ohlins rear shock

[cheesie]

ok its fitted and is better than standard but I Have adjusted the shock length raised it a few mm does this afect the spring preload as it now feels a little firm and its set on the softest setting its fine on the track but a little harsh on the road

[youngy]

if you raised the ride height using the blue ride height adjuster it does not affect preload in any way.

what settings do you have on compression and rebound?

are you sure preload is on minimum? it shouldn't need changing from the original setting.

[steve speed]

if you raised the ride height using the blue ride height adjuster it does not affect preload in any way.

what settings do you have on compression and rebound?

are you sure preload is on minimum? it shouldn't need changing from the original setting.

your preload may need to be adjusted to get the correct static sag, with you on the bike with all your gear on, try and aim for about 30mm,,,i had to turn mine up as the spring is 85kg and i could do with a 90kg the std settings are rebound 12 clicks,,comp 10 clicks,,preload 14mm,,this is for the correct shock ,part no ya524 hope this helps

[HansJ]

I am about to order a spring for the Ohlins shock I bought from Number8 here, what exactly do You mean Your spring is 85 kg? 85 kilogram per what, or Nemton /mm or? What weight are You? Standard TRX swing or YZF? Linkage from?

[steve speed]

I am about to order a spring for the Ohlins shock I bought from Number8 here, what exactly do You mean Your spring is 85 kg? 85 kilogram per what, or Newton /mm or? What weight are You? Standard TRX swing or YZF? Linkage from?

first off the rear of my bike has a std swinging arm ,,linkage,,if you look on the ohlins spring there is a number on mine it is 01091-26/85 L204,,,,the 85 is the reference to your weight,,so if you weigh 85kgs with your gear on its ok ,now i weigh 90 kgs so i have to turn up the remote preload adjuster to get the correct static sag on the rear, for a road bike its about 30mm (this is with you on the bike ) but iam not sure the one you have is the latest one ! it should have a remote preload adjuster and a remote compression damping adjuster as well, but that's not to important you must get the right spring for your weight or you will not be able to get the correct static sag ,,if you take your unit to an ohlins rep when he takes the spring off he will be able to check the damping of the unit ,, it may well need a service , and a re gas , but you've come this far its worth having it right

[HansJ]

Thing is the Ohlins I bought has corroded, both spring and the damper, alloy and rod looks fine though, but I've never seen a shock in that state before. There are no markings whatsoever left. A complete re-build was already planned, and new spring that suits my weight. I have a refurbished standard shock, where they had to machine down the springseating, because we didn't manage to get the dynamic/static sag correct. As I am a lardy bastard (ca 90 kgs excl gear), I believe that the YZF swinger gives a different ratio, (or maybe the linkage has been changed as well, if there's a difference between the YZF750 and the TRX linkage) and that this is the reason why the rear is a bit too stiff. Unfortunately I don't know what the previous owners did with the swingswap...

So I was hoping that someone with an YZF swing would have suitable figures. It was new to me though, that the springs were marked with weight kilograms though, I thought they stated a spring constant, like N/mm or such. That means I should probably try to get a 85 or even less stiff spring, unless someone with an YZF swin recommends differently. Hopefully there are some markings on the original shock's spring, stating the current spring's rating.

[steve speed]

perhaps you could work out your ratio now and compare that to the std one someone may know what it is for sure but i think its around 2.5 to 1 ,,it sounds like you will have to get that shock serviced , don't worry whats springs on now just get a new one for your weight ,,problem is when you've done the back it will show the front up,, std yzf or R1 forks up to 2003 are not so good there's not enough rebound and too much compression this can be modified with different oil and air gap but its only a quick fix they need to be re valved ,i am in the process of fitting race tech gold valves so i will keep you up to date if your interested one thing to keep in mind is the race teams spend thousands of pounds and hundreds of man hours and still they can sometimes struggle to find a setting so for a road bike with all the different road surfaces we encounter its always going to be a compromise:D

[HansJ]

I have Racetech emulators in the fork already, a lot better than original, just a hassle should one want to alter the settings. Pretty much set-up for track use, so a bit harsh for the road... Have been pondering on R1 forks, but a properly set up non-USD will be almost as good, provided one gets the settings right, like You said. I like to keep as much as possible to the standard look, but I'll see what I canb get hold of. Had an old SuperBike Ohlins fork at a bargain in my hands, but decided to stay with the original a while. I have hardly time to work, and it was just the last week I managed to get my new rims on...

[cheesie]

it was a brand new shock this year everything set as standard static sag 12mm loaded 30 I will try upping the preload maybe with it having a rising rate lingage all the soft travel is already used I also think its the roads I mainly use a super moto would be a better tool cheers

[youngy]

sag sounds spot on.

[dfh]

if you look on the ohlins spring there is a number on mine it is 01091-26/85 L204,,,,the 85 is the reference to your weight,,so if you weigh 85kgs with your gear on its ok

I suspect the 85 is in reference to 8.5kg/mm. That is with the spring sitting on its end on a bench a 8.5kg weight will compress the spring 1 millimeter. Add another 8.5 kg weight and it will compress another 1 mm... and on it goes.

From memory the stock spring rate is 7.5kg/mm. I have used a 9.5kg/mm spring and now have a 10kg/mm spring fitted. I weigh 95kg in my riding gear.

Altering the shock length will give a change in ride height without altering the preload, so loaded sag will remain the same. This method of changing ride height also has much less effect on the rising rate curve of the linkage than using shorter drag links to get a ride height change.

Cheers DFH

[cheesie]

is it possible I am using up the soft part of the rising rate range and going straight onto the stiffer part, if so I maybe need a heavier spring, I have 8.5nm springs in the front and after a lot of testing it now feels quite good I have another track day booked for the 15th june I will try more fochterin thanks again

[youngy]

I doubt it. What do you weigh? Is the shock fitted wit hthe standard 8.5kg/mm spring?

[cheesie]

shock is fitted with the 8.5 spring I weigh about 95-100kg now without gear on

[youngy]

yes you could be right then. sounds like you need a stronger spring.

You could ask your local Ohlins dealer or failing that give Andy White at Kais a call. He will be able to supply the correct rated spring.