08-26-2018, 11:57 PM
(08-26-2018, 11:34 PM)postoak_imp Wrote: Are the rear shocks on motorcycles actually struts, since they include a spring?
For some, sure.
For most, no, as a "strut" not only controls how forces are transmitted from unsprung masses to sprung masses: it also controls the trajectory.
What this means is: a suspension system must have one degree of freedom for the vertical movement of the wheel. This degree of freedom is "controlled" by the spring&damper, but if you remove a shock, the trajectory of the un-sprung part (wheel...) remains the same.
On a car with a mcpherson suspension (strut suspension), the camber is controlled by the strut. If you remove the strut, the trajectory of the wheel is not well defined.
Let's go back to the CB (or most (all?) bikes): the rear wheel movement describes an arc imposed by the swing arm. The shocks are only limiting the travel, imposing a wheelrate, and adding damping, but if you remove them, the trajectory will remain the same.