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cagixxer750

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
i'm currently looking into getting a set of Ohlins forks and shock for my 06 gix 1k. i was wondering where you guys bought yours what was the cost and what type of difference did you feel in the ride quality? thanks.
 
i'm currently looking into getting a set of Ohlins forks and shock for my 06 gix 1k. i was wondering where you guys bought yours what was the cost and what type of difference did you feel in the ride quality? thanks.
- Hardracing.com
- Don't remember how much, but they have good prices
- It will improve handling in every way
 
First, buy only from a dealer who will set it up with the correct springs before sending it to you. Don't even bother if you can't, or you belong to the target weight group (160 lbs with gear). I've heard that Dan Kyle will set it up for you before purchase, as will a few other Ohlins dealers.

If you're a street rider and do the occasional trackday, R&T forks should be perfect. If you are buying it for a racebike, a better bet would be the Ohlins 25mm cartridge kit dropped into the stock forks. The R&Ts are compromised for both street and track duty, so they have a lot more travel built into them, that will prove to be a slight hindrance at the track. Of course, you can harden settings on the R&T for track duty, but they are still perceptibly softer than a race cartridge equipped bike that has damping optimised for fast track work. Track suspension systems don't have to deal with potholes and square-edged bumps that you find on the street - that won't dive too much hard on the brakes, but will still extend optimally on the throttle coming out of corners. They will have harder built-in high-speed compression (non adjustable on both the R&Ts and the drop-in cartridge) compared to a road-biased fork.

I think a search will uncover more than a handful of reviews of the Ohlins 46 series of shocks. In recent years, stock rear shocks have come to a point where they perform almost as well as aftermarket stuff, leaving lighter weight and ease of re-build as the two remaining advantages of one over the other. Meaning that, on the street, you may not notice a huge difference swopping out your stock shock for an Ohlins. The better aftermarket units only start to shine when you tailor them for your weight and riding, and take them to a track where you will find that they don't fade as much (if at all), and feel the same on the last lap of the day as they did on your first.
 
i got mine from Dan and he will actually check each spring to make sure it is within spec. He will actually send you a chart of the bench test of the spring to show that actual spring rate b/c he has seen springs from Ohlins that were way off from what was printed on them. So you can be assured it passes quality assurance. As far as performance Arend is dead right. You will see the benefit on the track more then anything. Although it wont hurt to have on the streets but the main benefit is on the track.
 
jetspeedz: If you saw how much ohlins dan kyle (kyleusa.com) has in stock you would spin your head around. That guy is Mr. Ohlins when it comes to that product line. Blows my mind away at how much ohlins he stocks and sets up. Even as another shop owner I got mine from him ;) One hell of a suspension guru...
 
You might consider the Penske shock. Ohlins has had a history of drama with their retail shocks. From spring issues, to hideous damping out of the box, to cosmetic hsc adjusters... The list goes on. Maybe the lastest one is perfect as delivered, but if history is a guide, I doubt it. A Peske is just going to work. Get it from Lindeman. He's the closest Guru to your location. Hardracing has a good deal on the forks and stocks them, and they are excellent street or strack, and they are a lot longer than stock, so you can get a proper geometry setup without aftermarket clamps.
 
i got my ohlins forks and shock from Dan Kyle. i had him put the superbike valving in also and he sprung it for my weight. the difference is amazing, especially since im a big guy. I got them in 3 days from the time i ordered it too.
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
thanks for the fast replys, i'm going to be doing a couple trackdays but the bike will mainly be on the street doing the canyon and mountain roads. a friend of mine just swapped his forks on his Honda to RT Ohlins and he said that was a drastic difference from the stockers his exact words were its like going from a pinto to a caddy. Palomartain thanks for the Penske suggestion i totally forgot about them.
 
Ohlins have made a huge difference in every respect compared to stock but not that much different to or better than the Racetech upgrades I've made to my other bikes in the past.

To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't go the Ohlins route again especially considering the price differential. Suspension is the first mod that I make to any bike I buy and I'll be sticking with Racetech in the future.
 
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