Best motorcycle suspension upgrades and tools

Yes, it's pricey, but we've started with one of the very best replacement shock absorbers to illustrate what's available and what it can cost. Ohlins is generally regarded as the elite in motorcycle suspension and this street shock as long as you buy the model appropriate for your bike and your weight, will transform the ride of your bike, its handling and controllability.

A popular suspension modification, if not exactly an upgrade, particularly for shorter riders, is a rear-suspension lowering kit. These usually operate by having specially designed, shortened linkages between the shock absorber and bike chassis, so it's important to get one specific to your bike.

If your bike's too high, and a rear suspension lowering kit isn't sufficient, another alternative is a fork-lowering kit, such as this one from reputable specialist Progressive. Its drop-in fork lowering kits have transformed a once messy, and time consuming install, into a cake walk.

A crucial component in how your motorcycle's telescopic forks work is their damping oil and it being set to the correct level. Heavier weight oil gives more damping properties, lighter less' but replacing it accurately can be difficult.

The fork seals in your motorcycle's telescopic forks are crucial for preventing leaks of damping oil. Over time they also wear and need replacement, which can lead to a loss of damping, in turn affecting your bike's front suspension effectiveness. Replacing seals can be difficult but it's made much easier with the use of a tool such as this.

Hyperpro is another quality replacement shock absorber brand, although not quite as pricey as Ohlins and its multi-adjustable units, which comes with bespoke settings for your bike (this one's for a Honda VFR800Fi) come highly recommended.

Also from Hyperpro is this front fork re-springing kit, which replaces the standard springs and oil, is designed to use the maximum front fork stroke under heavy braking without upsetting front grip, is bespoke to your model of bike with a huge range of fittings available (this one's for a Suzuki SV650), is easy to fit (as long as you have basic mechanical skills) and is highly recommended.

Replacing your fork oil may sound messy but is one of the simplest, and cheapest, ways to improve your bike's front suspension. By using different weights of oil, ranging from light (5W) to heavy (20W), also has the effect of reducing or raising the damping of your forks, depending on your usage and type of riding. This Motul oil is typical and is currently on offer, but there are plenty of quality brands and options available.