Optimize your UTV, ATV and dirt bike at ION² Progression-Suspension

by Kyle Born

If your ATV or dirt bike is giving you a hard time, making you feel every “ouch” and “yowza” from the trail, maybe your suspension isn’t up to snuff. Your vehicle works hard for you, so it might be time to show it a little TLC. Finding the right mechanic for the job can be tricky. Fortunately, riders across Canada can rely on ION² Progression-Suspension, located in Invermere, B.C.

ION² Progression-Suspension offers suspension service and custom tune for UTVs, ATVs and dirt bikes, mountain bikes, and snowmobiles, including set-up, maintenance, repair and upgrades. Their service includes a full dyno test before and after service, rebuild, routine maintenance, tune-up, custom settings, repair and retail parts and complete suspensions.

“We are specialists in suspension—we don’t touch anything else,” said Mylene Lefebvre, co-owner of ION² Progression-Suspension. “Every suspension is different. Most of the time, we can service instead of getting new stuff. That allows customers to get a new suspension without having to pay for a new set.”

Everything will suffer without proper suspension. Everything else is taking a hit.” — Jonathan Welsh.
— Photo courtesy ION² Progression-Suspension.

Dave McGrath counts on the team at ION² Progression-Suspension. He recently needed to service the Walker Evans suspension on his Polaris RZR 1000 XP 4-seater High Lifter (named Daisy). Jonathan Welsh, co-owner and manager at ION² Progression-Suspension, repaired the damaged components on the UTV’s shocks.

“I always felt Daisy was much rougher than other side-by-sides I drove,” said McGrath. “I just thought it was because it was a 4-seater. When driving, I started to feel a bit of loss of control on corners. It felt like I was slipping out a bit and it just felt a little sloppy. I chatted with Jonathan and he recommended bringing Daisy in for a spa day.”

Dave McGrath counts on the team at ION² Progression-Suspension. He recently needed to service the Walker Evans suspension on his Polaris RZR 1000 XP 4-seater High Lifter (named Daisy.
— Photo courtesy ION² Progression-Suspension.

Once Jonathan and the team at ION² Progression-Suspension took a look at McGrath’s UTV, good things started to happen.

“Jonathan, Mylene and their staff are amazing,” said McGrath. “When I took Daisy in, they were genuinely excited to work on her. They were professional, knowledgeable and great at explaining how thrashed my suspension was prior to them working their magic. After the work was completed, they educated me on how my suspension is supposed to work, how to adjust it and, in short, how to have a better overall experience driving.”

Now that the repairs have been made, McGrath and Daisy are enjoying their time together even more.

“I had no idea how much more fun, safe and solid it was to drive Daisy with turned-up suspension,” said McGrath. “It was kind of like having a chronic bad headache that you had gotten used to and then it just ended suddenly. Jonathan showed me a bag of bad parts and went into detail on how and why my ride was so tooth-jarring. Jonathan also showed me where my factory settings were and how to adjust my suspension for different terrain. I noticed a difference in the way she handled just loading her on the trailer. All the sloppiness in the handling is completely gone. She hugs corners. I can go into a corner way faster with more confidence and come out of it way faster and with a way bigger grin on my face. Washboard used to rattle my fillings out, now it’s barely noticeable. She absorbs big dips and bumps like a champion as well.

“Overall, it took my riding experience from something I really enjoyed doing to something I am now obsessed with. I find myself searching for more challenging terrain to drive in—terrain that I would avoid before because things just didn't feel ‘right.’ ”

Don't overlook the value of having your suspension serviced. We have performed regular maintenance on almost every other component on our UTV and didn't really even think about the actual suspension until I spoke with Jonathan and Mylene. After we had our suspension serviced, it was—by far—the best improvement we have made.” — Dave McGrath.
— Photo courtesy Dave McGrath.

When it comes to set-up and maintenance, the team at ION² Progression-Suspension has you covered. The recommended maintenance interval for UTV, ATV and dirt bike shocks is every 1,500 kilometres. ION² Progression-Suspension’s attention to detail will extend the life of your machine and make exploring the backcountry that much more enjoyable.

With proper suspension, you’ll feel the difference right away. It’s safer for you too. You won’t get bucked or have too mushy of a suspension so that you hit stuff that you shouldn’t be hitting. It saves the machine in the long run too. Makes the vehicle more predictable in how it handles as well.” — Mylene Lefebvre.
— Photo courtesy ION² Progression-Suspension.

Not every suspension service needs to be extensive. Sometimes a little TLC from a pro is all that's required to make your ride that much smoother. 

Jo-Anne McLennan took her KTM 250 XC-W 4-stroke into ION² Progression-Suspension to have its suspension serviced, oil changed and new seals installed. Since the tune-up, McLennan has been thrilled with the results.

“The bike handles better now,” McLennan said. “My brakes are no longer covered in oil so I have better braking. The fork cycles flawlessly now.

“The staff at ION2 are always super cheerful and provide lots of knowledge and information regarding bike suspension. I don't know what we used to do before ION2 was around. They are the experts!”

Enjoy a smooth ride whenever you push your machine to its potential. Book your UTV, ATV or dirt bike to get serviced, set-up, maintained, repaired and upgraded now at ION² Progression-Suspension.