by Warkton Tornado No.1 » Thu Oct 07, 2021 12:13 pm
Just as an attempt to help in the diagnosis of the above information:
The 'Kawasaki' type steering dampers are never going to be suitable for purpose on the Lambretta front end whilst they remain balanced in both directions. Damping of the fork suspension is predominantly required for rebound, hence the OEM design.
The rear suspension unit OEM design is surprisingly competent, despite how long ago it was conceived. There are, IMO, modern day alternatives that offer improvements, dependent upon what is sought. The fact that preload of the springs can be adjusted is extremely useful for adjustment of the load. Adjustment of the damping is the icing on the cake, but, unfortunately, compression & rebound damping are not usually totally independent of each other. In fact, are there any such rear dampers in which that is achievable? I'm guessing that the units manufactured specifically for the Honda RS125 & some Yamahas, that can be made to fit, offer such a facility, but are there others?
Personally, I have Gaz & BGM's that I consider to be very capable. Probably, the BGM is more compliant which makes it a better all rounder, though the Gaz may be more robust for longer, harder riding. It would be interesting to know what was fitted to the better handling machines in the recent six hour endurance race.....