At the recent Gathering of the Clans earlier twin-shock model Airheads outnumbered the late single-sided models 20 to 1. Were there simply more of the twin shock models purchased, or do the single-shock models up and die more quickly ?
My BMW riding companion says that when the strut on a "single shock" goes bad, it costs so much more to correct than the twin-shock that people go into "sticker shock" and are far more likely to simply part them out. While the cost difference in rear suspension is real, I can't really see people eager to dispose of a excellent motorcycle.
What do you think ?
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Airheads are a classic breed as is dual shock rear suspension. It just looks right to a lot of folks.
Excuse me for not remembering where I found the next two tidbits. I recall reading somewhere that Oak did not like the stress imposed on the rear drive unit from a mono shock. Also there were a few NTSB reports of rear wheel lockups on the mono shock bikes with at least one fatality. I can recall accounts from riders with stripped splines and a no go condition on dual shocks but not rear wheel lockup.
I believe there was a link to the NTSB articles from another site. Trying to find it with the search engine on the NTSB is an exercise in futility demanding barley therapy to recover from.
...the search engine on the NTSB is an exercise in futility demanding barley therapy to recover from.
I feel your pain, brother ! 😛
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Another thing to consider would be production numbers. A person could look into that with a bit of effort. The twin shock Airhead production run was 14 years long where as the mono-shock production run was 10 years. If more airheads were made in the twin shock era, it would follow that more twin shock bikes might be observed "in the wild". After the introduction of K models, BMW were phasing out Airheads. Then there is the question of how many?, and where they were delivered ?
former Airmarshal, IL.
All true !
Thanks.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
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