American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 217 August 2017 | Page 18

50 years of KONI/Ikon
motorcycle suspension
This year sees the heritage of one of the
market’s oldest shock absorber brands
being celebrated, with 2017 marking
the 50th anniversary of the KONI
motorcycle suspension being founded
in the Netherlands.
Starting in 1967, KONI B.V. in Holland
introduced a range of motorcycle shock
absorbers which they made until early
2001, after which Proven Products Pty
Ltd in Australia - who had been the
Australian importer for the KONI range
- signed an exclusive licensing
agreement and began to make the
range.
Known since then as Ikon Suspension,
Proven Products has continued to
expand and grow their Ikon brand into
2017, 50 years on.
Although KONI and Proven Products/Ikon are not connected in any
way today, the agreement allowed for
the KONI designs to be used as a
foundation for the new Ikon range. For
that reason, the products of today and
earlier years have an almost identical
appearance and a level of
interchangeability.
The KONI range started with a mix of
specific applications and universal
options for those with standard or
custom motorcycles. The 1970s saw
the development of lighter weight alloy
bodied moto cross shocks, featuring
cooling finned gas pressurised, non-
adjustable, non-rebuildable 23 series
with a range of linear and progressive
rate springs. The progressively rated
springs began to provide ride benefits
not previously enjoyed. The introduction of these springs was a
significant change, and the impact still
echoes in today’s Koni products and
motorcycle shock absorbers in general.
In the early 1980s KONI introduced the
7610 series, which continued to use
the range of progressive rate springs
and added 4-position external rebound
adjustment. KONI’s later range of
mono shocks (3014 series) had
aluminum bodies with externally
adjustable rebound, screw thread pre-
load and progressive rate springs, the
focus primarily being the BMWs of the
1980s and early 1990s. By this time the
motorcycle marketplace was
dominated by mono shock bikes, with
only a few makes and models, such as
Harley-Davidson and Moto Guzzi,
having twin shocks.
Black
body and
springs Chrome
body,
springs,
cap and
skirt Chrome
body,
black
springs
and
chrome
cap
7610 series rebuildable shock absorbers with four-position externally adjus table rebound, spring
seat adjustable in three positions and a progressive spring
7614 series shock absorbers with
four- position externally adjustable
rebound, screw thread spring seat
adjustment, progressive spring,
lightweight aluminum body, and
they are gas pressurised
The dawn of the Ikon brand in
2000/2001 saw the range limited to
the 7610 series shocks at first as the
classic retro market emerged, and
there was a new lease of life for twin
shock suspensions - both in new model
and restoration terms. The range began
to grow and expand with the creation
of a new line of modern style aluminum
bodied shocks, the 7614 series. A range
of fork springs followed, along with an
extensive range of upgraded
progressive rate fork springs, which
continues to grow and keep pace with
new applications.
Ikon’s 3610 mono shocks now have
100 applications and feature
rebuildability, 4-position rebound
adjustment, progressive rate springs
and screw thread pre-load. On some
applications, OEM remote pre-load
adjusters can be retro-fitted.
The most recent additions to the Ikon
range have been mono tube aluminum
bodied shocks (3214 series) for road
and off-road applications and a line of
non-adjustable Basix shocks aimed at
the budget conscious rider.
Ikon Suspension owner Geoff Lowe
says the future continues to look bright
for the brand, with a market that
rewards the kind of diversity that Ikon
now represents.
Kustom Kulture Artisan Show at the Cherokee Blue Ridge Run
The Kustom Kulture Artisan
Show is an extreme artisan
show produced by Biker Pros for
the Cherokee Blue Ridge Run
(blueridgerun.com) with some
$23,000 of awards on offer.
The 3-day event is scheduled for
September 8th -10th in the
North Carolina mountains and
promises “great riding, great
music and plenty of cool stuff,”
says custom show organizer Jeff
Najar.
“The Kustom Kulture Artisan
Show will be an extravaganza
of sights and sounds.
Enthusiasts will be able to
18
experience what it takes to
build a custom bike from metal
work to leather work and try
their hand at numerous
disciplines including pinstriping.
A hands-on skills workshop
display called ‘Grease + Gears’
will add to the
experience.”
Hosted at the
Cherokee
Fairgrounds
Display Hall,
where
competitors are
competing for
the largest payout
AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - AUGUST 2017
on the East Coast in three
classes, with FreeStyle paying
through six places. More cash
and trophies will be awarded
for Best Chopper, Best Bagger,
Best Cafe Racer, Best FXR/Dyna
and People’s Choice.
“Showcasing custom
motorcycles, providing a
platform for builders to show
their skills and get
together with other
enthusiasts, is what
it’s all about! It’ll
be a fun weekend,”
said Mark Cresswell,
Rally Director.
The FreeStyle winner receives
an additional $2,000 to
compete in the Championship of
the Americas at AIMExpo in
Ohio. If they win there, the bike
and owner receives a trip to
Germany for the AMD World
Championship.
“The Kustom Kulture Artisan
Show highlights builders who
create exceptional builds, from
low cost “less is more” customs
to one-off, multi-year “big
buck” projects that can take
years to complete,” explained
Bob Kay, Biker Pros Partner.
www.custombikeshows.com
www.AMDchampionship.com