Lots of people have gained from our experience. Here's some of their stories.

G'day Teknik,
Fitted the shock without any problems. Had a chance to ride it today, did a quick return trip to Bowen of 200kms, road conditions from about 3 kms of good Tarmac, the rest a fine example of tar repairs going back to the 1960's.

I've been riding my Aprilia lately, and a return to the 1150GS was very different, but I noticed my corner speeds were a lot quicker!
In controlled conditions of course, I caught up with a fireblade and we had a great trip back home. A young bloke in alpine star one-piece leathers on a current fireblade couldn't catch an old fat bastard on a BMW. Testament to great suspension over horsepower.

The difference in my bike is unbelievable, high speed lumps and potholes, gravel and dirt on the roads from roadworks, ripples, patches and bloody great drop offs were handled with total unconcern and total security in the bike's new handling prowess.
I was going to sell this bike, but the handling is that improved that I'll now keep her for the longer rides. You have done a fine job on my shocky, at a very good price. I've been telling everyone I meet how good you people are.

- Mark Smith, BMW 1150GS

Hello Teknik,
Just some positive feedback, the Speed Triple now handles. I took it for a punt through Burringbar Range and it is good, bloody good. Thank you very much, and good work.
I'm a happy customer.

- Garry McIntosh, Triumph Speed Triple

Thanks to Nick and the Teknik team for the work on the Front and Rear suspension of my Huski TE449.
The upgraded front springs and valving front and rear has turned this from an interesting bike into a weapon on the single track I ride. I’ve done around 800 k’s on your suspension now and my confidence has rocketed, the bike turns in much better and doesn’t wander on rocky climbs.
For anyone else who has bought a 449/511 and it’s not quite doing it for you, get the suspension done and you’ll have a fantastic bike.
(Photo courtesy of Trailzone)

- Andrew Mashman, Husqvarna TE449

I’d just like to thank you and your team for the work on lowering my KTM950 Adventure recently. While the seat height was causing me some grief I must admit to initially being a little concerned at taking a $20,000 motorcycle with beautiful suspension action and chopping 50mm out of it. Your advice was spot on though and I now have a seat height much better suited to me as well as improving the original suspension characteristics of the bike. Very happy with the end result.

Congratulations also on the upgraded facilities and expanded services that you now offer. I will be booking in for other mechanical service work soon.

- Tim Munro, KTM 950

I would just like to thank you & your guys for the fantastic job done on the suspension of my Moto Guzzi EV-80. I have taken my wife for 900km trip with gear since and the bike was supremely comfortable. The spring and shock valving rates your technicians chose for the combined weights I supplied, was perfect – supple yet firm, not a millimeter of deviation from the chosen line, whatever the surface. To say that I am satisfied is putting it mildly, both she and I am rapt! The bike is transformed from a wobbly, stale cruiser to something that performs way above the level I (and surrounding riders) would expect.

I have not even had to alter the pre-load settings, I had a little fiddle and it felt best back at the settings just as it came out of your workshop.
Bloody good job – I’ll be back!

- Gregg Farebrother, MotoGuzzi EV80

I had my GSXR600's suspension worked on at Teknik and had a huge improvement!

I dropped 6 seconds the first day at Eastern Creek after getting my bike back, and have since dropped nearly 10 seconds overall. Easily doing sub 1:50s now!
Thanks Teknik!

- Jeremy Roesler, Suzuki GSX-R 600

From riding standard suspension in a 2008 KTM 200EXC, to riding the same bike with Teknik prepared suspension, my lap times changed from a 3min 15secs to a 2min 45secs. That’s 30 seconds a lap faster! Not to mention the countless amount of energy I saved. Now keep in mind I race enduro in the Australian Off Road Championship and the NSW Enduro Championship in the Clubman class. I’m no where near the level of a Pro. But using standard suspension I was being thrown around, missing the lines I wanted to use and being kicked in the arse. I was always fighting the bike.

Once we fitted up the Teknik prepared suspension, riding was easy. Line choices became abundant, bumps and G-outs seems to shrink and I felt like I could ride all day. Not to mention the lack of forearm pump that was always a problem for me in the past. The difference was unbelievable and I won’t go back to riding with standard suspension. Ever!

