What makes you different to other motorcycle suspension tuners?

Frequently Asked Questions

• What makes you different to other motorcycle suspension tuners? Why is there such a big price difference? You all do the same thing don't you?

  We have suspension files and specifications going back over 20 years, giving us a huge depth of experience and expertise to draw upon.
  
  Every setting (that’s what we call a specific combination of shims, pistons, bleeds and springs) that we have ever done we keep on file to refer back to. They are littered with notes of who used it, what they thought, good or bad, and what setting we tried next, if any.
  
  All that, plus the tuners we know in NZ, the UK, several in the US and Ohlins trackside engineers based in Australia and Sweden that we talk to regularly and in most cases are lucky enough to call our friends.
  
  We test it all before and after on our suspension dynos to make sure it is exactly right.
  So you don’t hand your suspension over the counter for someone to take a wild guess... we give you the suspension you've been dreaming of. We guarantee it!

• What hours are you open?

  We are open Monday - Friday 8.30am - 5.00pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time).

• What if I live too far away to drop my bike in - or if I can’t get there during normal opening hours?

  Workshop hours are flexible to say the least! Give us a call and we can open early or stay back later to fit you in.
  
  If you live too far away to drop your suspension off, we will talk to you on the phone about what you are not happy with and estimate the cost to make improvements for you. Just pull your forks / shock off your bike, wrap them well (no leaking packages please!) and send them to us via Australia Post or a courier.

• I've already had my suspension revalved by someone else - can it be done again?

  Determining a suspension setting, in our opinion, is very much up to the interpretation that the suspension tuner makes of the customer’s complaints. There are literally hundreds of ways a pair of forks or shocks can be assembled.
  
  Race teams often revalve many times in one day of testing, chasing the optimum setting. We do this testing with our test riders and then compare against the vast settings bank we have accumulated on our suspension dynos and give you the setting we believe is best suited to your needs.
  
  We also give you a comprehensive set-up booklet to help you fine-tune for particular circumstances.

• My mate Gaz does his own suspension revalving by pulling a few shims out - why should I pay you guys?

  I'm sure Gaz is talented at bricklaying, but he might be missing a few things when it comes to motorcycle suspensions.
  
  When we rebuild or revalve your suspension, we totally disassemble the forks and shock, inspecting not just for wear, but for faults and quality control issues of the factory assembly. We do so much suspension work that we know all the small tips and cures for each model, so we can advise you on what modifications (such as T-Valve kits or progressive springs) will be necessary to achieve the level of performance you want.
  
  We dyno test every suspension before and after we modify to measure (not just kinda guess) that we are getting the best out it.
  All Gaz can advise you on is beer temperature. Granted this is an important measurement, but will not make you go faster or ride smoother.

• I live in South Australia and own a 94 Honda XR600 with an engine problem - can you diagnose the problem over the phone?

  This really happens! No, we can't diagnose engine noises or faults over the phone.
  But we can tell you that being an XR600 it's probably the stator. We can give you suggestions based on our experience, but ultimately we need to see the bike to correctly diagnose the fault.

• What Spring Rates do I need?

  Put your Make, Model and Year into the Red Bar at the top of this page and your bike will pop up. There should be a box under the name of your bike which says "calculate spring rates". If you then type in your weight (plus the weight of your riding gear), you should get the ideal spring rate you need written underneath for both Fork Springs and Shock Springs.
  Please note that this spring rate is just a guide; if the calculator says 5.5, then a 5.4 or a 5.6 is just fine. It is a ball park figure.
  
  If your bike doesn't yet have the "calculate spring rates" box under the title, then it is one of the thousands of bikes we don't have enough accurate info about yet and so haven't added to our database. We can still get you some springs that will suit - we have thousands of variations of sizes and rates - and we can get custom made springs if we don't already have one in stock. Give us a call and we'll organize some for you.

• What is the difference between your spring brands? Which one should I choose?

  We offer a few different brands of springs, with different advantages to each.
  
  Our own home-grown Teknik Motorsport springs are our pride and joy, and they are made to our own specifications, so we offer our lifetime guarantee. We offer them at a very reasonable price, but we only have them in a limited range (mostly just the most popular late model offroad bikes). Some applications need custom spacers cut, and for that reason, they are best for people who are handy with tools and know what they are doing.
  
  We import HiCalibre Springs from the best suppliers in the USA and Europe. They offer a much broader range of springs, covering just about any motorcycle suspension spring you can imagine. Whenever we get custom made one-off springs for an oddball bike, HiCalibre supply them. They are however a little more expensive because they are only manufactured in smaller runs. They are perfect for people who need a special spring for an older or rarer bike.
  
  We also offer springs from Yacugar Suspension in Holland, and they cover some of the more obscure European models that our other brands don't. The big deal though is that they also often come in some specialist formats such as progressive fork springs or shortened lowering springs that just aren't available from other manufacturers. We only really recommend these shortened springs or progressive fork springs for people who are well versed in suspension mods, because you need to make changes to the rest of your setup to accommodate them.

• How do I send in my suspension for revalving or servicing?

  Sending your suspension to Teknik is quick and easy. Your suspension should be sent to us as a complete assembly.
  
  Please pressure wash the forks and/or rear shock as fully as possible before removing it from the motorcycle. Wrap the shock or forks separately with heavy layers of newspaper and pack them in a cardboard box or tube.
  
  For rear shocks, send us your complete shock and reservoir assembly. Do NOT break any of the reservoir line connections. You may choose to remove your rear shock spring, or to drain your dirty fork oil before sending in your suspension components.
  Doing so will not change our labour fee, but since you will be shipping a lighter weight package, your freight costs will be reduced.
  
  Please tell us if the suspension has been leaking! For any extra help or advice, please CONTACT US.