When I first became interested in Royal Enfield motorcycles I was delighted to read that the post-war Royal Enfield Bullet was exceptional because of its "advanced rear suspension." Ignorant as I was of motorcycle design, I wondered what this great 1949 advance in rear suspension might be. But none of the books seemed to explain.
Only later did I come to realize that the great step forward was this: the Bullet had a rear suspension at all!
I had never realized that the terms "hard tail" or "rigid" when applied to motorcycles meant that the rider was cushioned by no rear suspension whatsoever. My spine ached, just at the thought. Eventually I read that early riders wore kidney belts to protect themselves from the lashing blows inflicted by the rear wheel. No wonder those old-fashioned solo seats had springs!
Once I knew the meaning of "hard tail", the term "soft tail" defined itself. This would be any motorcycle with an effective rear suspension. "Soft Tail," in the United States, usually refers to the Harley-Davidson motorcycle that got a swing-arm rear suspension in 1958 (about time).
For some, things are never soft enough. I was amused to encounter this Harley-Davidson Heritage Softtail in Wisconsin; the slender young woman riding in back had added a little cushioning of her own: a nice pink tie-dyed pillow.
MN 2009 C5
How motorcycles got that way
CA 2014 C5
New models coming from Royal Enfield
OH 1956 Tomahawk
CA 2015 B5
A critical look at the Himalayan 450
Found: 1924 Royal Enfield foot shift
VA 500cc with sidecar
AL 2003
Shotgun 650 on second thought
CO 1960 Apache
IA 1959 Patrol Car
CA 2005
Bullet 350 in U.S. MSRP: $4,499
Distinguished gentlefolk ride
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
David
ReplyDeleteThe generally accepted terminology is swingarm for a bike with dual visible shocks. Softail refers to a bike with the look of a rigid frame but with a shock concealed beneath the frame . Of course their are hybrids ( see Vincent ) .
George E.
George, thank you for the explanation!
ReplyDelete