Section Bones Bacon has been a key figure behind the early success of the new SFF Air fork on Broc Tickle’s KX450F throughout the 2012 AMA Supercross Series.
Bike
OLLIE SHARP
SIMON CUDBY
SHOWA SFF AIR The inside scoop on Showa’s revolutionary, springless new fork technology!
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n little more than two years, Showa’s Separate Function Fork (SFF), which is used in Kawasaki’s KX250F from 2011 onwards, has proven to be the quantum shift the stagnant off-road suspension industry was looking for. Last year, Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Lites riders dominated the AMA Outdoor season, with Dean Wilson going on to claim the coveted title aboard an SFF-suspended KX250F. One of the guys attributed to the Showa SFF system’s success and ongoing testing and development is Pro Circuit’s Jim “Bones” Bacon. With over 30 years of Pro Circuit/Kawasaki suspension R&D behind him, Bones is not only one of the most experienced suspension gurus on the planet, he’s also an integral figurehead with Showa’s new technology, the SFF Air fork. To shed some light on these springless new forks, we had Bones answer our most pressing questions. Bones, we’re confused here. What is Showa’s SFF Air fork and where does it fit into the SFF family? JB: Well, the SFF fork has been a huge evolution in suspension performance for Showa and Pro Circuit. We started testing with original SFF suspension well before we even considered racing with it and Showa were present throughout the whole process,
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supplying parts, etcetera. Now it’s the same with the Air fork, which has no spring. We’ve been pushing Showa hard to produce something revolutionary, considering how much development Kayaba is doing right now and how little the suspension market has changed overall. So what is the big deal with the SFF Air fork then?
In a nutshell, Showa removed the spring in the right fork leg entirely. In its place are two air chambers – an inner and an outer, which each hold a little oil – that perform like a spring. The left leg still contains the damping and you can still adjust the ride height like the original SFF. To make the fork stiffer, you simply add more air to change the air space in the bladders. Well, we don’t use air; it’s actually Nitrogen. So how do you adjust the air pressure in those chambers to increase or decrease the ‘spring rate’? Showa has a specially designed gauge that screws onto the valves at the top of the right fork to make those adjustments. They’ve already calculated all the formulas and provide a graph to work out metal spring rates in relation to the required pressure for the SFF Air fork. I actually thought Air sounded old and suggested to Showa that they change the name to SFF Nitrogen Fork. Is the SFF Air fork not just a knock-off
from the technology that’s redefining the MTB industry? No, not at all. The Air fork is nothing like what the mountain bike guys have toyed with. It doesn’t even relate to anything that has existed. From the performance side of things, it’s absolutely amazing! How so? Well, every rider strives for – whether it’s supercross or motocross – a plush ride, a comfortable feeling and good traction. They also want their fork stiff enough to jump everything, especially in supercross, without feeling superharsh through corners. The current A-Kit for forks has offered a good leap in performance over the years, but the SFF Air blows that away – it’s a huge step forwards. It’s to the point where some of these fast kids here in the US try the stuff in supercross and freak out that it’s so soft and plush, yet offers every bit of bottom-out resistance as their A-Kit stuff did. It’s blowing everyone’s minds.
CONTINUED ONLINE… To hear what Bones had to say about the SFF Air fork advantages, reliability, testing with Ryan Villopoto and when we’ll see the technology, head to www.transmoto.com.au