Author Topic: FL350 Upper Shock Mount Prototype  (Read 5449 times)

Factory 45

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FL350 Upper Shock Mount Prototype
« on: May 17, 2012, 09:50:37 AM »
Have got my buddy Luke's FL350 in place to do some repair to. The guys who went to D-Town in Feb. know this was a sad day for Luke...his buggy BROKE after trailering it 20hrs. Made like a 10 min rip and the left rear wheel came rolling by him...and the rest you can kinda figure sucked pretty bad :(

The list of carnage is as follows...Axle broke, bearings toast, left rear shock bent like a banana (shaft, and upper mount on the shock body) some pics of the pile of toasted parts...

NOW...because I wanted to be evenly serviced I sent BOTH shocks to Works. They had to replace both rear shock shafts...which kinda got me thinkin. Both upper shock mounts (on the shock...not the chassis) had shown signs of binding pretty good. AND BOTH shafts are bent...HMMMMMM. Also noted that the NYLON upper bushings were egging pretty bad on the shocks. So I took a look at the mounting points of the shock and stroked the suspension to observe the action and range of motion...WOW what a funky setup the 350 has. The shock has to allow a second range of motion (almost side to side) to allow the rear suspension to arc and pivot simultaniosly.

NOT the best setup from Honda...but put this together to try some new stuff for Luke. Gonna rip it around the shop this weekend with the gopro pointed at it to see how it works.
« Last Edit: May 17, 2012, 10:15:00 AM by Factory 45 »

Factory 45

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Re: FL350 Upper Shock Mount Prototype
« Reply #1 on: May 17, 2012, 09:56:03 AM »
Livewire and I have talked about this and it really isnt a NEW per say idea...but it could prove to be useful info for guys getting ready to service rear shocks or setup an Ody rear suspension on Works shocks.

Pics of the P-Type parts and Re-fitted upper mounts...

Factory 45

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Re: FL350 Upper Shock Mount Prototype
« Reply #2 on: May 17, 2012, 10:09:05 AM »
Here are some mounted pics...looks good and clear. I can see where there may be some trimming or extra spacing required to clear the fender bracket...but Im gonna take em off for the first test and see how JUST the shocks hold onto the post I made.

hoodlum

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Re: FL350 Upper Shock Mount Prototype
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2012, 01:18:46 PM »
Refresh me....I can't remember where the stock location is at.....

LiveWire

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Re: FL350 Upper Shock Mount Prototype
« Reply #4 on: May 17, 2012, 01:49:57 PM »
The first picture in the third post shows it pretty well. The problem is that the shock moves in and out while up and down putting stress on the shaft and body. When I install them, I only just touch the bushing with the bolt then tighten the jam nut on the back. Really, the mount should be rotated about 90 degrees similar to a Drakart which has the same style of suspension. I think the ideal angle of the bolt would be parallel to a line drawn from the front heim of the arm to the inner U-joint.


Factory 45

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Re: FL350 Upper Shock Mount Prototype
« Reply #5 on: May 17, 2012, 03:44:18 PM »
Yeah guys...that axle being part of the suspension linkage SUCKS lol. Making the shock swing and pivot to match the arm travel motion PHOEY...gonna try this post out and see if I can get spacing so all the mount points swing clear without binding. For the first set of posts I just lopped the heads off the stock bolts turned them down and threaded them...works provided some spacers for the top bearing. Vids this weekend of it in action :)

Factory 45

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Re: FL350 Upper Shock Mount Prototype
« Reply #6 on: May 21, 2012, 11:44:39 AM »
Ok Lukes Ody turned out pretty good...testing went well and NOTHING broke :) Had to tune the jetting and play around with the carb and fuel lines...didnt like the way it was setup...or the way it was running. So needless to say we made a fun day out of it...NO video unfortunately. Im going to jack up the buggy and take the shocks and posts out sometime this week...and take some pics.

« Last Edit: May 21, 2012, 11:48:06 AM by Factory 45 »

Factory 45

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Re: FL350 Upper Shock Mount Prototype
« Reply #7 on: July 06, 2012, 12:05:36 PM »
Well...these suspension posts really worked well. Unfortunately the buggy got tore up again...not from a part failure basically almost a major crash. The posts took a serious beating all day and the suspension was as plush as ever. After Luke's near destruction skid off the trail...the axle broke...which usually tears up the shock. The extra range of motion kept it from snapping and bending...and the left post stayed strong.