- David Hogan, KTM 200EXC
Highway Performance Bikes Off Road Team #517

Just a quick note to say how happy I am with the suspension work you and your team at Teknik did on my CRF250X. It was without doubt the best suspension I’ve ever ridden.
As a 120kg bloke, I don’t exactly fall into the “average” weight category: making suspension adjustments are a must for me. After the work by Teknik I never had an issue with bottoming, whilst the suspension stayed buttery-smooth. I could hit just about anything at any speed and it would just soak it up.

Thanks Again!

- Andrew Hobbs, Honda CRF250X
ACP Magazines National Advertising Manager

Hi Teknik,

I have just ridden from Cairns to Bamaga and I have to say I was stunned at the difference in the front suspension.

I am not a fast rider, usually sitting between
80 - 90 on the dirt but I found the bike sitting on 100km/hr with ease and at times it crept up to 110 - 120 without me noticing. The bike was so comfortable and steady, which is significant given the level of corrugations.

Now I feel that I have the sort of bike I wanted. A comfortable and safe dirt road tourer. Thanks

- Geof Bowman, BMW F650GS

Hi Nick,

I have just refitted the forks and taken bike for a ride and would like to thank you and the boys in the work shop for the excellent job you did on re-valving and springing my forks. The front of the bike feels fantastic over bumps and is very confidence inspiring.

Pretty rarely do I get such a significant improvement in overall performance for the money spent. Thanks again

- Michael Haines, Triumph Daytona 675

We (myself and my friend and motorcycle mechanic Dave Morris, well mostly Dave to be honest!) fitted the fork kit with no problems – used the clubman configuration with a slight adjustment.

Performance is great – initially a bit stiff with the standard clicker settings but didn’t deflect. I backed off both compression and rebound a fair way (all the way out bar one click) and it’s good now – very forgiving over rocks (we have plenty!) but still very hard to bottom out – which inspires confidence. I think it’s a bit bouncy on landing when jumping erosion banks (going uphill) so may need to go back up a couple of clicks on rebound. Anyway – I’m no suspension tuner so it’s pretty much trial and error… I don’t really have a good understanding of the interaction between compression and rebound – I’ve been told rebound also affects the first part of the compression stroke?

Overall I’m really impressed – the kit is very good value for money and has added a lot more to my confidence and overall speed than spending money on more power!

Thanks!

- Lewis Wilson, Yamaha WR250F

Matt is the Round 1 junior lites King of the Bush.

On Sunday, there were 11 laps over 2 loops between 5 and 10 minutes each in the KoTB sprint format. He led the first lap by 0.3 sec, was then 1.6 seconds behind on lap 2. Was chasing the leader and crashed hard on lap 3 over whoop section but recovered, and was then around 25 seconds behind the top 3. Injured elbow/shoulder and was slower on a few of the laps but some ice packs and Panadol saw him still leading the class by 24 seconds entering last lap. Don’t have exact times but think he ended up winning by around 20 seconds after a day’s racing.

For the bike, tyres were set at 15 PSI, but backed off the compression on the front by around 4 clicks and back by 2 on about lap 6 when the pain started to hurt. This made the bike more forgiving and he charged on until the end.

Think that’s his first 1st place trophy ever for anything. He’s pretty happy.

- Greg Katis

Nick,

I keep meaning to write a thankyou note. Finally got around to it. You did some work to my DRZ400 – full revalve and re-spring at both ends. Well, what a difference that made! The bike is totally changed in terms of its performance, handling and comfort. I can now ride it a lot harder, particularly in very rutty terrain such as Louee and on occasional mx track use. It even handles some fairly decent jumps and not-so-pretty flat landings.

I always felt the DRZ had a brilliant engine but the suspension let it down. Not any more. I can use all of the power with confidence. Whereas before I would thump around at low revs, I now tend to ride it now like a 250 – using the mid to top end. The handling could probably take more power but I am not going to go there as it is more than adequate for me.

I am now able to keep up with my mates on their KTM’s and WR’s without a problem. The bike overall is a much better performer than it was but still has the solid reliability of a stock DRZ as the engine is still standard.

