IKON SUSPENSION 25 YEARS

Words: Mike Ryan

Photos: Courtesy of Ikon Suspension

Despite the dearth of automotive-related - and particularly motorcycling-related - manufacturing in Australia these days, there are still companies making things right here. One of these is Ikon Suspension, who are about to reach a significant milestone. Manufacturing locally, and supplying the world, Ikon will celebrate 25 years of making motorcycle suspension in 2026.

Those that know some of the Ikon story will know that it was born from Proven Products, which was founded by Peter Antill and Lance Lowe in 1962. Back then, the business revolved around the importation and distribution of suspension components for passenger cars, trucks, four-wheel drives and many other applications, even trains. One of the first suspension ranges that Proven offered was from the Netherlands-based Koni brand. When Koni expanded into motorcycle suspension in 1967, those products were added to Proven’s range. It was a neat fit, especially for Lance Lowe, a mad-keen rider who passed on the two-wheel gene to his son, Geoff.

“My father always had a strong affinity with motorcycles and motorcycling, having been a motorcycle rider and racer his entire working life,” Geoff recalls.

By the 1970s. Proven Products was a shock absorber supermarket, supplying a range of different brands and servicing a variety of Australian industries. On the motorcycling side of things, the addition of products from Progressive Suspension in 1984 greatly expanded Proven’s range, as this US brand produced fork springs and front suspension components that Koni never offered.

A decade later, the picture had changed, both internationally and locally, with Proven's range reduced to three key brands – Monroe, Spax and Koni. Geoff was in charge of Proven Products when Koni decided to end motorcycle shock absorber manufacturing in 2000. Why Koni exited what had been a relatively lucrative market is a mystery to this day, but it presented Proven Products with one of those ‘sliding doors’ moments that led to the creation of Ikon Suspension.

A Gamble… that Paid Off

While they still produce automotive shocks, the end of Koni’s motorcycle suspension line left a void in the marketplace. Good quality materials and manufacturing had given Koni a great reputation, which meant any successor would have to meet or exceed those standards.

There were no obvious contenders to fill the manufacturing gap left by Koni, but Geoff felt Proven Products could. This wasn’t pie in the sky stuff, because Proven did far more than just sell Koni products. “We were more technically capable than lots of other organisations, simply because we worked ‘inside’ the product – we did servicing and things like that – that a lot of organisations around the world just didn’t do,” Geoff says.

This approach gave Proven an intimate knowledge of Koni's motorcycle range that, back then, primarily consisted of the ‘7610 Series’ and ‘76 Series’ rear shock and spring sets. As would become apparent later, this “inside knowledge” gave them the advantage when it came to manufacturing.

Moving from importation and distribution to manufacturing was a daunting step, but Geoff says it’s one he felt may never come up again.

“The opportunity that this represented was a huge game changer and a huge gamble in so many ways,” Geoff explains. “It was one of those ‘one-way street’ opportunities. If you succeed, you’re in business 25 years later, as we are. If you fail, you’re probably out of business altogether.”

A confidential ‘In Order’ process meant that Proven were one of an unknown number of interested parties tendering to take over the motorcycle side of Koni’s business.

“It came to us to decide if we were going to enter into what became a global contract for the manufacturing of these shock absorbers,” Geoff explains. The ‘global’ part of the contract meant that whoever replaced Koni would essentially be supplying all the markets that Koni was previously active in. That meant a ready-made, worldwide customer base, which was good, but it also required manufacturing at a scale to service those customers.

There were also some important caveats. Firstly, Koni would not be producing any components for a replacement manufacturer, nor would they be supplying machinery to make those components. Use of the Koni name was excluded from the deal, too.

“They said, ‘Our trademark is our trademark - go and get your own,’ which was fair enough,” Geoff recalls.

While the temptation may have been to use the family name, as Alf Hagon had done to create Hagon shocks when he took over Girling’s motorcycle suspension manufacturing, a ‘Lowe Suspension’ moniker could have been misconstrued as only suiting belly-scraping bobbers and baggers! As such, ‘Ikon Suspension’ was chosen – close enough to Koni to create a link, but also different enough to be identified on its own.

