• State of the art facilities in our Melbourne workshop!

    State of the art facilities in our Melbourne workshop!

  • Beat the competition, call Alltech Suspension Today!

    Beat the competition, call Alltech Suspension Today!

  • Make your bike handle how it should!

    Make your bike handle how it should!

  • Call us to make a booking today. (03) 9743 0732

    Call us to make a booking today. (03) 9743 0732

  • Check out the Alltech Suspension sponsored riders...

    Check out the Alltech Suspension sponsored riders...

  • Track Setups and Rider Support!

    Track Setups and Rider Support!

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  • State of the art facilities in our Melbourne workshop!

    State of the art facilities in our Melbourne workshop!
  • Call us to make a booking today. (03) 9743 0732

    Call us to make a booking today. (03) 9743 0732
  • Beat the competition, call Alltech Suspension Today!

    Beat the competition, call Alltech Suspension Today!
  • Make your bike handle how it should!

    Make your bike handle how it should!
  • Track Setups and Rider Support!

    Track Setups and Rider Support!
  • Check out the Alltech Suspension sponsored riders...

    Check out the Alltech Suspension sponsored riders...
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Rear Suspension

Racetech gold valves

Racetech G3-LD Gold valves;

There is a limitation with re-valving as we are limited to the parameters of the stock piston design. By replacing the stock piston with a Gold Valve we can now exceed those limitations and extend our tuning capability. When it comes to manipulating oil flow, piston design is key. The very force that shim stacks will experience is determined by the dimension of the piston port area.

Larger ports are desirable where less progression is required. Smaller ports for more progression. Progression is a word whose sound is better than its meaning. We all like the sound but in fact, we can get too much of a good thing. To “progress” simply means to transition from one state to another. In suspension terms, we transition from soft to hard. If damping is too progressive we will experience a lack of initial control followed by extreme harshness……very soft to very hard.

The valve allows maximum tunability leading naturally to maximum performance. This is very exciting for Alltech suspension the ability to solve so many problems with so few limitations.

For Motocross, Offroad, Trial, Hillclimb, Supermoto, Street, Road Race, Drag Racing and many other applications.

Shock Lowering

Lowering can be required for a number of reasons. Touching the ground and geometry changes are the two main ones. In some cases, it is as simple as the addition of special spacers in both the forks and shock. In other cases, it is quite involved including changing or modifying springs and custom machining. We can lower your suspension whether it's off road or road.

Here is some key point to consider when lowering your motorcycle

  • Suspension Lowering is available for rebuildable suspension. Note: some models are not rebuildable. This is more of a problem on the rear.
  • We normally recommend lowering a motorcycle 25mm. You will be surprised how much of a difference this amount makes. The reason only 25mm is recommended is the loss of ground clearance and travel becomes more of a problem the further you go. However, we can lower the motorcycle up to 90mm on off road motorcycles. Keep in mind that the more a motorcycle is lowered the more likely it will be that new springs are required.
  • Some street models are already lowered. On these models further lowering should be confined to show applications as ground clearance and therefore cornering clearance might be a problem.
  • WE DO NOT RECOMMEND LOWERING LINKS! They do nothing to decrease the travel. This means the tyre can bottom out through the fender! This has the likely potential to stop the rear wheel from turning and if this happens, it is our belief, can cause a crash.
  • Lowering the suspension is done internally using spacers. In other words, we are making the shock and forks shorter. Lowering is reversible so you can return the suspension to stock height if you desire.
  • In general, when lowering a motorcycle, both the front and rear end should be lowered the same amount.
  • Shorter springs may be required for the reduced length of the forks and shock. This may be accomplished by modifying the stock springs or by replacement with shorter one or even modifying the replacement spring. When a spring is shortened it becomes stiffer. When modifying the stock springs this may or may not be beneficial. This will be determined on a specific application basis. We may need to see your shock and forks to find out.
  • We strongly recommend suspension be re-valved for reduced travel during this process. This will set the valving properly for the decreased travel, for your riding weight, ability, and type of riding. When the rear end is lowered the travel starts deeper into the leverage ratio curve and this affects setup.

