We all know Boomerbob and his contributions here. I am really sorry I have never met him at the track where all of the best of the best suspension people work. I am happy to note that bigdaddy33 will hopefully install his 30mm Ohlins cartridge kit forks I made for him soon. Stu's "Stuff" is being treated to a masterful coating of sparking gloss black by the international jet setting playboy and male model Joe "The Powder Pro" Knapp.
http://www.thepowderpro.com
Phone number: 847-561-4361
4703 Carr St.
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008

When Stu gets it done I am sure he may have some independent riders reports share and know what it feels like riding on the same suspension many top Super Bike riders are winning in the AMA 'Superbike' Championship series. No difference except the settings and shim and spring values. Hope it is done soon.

 

Thank you for the kudo's guys. It's good to know my hard earned and spent money hasn't been for nothing.

At least I can now say with certainty and personal experience the Ricor's are better but the Ohlins are a good shock as well.

It's probably like the Chevy vs Ford argument. Personal preference will play a big part in what you might find to be a better product. I tried both and now I know.

 

As far as Bang for the Buck I dont think a guy can beat the Ricor Intiminators for the damper rod forks. I sure dont have 2 Thousand dollars to install a "race bred" cartridge system in my 650lb HD cruiser. If I wanted to build a race bike I guess I wouldnt have sold my GSXR1000.

 

How we each chose to spend our money is a very personal thing, but I suggest you have misinterpreted the 'race bred' bit. The latest 6 cylinder BMW tourer is every bit as heavy as a Harley Ultra. If an Ohlins race bred cartridge suspension front fork and Ohlins rear shocks are good enough for them, they're good enough for me! And they ain't racers either.

I already have my Ohlins shocks, courtesy Howard, and looking forward to getting Ohlins cartridges from him before too long - for my dresser. The shocks are remarkable, I expect the forks to be just as good. Don't knock it until you've tried it! I'm expecting to prove we CAN make a silk purse out of a hog's ear!

 

One thing to keep in mind is that position of the bottom shock mount on the swingarm and the angle of the suspension unit relative to vertical changes the amount of lift, or drop, you'll get with a shock change. One inch of shock length increase on my Dyna worked out to about .8" lift of the bike at the rear axle. It will be less with lowering blocks, which also effectively decrease the load on the shocks via the change in leverage....moving the point of effort farther from the swingarm pivot. They make the shock feel like it has stiffer springs and it performs that way, too.
Yes, altering the front or rear ride height DOES alter the rake AND trail, unless you do both equally in the same direction....just raising and lowering the whole bike.
I replaced the 12.5" stock lead pogosticks with 13.2" (currently) Ohlins shocks and pushed the front fork tubes up a half inch in the trees. Raised the back and lowered the front. Both contribute to reduced rake and trail, giving the big bike a much more responsive feel. The XR1200 bars make a big difference, too. Wide and low, plenty of leverage. Fitting Metzler 880s was a huge improvement in handling and grip over the Dunlops. All in all, the bike is much more confidence inspiring now.

 

What does giving the best ride in the world currently have anything to do with race bikes? Ohlins develops and tests their products on the track before ever releasing them to the public.

With all due respect, have you parts eeter ever tried or had experience with the Ohlins 30 mm cartridge system? BTW we also toss the 20mm cartridge system in the GSXR1000 forks for the 30 mm ones as well as the OEM shocks on customers bikes. The people with the real experience and actually know how to ride, make their choice (look at the track). The pricing is not correct that you stated and second if you ever tried or had experience with real suspension or your bike than you would actually know. If you are in the neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale you can try it out by riding my bike, please take me up on my offer. That says it all, so see and try it out yourself prior to making statements. Too many people who are experts really do not have the experience to make any judgments on what is or is not correct or good. Your GXSR1000 never came with good suspension, it was just much better than the bike you currently have.

Ohlins or I never need to defend our product as that challenge is met at the track every weekend someplace in the world. The pavement on the track or street is no harder or softer. When you are competing side by side than the difference is noticeable by either you are a winner or a looser. There is no difference between a 850 lb cruiser and a 300 lb MotoGP as far as the principle of suspension goes. The wheel moves up and down over the irregularities and must stay in contact with the pavement to get traction. Loose traction, loose the race. The frame should not move because the shocks (front or rear) that control the wheel must do this very quickly. We see traction and the cruiser rider would feel smooth.

If anyone wishes to learn something other than opinions read this (the same principle on motorcycles as on the featured cars this subject paper is on) and the 2010 champions using our products are Josh Hayes (AMA Pro SuperBike), Martin Cardenas (AMA Pro Daytone SuperBike), J.D. Beach (AMA Pro SuperSport East), Chris Caylor (WEEA 750cc Superstock), Brian Stokes (WERA SuperBike) and Benny Solis Jr. (WERA 600cc Superstock). If there were better products on the market than Ohlins, the owners of these bikes would be using them. We do not give shocks or service away, these race teams buy them the same way as anyone else do. Track side support is paid for by the race teams and is also not given away.

The same principles apply to road or track. Wheel moves and stays in contact with the pavement as much as possible for traction. This task can not be achieved if your frame and you move up and down. The wheel/tire will not do its job properly if there is shock/jolt. That is why you feel like you are normal in place of being beat-up. We publish (look at my site) what is inside of our shocks for anyone to look at. I have a question for all, why do all of the other motorcycle shock companies list just the outside photos or cartoons of their product? If anyone wishes to dispute these facts or wishes to claim their product is the best, just show up at a for real race (not under 12 years old) and prove it. The talk and the know nothing's who just talk about what they do not know about can than validate their claims. The door is always open for all to come.

 

Hey Howard,

Just waiting on the triple trees and a few parts which should be back from Joe and Sean this week. Hope to have the new front end on next week and get some riding in and post a review. Thanks for all the help.

 

man they are yellow those belong on a ricer, can you get them in chrome

 

 

LOL. Since they were custom made the plan was to put them on the bike, ride it until I was sure it was perfect (since they wouldn't be returnable if I powdered them), then pull them off and powder coat them gloss black and chrome the spring.

Funny thing is they've really grown on me with the yellow spring and gold reservoir. I even get compliments from strangers on the road. Bike has gotten more attention in the 6 months they've been on, then in the ten years prior with all the previous mods.

Even the sport bike riders and those familiar with Ohlins feel compelled to comment favorably.

Bottom line, didn't expect to like them yellow, but I do, so I'll probably just leave them for now.