What is special about the LAKO Pro-Synthetic Rebuild?

~ Superbike and MX Specific ~

Shock and fork rebuilds are not created equal and neither are synthetic fluids.  The proprietary LAKO process uses only the finest Ester based synthetic stocks as a starting point.  After the fluids have been mixed with special modifiers (to reduce shaft-to-seal friction), the homogenous mixture is then fully de-gassed in specially designed vacuum chamber to remove all light-end hydrocarbons and any reactive gases such as Oxygen.  This has been proven on the dyno are well as in racing to dramatically reduce the fading of the dampers under stress and increase the rebuild interval as well.  Ohlins spec fluids (if requested) are also given this same treatment.

The unit is disassembled, all internal components cleaned (including every single valve in the stacks) and dried by high-pressure air.  Many shops (to save time) just wipe off parts or dip them in cleaning fluids.  Unless extreme care is used in wiping and drying of the internal components, remaining cleaning solvents can cause many problems due to the contamination and reactivity even a minute amount would cause. 

The seals (if required) are carefully removed to avoid scratching the critical surfaces they mate to.  Many times these surfaces are surface corroded and need to be micro-polished with special tools (LAKO exclusive) and then treated with a special synthetic fluid with Teflon® additives before the new seals are installed.  As a matter of course, we also film-coat the inside of the main body tube to ensure proper seal break-in and reduce internal friction.

At this point, minor valving changes can be made at no extra cost.  Major changes and competition stacks & pistons vary in price due to parts costs.  Many seemingly radical changes can be made with minor valving and varying the viscosity of the fluid matrix from “2” weight, all the way to “7” weight fluids in 0.5 wt. Increments (we prefer lower viscosities with valving to compensate).

For the shock, the reassembled shock shaft along with its new seals are then put into a special purging unit filled with yet another special mix of synthetic fluids, -along with Teflon and seal modifiers- to go through compression and rebound cycles to ensure the valving piston is atmosphere free and all cavities are filled with this synthetic matrix.  The shock body is then filled with freshly de-gassed synthetic fluids and the shaft is slowly introduced into the casing and sealed before atmospheric contamination can take hold.

Finally the shock is charged with Nitrogen (Argon for the forks).  This is done “Twice” to flush out any atmosphere that was trapped in the gas region of the shock or fork and to further ensure a long service life.  We take this leak-control even further by adding an O-ring to the fill valve protection screw just in case the fill valve rubber has porosity or has been compromised.  For OEM needle only systems with bladders, we add a non-drying seal to the inside surface of the rubber plug to insure a leak-free seal.

These and many other proprietary processes in the LAKO Pro-Synthetic Rebuild have proven more costly and time consuming than any other rebuild process.  It is these steps and components that have shown that this procedure doubles the service life of a so-called full rebuild.  The added benefit of using these fluids and process comes from the suspensions consistent “Feel”.  This process has been evolving for over 20 years and has proven itself superior to any other servicing process.  With this level of attention to the details, Pro-Synthetic pricing is a bargain.  Dominate the race - Enjoy the ride!