Well worth the $900 spent and a much more efficient way of getting performance than playing around with the engine. Thanks again

- Perry Hume, Suzuki DRZ400

Nick,

What might you be coming over to the UK for? I do need a good suspension guy. The set up we have is crap. SXS suspension was supposed to be good but I’ve forgotten what good suspension feels like!
Anyway, I went into the 2007 Australian MX Nationals as one of the top Pro Lite privateers and was looking for something that would help me compete with the factory guys.
Suspension was the first thing I looked at. I had worked with Teknik the year before as part of their KX250F satellite team and liked what they did.
In 2007 the guys at Teknik sorted out the harsh ride of the Yamaha YZ250F and gave me the set up I needed to finish 5th in the Pro Lite class. Cheers!

- Michael Phillips, Yamaha YZ250F
#1 NZ Pro lite, #5 2007 Aust. MX Pro lite,
now riding for KTM in British MX Championship
and none too happy with the SXS suspension!

Hey Nick.

If you remember my evil '82 Yamaha XJ750... I'm assuming so; you haven't had enough time to repress those memories yet.

Your end result is great. The front shocks look fantastic and are working well. You have cured the starting and plug fouling problems and the bike can now be used! I have a 'flat spot' about 4500 - 6000 rpm (which is nothing to do with the work you guys did), but after 7000 it hoots! Far better than I expected a bike of that vintage to do actually.

In short I am very happy with a vastly improved old bike. I can actually use it without worrying about safety or break downs and cantankerous starting. I was immensly impressed with you and your teams professionalism and the way you approached any problems with a "fix it" attitude.

If I ever win lotto and can afford a race team I will bring worth while work to you. Until then, thank you for doing the work that I could afford. And doing it well.

- Tim Arnold, Yamaha XJ750

Hi Nick,

Just letting you know that the suspension is all good, my previous best at the creek was a 1.53.10 in february, threw some slicks on and entered F3 instead of F5 and ran around all day at mid 51’s with a best of 50.4 which really surprised me. I even won the day in F3. I think I can go just as fast with treaded tyres. So thanks a lot for you help so far.

- John, KTM 640SMC
Highway Performance

Teknik provides what the customer needs not what they want to sell you! If he can fix your suspenders cheaply and know you will be happy he will do it, if you ride a rod box and it needs special parts he will put them in if you are up for the extra cost of having the best.

If you want to be told how fast you are and how to spend a fortune getting your bike right then go elsewhere!

The mods Teknik have done to our 07/08 WR forks transformed the front end and makes it into a great handling bike for $500.

Good honest service and years of knowledge! Nick knows his shit and thats why we use him.

Before the WR mods fork performance was Ok when new, but the forks went mushy real quick and although they worked OK on small stuff, big hits and sharp bumps transferred lots of jolts through to the wrists as there was just not the progression required to slow the fork travel up for anyone other than a 40kg beginner, the WR fix kit makes a more progressive damping curve and consistent performance, just what the fork needed!


P.S. Please find attached two photo's that were taken by Kaisa on the 29th April 2008 when I spent the day conducting a private tuition with Orlando Bloom and John Kerr (father of supermodel Miranda Kerr) when they were in Australia.

- Lyndon Heffernan,Yamaha WR250F/WR450F
Director, Academy of Off road riding.
Multipe times Australian champion.

Thanks for the fantastic job that you did on my suspension. Your advice and recommendations were excellent and the bike is riding like a treat and I can now get both feet on the ground. Now looking at putting a steering damper on the bike and any advice you can give me about that would be great.

Once again thanks for a great job and making my riding experience even better.

I first met Teknik’s Nick Dole during the 2001 Australian Safari, when I raced an XR650 on the GHR Honda team. Nick was the bloke behind the engine and suspension set-up of that XR650 – a bike that I went on to race in the 2002 Safari (yep, the same motor, sprockets and suspension for 10,000km without a hitch). For that reason alone, I gained a whole lotta respect for the professionalism and quality of Nick’s work. With a strong race tuning background via the Ballard’s workshop, Nick is undoubtedly one of the most versatile all-round motorcycle technicians I have ever come across. Combined with his independence and objectivity, I saw that he could be a real asset to ADB magazine and started to get him more involved five or six years back.

