Here is a selection of questions we have been asked, no apologies for the length of answers and yes they are all real questions….
I am on my road bike will it still work on the road?
The answer is we believe so..there are however a few safeguards. Firstly whether it is a set up for road, track or a combination the starting point is the same, if however during track riding the set up looks as though there may be issues for the road will will advise you of this but encourage you to try it first, if a problem does appear then because you have the settings data a quick call to us to explain the issue and we can give you an alternative to try.
What qualifies you to give advice?
That very word QUALIFIED. Colin has been adjusting, building and servicing suspension for over 31 years, he is a QUAILFIED Ohlins Technician having spent time at the Ohlins Factory in Sweden with WSB and MotoGP Technicians, he is also a TRAINED K-TECH Technician working closely with the factory in product developement and new technology. 100% Suspension Ltd as a company was an Official Ohlins Service Center untill Ohlins changed its UK sales strategy and for the last 5 years has been an Official K-Tech Technical and Service Center and is one of its UK PREMIER DEALERS. 100% Suspension is also an Official Support Company to British Superbikes accredited by MSVR the governing body of BSB.
What's your other job?
100% Suspension is our full time job, we are not “playing at it” or have been brought along to “do a bit of suspension”, we do this for a living be it Trackday, Club racing or BSB.
Are you any good?
No real answer to that, we have achieved multiple pole positions, wins, fastest laps, a championship and many top ten finishes in a variety of classes at B.S.B. from GP125 to Superstock 1000 and riders have used our service and advice over the past 10 years to help them win Club race championships with New Era, Bemsee, Derby Phoenix, NG, Thundersport GB, Hottrax Racing and Emra with the likes of Kerrigan Read, Phil Crowe, Glen Shaw, Lee Kempson, Steve Hix, Geoff Lapworth, Keith Smith, Kingsly Ruddy, Jonty Dixon, Mark Dicken, Gary Arden, Paul O’Connor and Rich Charlton to name a few.
It's raining so do I need my suspension setting up?
In the dry you have a certain margin for error, so if you feel the bike starts to run wide you may, lean a bit more, put in more steering input or even brake, in the wet that margin is greatly reduced or even not there at all and if you do any of the afor mentioned the consequences are obvious, put simply you need your suspension to be working with you as much, if not more so, in the wet than in the dry.
My bike feels fine so it must be fine
The service is not just about bringing us a “bad” bike but also about offering you an alternative to what you are used to, that might just be that bit better.
My mate has the same bike so I copied his settings which he got from a magazine
We have taken part in many magazine articles and produced the set up data. We also work on over 1000 bikes a year and one thing we have learnt is that not all bikes of the same model are the same from the build quality at the factory, to the condition you own bike is in, thats why we asses each bike on its own merits and tailor the settings to you, the individual.
The tyres look ok so the suspension must be right
Tyre wear or condition is an indicator but you could be riding the best handling bike you have ever riden but you may be getting tyre wear or the the bike could be handling like a dog but the tyres look great, Tyres form part of the overall equation which includes, tyre compound, track temp, air temp, what was on the circuit previous, track knowledge, bike knowledge, rider state of mind……
I wont be able to give you feedback
Feedback is very subjective normally “its wobbly” is a good starting point and one we can explore, however we will ask you the questions that we need answered and they usually only require a simple YES or NO answer, it is surprising what you actually know.
I thought of using your service but was worried about the condition of my suspension
As part of the process whilst trying to get the best out of it we will be able to assess its condition and give you some feed back as to what to do next, if anything at all.
I've just bought an Ex race bike the rider is the same weight as me so it will be ok
Put simply you are not that rider, he or she may have been some bit quicker than you and have the suspension set to reflect this and their style, it is best to start from a sensible base and develope the settings as you progress rather than try and struggle with a bike that simply doesnt fit your style.