K-Tech Suspension in New Zealand

[Shaun]

With in the next couple of weeks the New Zealand distributor for K-Tech suspension will be announced officually and open for buisness. K-Tech Dominate the racing market in the UK, and are especially active in the road scene over that way, so this in turn gives great base product for ROAD RIDERS.

Check out what Jason Disalvo thinks of K-Tech suspension on his Ducati in the USA race scene, growing into the USA market big time at race tracks

[wayne]

and who is it ?

[AllanB]

Google finds them. Purdy website.
Nothing for my ride, but RT has plans for that when I get the coin :yes:

There are a load of suspension brands out there unsupported in NZ and I only hope if you are bringing in a brand you're committing to it long term.

[sil3nt]

Sweet for 15 grand i can buy a new set of forks for my NC30 :rockon:

[onearmedbandit]

Thread cleaned out by moi. Lets leave some suspension threads free of crap.

[Shaun]

The announcement will be very soon folks. Someone has been making the the odd phone call to try and upset the apple cart, but the apple cart is actually stronger than this some one thinks.

Thanks MODS for trying to keep this suspension Thread clean

The product that K-Tech has is very very high quality

[Owl]

The product that K-Tech has is very very high quality

Is this for the month of May?

[Shaun]

Is this for the month of May?



Please explain wise old OWL

[Owl]

Please explain wise old OWL

Just wondering Shaun, if this K-Tech announcement will be a short, or long term arrangement?

I seem to remember some time back, that Continental tyres were flavour of the month. Then overnight, the endorsements stopped and the new allegiance was with Pirelli.

[Robert Taylor]

Owl raises a relevant point that is true of any product distribution, consistency and loyalty. You dont sell one product today, then a competing product the next day and bag yesterdays product. Lets call that sentiment old fashioned ethics and credibility....plus youll never know if the product you have so callously discarded is sometime soon going to have a new product that is a ''must have''. Seen that happen a few times!
It is of course a great head start for any company to have a great product, but that is nowhere enough in itself. A situation prevailed with another shock product a couple of years back, excellent product but where was the backup?
Moreover its a land of false dreams if you think you can just bolt something in and go, that may have been true enough 10 or 15 years back but the bar has been lifted considerably. I happen to know the K-Tech distributor in Germany, hes doing well with it but also he is working very hard with it at trackside level with changing springs and internal settings etc. No different to what some of us do here.
Those who attended most or all of the road race rounds were visually able to see the results of hard work on one hand and the disastrous consequences of indolence and disinterest in looking after all of ones customers on the other hand.
This whole suspension game is very very hard work, its not possible to keep everyone happy all of the time but you have to be very prepared to try and do so.

[Crasherfromwayback]

Record-stuck

[Shaun]

Just wondering Shaun, if this K-Tech announcement will be a short, or long term arrangement?

I seem to remember some time back, that Continental tyres were flavour of the month. Then overnight, the endorsements stopped and the new allegiance was with Pirelli.


well let time tell the story eh

[Nonbeliever]

I seem to remember some time back, that Continental tyres were flavour of the month. Then overnight, the endorsements stopped and the new allegiance was with Pirelli.

LOL so true

[cowpoos]

LOL so true

who are you planning on use to work on and install your suspension equipment Shaun?

I think their credibility with riders/racers will be your biggest stumbling block in NZ. there is no doubt K-tech is quality gear.

[Smifffy]

Owl raises a relevant point that is true of any product distribution, consistency and loyalty. You dont sell one product today, then a competing product the next day and bag yesterdays product. Lets call that sentiment old fashioned ethics and credibility....plus youll never know if the product you have so callously discarded is sometime soon going to have a new product that is a ''must have''. Seen that happen a few times!
It is of course a great head start for any company to have a great product, but that is nowhere enough in itself. A situation prevailed with another shock product a couple of years back, excellent product but where was the backup?
Moreover its a land of false dreams if you think you can just bolt something in and go, that may have been true enough 10 or 15 years back but the bar has been lifted considerably. I happen to know the K-Tech distributor in Germany, hes doing well with it but also he is working very hard with it at trackside level with changing springs and internal settings etc. No different to what some of us do here.
Those who attended most or all of the road race rounds were visually able to see the results of hard work on one hand and the disastrous consequences of indolence and disinterest in looking after all of ones customers on the other hand.
This whole suspension game is very very hard work, its not possible to keep everyone happy all of the time but you have to be very prepared to try and do so.

I also admire old-fashioned ethics and credibility. They used to prescribe that one would allow the customers that were on the receiving end of indolence and disinterest to proscribe the supplier, rather than a business competitor.

[Shaun]

who are you planning on use to work on and install your suspension equipment Shaun?

I think their credibility with riders/racers will be your biggest stumbling block in NZ. there is no doubt K-tech is quality gear.



This has NOTHING to do with me Poos, I was just talking with a man I know very well in the UK a few weeks ago, and he told me this was happening.

