Introducing the 2017 Ronin Katana
Ronin trucks showed up on the scene 7 years ago with a new idea, and started racking up victories very quickly. With a passion for racing we helped many riders improve themselves, raking in wins and championships. Over those 7 years the trucks have evolved and helped push the boundaries on what is considered a regular race setup. We like options, and have tried to offer as many options as possible for riders to dial in their setup to perfection. Through our testing and experiences from races and many hot laps, we are so happy to release the new Ronin Katana.
The katana is the Ronin warrior’s weapon of choice, fitting for what we think is the most clean and solid race truck available. Continuing with our trend of pushing the boundaries and tuning the trucks to perfection, the Katana has several updates that help make tuning and racing that much easier for you. Racing is always evolving and rising to new levels. The katana follows this and takes it a step further, drawing the line in the sand for what is to come in the future. There are 4 major changes to the truck, highlighting many months of testing, talking and podium results.
The narrowest hanger width has become even smaller, starting out at 144mm. Despite popular belief, narrower is not less stable. It doesn’t turn more; it turns quicker, and allows you to better apply your weight on the wheels. The cleaner you are through the turn, the faster you go, and narrower setups provide this. Ronin is all about apex management and keeping entry/exit speed high, bringing the widths in has helped our riders be faster and grow into more competitive racers.
Due to the new narrow width, we had to redesign the axles. They’ve become smaller to fit the pro-lite weight cuts, becoming lighter themselves. We also beefed up the shoulder for better assembly and clearance for big race wheels. All width options will now be adjustable; 144-154mm, 154-164mm, and 164-174mm. Our focus is on racing but we still offer the wider widths for free ride and luge applications.
The theme of the Katana was to make the truck easier for the rider to take aggressive race lines, and keep a steady hand on the reigns. To help control lean progression and steering, we gave the pivot more surface area and a tighter fit. This will increase resistance on the pivot tube so that yourbushings are not doing so much of the work, allowing you to run a wider range of bushing durometers. It also keeps the pivot tube tighter as it breaks in, soyour parts feel better and last longer.
The biggest and most groundbreaking update is the new bushing seat. Instead of a normal flat bushing seat, we have made ours dished. When correctly tightened the bushing compresses into the dish creating a preload. This load makes the truck snappier and more responsive, while also making them much more stable and solid when turning. This is because the bushing is completely touching the hanger for a longer amount of time when you are leaning. The walls of the bushing dish have also been brought in closer to add compression at the end of your lean, preventing wheel bite and over steer. The new dish has really made the Katana feel much cleaner and smoother through the range of the trucks action.
Ronin is focused on racing and helping riders improve themselves, the Katana is a culmination of everything we have experienced and accomplished up to this point as a team. We are excited to let them loose on the race circuit for the remainder of the year and see the fruition of our love for skating. – the Ronin Factory