One Hour
With the King of Quads - Bill Ballance
Written
by Henrik Samuelson | Photos by Harlen Foley &
Fredrik Ljungkvist
::Continued::
Your
first encounter with an Öhlins shock, when
did that happen?
That was back way many years ago. When I was 15
years old one of my heroes, Gary Denton, actually
rode on a set of modified Honda 250R MX shocks.
That was the shock to have back then. Along came
the competitors and Öhlins kind of disappeared.
It almost felt like Öhlins pulled back from
the segment. After the first initial Öhlins
era all-American brands took over the market such
as Fox, Works Performance, PEP and Custom Axis.
During the 90´s the industry was really hot,
developing almost every part on a quad. Today I
would like to say that Öhlins has reclaimed
the position as the No.1 suspension to have. The
pros know that the suspension is their biggest asset
and they all want to have the best product on the
market.
What
is the general opinion on Öhlins suspension
in the US?
Öhlins is considered to be one of the best
suspension components on the market. The products
are really hard to find and the service &
support is very limited creating an exclusive
image. I am positive that a lot more pros out
there would ride on Öhlins suspension if
the products were easier to find and the R&D
setup facilities were to grow in number.
Are
there a lot of quad pros out there?
Ohhh yeah… we have at least 35 pros in the
GNCC pro class, there are 35 GNC MX pros, 15-20
Pro-desert riders with a clear focus on winning,
some 20 pros in the WORCS West Coast Series and
not to forget, there are 21 sub classes in the
GNCC and at least 27 sub classes in the GNC. We
had 900 participants in the last GNCC race last
season. 5 years ago it was not even half that
amount of riders.
Your
first contract with Öhlins was back in 2006,
am I right?
Yep… I started out riding conventional shocks
but in the end of 2006 the R&D guys at Öhlins
started to talk about an all new shock based on
the TTX technology.
The result was the new, powerful TTX30 shock combined
with a TTX44 rear damper. I rode on it last season.
What
is the major advantage riding on TTX30/TTX44? What’s
the buzz?
The best thing is the wide adjustment range. Every
track needs a unique setup and I get that functionality
in the TTX30. I used to set my dampers to go really
fast, compromising almost every little bit of riding
comfort. Today, thanks to the TTX30, I have a much
more comfortable ride and I still go as fast as
ever. The setup is much easier and I don’t
have to dismantle the shock to change the overall
personality.
Today I just dismantle the shock one third as many
times as before I started riding on Öhlins
suspension.
Is
there any great difference working with Swedish
engineers and technicians?
In the position that I am currently in I have
the privilege of choosing the sponsors that I
find interesting and dedicated. To be apart of
my team you have to be focused on winning. Öhlins
have the best products and they are really determined,
you don’t find that everywhere. Believe
me! It is really easy to work with Torkel, Terje
(Öhlins race technician) and the rest of
the boys. We are a perfect match.
Öhlins
Racing AB TTX44 Rear ATV Shock
Is
the Öhlins damper at the far end of technological
excellence… or do you still dream about
other functionalities and maybe better performance?(Bill laughs and shoots out a positive
no for an answer.)
We are not at the end station just yet. There
is no stop when it comes to developing even better
performance and the guys from Öhlins are
actually always talking about what is next, they
never sit back. There is always something new,
secret stuff going on in the R&D department.
But I will be straight with you, I test almost
every product on the market at a regular basis
and Öhlins is above all others, Öhlins
is the leader today in the Market.
If
you fall asleep and dream about the ultimate suspension,
what would it look like?(Bill
laughs at my question but then he gives me a crystal
clear answer).
I would like to have a suspension setup that could
read my mind and adapt as I go along on the track.
That would be a wild thing to have!