Since that time, Nick and the boys at Teknik have been heavily involved with suspension and engine work on several ADB project bikes, a couple of which have gone on to win national enduro titles in the hands of ADB test pilots. Nick has also been ADB’s independent technical consultant, representing the mag at our major shootouts for the past four of five years. That experience seemed to give Nick the impetus to get even more involved with ADB, and he’s gone on to submit words and pics for many technical articles in the mag. He’s part of the metallic furniture here now.

I got my 1098S two days before racing it for the first time in Adelaide.


I went to the track with standard suspension and Nick revalved it at the track, and I won all 3 races and broke the lap record first time out with Nick's suspension.


We also broke the lap records at all the tracks Nick was helping at.


Teknik have now become a perminant part of the Craig McMartin/Ducati racing effort with the 1098R in Superbike.

Nick Dole, what can I say?

One of the industry’s nice guys, Nick’s quicker to offer his mechanical assistance than he is to hit a copy deadline, or indeed finish a sentence. Bless.
I’ve had the pleasure of working in his Penrith workshop on a number of occasions and there’s never a problem that ‘ole Doley’ can’t find a solution to, though he’s happiest if it involves heat and hammers.

I wouldn’t let him anywhere near my horse but he can have my bike anytime.

It was a hard riding pogo stick that thumped the wrists and landed off jumps like an elephant and had no drive just heaps of wheels spin, front washing out bad turning beat you up bike that had it all there and it just needed to be found.

Nick, you turned it from the above to:
Now it is a nibble quick turning plush riding very predictable bike that goes where it is pointed. Chalk and cheese to what it was even after anther guy did a revalve. Good thing we did it when we did as the nut in the shock was on by just 3 threads.

It has a good inch and a quarter more height over all front and rear. Open the throttle and it has stopped the wheel spin it used to do now it wants to go forward and wheelie so throttle control is more the deal. No pumper carb needed.
Sliding it is very predictable and the part where it wants to go out from under me has gone and it wants to go forward instead of the rear wanting to pass the front. When I push on the seat right at the lowest part both front and rear go up and down at the same level and speed. It feels like a Moto-crosser when sitting on it with the rear up and nose down just how I like it. No head shake at speed, very stable.

Draw back is the side stand needs to be lengthened as with the standard height stand the bike is just about falling over, right on the balance point on flat ground. When I was talking to the guy who did it he asked what type of riding do I do? All sorts, single track to riding the desert, so he said we will set it up the same as the bike that won the Aussie Safari. Ya got me!

A few days later Nick phoned and asked me how tall I was and it came back like this.

Another draw back is I have to learn to ride it all over and get my head around the things it used to do when it would bite me. To Nick, thank you for sorting this bike out for me, you do know your stuff.

Dear Nick,

The Winning Formula; Teknik Racing, Irving Vincent, Craig McMartin – Winner Daytona Battle of the Twins, March 2008.
And Lap time improvements, Island Classic January 25th - 27th 2000.

Unlimited Post Classic - Friday lap time 1:47.690, Sunday 1:44.7 lap record. International Challenge - Friday lap time 1:43.214, Sunday 1:42.7.

Thanks to Nick Dole and Teknik Motorsport for winning results.

- Ken Horner
HRD Engineering. Home of the Austart Irving Vincent Race Team.

Why go to a suspension specialist I hear you say? If you had to have open heart or brain surgery done on your self, or someone special in your life, would you go to a GP or an experienced specialist? Doesn't take much thought. As your suspension set up is critical to not only lap times at the track but also safety and comfort on the road, I am very happy with the results that I have had from my suspension specialist and his team at Teknik Racing. I can recommend them whole heartedly.

I have been riding bikes for more than 38 years now and over this time have had many brands of road and trail bikes and covered a lot of miles/kilometers.

