The difference between Open & Closed cartridge forks | Offroad Engineered

There are 2 types of suspensions out there, closed cartridge (chamber) forks and open cartridge (chamber) forks.

In this video, I'll explain you why open cartridge forks started losing performance during SuperCross and Motocross races, what makes closed cartridge forks so good for racing and which one is better for each application!

Want to learn how to take full advantage of your suspensions adjustments? Check out our online courses:

Still have questions regarding this topic? Check out our personalised technical sessions:

If you can, take a look at these Offroad Engineered episodes first:

0:00 Intro
0:19 Open-cartridge forks
1:02 Cavitation
3:36 Closed-cartridge forks
4:06 The closed cartridge
5:47 The bladder
6:10 Hysteresis
7:15 Spring Collar
7:49 "Closed" cartridge?
8:51 The cons of CC
9:24 How manufacturers choose one?
10:10 End

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#OpenCartridge #ClosedCartridge #ClosedChamber

[nunogens]

With these high quality videos you already deserved half a million subscribers! 💪💪💪

[carters]

More of these suspension videos please. Excellent explanations!

[TheMadMagician]

Good information mate, thanks!
Never ceases to amaze me what suspension engineers come up with. Simple parts like holes, shims, springs, seals and rods, get turned into magic all over the place inside the forks!

[MRJRKAM]

Excellent explanation, detail, clarity, animations, science, humour. I have no doubt many other viewers agree, your time and effort to produce these outstanding tutorials that are truly educational and knowledge empowering are absolutely appreciated, thank you

[jonganzer]

REALLY good, this is the first explanation of the different forks that covers the technical reasons for one or the other. Thank you for taking time to put this all together and help out a lot of riders.

[topstar]

This is honestly one of the best technical motocross related channels on YouTube! Your explanations are simple enough that most people can understand, but you also provide lots of details for those who wish do dive deeper into the concepts.

[Dukenevr]

Good stuff!

In my experience open cartridge is fine for most of us off road types and it is simpler and easier for an owner to service. Open cartridge feels plusher" off road in the rocks, hack and roots than closed. I don't race MX, and being an average Joe, I am simply not worthy as a rider of closed cartridge forks. Open for me 😆

[flapjackson]

I enjoyed the video very much! I have a KDX200 which has the 93-94 inverted forks, which appear to be the open cartridge type. It’s good to know that they’re perfectly fine for off road use. In addition, I like the simplicity of them.
I was uneducated as to the difference between open and closed, but thanks to you, I’m now educated!
Great job! Thanks!

[ddecamello]

Brother you are my hero, thank you so much for the beautifully clear animations and explanations. I'm rebuilding my first closed cartridge fork and this was incredibly helpful for diagnosing my issue (fluid had migrated to the outer chamber)

[marcochavane]

Its wild how closed systems dont seem that much more complex or expensive to produce, but are 2-3 times the cost of open systems.

[myronstambaugh]

Packed full of information! I learned the origin of the compound work "stiction" here. Static + Friction = Stiction Viola!

[pirocaoPOWER]

Great explanation, amazing video, congratulations !

[ryllyduc]

This was a great video! Awesome work and thanks for taking the time to do this video. It helped me in the buying process of a dual sport Beta 500 rr-s and evaluating my rider level/ intended use for the bike.

[bwhaskell]

Man, i've been trying to explain the difference between open and closed chamber forks to my buddies for a while. You've explained it perfectly. Thanks! Now i'll just send this video to them :D

[tothepoint]

Dang...good video man. The animations make it pretty legit n helped me understand.

[bikedadryan]

Hot damn! I have rebuilt my CC forks myself for years without really understanding how they work. This is incredible!

[unwrangler]

Thank you for showing the pro/s and con/s because up to now, I hadn’t considered it and they are considerable things to think about before changing anything.

[victorwinqvist]

Your videos are amazing! I love the 2d-"movies/sketches" you use to showcase what u are saying!

[tomcherlet]

Amazed by how well you explain all these things! Keep up the good work!!

[felixskw]

Very well explained and good quality video, well done!!!