HP Velotechnik trikes - Manual (Page 81)

Front suspension elements
77
Handling instructions
Caution! The suspension must be
set up in a way that avoids permanent bot-
toming out (a clearly recognizable bumping
into the end stops). Permanent bottoming
out may reduce the components' life time.
Caution! Make sure that the axial
bearing was mounted correctly between
spring and support plate inside the strut
during assembly. A missing or wrongly
placed axial bearing may damage the sus-
pension strut or lead to steering heaviness.
Stabilizer bar
To decrease body roll while cornering, the
axle is equipped with a stabilizer bar. As long
as the spring deflection height is the same on
both front wheels, the stabilizer bar has no ef-
fect. If one single wheel is moving upwards
(e.g. the outside wheel due to the dynamic
forces at high speed cornering), the stabilizer
bar works as a torsional spring and increases
the spring rate of this wheel. Besides, it
transmits parts of this wheel's load to the op-
posite wheel's suspension strut which then
supports the higher-loaded wheel. As a result
of this the single-sided suspension on bad
quality roads will be harder compared to both
wheels moving at the same time in the same
direction.
If you prefer a very comfortable ride, it is pos-
sible to mount the soft (white) stabilizer bar
in spite of high loads and appropriate spring
setup. However, the Scorpion fs will lean
more outwards in fast driven corners.
If you prefer a sporty style of riding with a
minimum of body roll, you may also use the
hard (grey) stabilizer bar with a soft spring
setup.
To remove the stabilizer bar, simply unscrew
both bolts which connect the stabilizer bar
brackets to the frame plates. Now the stabi-
lizer bar can be pulled out of its bushings in
the wishbones. The aluminium brackets can
be removed afterwards. Assembly is done in
reversed order.
Caution! Before inserting the
countersunk bolts, make sure the brackets
are fitted planar to the frame plates and
the hole centres are aligned to each other.
Otherwise you may damage the threads
and destroy the brackets.
Removing and disassembling the suspension
struts
To provide a long lasting, faultless function of
the front suspension, the struts must be main-
tained regularly according to the service plan
on page 98. During design, great importance
was attached to keep the bearings of the front
suspension free from dirt and moisture. That's
why the struts are equipped with a shock
boot with vent holes situated inside the
frame's steering tubes. This makes sure that
predominantly clean and dry air is exchanged.
Depending on the area and conditions the tri-
cycle is operated in and under, dirt and mois-
ture could nevertheless reach the bearings
inside. Hence it is necessary, especially after
riding under rainy and snowy or off road con-
ditions, to check the struts for dirt and clean
them. Under extreme conditions, we recom-
mend to shorten the maintenance intervals
given in the service plan.