Well had my suspension setup at MCT Suspension today in Stowmarket by Darren Wnukoski (owner) and Tom, can not comment on the feel of things yet as its a track bike, but what I can say is the service was top notch. Darren is a former racer and top bloke, he currently owns a 2008 track prepped blade that sits in the workshop so was good to have a look around it and compare notes and get a few tips on what works etc. Everything is done in front of you and you can either sit on the two sitter leather couch and watch or get a bit closer, I really enjoyed this and seeing everything that was inside the forks be taken out and explained to you was really interesting. Clearly Darren is very confident in his work and has plenty of time to answer questions (no matter how stupid they seem ), the workshop was spotless and the tea was pretty good as well. My visit all came about after I bought second hand forks with an ohlins 30mm cartridge kit and a secondhand ttx 36 rear ohlins shock, not really knowing there history I wanted to have them checked out and setup for me as they had come from a race bike, so it was probably safe to say they had been fiddled with (although I was told by the seller not to bother as it was a waste of money...mmmm..) Darren found that each fork had a different amount of oil in and that the springs were too soft and the rebound had been maxed out to compensate, all of which I was and probably would have been clueless about other than thinking they were pants..some of the shims had been changed to speed up something (sorry there was alot of info to take on board haha) but something else had been changed that was cancelling this change out, which he found odd. So I ended up having them revalved and the springs changed for a harder spring, they also found out that the rear spring was too soft and the shock height had been set to max so the spring was changed to suit my weight and the ride height changed. Front and rear sag were then set and the compression, rebound damping and preload all set again for my weight and riding style ie track and I was given a card with the fork and shock settings which included the above settings, fork oil type, fork oil level, static sag, fork position, gass pressure, spring details and shock lenght as a reference and if I wanted to ever take it anywhere else. No chance I'll be doing that, can recommend them highly enough and look forward to testing everything out. Darren's bike
Good write up. I have used MCT and agree they are really top blokes. Transformed my 954, 999 and my current bike (06 Blade). They serviced my Ohlins rear shock, changed the front fork springs and oil and did a full set up, transformed the bikes handling. Next year I am hoping to get them to put new fork cartridges and sliders in and set them up, once I have saved up for them.
I'm really happy with what I saw and think that helps psychologically loads when I get out on track just knowing I've had it done with it being secondhand bits.. Was a bonus checking out his tricked up blade too!
MCT are excellent!! I took my ZZR1400 there last year and and had an aftermarket rear shock fitted and the front re-sprung. The set up at the place is fantastic and they are not afraid to share their knowledge with you and explain everything to you as they go along. They make you feel very welcome The transformation to the bike was awesome, it made a big old girl feel like a supermodel!! The bike really did feel different and handled more like a sports bike. I plan on keeping my blade for a 2 to 3 years and then am due some money so plan on treating myself to a new bike and tracking the blade, so my first port of call will be MCT to get it set up properly for the track
Hi Carl, I quite fancy having mine set up for my weight etc and see what difference it makes, so I will be interested to hear what you think. Where are you having it done, if you don’t mind me asking?
They should be good considering their pricing! Just looked on their website and their standard setup is listed at £95 + VAT! That's over double most competitors pricing!
Sorry David I missed this post, we have Alpha suspensions come to Grantham Honda last Saturday, I'm not entirely sure yet but my first impressions are positive, certainly corners a little more confidently.
Can't wait to test the setup out, bikes with a mate getting painted at the minute... But I didn't think it was too bad what I paid for 3hrs labour, new oil, springs, shock strip and service and setup.
I also went to Grantham honda last week and I got my suspension tweaked by alpha suspension and all for £30 the bike feels more planted and gives me more confidence when I can afford to buy a new rear shock I would then get my front end more dialed in with a oil change new springs etc but at the moment I'm well happy next stop Steve Jordan to get a custom map
Just out of interest what SAG settings did both MCT and Alpha use ???? If possible would be interested to know both the static and dynamic sag settings ?
