Suspension tuners
Design better stacks and explain changes clearly.
Motorcycle suspension engineering book
The Suspension Engineer's Handbook
A practical engineering reference for tuners, engineers, workshop owners, race teams and advanced riders.
Who the book is for
Built for people making suspension decisions
Engineers
Connect damping theory with practical motorcycle hardware.
Workshop owners
Build repeatable service and revalving processes.
Race teams
Improve testing structure and rider feedback loops.
Advanced riders
Understand what the bike is doing and why.
Topics covered
From fluid mechanics to track testing
Fluid mechanics
Flow, pressure differential and damping force foundations.
Shim stack design
Stack stiffness, crossover behavior and valving strategy.
Base valves
Compression architecture, bleed and support.
Mid valves
Control, check springs and stroke-position behavior.
Springs
Rates, sag, preload, wheel rate and balance.
Damping theory
Low-speed, mid-speed and high-speed damping direction.
Telemetry
How data can support rider feedback and test planning.
Testing
Structured changes, notes and confidence-building baselines.
Inside the book
Chapter contents
- Suspension Fundamentals
- Vehicle Dynamics and Suspension Interaction
- Springs and Wheel Rates
- Damping Theory
- Damper System Integration
- Coil and Air Spring Theory
- Ring Shims, Check Plates, and Annular Valve Architectures
- Piston Design and Hydraulic Flow Paths
- Bleed Circuits, Adjusters, and Control Authority
- Mid-Valve Systems, Float, and Load Sharing
- Gas Systems, Reservoirs, and Pressure Balance
- Air Fork Systems and Pneumatic Spring Design
- Practical Valving Strategy, Float Windows, and Stack Templates
- Suspension Dynos, Force–Velocity Curves, and Data Interpretation
- Crossover Stacks, Two-Stage Valving, and Curve Shaping
- Rebound Control, Recovery Timing, and Packing
- Cavitation, Aeration, and Hydraulic Stability
- Oil Selection, Viscosity Curves, and Thermal Management
- Testing Workflow, Rider Feedback, and Trackside Development
- Troubleshooting, Failure Analysis, and Symptom-to-Cause Diagnosis
- Baseline Setup Libraries, Build Sheets, and Knowledge Management
- Case Studies, Setup Pathways, and Applied Development Examples
- Simulation, Spreadsheets, and Predictive Development Tools
- Telemetry, Data Logging, and Instrumented Suspension Development
- Tires, Contact Patch Behaviour, and the Suspension Interface
- Whole-Bike Balance, Front-to-Rear Integration, and Setup Priorities
- Service Intervals, Wear Mechanisms, and Maintenance Strategy
- From Black Magic to Engineering: Final Methodology and Closing Framework
Includes an introduction before Chapter 1.
Read before you buy
A reading sample from the introduction
An extract from The Suspension Engineer’s Handbook, by Craig Dixon.
Suspension gets talked about in all sorts of ways.
Riders say a bike feels planted, nervous, harsh, lazy, balanced, dead, lively, soft, spiky, or vague. Tuners say it rides high, blows through, packs down, kicks, chatters, wallows, or holds up. Most of those descriptions are useful, but on their own they do not explain much. They describe the result, not the cause.
That is the problem this book is trying to solve.
For years, suspension has often been treated as though it lives somewhere between black art, folklore, and trial-and-error. In one sense that is understandable, because no two riders describe feel in exactly the same way, and no two bikes respond to changes in exactly the same way. But underneath all of that, the hardware is still doing real and measurable things. Oil is being displaced. Pressure is being generated. Shims are bending. Springs are storing energy. Gas volumes are changing. Loads are moving through the tyre, wheel, chassis, and rider.
So while suspension can feel mysterious, it is not actually mysterious.
It is a mechanical and hydraulic system. If we understand the forces involved, the flow paths involved, and the timing involved, then many of the things riders describe as feel can be traced back to something real in the hardware.
Testimonials
What readers and tuners use it for
Workshop tuner
"It gives language and structure to changes we used to describe only by feel."
Race mechanic
"The damping curve sections helped us make cleaner test plans."
Advanced rider
"I finally understood why the bike needed more than clicker changes."
Put the knowledge to work
Need help applying it to your motorcycle?
The handbook explains the engineering. If the bike is still harsh, kicking, diving or deflecting, Craig can measure it, diagnose the cause and recommend only the work it needs.
Buy the handbook
Use engineering logic for your next suspension decision.
Go deeper into damping design
For a focused textbook on calculating shim stacks, orifice damping, mid-valve float and cavitation, explore Shim Stack Engineering.
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