New Ohlins

[mhammond]

Hi: I will be picking up my new Ohlins soon and wanted some advice concerning the initial setting to get started off on the right foot... Please
P.S. 2002 R1100SBX

[Gromit]

With your new shocks comes very detailed instructions on how to set them up. They'll be pre-set at the factory to a 'standard' setting - first thing you'll probably find them a bit soft. What I did with mine was keep cranking them up until I 'thought' they were right - didn't take me long to realise that a. I'd ruined the ride quality and b. The bike didn't handle bumps at all, pitching about and nearly throwing me out of the seat.

I carried on fiddling and after a few days found myself at a setting where I was happy. I then compared that setting to what the original was and was amazed to find that I'd got to within a couple of clicks of the pre-set factory settings!!

Best advice I can say is ride a few hundred miles as they are, to let them bed-in. Then have a fiddle - you'll notice that even 2 or 3 clicks away on any setting makes a noticable difference to the bike's behaviour.

Good luck!

<edit> Sorry - meant to say that the 'softness' is a bit of a shock (sic) to start with. You'll soon realise, to your delight, that a bike doesn't have to have really firm suspension to handle well - quite the opposite in fact.

[winger]

Most important keep a note on a piece of paper what your settings are,and what ajustments you make,with the preload,compression and rebound,as Richard said take you time on each ajustment and what you think of it,on occasion do a radical ajustment,so you really can feel the difference and then work your way backwards.

The bad news!!!! once you've ridden a bike with some decent suspension your knackered!!!! the just the thought of going back to stock BM stuff!!!!!!.

Chris

[stempy]

Thing is, if you are buying Ohlins and don't know how to set them up then you are probably wasting your money

Sorry, been on the beer