My first introduction with Nick was in about 2001 when I got hooked on trackdays on my then naked SV650 which needless to say was limited in the handling department with only rear spring pre load adjustments. Nick assessed bike and rider at the shop and then we went through the options of what I was trying to achieve and what was available. The front was easy correct springs valving as far as possible and emulators. The rear I ended up with an Ohlins. The thing that I liked was not being recommended down the most expensive route and Nick advised to think before buying the Ohlins due to cost of the shock and cost of the bike, but I opted for the Ohlins. To say that the bike was transformed was an understatement! This was the first bike that I had ridden that was actually set up with the suspension working properly. I had never had a bike working correctly previously so I never knew what it was to have a bike come down evenly when braking and then have it rise equally when accelerating out of corners, instead of see-sawing. The confidence that this inspired allowed me to initially drop around 10 seconds a lap at eastern creek (I was still learning the track, etc) and to me it did not feel that I was trying any harder than with the standard set up. I do not kid myself that I am or probably ever will be quick, but I do want to be able to go as fast and as safe as I possibly can.
My second bike that Nick dealt with was a ZX6 track bike that was handling like a dog, very harsh to ride and twitchy into turn one at the creek. Again Nick and his crew fixed it. The next bike to receive the Teknik attention was my Triumph Thruxton which was harsh and jolting to ride on the road, this also was fixed with very noticeable results.

Current project is sorting out a Ducati Monster S4R for the track and whilst the standard suspension may be OK for the road it definitely wasn’t anywhere near right for the track even for an average at best, rider like myself.
We can’t all be record setters or race winners but at least we can set up our bikes to be the best that they can and then we can safely try to improve our times or just our riding pleasure with the help of the Teknik team.

Doctor Nick,

Had several rides on my 450 with your modified suspension. I haven't even played with the clickers yet, and have noticed a significant (read: Fantastic) improvement in ride quality. Very confidence inspiring. Just goes to show you don't have to be Shane Watts to appreciate great suspension. Thank you very much.

I didnt know Nick from a bar of soap until 2006 where I got a fantastic opportunity to race for Teknik in the Australian motocross nationals. Coming from NZ I didnt know a thing about suspension but that was all to change when i moved onto the team.
Nick's hard work and unlimited knowledge in the suspension field got my bike so dialed in there was no braking bump or kicker that had me worried. Thanks Nick!

- Nick Saunders, Kawasaki KX250F

Just a quick note to tell you how happy I am with the service I received from your company.

When I first rang and spoke to a young lady about spring rates and damping rates for my 2006 KTM525EXC, she was very helpful and as your company was busy at the time she would get someone to call me back. In only a few days Nick himself took the time to ring me and discuss the springs he thought I might need. I suggested service/revalve the shock too but was advised to try the springs first, and after advising me on how to set it up, which I have done and could not be more happy with the way the bike handles now.

In todays world where company’s are only to happy to upsize your order and don’t care how your bike works this service is rare. From now on I and anyone who will listen to me will only use your company.

- Richard Carroll, KTM 525EXC

1) Initial contact - Nick Dole was very approachable, patient and knowledgable. I quickly felt he knew what he was talking about and understood what I was after, and was happy to answer all my questions.
2) Getting the job done - Again no problems, very helpful, can’t find fault anywhere.
3) First ride - Definite improvement although I felt it tracked poorly up loose rocky hills. Read the handy 'suspension setup tips' from Teknik and adjusted the shocks and it's much better. Now quite happy with the complete package. 4) Post sales support - This is one of your major strengths which make you a stand out operation. I have had some ongoing issues with seals leaking (suspect batch issues) and have been calling once a week. I almost cringe at being one of those customers a business can't shake but EVERY time you guys have been more than happy to assist and NOT ONCE have you tried to walk away or shift blame. Dale has been a true champion, his customer service on the phone and ensuring the forks are fixed and returned within 3 days ensuring I don't miss a weekend event. This is absolute magic and I can't recommend you guys highly enough in the paddock.

Keep up the good work!

- Steve Sherwood

Riding dirt bikes since the age of three, racing supercross and travelling the world performing freestyle shows I've learnt that suspension is without a doubt the single most important component of setup on a motorcycle. From the first time Nick Dole and his team at Teknik set up my suspension I knew I was dealing with the best in the business.