Shock Re-valving & Modifications

What is a re-valve? This is a good question if you don't know much about suspension, quite often you will hear this term used in the motorcycle community. There are many common misconceptions, stories & unfounded truths surrounding the term 're-valve'. At Alltech suspension, the term 're-valve' means modifying of the suspension components to improve the performance to better suit the riders skill level, weight & needs. Both forks & shocks on all off road or road motorcycles have springs or air holding them up, they use oil hydraulics to create the necessary damping forces for the suspension to work.

Forks come in many forms & types;
SFF - Separate Function Forks, SFF TAC -  Separate Function Forks with Triple Air chamber, PSF(2) - Pneumatic Spring fork, 4CS - 4 Chamber System, BPF - Big Piston Fork, BFF - Balance Free Front, Twin Chamber, Open Cartridge, Damping rod
 
Shocks come in few forms & types;
Emulsion, IFP - Internal Floating piston, Remote Reservoir, Piggyback Reservoir.

The following information is intended to provide a very basic understanding of how off road & road forks & shock hydraulic control systems works.


Compression Stroke;
When suspension compresses (compression stroke) a piston on the end of a rod travels through oil in a chamber, whilst on the compression stroke these things are occurring:
1) Oil is passing through the piston/s (valve/s) ports as it moves through the chamber, the flow of that oil is adjusted by a series of shims (shim stack). Shims are thin washers that bend under pressure to limit, or control the flow of oil. The size, thickness & number of shims in a stack all play a part in changing the characteristics of the suspension, these shim stacks are referred to as 'valving'. This shim stack along with all the other suspension shim stacks are what is modified in a suspension 're-valve'. Alltech Suspension generally utilizes the OEM pistons, however some models do require a change of piston/s (valve/s) to get the best performance out of your suspension.

2) The Dampener rod or shaft entering the chamber is displacing oil, as oil cannot be compressed the displacement of oil must have a collapsible space or a secondary chamber to hold the extra volume of oil. The flow of this oil is also controlled commonly by a piston/s (valve/s) with shims, by modifying/controlling the flow control to the collapsible space or secondary chamber is also part of the 're-valve' process.

3) In the collapsible space or secondary chamber there is also a need to allow the oil in, the entering oil needs somewhere to go; this means the collapsible space or secondary chamber volume must increase (expand). In a fork or shock this is commonly achieved by having a bladder or reservoir piston filled with nitrogen or a spring (pressure spring) as the oil comes in, the bladder or reservoir piston is compressed. Adjusting how the expansion of the collapsible space or secondary chamber works. This is also part of the re-valve process.

4) In addition there is typically a small hole, or preloaded spring/shim set up that allows oil to bypass the metering of oil in one of these areas; the size of this hole or preload on the spring/shim is controlled by an external adjuster. That is how you have external control over the compression stroke.

Rebound Stroke;
After the suspension has compressed it then extends again (rebound stroke). The rebound stroke is the same as the compression stroke but in reverse. The compression ports seal & the rebound ports open up as the rod or shaft exits drawing the oil back into the main chamber again.
 
Suspension components;
Both forks & shocks all do these basics during the compression & rebound stroke – the metering of oil flow in each area is managed by some type of ‘valve’ system. For a suspension tuner the oil control in each area must be matched. When the restrictive forces generated in one area are changed the appropriate change has to be made in the other areas to maintain a well-balanced suspension system. As suspension has become more technical the balancing of forces within the metering systems; & ultimately the pressures generated in the separate oil volumes has become increasingly important. As shaft speeds increase or decrease (the suspension is compressed quickly or slowly) the amount of oil needing to flow in each area changes dramatically. Most suspension systems have high & low speed control; the low speed portion is always working. As the amount of oil flowing through the low speed reaches its maximum the high speed portion comes into effect. The low speed / high speed control is achieved in many different ways, additionally modern suspension is adding external high & low speed adjustments in many cases. Our intent here is not to explain any systems operation just the basic theory that applies to all. The suspension tuner has to factor in multiple systems all working in conjunction with each other as shaft speeds increase & decrease. When purchasing a new motorcycle the manufacturer does not know the specific needs or skill set of the end user. Because of this they put in a setting that will work 'OK' in most situations trying to cover all levels of riders that could potentially ride that bike. When suspension is 'Re-valved' the suspension setting is specific to the riders needs & skill set; riding becomes safer & more fun, in many cases a riders speed increases as confidence in the suspension performance builds. So who benefits most from a 're-valve'? Everyone is the answer! Setting the suspension up correctly at any level, for any riding type is essential. It does not matter how fast your engine is unless you can get the power to the ground (traction)!

