Shock relocation?

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

I think i asked this before but i can't seem to find the old thread. My memory stinks.
Why would the previous owner have moved the top mount forward and down?
Something as simple as wanting to use shorter shocks? Change handling characteristics?
Any thoughts?

[NobleHops]

I think there is a change to the net spring rate when the shock is in a 'lay down' setup like this, due to the change in geometry. Think of it like this: with the shock in a vertical orientation, with the shock at 90 degrees to the wheel travel, an inch of suspension travel nets an inch of shock and spring compression/travel. At 45 degrees, you'd get half the shock compression given the same amount of wheel travel. You could obviously tune for this if the shock was designed for less travel for a given amount of suspension movement, but I think this is harder to optimize with such little travel.

Disclaimer: I'm not sure I'm right, this is my understanding of the effects on the geometry at work here.

N.