You must have seen sophisticated suspension setups on the expensive four-wheeled counterparts with them having quirky adjectives like airmatic, airdrive or air ride. The reason is as simple as the name is.

This high-tech is reserved for four-wheelers for one simple fact: availability of space. To carry a compressor, rubber bellows, and an air-pump, the motorcycle engineers cannot afford to pan sufficient space within the motorcycle frame and chassis.

Yet, the idea of using the compressibility of air as a spring on two-wheelers is as old as 1910. Fast forward to 2017, a chap in Japan has retrofitted a Honda Grom, a monkey bike from the same makers of the Fireblade. Using it as a suspension unit, he also made away with the side and the center stand and showcased his creation to the world.

There has been a great deal of innovation and technological advances for companies to develop new air suspension products for motorcycles. There are already products on the market like the “SFF/TAC,” which decodes to Separate Function Fork/Triple Air Chamber developed by Showa and Kyaba’s PSF fork (Pneumatic Spring Fork). All of this, however, make use of chambers inside the forks itself and are mainly used on dirt bikes.

The one we are talking about is bellow type units that inflate and deflate. This guy has revamped and modified his monkey motorcycle, the Honda Grom, with this unit. Bellow is a suspension setup that is powered by an electric or engine-driven air pump or compressor that refills air into the bellows, usually made from textile-reinforced rubber. The air pressure inflates the bellows, and raises the chassis from the axle and also gives better control and cushioning effect.

As you can see here, it takes a while to completely raise the motorcycle to its operating condition, which can be operated via a switch control unit on the handlebar. Again, with another toggle, the bellow loses the air to deflate completely and settles the motorcycle down on the ground eliminating the use of any kind of stands or support.

The working is pretty straightforward and also economical. The system has a fixed amount of air capacity, and the variation of the volume of air will vary the cushioning and the stiffness of the bellow acting similar to the spring type suspension system. The bellow will consist of two valves one for air filling and other for regulating the pressure.

Pretty cool right?