[Dodgy]

Yawn...

If I just want a shock, I will likely buy off the net or Ebay. If I want a service that includes the procurement of a shock, then I will go to RT.

So, this month it is K-Tech, next month it will be what??

[cowpoos]

This has NOTHING to do with me Poos, I was just talking with a man I know very well in the UK a few weeks ago, and he told me this was happening.

I wasn't implying anything Shaun...I find this quite interesting. K-tech have had some fantastic results in BSB and AMA...not to mention have made the pointy end of world supersport and superstock. No doubt their gears is great. The most common reference you hear about their gear is rider feedback...which you know aswell as I do is much much more important than alot of people/tuners/chassis manufactures give credence too.

So for me this is quite interesting [as I have not left the sport yet as a rider] as it was a area I had issue with...not just On my bike...also on other peoples bike I had riden...including championship winning bikes.

So I hope /pray someone with dam good knowledge and ability...who is planning to be around like Robert Taylor is/has will be on board.

[onearmedbandit]

Yawn...

If I just want a shock, I will likely buy off the net or Ebay. If I want a service that includes the procurement of a shock, then I will go to RT.

So, this month it is K-Tech, next month it will be what??

Reading not your strongest point? Or just comprehension?

[Robert Taylor]

I wasn't implying anything Shaun...I find this quite interesting. K-tech have had some fantastic results in BSB and AMA...not to mention have made the pointy end of world supersport and superstock. No doubt their gears is great. The most common reference you hear about their gear is rider feedback...which you know aswell as I do is much much more important than alot of people/tuners/chassis manufactures give credence too.

So for me this is quite interesting [as I have not left the sport yet as a rider] as it was a area I had issue with...not just On my bike...also on other peoples bike I had riden...including championship winning bikes.

So I hope /pray someone with dam good knowledge and ability...who is planning to be around like Robert Taylor is/has will be on board.

How many championship winning bikes have you ridden lately ? To not put too fine a point on it Ohlins assisted bikes won 5 of the major NZ road race championships this year and part of the reason for that was rider feel and confidence. It could well have been less championships if there was anyone out there that was willing to put as much effort into it as we did, but theres no-one new on the horizon thats willing to do the crazy hours. Indeed we picked up customers from the opposition because they were so damned p...ed off with sloppy work and rhetoric but no effort to sort very real issues out. K-Tech stuff was out there during the road race Nats and intermittently used but wasnt the quantum leap that its painted up to be.
EVERYTHING needs work and optimisation. A K-Tech distributor told me that!
Indeed in WSS600 the R6s are leading the way at present in part because the bikes are very fast and the riders on top of their game. That team is continuing its association with Bitubo who equipped their previous Triumph 675s. Bitubo have been around for more than a few laps of the sun, indeEd longer than my favoured Swedish brand and longer than K-Tech. Their shocks as are K-Techs and in Japan a twin tube Showa are a copy and interpretation of the TTX (update pending very soon )
So by implication and in line with cynical comments Bitubo could be next weeks flavour of the month, and then how about the Ohlins through rod damper as used by Lorenzo etc? I think customers still at most place a lot of credence on long term credibility and sincerity to follow through with backup as required.

[Robert Taylor]

And indeed there isnt an exclusive on this, for anyone that specifically wantsthis product and backup we can source at the right price, as we also can for Penske.

[cowpoos]

How many championship winning bikes have you ridden lately ?

Your right not in the last couple of years...and I'm not critizing you or your products Robert...But I am by far not the only person that talks about not enough feel...its a worldwide rider criticism...across every suspension manufacturer.
I would also to hazard a guess that the yamaha boys are at the top of their games because they have supreme confidence in what the bike is communicating back to them and how the bike is behaving..if you can't feel..its a massive mental block to push more..

And for the record the best feel I've ever had in a bike to date was a TL1000s that you provided a frontend revalve [axxion valves?] and ohlins rear shock and I sourced a linnerman (*SP) aftermarket spring for...

[blueblade]

Best feel on a bike I ever had (and it needed plenty of help) was a cb1300 that RT provided Traxxion Dynamics kit for forks and Ohlins Shocks (twin) for rear. Bike was a bit of an unknown quantity and RT supplied a selection of spring spacers for the front forks to get the ride height right. He did the final fettling in the middle of a race day at Pukekohe (back in 2006). Charged me nothing, apart from the initial purchase price and I thought that was pretty amazing service at the time. Became a fun bike to punt around Taupo.

[_STAIN_]

I can help with any K-tech products, springs or re-valve servicing. Based in Lower Hutt.

http://www.motorcycleparts.co.nz/K-Tech_Suspension_Service/Other/K-Tech_Suspension_Service_NEW_ZEALAND__2015/587#mcnzstocklist

https://www.facebook.com/MotorcycleSuspensionSpecialists/

Cheers
Bryce