Hayden Fitzgerald begins pulling the suspension out of our 2003 Aprilia Tuono Racing

Right , let ’ s see how mucky these are inside ... both felt harsh on bumps yet dived through their travel way too quickly for my liking . A call to Kiwi Suspension Solutions ’ owner , Robert Taylor ( the Ohlins NZ importer ), confirmed they could service both the forks and shock , and while they had them apart , they could set them up for my weight and riding style ; hopefully making the action softer on hard edged bumps , yet more supportive under braking and cornering . So , with dreams of dancing , fleet-footedly

through sun-kissed summer corners , I loaded the ageing Italian lovely onto a trailer and whisked her off to KSS ’ facility in New Plymouth

FORK OFF Before setting off , Robert asked for the codes on the forks and shock . Using these on the Ohlins service portal tells him exactly the spec of the units and what to expect inside . Robert explains that the Ohlins you buy from Ohlins is literally the ‘ gold standard ’, and the best Ohlins can make it