frame, each supported for suspension movement by said body frame, a front damping element having a pair of relatively moveable members defining a first fluid chamber and interposed between the forward most of said wheels and said body frame for varying the volume of said first fluid chamber upon suspension movement of said forward most wheel, first damping means for damping the flow of fluid from said first fluid chamber, a rear damping element having a pair of relatively moveable members defining a second fluid chamber and interposed between the other of said wheels and said body frame for varying the volume of said second fluid chamber upon suspension movement of said other wheel, second damping means for damping the flow of fluid from said second fluid chamber, said front and said rear damping elements having different constructions so that the application of a given force to each of them will effect a different flow from the respective fluid chamber thereof, a conduit interconnecting said first and said second fluid chambers, and a control arrangement in said conduit for precluding fluid flow through said conduit in response to a first suspension condition wherein substantially the same force is applied to the front and rear damping elements at substantially the same time and as a result a different amount of fluid is displaced from each of the fluid chambers and for providing a damped flow through said conduit in response to a second suspension condition.

A motorcycle and suspension system, said motorcycle having a body frame, two wheels spaced axially along the length of said body frame, each supported for suspension movement by said body frame, a front damping element having a pair of relatively moveable members defining a first fluid chamber and interposed between the forward most of said wheels and said body frame for varying the volume of said first fluid chamber upon suspension movement of said forward most wheel, first damping means for damping the flow of fluid from said first fluid chamber, a rear damping element having a pair of relatively moveable members defining a second fluid chamber and interposed between the other of said wheels and said body frame for varying the volume of said second fluid chamber upon suspension movement of said other wheel, second damping means for damping the flow of fluid from said second fluid chamber, said front and said rear damping elements having different constructions so that the application of a given force to each of them will effect a different flow from the respective fluid chamber thereof, a conduit interconnecting said first and said second fluid chambers, and a control arrangement in said conduit for precluding fluid flow through said conduit in response to a first suspension condition and for providing a damped flow through said conduit in response to a second suspension condition at least one of said conditions being a condition wherein there is an unequal load on the damping elements at the same time.

A motorcycle and suspension system, said motorcycle having a body frame, two wheels spaced axially along the length of said body frame, each supported for suspension movement by said body frame, a front damping element having a pair of relatively moveable members defining a first fluid chamber and interposed between the forward most of said wheels and said body frame for varying the volume of said first fluid chamber upon suspension movement of said forward most wheel, first damping means for damping the flow of fluid from said first fluid chamber, a rear damping element having a pair of relatively moveable members defining a second fluid chamber and interposed between the other of said wheels and said body frame for varying the volume of said second fluid chamber upon suspension movement of said other wheel, second damping means for damping the flow of fluid from said second fluid chamber, said front and said rear damping elements having different constructions so that the application of a given force to each of them will effect a different flow from the respective fluid chamber thereof, a conduit interconnecting said first and said second fluid chambers, and a control arrangement in said conduit for precluding fluid flow through said conduit in response to a first suspension condition and for providing a damped flow through said conduit in response to a second suspension condition, said relatively moveable members of each damping element defining a pair of additional fluid chambers comprised of a third fluid chamber formed by said front damping element and a fourth fluid chamber defined by said rear damping element and wherein the fluid flow from said first and second fluid chambers flows at least in part to the other chamber of the respective damping element.

A motorcycle and suspension system, said motorcycle having a body frame, two wheels spaced axially along the length of said body frame, each supported for suspension movement by said body frame, a front damping element having a pair of relatively moveable members defining a first fluid chamber and interposed between the forward most of said wheels and said body frame for varying the volume of said first fluid chamber upon suspension movement of said forward most wheel, first damping means for damping the flow of fluid from said first fluid chamber, a rear damping element having a pair of relatively moveable members defining a second fluid chamber and interposed between the other of said wheels and said body frame for varying the volume of said second fluid chamber upon suspension movement of said other wheel, second damping means for damping the flow of fluid from said second fluid chamber, said front and said rear damping elements having different constructions so that the application of a given force to each of them will effect a different flow from the respective fluid chamber thereof, a conduit interconnecting said first and said second fluid chambers, and a control arrangement in said conduit for precluding fluid flow through said conduit in response to a first suspension condition and for providing a damped flow through said conduit in response to a second suspension condition said control arrangement comprising at least a first and second accumulator chambers, each of said first and second accumulator chambers each having a respective accumulator piston and a portion of the fluid displaced from said first and second fluid chambers is displaced to said first and second accumulator chambers.