Written by Daniel Morris – Director, mono motorcycles.

Suspension. let’s face it most of us wouldn’t know where to start and if we did have a go ourselves, chances are we would mess it up.

I’ve only recently started to set my own bikes up and just used to “ride around” the soggy or stupidly stiff suspenders. 

We were often asked if we can set up customers bikes, so it was about time we spent some time with a lifelong suspension specialist and learnt how to adjust and set up bikes properly. 

Time to introduce Gareth from Reactive Suspension. Gareth has been a suspension technician for BSB, World Superbikes, world Endurance and even MotoGP! He has also worked very closely with all the major tyre manufacturers, so rest assured his suspension school is one of the best in the world. Gareth now teaches the likes of Triumph, BMW and Ducati techs as well as being the place to go for the leading suspension training for K-Tech, Ohlins, Bitibo etc. 

Ok so it’s 6hr drive to Gareth’s Suspension School up in York. However, this we felt was definitely a worthwhile trip. 

Oaklie and I set off the afternoon before (11^th Sept ’25) and stopped over for the night at a local hotel before getting to Reactive Suspension for 8.30 on the 12^th Sept ‘25.

After introductions and a cuppa tea we went into the impressive classroom for our lesson.

We started with sag (not the middle age type) We are talking about how much your motorcycle sinks when you sit on it. With a few calculations we can now work out if you need to replace the springs or just a few turns of pre-load. Correct pre-load will get your bike working the suspension fully and within its range of movement.

Following that we talked about compression and rebound and how this can work with you for a more comfortable ride and maximum contact with the ground. A most important part if you want to drive forward! 

Next, we moved on to a bit about chassis dynamics and how small “tweaks” to suspension height, rake and trail can alter the way a bike turns in, handles and puts grip down exiting corners. 

After another quality cup of Yorkshire tea, we moved on to tyres. Now for years I thought tyre wear on our track bikes was down to suspension set up. Wrong! It’s all to do with pressure, compound, air temp, ground temperature, temperature of the tyre carcass, and the type of surface you are riding on! Gareth also explained that depending on the manufacturer depends on whether you inflate or deflate your tyre to help with cold tear. Now what’s cold tear I hear you ask? 

Well cold tear happens when the tyre carcass is not up to full operational temperature, but the outer is overheating due to the pressure being incorrect or the wrong rubber compound is being used. 

All in all it was a fascinating day and I learned a lot more than I thought I would. Oaklie was blown away and asked loads of questions and we put a few into practice a few days later on our track day at Mallory Park. It gave us a great insight to bike set up and on our return, we have been able to set up a couple of customers bikes and all have said what an incredible difference it’s made to their bikes. 

For 2026 we plan to hold some Suspension Clinics. We will set up your suspension and ergonomics around you and your riding to give you a more comfortable and better performing machine. Please keep an eye on our socials for more information. 

Daniel Morris – Director, mono motorcycles