I honestly couldn't believe the difference that correctly setup suspension made on not only my riding, but confidence levels when hitting big jumps. The bike just worked so much easier over bumps and heavy landing that I didn't have to worry about getting thrown off over whoops or after a massive case out.

If you're a rider who wants to feel and look like you know what your doing on a bike, get your suspension setup by Teknik and feel what you've been missing!

As your suspension takes a while to get it perfect, I had trouble with my suspension untill I met Nick at Teknik. Nick is a genuine person who understands suspension really well. I told Nick what the bike was doing and and how I wanted it.

Getting suspension perfect isn't easy for me as I race motocross, supercross and freestyle at the moment, and I am also getting into long distance jumping. Teknik really put a whole package together that suited me and performed at a high standard in each discipline.

Not only is Teknik good at what they do, they are quick, reliable and super friendly to work with, with high quality products. They're the right choice.

- Luke McNeill. KX85/KX125/KX250F

G'day Nick,

Just letting you know how the revalved and resprung forks you did for my Ducati 900SS are going. When I iniatally put them on with your set up in regards to rebound and compression, they were a tad stiff and I was happily tank slapp'n over the bumps. I wound everything back to zero and slowly increased the settings, I have found 4 clicks on compression and 3 on rebound to be a good all round setting, sort of a general purpose setting so to speak. I have also found that the forks are very sensitive; in regards to giving a tweak through the adjustors as the road and riding conditions change, for example going up the old pacific highway I have the forks fairly soft for feedback and they work brilliantly, as I ride through more open roads, faster sweepers etc, I go up a few clicks on each end of the forks and the effect is also brilliant. I have also noted that the forks get better with pace. I would say that the Teknik springs are so much better than the OEM Ducati springs.

The only concern I have with the forks is that 75 % of the adjustment; i.e. compression and rebound will be inaccessible to me as it is just too hard but thats no big deal as I have found that the 25 % that I have gives me all the adjustment range I need. It should be noted that I think Ducatis have strange front ends anyway and god knows what my sag setup is like. I also dropped the forks 10mm through the triple clamps and lifted the back up 10mm via the ride height adjuster on the ohlins rear shock.

To sum up, Nick, the forks are bloody brilliant and I am more than happy how they are working, with the ohlins on the rear and your gear in the front, I am only a couple of clicks away from a perfect setup for whatever the road conditions offer. Cheers!

- Michael Geoghegan, Ducati 900SS

Thanks Teknik!

I have recently returned to racing MX and Enduro after an 11 year break. I decided to race my CRF450X in club Motocross as training for Enduro and soon found the over 35’s class to be highly competitive and realised my CRF and I needed some help to try to get a race win.

Teknik answered my questions quickly and accurately so I decided to ship my stock suspension to them and have it setup for me. First race out with the new suspension settings was in the mud on a very slippery track and I found traction that I never thought was possible, I got a holeshot and led my class easily! I was sceptical about having a personal suspension set up but now I am convinced! Thanks again.

- Lou Molina #427, Honda CRF450X

Thanks for all your advice on setting up my Teknik spring.

I have bought lots of so-called bling for my bikes only to be disappointed. Not this time.

Without revalving, the spring is exceptional. My KTM 530 tracks straight as an arrow over woopies at speed, and softens the big hits.

Again, thanks from a satisfied customer.

- Steve Sims, KTM 530

G'Day Nick, I wanted to drop you a note on my experience with one of your mechanics - Paul.

Paul started to rejet my WR250F yesterday and finished today. He called me before the work started to ask exactly what I wanted and why I was seeking to rejet the bike. This gave me the opportunity explain how the bike was behaving on the trails and also I had the chance to explain the bikes history with the upgraded pipe and hi-comp piston kit recently installed.
I was confident that Paul knew exactly what his customer wanted. This was proven this morning when he called back to explain how he resolved the jetting issues and how he also made other minor adjustments to compliment the carby work.

Employees like Paul should be recognised for quality workmanship and excellent communication skills. Customer communication seems to be lacking in most professions these days but I'm pleased that's not the case with your mechanics. Many thanks to Paul and Teknik for all the work they have done for me this year and in the past.

- Dave Farrugia, Yamaha WR250F