Surron X suspension has got a bad rap over the past few years, and for good reasons. Flat landing a jump, or even a spirited ride blitzing the whoops would have been a fast way to blow out a fork or bend a linkage. Now, Surron, being a few years wiser, has made a few upgrades to the suspension but is enough to hold up to the many styles of riding? This article will discuss suspension setups that Bullet, Rusty and E-Moto Man personally recommend, and you might be surprized with their choices.
Do you really need to upgrade your Surron Suspension?
This is the million dollar question, or rather a $1000ish question. It depends on your riding style, which we’ll get into shortly. Before you start making any changes to your e-moto, get out and ride it! Feel what it’s like. Feel what needs improving. If you’re brand new to dirt bikes in general, you may find that the stock suspension is perfect for what you need for now.
Read suspension tips from a Pro here.
If you’re meandering on a commute and stopping to smell the roses, the suspension will also likely be suitable for you. For anything more than that, it would probably be worthwhile upgrading. Just remember, even though other riders say ‘you must upgrade’, do what is best for you. If suspension upgrades aren’t necessary, your money might be better spent on other parts of your e-moto.
How do you know you need to upgrade your suspension?
Apart from the obvious, like broken suspension after landing a jump, you’ll know if you need to upgrade after you’ve maxed out all the adjustments and you’re still finding you’re hitting the stoppers.
Before you do upgrade your suspension, make sure you have your current suspension 100% dialed in for your riding style and terrain.
You might also consider an upgrade if the suspension isn’t giving you the feel you want. Perhaps you might prefer something stiffer, or maybe something more plush. There is only so much adjusting that can be done with the adjusters! Spring rate and quality of parts can’t be changed, so they require a suspension upgrade. Read this article here that deep dives into suspension settings.
Riding Styles to Suspension Options
The GritShift guys and girls are out on the track every chance they get, and have bent more forks and springs than you could imagine, all in the name of science of course! Check out GritShift’s Instagram to see how hard they push their e-motos! Collating their wealth of knowledge on the subject, here are the best setups for your preferred riding style based on what they have personally tried on their own Surron LBX fleet:
On road commuting
Unlike taking big hits on landings, on road commuting is much kinder to the suspension. Unanimously, the rear stock suspension on the 2024-era Surron is perfectly adequate to meet all commuting needs. Keep in mind this is for the average person, but it might not suit all riders. For the front forks, both Bullet and E-Moto Man have had success with the Fastace fork, but ultimately, the Talaria Factory Air Fork is what the guys recommend. It has the best value for money, is a more rigid fork compared to the DNM forks, and being an air fork, it’s lighter than its spring counterpart. Bullet suggests if your Surron comes with Fastace forks, consider respringing them as a cost effective way of upgrading your suspension and that could also do the trick.
Front
- Bullet: Fastace or Talaria Factory Air Fork
- Rusty: Talaria Factory Air Fork
- E-Moto Man: OEM fork or Talaria Factory Air Fork
Rear
- Bullet: OEM shocks
- Rusty: OEM shocks
- E-Moto Man: OEM shocks
On road stunting (best wheelie setup)
As there are no big landings (unless it all goes pear shaped…), the on road stunting setup would be similar to commuting. On the front, the Talaria Factory Air Fork is most preferred, although E-Moto Man also suggested the Fox 40 forks would also do the trick (literally!) Keep in mind if you go with this option, you’ll also need to get a 14mm drop crown so the fork is able to get full movement. The full install kits are available here.
