My Ohlin #2 shocks arrived from Howard (http://www.motorcyclemetal.com) today. I installed them, but I'm confused about how to adjust them. Howard sent along some suplimental instructions that are similar to what Ohlin includes and they are extraordinarily thorough, but I'm pretty confused by them. Can anybody who's installed these shocks specifically sum up the steps in setting the pre load and the sag and all of that important stuff? I know all of the info is right there in front of me on the page, but I'm pretty confused by what I'm reading.

 

One of the benefits of dealing with Howard, is that he answers his phone, and will give you the benefits of his wisdom in helping you set up your shocks.

I would suggest you read all the information he sent you first, and if you are still having difficulty, call him on a mobile phone standing next to your bike with all your tools and parts ready. Bet he walks you right through it, and gives you a bunch of tips. You will know the right way to install those shocks, and it will be much easier on you when doing it for the first time.

Howard is all about customer service and satisfaction.

 

All the MM guys will tell you "call Howard", which you should. If you do that you can just read my stuff below for fun, but do what he says!

But here is what I would do:

- make sure the shock preload collars are set the same on both shocks. MM probably tells you how many turns to set them initially.

- get those big vernier calipers from Harbor Freight. Use them to measure the distances involved. I measure from the top of the top shock mounting bolt to the bottom of the bottom shock mounting bolt. I use the right side shock. Be sure to measure everything consistently.

- put the bike on a lift, back wheel off the ground. Measure across the bolts like described above. On mine I get around 340 mm or so.

- put the bike on the ground, best if you have a front wheel thing to hold it vertical. Sit on it. Push up and down a few times until you feel like you have the rear suspension kind of neutral, then take your feet off the ground. Have someone measure across the bolts just like you did before. Say you get 320 mm. Your rider sag is the first reading minus this one, or 340 - 320 = 20 mm.

- you want your rider sag to be about 1/3 of your travel, say 77mm / 3 = ~26 mm. So you need to back the preload collars off (un-compressing the springs) until you have the 26 mm sag. So in my example you need 6 mm more sag. On my Ohlins, they turn about 1.5 mm per turn, so to get 6 mm more sag, I would back them off about 4 turns.

- just do this until you get the sag MM recommends, say 26 mm.

- Then get off the bike and make a measurement with only the weight of the bike. Say this is 330 mm. The free sag is the first number minus this number, or 340 - 330 = 10 mm. You want this number to be about 15mm different from the rider sag (which was 26 mm). If it is too much more or less, talk to MM about whether your spring rate is too heavy or too light. Spring rate makes a heck of a difference in the ride.

This is for one up riding. You really need to have your normal load weight on the bike (be that gear, wife, etc.) when you measure rider sag.

Don't be afraid to adjust the preload / sag some after you get to know the ride. If it feels a bit hard, back off the preload a bit for more sag. Or if you want a firmer feel for better cornering, crank it down some. If found mine much more to my liking with 29 - 30 mm sag.

To set the damping, I'd set it to where Ohlins or MM recommends, then then just adjust it based on the ride you feel. It is pretty obvious after you ride a while.

Don't be afraid to talk to MM if you don't like the quality of your ride at any point.

Have fun!

 

Having followed sel53's suggestions, go for a 500 mile ride (only takes a weekend!) to give your shocks a decent running-in, then check again.

 

I don't know which adjusters for the springs your shocks have. If you have a threaded body then your spring preload is adjusted by turning a collar after loosening the lock ring. If you have a grooved body then it's a bit trickier. You have to take the shocks off and compress the springs and remove them so the spring perch can be moved by moving the clips that hold the perches in place. Those perches have the ramped adjusters that work great for adding a passenger but do not work for sag settings.

Sag settings, A. overall shock length, B. unloaded, bike on the ground no rider, C. Loaded, rider on board.

A-B=Free Sag
A-C=Rider Sag

FYI If the rider sag is set at the 30% of total travel and the free sag is zero then the shock spring is too soft
If the rider sag is set at the 30% of total travel and the free sag is excessive at lets say over 15mm then the spring is too stiff

I don't think you have any damping adjusters, I know I don't, but don't worry about that. Howard gets his valving dead on. I have never wanted for damping changes.

Try the shocks as shipped for at least 500 miles then record your measurements. If you do it now the numbers will be different after the 500 miles are ridden. No harm in doing it now but they need to be used a bit so the many seals inside bed in and give up some stiction. I had to move my spring perches 1 groove to the longer to get my sag numbers where I wanted.

 

They are the #2 adjustable (they look similar to the #3's on MM's site). They have a collar to adjust the spring and a black adjuster on the bottom for dampening.

I installed them and I will, as has been suggested, ride them as is for now to let them break-in. They seem really nice, but I do think I need to play with the dampening some as there is a touch more bounce than I would like.

I emailed Howard, but his suggestion was to re-read his instructions and to call him if I had any questions, but I don't want to waste his time with a phone call until I understand these things better. Thanks to the replies here, I'm starting to grasp the concepts a little bit better.

 

Does Howard has #2-#2a in stock now? Last time I talked to him says he is out. I called him last Tuesday 9/02

 

If it feels like there is bounce, I would say you should adjust them. That sounds a bit like too much preload to me, probably combined with the damping. But it is best to use measurements. Go ahead, it's fun. And then you will be more informed when you call MM to dial them in.

And of course you will own those cool looking humongous calipers...

 

I called him about 2 or 3 weeks ago to discuss my needs, he talked me into the #2 adjustable and said he was waiting on a shipment and he figured they would be all promised by the end of that week. He told me if I emailed him that day with my commitment to buy a set he would make sure I got a set.

 

I went to harbor freight to get a set of 24" calipers yesterday...only I realized there was no way I was getting them home with me on the bike...they are gargantuan!

I tried the bike today with the tour pack and the wife installed and they seemed very solid. The wife said she noticed a difference right away. We went over a few bumps and train tracks on purpose and she said the bumps were way less noticeable now.

I'm excited to understand these things, I'm excited to get them dialed in, and I'm excited to figure out my plan for the front end (obviously some Ohlin mono tubes from Howard, but I'm probably going to have them installed by somebody).