Why a Suspension Upgrade?
One thing has become clear over the years: A great motorcycle at a brilliant price generally cuts some corners along the way. More often than not, the penny-pinching is in the suspension department. It can extend to brakes and tyres in some cases, but mostly, it is the suspension. After all, it’s one of the more expensive components on a motorcycle. We’ve seen this on Royal Enfields, Yamahas, and recently on Triumphs. This is one of the reasons I have upgraded the suspension on almost every motorcycle or scooter I have owned.
Now, we are ready to upgrade our long-term Triumph Scrambler 400 X. The 400 X’s suspension is good for the most part. It’s comfortable, offers predictable handling, and doesn’t feel at sea on the rough stuff either. But that’s if you don’t ride it hard. Once you do, the suspension struggles. It bottoms out, it wallows, and it just doesn’t feel as confidence-inspiring as it should. Therefore, to get the best from the motorcycle, a suspension upgrade was the right way to go. And this is where Zedling Suspension steps in.
The Zedling Story
Zedling is an Indian brand that manufactures performance suspension products for motorcycles, catering to touring, off-road, and track use. The company develops suspension systems tailored to rider weight and riding style negating the need for adjustable suspension. The name 'Zedling' comes from 'Zero Delay Damping,' a concept that reflects the company’s approach to suspension design and engineering. This core philosophy guides the design and development of their suspension products and upgrades.
After spending significant amounts on imported adjustable suspension in previous projects, we decided that an Indian company offering good customer reviews and customised solutions was the way to go. While Zedling doesn’t have upgrades for every motorcycle model on the market in India, they do make a set for the Scrambler, which aligns perfectly with our upgrade plans.
For the 400 X, Zedling offers a completely new, preload adjustable rear monoshock unit. It has an aluminium body for better heat dissipation. The kit for the front USD or upside down forks meanwhile fits into the stock suspension tubes. The kit includes springs, damper rods, seals, bushes and the fork oil. According to Zedling, these upgrades should lead to improved suspension response, enhanced ride comfort, better handling, and the ability to absorb harder impacts without unsettling the rider. We’ll put these claims to the test over the coming months as we evaluate the Zedling-equipped Scrambler both on and off-road.
The Approach
Now, many believe that a suspension upgrade is incomplete without adjustability. It should adjust for compression and rebound damping, as well as for front preload for good measure. I, too, come from the same school of thought. But Zedling approaches it differently.
Since they build the suspension for you and your riding style, their non-adjustable suspension is already at the sweet spot that one might arrive at eventually after playing endlessly with an adjustable suspension. They do this by making you fill out a comprehensive questionnaire before starting the build. Plus, once you get to the sweet spot with an adjustable suspension, you stop playing with the settings, effectively rendering the suspension non-adjustable unless your riding style or terrain changes dramatically. I know this to be true because once I arrived at the setup I wanted on my Interceptor, Xpulse, and Aerox (yes, all three run fully adjustable suspension), I haven’t touched the suspension since.
Furthermore, everything that Zedling offers on its suspension is bespoke. So, even if you want stiffer or softer springs or want the damping to be slower or quicker than it currently is, Zedling will make it happen. It will change the springs, oil, or the valving to get you where you want to be. Plus, the suspension is completely serviceable. So, you don’t have to buy a completely new unit if a component fails; just replace the specific component, and you are on your merry way.
What’s Next?
As mentioned earlier, we’ll now install the suspension on our long-term Scrambler 400 X and put the bike and the Zedling suspension through their paces to see if the upgrade has really made a big difference.
Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi
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Triumph Scrambler 400 X Front View
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