every manufacturer to produce models with
twin-shocks. Cost of course could have been a
consideration, and Vincents were very expensive
motorcycles. The Sunbeam S8 of 1949 still had
a plunger rear end, and so did the Ariel Square
Four of 1952. The Tiger 100 of 1955, however,
had twin-shocks at the rear, as did the BSA Gold
Star Clubman of 1956, and the BSA Road Rocket
650 of 1956. Race bikes such as the Matchless
G45 had twin shocks in the mid-1950s.
Once their effectiveness had been established
it didn’t take long for the benefit of rear
twin-shocks to catch on. So next time you
throw a leg over your favourite classic bike
spare a thought for all the innovation,
imagination, and no doubt hard work, that
went into making each successive generation
of classic bikes safer, better handling, and,
of course, more comfortable to ride.
Matchless 500 cc G45 1954
BSA Gold Star Clubman 1956
this form of suspension on motorcycles.
The single rear shock idea first came from
Yamaha when its World Motocross entry used
a mono-shock in 1972. Read about the Yamaha
YZ360B, the first production dirt bike with
a mono-shock rear end, here http://joom.
ag/Rr3Y/p22. Another brand that derived
much of its innovative suspension ideas
from motocross, especially front suspension,
was the British Greeves, which applied it
to its road race bikes in the late 1960s.
The changes in front and rear suspension
over the years didn’t follow a strict pattern.
For example, when the Vincent Black Shadow
series C of 1949 appeared with girder front
forks at the front, but with twin-shocks at
the rear. There wasn’t an immediate rush for
Ariel Square Four 1957
Bimota SB2 1977
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