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Lambretta rear shocker

In 2008 –fifteen years ago- we released one of the very first bgm PRO Lambretta products our rear shocker.

Over the years it got some upgrades and refinements, like rubber bushes for the mounting points. And also some first off ever things like the very clever height adjustment. Copied by many others. The second version of the BGM7772 Black edition was introduced already in 2010 and was so good that we left it untouched until last year.

We had been in contact with Rob Gray of @kickbackgarage fame anyway, then and now. As he offered us his help on redefining the settings of our rear shockers, we did not hesitate one fraction of a second.

The combination of a Lambretta riding suspension technician was hardly to beat, so we provided samples, drawings and everything else he needed and Rob started his mission in improving the setup.

Some new shims and new rebound needle later…

… Rob was happy and did a back to back test against the previously favored rear shocker. And this is Rob's direct comparison:

This super-clever refinements of a real suspension professional lead to a strictly limited edition:

Rob Gray Kick Garage

“The other shock is good but the bgm sample I have followed the road better than it.

 The other is slightly overdamped and still skips and jumps on the road even when set up correctly as high speed compression is too harsh.

 The new bgm has gained some really nice mechanical grip with my mods.

 These are the highlights of the new shock:

  •   Can be set up quite firm without being harsh for faster engines or 2 up.
  •  Rebound control is not just better, but also easier to set up.
  •  The damper shaft might be thinner than on other dampers, but this is good because it doesn`t displace as much oil. This means the oil will not overheat and there is more space for more oil. (win win)
  •  Can be used on Series 1 and 2 and Series 3 without compromising on the stroke length.
  •  The use of more but thinner shims gives more control and the added bonus of pyramid shim stack is that they are progressive. This means that if you hit a hard square edge you automatically have firmer high-speed compression control. A faster movement on the shock gives more support through-out the shock stroke.
  •  We have cured the top-out issue! Yay! No funny noise and better rebound damping.
  •  Because of the shim stack configuration, we do not need to use progressive spring rates. This gives the illusion that the stroke is longer than it is and although we can use the full stroke, it doesn`t bottom out harshly.
  •  I recommend 15-20% say when setting up the shock, and I also recommend just 2-5 turns on the spring preload. 2 =75kg rider 5 =110kg rider. A spring always behaves better under less preload. I used 3 turns but backed it down to 2.5 (82kg with gear) I also have rebound set at 14 clicks from fully open.

Rob

At the time of writing five of these only are left and all of them come or came with this note from Rob:

“Thank you for purchasing, what I believe is the best off the shelf, rear shock for your classic Lambretta scooter.

I have combined my knowledge as a suspension technician and scooter rider to enhance and improve the overall ride characteristics.

Only after countless hours of real world, riding on some of the worst Scandinavian back roads was I happy with the final result.

The magic carpet ride quality is sporty but with fantastic small bump compliance.

This gives great mechanical grip, comfortable and confidence inspiring handling.

 

Enjoy and Happy Scootering.

Rob Gray

- Kick Garage

As the limited Series is gone or will be gone shortly we are happy to announce that this improved inners are available from now on in serial production:

For all the lui – vega – cometa afficinados, we offer the silver / chrome ones in a set with the reduction bushes by our friends from Casa Performance / Rimini Lambretta Center:

Rear shock absorber bgm PRO R12 V3
Silver Edition RGS 300-310mm - Lambretta LUI, VEGA, LUNA, COMETA 

bgm Lambretta ShockUPDATE: now in SHOP: CLICK
The rear ones came fresh in bgm Shock absorbers for the Lambretta. the Black Edition replaces the previously available types with the black and white nib. The shock absorber has been improved in many details, the biggest innovation is this Height adjustment by 10 mm. This allows additional space to be created between the frame and the suction cup.

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The Scooter Center we finally managed to find a manufacturer for decent Lambretta shock absorbers. After the perfect rear bgm shock absorber, an optimized front additional shock absorber is now being planned. It should visually correspond 1: 1 to the original, but be technically optimized. We are happy!