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HP
Velotechnik
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Adjusting the front suspension
In addition to the suspended rear swing arm,
the Scorpion fs 26 is equipped with a suspend-
ed front axle. It is designed as a so called
McPherson
strut.That means, the left (or right)
suspension strut's upper end is supported in
the frame while it is linked to a single wish-
bone on its bottom end.The front wheel is di-
rectly attached to the suspension strut, which
is the knuckle at the same time.
Inside the suspension strut a steel spring is
combined with MCU-elastomers.The front
suspension is damped by friction between
stanchion tube and a circular elastomer band
situated between the bushings as well as by
friction inside the elastomers.
To decrease body roll in during fast cornering
and to provide high comfort at the same time,
the front axle is equipped with a stabilizer bar.
This bar is linked elastically with both wish-
bones and the main frame.As the stabilizer bar
works as a torsional spring, it supports the
outside wheel's suspension while cornering.
For maximum comfort, 30% of the suspension
travel should be used when you sit on your
trike in a normal driving position (the same is
valid for the rear suspension). For the
Scorpion fs 26 front suspension, this means 20
mm of travel (
so called "sag"
).
Your Scorpion has reached a sag of 20 mm
when the upper edge of the knuckle which
you can feel underneath the shock boot coin-
cides with the lower edge of the headtubes of
the main frame.You can fine tune this sag ac-
cording to your weight and your additional
luggage by adjusting the preload of the springs.
To change the spring rate in a wider range, you
can replace the steel spring or interchange
elastomers and spacers inside the suspension
struts. For further instructions, please see the
chapter "Maintenance and Care" on
page 48
.
To adjust the preload of the front suspension,
unscrew the strut end cap using a hex key size
5. Now the preload adjuster is visible, which
can be turned by a hex key size 5, too.
Turn the preload adjuster counter clockwise
to decrease preload, turn it clockwise to in-
crease preload.The maximum depth is limited,
so stop turning when resistance rises suddenly.
After adjusting, place the cap on the strut and
tighten it gently (1-2Nm).
The damping rate can be altered by exchanging
the elastomer bands inside the suspension
struts, see “Removing and disassembling the
suspension struts” on
page 51
.
Danger!
While adjusting the front suspen-
sion, never load the tricycle, e.g. by resting
on the seat or loading the racks when your
hands or tools are close to the suspension
struts.Your hands may be bruised when the
suspension compresses.
Danger!
The mounted spring is under ten-
sion. Do not remove the preload adjuster
when adjusting the spring preload. Make
sure the adjusting disc's thread is fully
screwed into the stanchion tube. Otherwise
it may become loose and hurt you.