LCGB Forums

I have an R1 shock with a 180lbs spring. I am about 11 stone.

There used to a webpage from the USA about setting up these suspension units for Lambrettas, but I can’t find it any more.

Is anyone familiar with the process of tuning these units?

Chiggy bud

hullygully wrote:Chiggy bud

+1

Hiya Martin, found this from a few years ago. I don't use imaging sites anymore so hope the quality on here is ok

Here's the first or second part?

Im sure SLUK did a comprehensive guide to setting up suspension a while back.

Thanks Martyn.

I didn’t look at SLUK, mainly because I know that Sticky has no experience of the R1 shock. However, it is perhaps worth searching SLUK for such an article in order to answer my other question on this forum about the principles of Lambretta suspension set-up.

Thanks for the pointer.

The R1 conversion info was on the old LCUSA site which is long gone. You maybe able to find it on the wayback machine if you do some digging, but from memory it was little more than instructions on how to compress the spring in order to remove it.

Honest question: what about lateral movement and flex from engine mounts? All OEM Lambretta shocks have rubber buffers in both eyelets--as does every Lambretta-specific aftermarket shock I've seen. The R1 shock doesn't. Interesting that BGM quickly changed their shock design to incorporate buffers (V2) soon after releasing their shock. I know absolutely nothing about suspension, but I assume these buffers work in conjunction with the engine mounts to allow for flex and movement.

vegansydney wrote:The R1 conversion info was on the old LCUSA site which is long gone. You maybe able to find it on the wayback machine if you do some digging, but from memory it was little more than instructions on how to compress the spring in order to remove it.

Honest question: what about lateral movement and flex from engine mounts? All OEM Lambretta shocks have rubber buffers in both eyelets--as does every Lambretta-specific aftermarket shock I've seen. The R1 shock doesn't. Interesting that BGM quickly changed their shock design to incorporate buffers (V2) soon after releasing their shock. I know absolutely nothing about suspension, but I assume these buffers work in conjunction with the engine mounts to allow for flex and movement.

Ref the lateral movement, thats why R1 shocks got a rep for breaking shafts, combination of no lateral movement due to not being rubber mounted and worn engine mounts. When the engine starts to fish tail the shock shaft if taking all the lateral loads.

I made some convex bushes for my R1 shocks so they will "wobble" when mounted. It's just a bush and rather than being parallel where it locates into the shock it has a radiused profile, it lets the shock rotate through about 10º on the mounts and lessens the lateral stresses on the shock shaft.

Leotech wrote:...Ref the lateral movement, thats why R1 shocks got a rep for breaking shafts, combination of no lateral movement due to not being rubber mounted and worn engine mounts. When the engine starts to fish tail the shock shaft if taking all the lateral loads.

I made some convex bushes for my R1 shocks so they will "wobble" when mounted. It's just a bush and rather than being parallel where it locates into the shock it has a radiused profile, it lets the shock rotate through about 10º on the mounts and lessens the lateral stresses on the shock shaft.

I heard that the breakages occured due to the use of solid brass bushes that allowed for no lateral movement as you say. I used a set of nylon bushes and half nuts from Chiggy which I only tighten until hand tight and then back off 1/4 turn ( thread lock applied). That shock has done 3 euros, C2C's and all over and given me no trouble other than adjusting the spring load as high as would go