Shock Servicing, Rebuilding, Restorations

Servicing and Rebuilding;

The most important service we offer. Our Service/rebuild is complete, thorough and the base point for all our service offerings. Your motorcycle shock is completely disassembled and cleaned, inspected and measured for wear. All shock shafts are linished then polished on our lathe. Minor imperfections and burns are removed, and your shock moves with reduced friction and seal life are prolonged. As an incentive for maximizing your suspension investment, Alltech suspension always updates suspension that has been previously valved by us to our latest specifications. As technology advances, you can continue to take advantage of our research and development. You will not find a more thorough service/rebuild anywhere.

  • Completely disassemble, cleaning and inspection of all parts
  • Valving updates/changes included at no charge for Alltech suspension re-valved suspension.
  • 2 step shock shaft process.
  • Shocks are rebuilt using OEM seals and bushings.
  • Reassembly using high-quality Maxima shock fluids.

How often do you change your engine or transmission oil?

How often do you change your shock oil?

Did you know your motorcycle shock should be serviced every 20-30 hours to maintain correct shock function and to help to eliminate excessive wear of components.

Want your old wear parts back after the service/rebuilt? Alltech suspension hangs on to these parts to shown you why they needed to be replaced.

Restorations;

All Restoration receive our base service/rebuilding platform. We can get parts abrasive blasted, re-anodise or Painted/powder coated to return you motorcycle back to those glory days!

Shock Shaft Hard Rechroming

Alltech suspension offers shock shaft hard rechroming. If you have a scratched or pitted shock shaft we may be able to save you from buying a new shaft assembly.

Shock Springs

Did you know that springs have a manufacture tolerance of + or - 5% now this may seem like a small manufacturing tolerance but that is equivalent to 1 spring rate up or down! On average 1 spring is equivalent to 10kg of rider weight.

That's why at Alltech suspension we test every spring we buy, sell or remove from your motorcycle!

So when you purchase springs off Alltech suspension you know it's the correct one for your weight!

 

Swinging arm pivot and Linkage bearings

Does the rear suspension feel very stiff compared to what it used to be?  When was the last time you re-greased your swinging arm & linkage bearings? Checking your rider sag can quickly determine if your bearings are seized. when you have measured your rider sag with the 2 stiction points (this process is explained in tips & settings section) if this value exceeds 15mm you can be sure your swinging arm or linkage bearings are no good. If your stiction zone is between 10-15mm, they need to be checked & re-greased as soon as possible. If your stiction zone is between 5-10mm you swinging arm & linkage bearings are in good order. If you are using a pressure washer to wash your motorcycle, if so when washing with a pressure washer make sure you are careful as you can be doing great harm to your swinging arm & linkage bearings, because of the increase in pressure of the water can force the very dirt your washing off you motorcycle into you bearings! this is why Alltech suspension recommends using normal household water pressure to wash your motorcycle as there isn't enough pressure to force all that dirt & water into theses bearings which will extend the service life of the swinging arm & linkage bearings. Also, check for movement in these bearings.

To keep these bearings in good order we recommend re-greasing every 20 hours or 3 to 6 months whichever comes first.

Alltech suspension can replace your swinging arm & linkage bearing kits at very competitive pricing, give us a call to get a quote today.

 http://www.fullboremotorcycles.com.au/4523-large_default/swing-arm-linkage-kit-prox-26-110065.jpg

 

Upper and lower shock bearings

Your upper and lower shock bearings are the quickest bearings to wear out. As these bearings take the most impact on the rear suspension systems. These bearings should be replaced approximately every 3 to 6 months.

Alltech suspension can replace your upper and lower shock bearing kits at very competitive pricing gives us call to get a quote today.

Alltech Members