Tech Suspension Supports the SSDT
Tech Suspension is pleased to sponsor the Scottish Six Days Trial (the SSDT) and we’ll be there to bring you live updates over on the Tech Suspension Instagram account.
The SSDT, which starts on Monday 6th May, is the oldest motorcycle trials event in the world and naturally enjoys legendary status amongst not only trials enthusiasts, but the motorcycle community as a whole.
From its inception in the early 1900s, the event has been intentionally designed as one of the toughest tests a rider and their motorcycle can face; hence the six day duration and distances of up to 100 miles per day. (You could argue it was the original hard enduro.)
Based in Fort William, riders cover remote parts of the Scottish highlands which are equally beautiful and brutal. Rocky rivers and gullies, boggy moorlands, steep and muddy hill climbs, slippy mountain rock slabs and boulder-strewn gorges make the riding physically intense. Not to mention the (in)famous Scottish weather.
The event has always demanded that riders keep to an allotted running time for each day as they traverse the rugged landscape. It’s not about speed, but rather efficiency and discipline. That means navigating the liaisons, quickly assessing the sections and then making it through them as cleanly as possible. With an average of 30 sections per day in which to keep their feet firmly on the pegs, the intensity of the challenge for rider and machine cannot be underestimated.
In addition, riders need to carry out maintenance and repairs to the motorcycle throughout the event as every machine undergoes a safety check by officials at the end of each day. Spinning spanners and turning tyres takes an additional physical and mental toll that adds up as the days tick by.
Due to this testing format, the SSDT has been a proving ground for motorcycle and component manufacturers for many decades, and Tech Suspension is no different.
Every year, multiple riders rely on Tech Suspension forks and shocks to get them to the finish line. In 2024 Tech-supported riders taking on the event include 9-time World Champion, Emma Bristow and Alfie Lampkin. Tech Suspension is also excited to support amateur rider, Sandy Plenty who is tackling the SSDT for the first time and simply aims to finish – a huge achievement in itself.
They will all be riding the Pro Racing Kashima Forks and Sandy also has the TJ3 GP Shock fitted to his GasGas 250 TXT machine. No doubt the products will be pushed to their limits just like the riders making for interesting stories and valuable feedback.
Alfie and Sandy will be sharing their rider’s-eye view of the event on the Tech Suspension Instagram account, so follow us there to find out how each rider copes with the trials and tribulations that the SSDT will no doubt throw at them.
