BEN TOWNLEY 2004 MX2 WORLD CHAMPION
Your normal
racing weight?
My normal riding
weight during my
European career
was 76kg, in the
USA I was 70kg.
Front and rear spring
rates you typically
ran when racing
at your peak?
I wouldn’t have a
clue about spring
rates, it’s not something I ever really kept
track of, nor was I that interested to know.
Do you have a preferred steering
head angle and fork offset?
You never can have a preferred steering
head angle, it comes down to what is the
best performing for that current model,
and how it supports/helps/effects the
chassis for corner and stability.
Rear suspension rider sag? Were you particular?
I was very particular about the height of the
rear sag, I never liked it too high, I always was
quite particular about the subframe height
and also having the sag height to match.
Front to rear balance, your thoughts?
Front and rear balance for me was super
important, especially in the modern four-stroke
era. I didn’t think balance affected the two-
strokes like it does the four-strokes. The four-
stroke has so much torque and inertia that the
balance is critical for a four-stroke to perform
and get the maximum drive to the ground.
Four-strokes are able to maximise traction a
lot better, so if you’re able to get the balance
correct, you can really maximise acceleration.
How do you like your suspension to feel?
I like my suspension to feel plush, especially in NZ.
NZ tracks form very choppy-style bumps, so it is
super important to set the bike up to absorb these
50 KIWI RIDER
bumps and allow the back wheel to get drive.
Ever ridden another top rider’s bike and
been amazed by their suspension?
I was always very particular about my own set
up. I very rarely rode my team mate’s complete
bike, sometimes we tried settings in the fork
or shock of my own, but that’s about it.
How do you like your steering
head set – free or firm?
I like the steering head to be quite firm, ever
since I started riding supercross in 2006 I
have remained with quite firm steering.
Any suspension advice for our readers?
My general thoughts are that in this day and
age riders like to think they are suspension
technicians, especially some riders that make
it to the pro ranks who even have suspension
techs on their team! In my opinion, a rider should
come in and give feedback on what the bike is