Solva suspension

[tm-enduro]

Does anyone know anything about Solva suspension. The units are used by team UFO Corsa Yamaha Belgarda on their enduro bikes used in the World Enduro Championships. The team is having excellent results this year with the wr250f and wr400f under Stephan Peterhansel and Mario Rinaldi, respectively.

------------------

 

[Jeremy Wilkey]

I don't know a thing.. I'd love to see or here more.. Anyone!!!

------------------
"Danger is one thing but danger combined with long periods of suffering is quite another." Sir E. Hilary
[email protected]

 

[dirt bike dave]

Apparently they were also used in the world MX series. Looks like they are made in Belgium. There is a picture and a little information at the very bottom of this link from Eric Gorr.
http://www.off-road.com/dirtbike/jul2000/egorr/



------------------
1999 Honda CRE 250

 

[tm-enduro]

This forum is great, I knew someone could help.
Yes, they are used in world moto as well, they have been used off and on on the factory Yamaha 125s by the Italians. I had suspected they were possibly Italian made, but they looked suspiciously like a Dutch made WP fork. The Be-ne-lux note by Eric Gorr leads me to believe they may be modified WP forks, rather than exclusively of proprietary parts/construction. I've not seen a shock yet.

------------------

 

[Jeremy Wilkey]

DDB,
Thanks, however,I can't see enough when looking at the picture.. Very intreguing..

Jer

 

[drehwurm]

Servus tm-enduro,

Sölva forks and shocks are very expensive but excellent stuff. Normally if you buy Sölva suspension you go directly down (I think northern Italy) to those guys and have the suspension setup for you. They also make fork and shock oils which I like very much, but the suspension has to be revalved to work with those oils. I'd love to have Sölva suspension on my bike, but 5000$+ is a little too much for me!

Michael


------------------

 

[CagivaWMX]

Yes....Team UFO Corse is using Solva forks and shock. I was at their first test session and unfortunately we we're shut down by some Italian police after only a half hour of riding, although Stephane Peterhansel and Fausto Scovolo continued to ride. The stuff is very trick....some Solva riders are using a convential fork and other are using an upside down model. It is expensive. While I was at UFO in Calcinaia I heard that a set of forks was being sent to Pro Circuit in the winter of 2000 to be tested for use by the Splitfire team in Supercross for 2001 (guess Mitch didn't like them or it didn't work out) Trampas Parker swears by their works front forks. Win the Lottory...and maybe......

 

[Esp1]

More Sølva info...

OK….. Time for some more info on the Sølva front fork:
They are made in Northern Italy (far up in the mountains), by former motocross rider Roland Sølva. The lightest forks on the market, almost 1kilo/gram lighter than the competition. The upside-down fork has Titanium Nitrid coated 46mm inner tubes, with I believe a 20mm cartridge damping system. Base-valve and mid-valve comp damping. Bearing mounted springs. Low friction seals and very accurate machined bushings, so there is hardly no sticktion at all. By a set of forks, and they service it for you the rest of the life. But you have to go to the factory or to their service truck at the GP races to get this service.
Quite a lot of the MX GP guys use it. And many guys in Enduro World Championship and European championship uses it.
They also make a rear shock absorber. They have no web-site.

Best regards
Espen

 

[Mark Hammond]

Solva are in fact made in Italy, I have a new pair of forks in my shop now and worked on the new shock last week. i do all the work on the suspension in the Uk for the TM/VOR importer who also brings these units into the country mostly for his team riders. They are not cheap at $3750 for the forks and $850 for the shock, but they are superb quality being made from high tech materials used in the aircraft industry and F1 and some of the features include
Brake caliper mounted higher so it dosen't dig in the ground when landing from jumps
It is the lightest fork you can buy 9lb per leg
Everything is made from solid billet

I will try and post some photo's if I have time.

Mark

 

[tm-enduro]

Thanks for all the replies on Solva suspension. The price does not seem out of line for the highest quality components, although it is more than I am willing to spend right now.

 

[tm-enduro]

Mark H
Please post any info that you have on the Solva units. I would like to see anything I can to learn more about them. I ride and nasty roots and rocks (woods) and have a beat up body, so premium suspension is a passion. I currently use Paioli 46mm "blue steel" RSU (F) and Ohlins (R), but would love to upgrade as finances allow.

 

[CagivaWMX]

TM-enduro. I have very close ties in Italy. I'll send an email to Pippo and Simone, team UFO Corse managers and ask for more info and about the possiblity of getting a pair of forks over here.

 

[tm-enduro]

CagivaWMX. Thanks for your assistance. If and when I can get the money together, I would love to build a team UFO Corse WR250F replica. The 250F with the Solva conventional forks should be the unltimate tight woods bike.

 

[KTM-Lew]

Bump...anone have any more info on these? Interested in the conventional version?

 

[ken teck]

The Solva forks are made in italy and they are very good quality,i have had the 2006 stuff in bits and can say the shock is almost the same as a Showa Akit shock but made from solid not cast. the forks are very well made and are not closed cartridge(not pressurised). i have all the contact details for Roland i will post them when i get back to my office.

Hope this helps !

 

[ken teck]

Roland Solva
Zona artigianale Handwerkerzone 29
39052 Caldaro-Kaltern
Italy
Tel+39 0471 962160
fax +39 0471 962544
Hope This Helps