Fork Tube
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Generally employed in pairs, fork tubes (or "stanchions") link a motorcycle's front wheel to its frame. They typically house the front suspension and on telescopic fork systems compress and extend to adjust for inconsistencies in the road.
Inside most tubes are springs, fork oil, and air, creating a shock absorber. Some forks allow pressurized air to be added through a valve in the top of the fork to stiffen the suspension. Another method employs a screw to compress fork spring to increase or decrease spring pre-load.
Some forks also allow damping through variably sized orifices controlling the flow of fork oil. The larger the orifice, the more free the flow and the less damped the fork. A selector atop the fork engages the desired hole size and corresponding damping rate.
Cartridge forks provide regressive damping. Self-contained cartridges within the forks contain spring-covered orificies regulating fork oil flow. The springs resist low forces and thus provide high damping rates. Higher forces compress the springs, allowing more oil flow and less damping. Thus the fork is stiffer when responding to small bumps but will soften as larger ones are encountered.
Read more about this topic: Motorcycle Fork
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