Front
- Bullet: Fastace or Talaria Factory Air Fork
- Rusty: Talaria Factory Air Fork
- E-Moto Man: Factory, Fastace, Fox 40
Rear
- Bullet: OEM shocks
- Rusty: OEM shocks
- E-Moto Man: OEM shocks
Off road casual trails
Trails can mean different things to different people. This first section will be dedicated to single line trails, forest riding, basically any kind of riding that doesn’t involve large jumps. It is for those that enjoy some challenges winding through nature, without leaving the ground. Unanimously again, the front fork that is suited for on road riding is similar to what would be fantastic on the trails, but you might need to start looking into upgrading the rear to withstand a few more bumps. An option you could look at is the Vonkat TenFive Rear Shock. Think of when you encounter braking bumps just before a turn. The Vonkat TenFive will help keep the backend more planted so you can rail those berms. This is due to its speed-sensitive valving and correct spring rate for your weight.
“My Talaria Factory Forks are still going strong, even after flat landing 60ft jumps and flying through whoops on the trails for the past 8 months. You can’t beat them for the price.”
Bullet
Front
- Bullet: Fastace or Talaria Factory Air Fork
- Rusty: Talaria Factory Air Fork
- E-Moto Man: OEM fork or Fox 40
Rear
- Bullet: OEM shocks
- Rusty: Vonkat TenFive Rear Shock
- E-Moto Man: Vonkat TenFive Rear Shock
Shop Vonkat TenFive Rear Shocks here
Off road casual trails but riding harder
This section is for those who enjoy riding harder, jumping smallish logs and finding slightly more challenging sections to navigate, in general asking more from your suspension than your weekend rider. If you’re reading this section, I’m guessing you have a tad more experience and can feel more of what your e-moto is trying to tell you. Again, the Talaria Air Fork is the most preferred from the GritShift team, but you could also look at the EXT Ferro Fork as that will also survive some bigger landings or abrupt stops.
Front
- Bullet: Fastace or Talaria Factory Air Fork
- Rusty: Talaria Factory Air Fork or EXT Ferro Fork
- E-Moto Man: Factory, Fox 40, or EXT Ferro Fork
Rear
- Bullet: OEM shocks
- Rusty: Vonkat TenFive Rear Shock
- E-Moto Man: Vonkat TenFive Rear Shock
Shop Vonkat TenFive Rear Shocks here
Motocross or Hard Enduro
This is where things start to get more serious. If MX tracks or hard enduro trails are your thing, you will need to start thinking about doing some heavy-duty upgrades so your Surron stays in one piece. It will also allow you to blast into the rhythm sections with confidence in your machine. If you want MX style riding, the only way is to use a MX front end. Rusty and his R&D department designed a robust, purpose built conversion kit to replace the stock Surron front end with the KTM 85 forks. As a bonus, you also get upgraded front brakes! Read this article on the history of the Heavy Hitter Conversion Kit if you’re interested to see what this will hold up to!
A point to note is you will need to source a KTM front end. You have the option of either a cheaper, but heavier sprung fork or the newer air fork, which is what the GritShift guys recommend.
On the rear, the VonKat TenFive Rear shock could be the best value for money, but you could also look at the EXT Arma Rear Shock as an alternative.
Front
- Bullet: KTM 85 Fork Conversion (any)
- Rusty: KTM 85SX Fork Conversion (air)
- E-Moto Man: KTM 85 Fork Conversion or EXT Ferro Fork
Shop the Heavy Hitter Conversion Kit Here
Rear
- Bullet: VonKat TenFive Rear Shock or EXT Arma Rear Shock
- Rusty: Vonkat TenFive Rear Shock
- E-Moto Man: Vonkat TenFive Rear Shock or EXT Arma Rear Shock
Shop Vonkat TenFive Rear Shocks here
Suspension: Worth the money to get it dialed in.
When you’re looking at upgrading, ask yourself what type of riding do you get excited about. Where do you spend most of your free time? If you happen to commute and also hit the tracks, you’ll have to decide what sort of setup matters most to you. Of course, commuting is possible on a KTM 85 front fork, but you might be pushing it if you try to land a 60ft jump on a stock e-moto. The downside would be the financial side, upgrade to only what you will actually use. You’ll always find other ways to mod your pride and joy! But there’s nothing like when you get your suspension perfected and your ride just flows.
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