KYB Suspension

Good from the factory. Better from our shop.

Ask around the pits, and you’ll hear it: KYB is the gold standard for stock suspension. We don’t disagree. KYB builds quality components with a solid design, and that’s exactly why they’re worth working on.

But stock is still stock. Factory settings are built for an average rider, at an average weight, on average terrain, and they’re built to a price. After years of testing and tuning KYB forks and shocks, we’ve found plenty of room to improve.

Where stock KYB falls short

Even the best OEM suspension has compromises. On KYB, these are the main ones we see:

  • Too much damping for off-road. For the average off-road rider, most stock KYB settings are over-damped on both compression and rebound. Too much compression damping makes the suspension harsh and keeps it from using its travel. Too much rebound damping means your suspension can’t recover between hits, so it packs down and loses traction in rocks, roots, and chop.
  • Damping in the wrong places. How the damping is spread through the fork and shock isn’t set up for plushness or adjustability. The result is a ride that’s firmer than it needs to be, and clickers that don’t give you much real range to tune with.
  • Built to a budget. Like every manufacturer, KYB had to save cost somewhere. To their credit, they did it in the right places. But those are exactly the areas where we can step in and take the suspension further.

What we do

Forks

Every fork gets valving and springs matched to your weight, speed, and terrain. From there, we offer upgrades based on how hard you ride:

  • Tintic cone valve midvalve system. For aggressive riders who want maximum control and bottoming resistance, we replace the stock midvalve with Tintic’s cone valve system, set up and tuned to our own specs. It holds the fork up when you’re pushing hard without giving up much of the plushness that makes the bike comfortable to ride.
  • Stillwell base valve piston (in development). We’re currently developing our own base valve piston for KYB forks. Check back for updates.

Shocks

On the shock, we pair our in-house midvalve piston with K-Tech’s base valve adjuster assembly. Our midvalve comes in 46mm and 50mm versions that share the same core design, and between the two, we’ve developed tunes for nearly every shock we work on. Paired with the K-Tech base valve, it gives you more useful adjustability and lets us tune the shock for better pressure balance. The result is a shock with a more refined feel: smoother, more consistent, and easier to dial in.

Built on data, not guesswork

Every setting is developed with dyno testing and on-bike telemetry. The dyno shows us exactly what the damping is doing, and telemetry shows us what the suspension is doing on the trail or track. Together they let us tune to measured results as well as feel.

What you’ll notice

The same quality feel KYB is known for, with more of everything: plusher over the small stuff, more planted in the rough, and more predictable when you push. Control and bottoming resistance stay right where you need them.

Find your suspension

[Links to KYB fork and shock model pages coming soon]

Not sure what you have or what it needs? [Call/email/contact form] and tell us your bike, your weight, and where you ride. We’ll point you in the right direction.