Borderlands

Moving into manufacturing also meant moving out of Proven Products’ existing retail and wholesale premises in Guildford, west of Sydney. It also meant choosing a location that had good transport links and could supply the specific services needed, like chrome plating, as a manufacturer on this scale couldn’t be expected to do everything in-house.

Wollongong, Newcastle and Albury were all contenders, but the latter was chosen as it was a much cleaner environment back then: “It was a ‘healthier’ choice, where the likes of Wollongong and Newcastle were smog-ridden in those days," Geoff explains.

The creation of Ikon and the purchase of a 1900sqm factory (on an even bigger plot) in Albury occurred concurrently, thus avoiding the hassle of having to set up operations in one place, only having to move when the business expanded.

Expanding Stock, Expanding Style

When Ikon commenced business, what they carried over from the Koni range was quite narrow, suiting mostly twin-shock road bikes that, in many cases, had been out of production for decades. These products were continued, but Ikon has added many more since.

Job One was to maintain the quality established by Koni, but the earliest additions to the range were new style options in the form of black bodies, black springs and black springs covers, instead of the usual black spring with a chrome body. Different spring cover lengths were introduced, too.

What has followed, like shock absorbers with an aluminium body and screw thread preload, introducing Teflon-coated DU bushes, and improving the dust sealing has all been about improving and modernising a product without impacting its inherent qualities.

Geoff was fortunate that the foundation of Ikon in 2001 coincided with Triumph’s release of their ‘Modern Classics’ that was led by the all-new Bonneville and spawned numerous offshoots, like the Speedmaster, Speed Twin, Scrambler and so on. Those twin-shock models have resulted in many retro-look rivals, built with the same aesthetic, from the Japanese brands, Moto Guzzi and Harley-Davidson, to name a few. More recently, Royal Enfield has become a major player in this twin shock market, too.

Given all these bikes arrived after the creation of Ikon, it means products to suit these models have all been developed and produced right here in Australia. “It’s become our era - not the Koni era,” Geoff says with some pride.

“If an Ikon suspension motorcycle shock absorber is going to come onto the market, be it for a Triumph Bonneville, Royal Enfield Interceptor 650, Harley bagger or any other bike, if we don’t develop it, nobody does,” Geoff adds. “As different makes and models enter the marketplace, that responsibility for product development is now completely ours.”

While twin shock rear units remain Ikon’s bread and butter, it’s important to note that they also produce monoshock rear suspension units, as well as front fork springs, so the range is much more diverse than Koni’s ever was, and it’s always growing. Fork oils are in the range, too.

Quality - for 25 Years

While new product lines have greatly expanded the Ikon range, and new developments have made for stronger, easier to use products, the fundamental quality of an Ikon shock or spring remains – and is what has kept Ikon in business for more than two decades.

“The business had to undergo quite a revolution, to move from an importer and distributor, into manufacturing,” Geoff says. “That’s quite a change of business model. So, it’s a highlight to have actually succeeded - and continue to succeed - in providing a global footprint for motorcycle shock absorbers that originate in Australia.”

Ikon’s selection as an OEM supplier to US retro bike brand, Janus, is something to be proud of, with the customer base also including motorcycle dealerships, custom houses here in Australia and overseas, as well as individuals looking to rebuild, modify or customise their rides.

With that end user in mind, affordability has been a point of pride, too: “We’re very pleased to provide the marketplace with a very high-end product - that doesn’t require people to take out a second mortgage!” Geoff laughs.

In 2026, Ikon will celebrate 25 years making motorcycle shock absorbers. That’s a reason to celebrate, especially for an Australian business. How Ikon will mark the Silver Anniversary is still under wraps, but rest assured, the mantra that drives the business – because your ride matters – will continue to do so, hopefully for the next 25 years and beyond.