I have Ikon Progressive on my 06. Geoff Custom made them 10" long for me and they are fantastic, been on the the Bike for 3 years and just over 20 thousand K's. Rides Great, Turns Like a Sport Bike. Well worth every cent. Warranty is also great, I had one of the Springs go rusty after a year, I was getting the Bike cleaned up for a show when I spotted it. I rang Geoff straight a away. He offered to open his shop after hours to repair it at no charge and that allow me to get the Bike to the show in time.. You can't get service like that from the US
Got the Ikons in the post, only to have the better half tell me to send them straight back. true! Being the tough guy I am I did exactly what she told me. Posted them straight back (no questions asked from Ikon BTW - you lose a little in handling costs but they were very cool) and ordered the Fornales as she told me to... after all it was her idea to get the Sporty in the first place, and she wanted the best, like ladies do..
Anyway after some pressure difficulties (the Fornales came a little underinflated) I got a pump too and they are sensational. Still messing with the pressure as I'm only a bit over 70kg.. I'm at the suggested 'factory' pressure of 140psi, which I'll keep for a two up ride soon, maybe then try 130. Mundaring Weir rd is a favourite; the Sporty tracked so true and accurate on bumpy corners, despite the front end now being shown up a tad. The next task is to change fork oil and see how the front works with the original springs. Around town they're not yet as soft and comfy as I had anticipated, but maybe the pressure can be dropped further. They do handle bumps way better than the originals obviously, and as mantioned, cornering is very sharp.
Bertrand at Fornales Aust was a great guy to deal with too, despite being landed unexpectedly in an election campaign at the time of ordering (he's the mayor of Bicheno in Tas) and helpful with set up etc. And gee they're cheap too -- All alloy version $1600 posted and $280 for the pump.. but they do come with a 30 day send back guarantee, and the pump is 'on trial' for 4 months.
I'll keep you posted when the front's done. Looks like the Sporty's a keeper..!
Hadn't heard of Smooth Ride, from the little tech info they supply on their site, they still contain springs, and only half the warranty period of my Fournales. Half the price sounds fair then.. Can you send them back after 30 days no questions asked? If you buy their pump, do you get 4 free months use, then return it if you no longer need it? (Fournales can be set - and - forget for life, if you want; you can reset for passengers and luggage etc to maintain identical sag hence identical ride no matter what load. They are not a spring shock with air compensation.)
I doubt I'm going to be able to cover 190 000 kms in 2 years (yeah, hypothetical i know, but indicative of the company's faith) then have them replaced if there's a problem. The life expectancy of the dampening oil is over 100 000 k's, then they can be rebuilt.
Yep, maybe I would have been happy with the Ikons, after all, they worked fine for me in the '80's.. same shock today but..
Let's all clock up 50 000k's and get back and compare notes.. sorry but I have no inclination to send mine back; you get what you pay for and these are sensational so far. As for the $'s... they're mine boys, i'll do what I like with 'em.
