the summer of 08 i spent a week in the hospital with pneumonia, because i hit some potholes while riding my 08 streetglide. the potholes and rough roads, sorta got my back out of whack and when it hurts to breathe, you end up taking shorter breaths, and eventually you're getting admitted to the hospital for pneumonia. trust me, it can happen, great information on the shocks guys. gotta look into that one. i've ridden a friends stock 05 roadking standard and the rear suspension is far superior to my streetglide. cushy would be far better than harsh.

 

The thought of having over 4 inches of rear suspension travel is something that only normally happens in dreams! Seems almost too good to be true.

 

One thing I don't understand about the #2-#3 shock is how it works without any means to increase preload for a passenger and extra load. I understand that they come with 4" of travel which is what has my attention but if the sag is set up properly for a solo rider and then you add a passenger and a week's worth of stuff it seems like you would lose a considerable amount of that precious 4" of shock travel in additional sag. Besides that, as the bike squats lower in the rear from the extra load the bike's attitude changes which effects suspension geometry, handling and ground clearance. I've had numerous sets of Ohlins on various different bikes over many years including the set I have on my GS currently and all of them have had some means of adjusting rear preload whether mechanical or hydraulic. I would have thought that adding a simple ramp adjuster or threaded collar wouldn't be that big of a deal otherwise it would seem like the choice of spring would have to be more of a compromise than necessary.

I currently have a set of Works Performance shocks on my SG/RG only because I didn't know Ohlins were available or I would have considered them. The WP probably don't have 4" of travel but they are very plush and have never bottomed solo or with my wife on board and a week's worth of load. They use an ingenious system of multiple springs and a lock out mechanism called ARS for adjusting spring strength. In my case the shocks are built with two springs per shock (you can get as many as three). One is shorter and lighter than the other and located on the top. The lighter spring handles small bumps and light loads while the heavier spring handles bigger bumps and heavier loads. This is a similar concept to progressively wound springs but the advantage here is that the wire size of the spring can be varied as well as the number of turns. The lock out mechanism determines at what point in the stroke the load is transferred from the light spring to the heavy spring. There are 4 positions. The system works flawlessly. There is a small lever built into the cast aluminum lock out that makes it a snap to adjust. You don't need an additional spanner or anything.

I can't comment on the quality of the WP vs the Ohlins since I don't know what goes into each shock regarding the dampening method used or the materials and tolerances utilized but I can say that the ride and handling with the WP shocks are far superior to the stock shocks as well as the high-end Progressive shocks I had before these. The owner of WP, Gilles Vaillancourt, has been a mover and shaker in the motorcycle suspension industry since the '60s having opened WP in 1973. He is also a member of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. The day I was there he was in the shop and supervised a spring mod I requested. I've recommended their shocks to two of my Harley riding buddies who have been very happy with them as well.

Marc

 

I finally got a 300 mile ride done yesterday with my wife. The ohlins were a DRASTIC improvement over the stock shocks.

I did have them built for my wife's comfort more than anything else. They are a little stiff when I am riding solo, but real nice when she is with me. That's what I was after.

Dennis

 

Marc,

I'm not certain we know if they do or do not have a means of adjusting preload. Hopefully Howard will call by and explain!

There are several threads running alongside each other on this topic at present, including ohlins-vs-stock-shocks. The few who have phoned Howard and ordered his shocks say he works out the best set up to suit each customer. The order form takes into account rider weights and frequency of riding one and two up and he helps us fill it in.

Your WPs sound pretty good, perhaps good enough not to change. For the less fortunate of us like me, Howard's Ohlins are very tempting!

 

The #2's come with wrenches to adjust the pre-load (sag)... If you fill out the order sheet correctly, you should not have to adjust the pre-load.... Unless you change the weight on the bike dramatically

 

I think that's the point. Adding another body and a bunch of travel stuff does change the weight on the rear dramatically. That's why I was asking about a means to adjust the preload easily. You certainly could do it using two spanners but that wouldn't be all that convenient.

Marc

 

I've read all the words on Howard's website! I understand that adjusting the sag is done after first fitting new Ohlins, to set the bike up. After that, does this setup work as well both one-up and 2-up, without making any changes? Or can you easily adjust from one-up to 2-up settings?

I have air shocks at present, so pump them up for major trips and let them down afterwards. Don't bother making changes for short or local journeys (most of my riding is one-up). I also change tyre pressures for 2-up, so there is a little ritual before and after every major adventure!

Frankly, taking Marc's point, if I had to adjust my bike with spanners from one-up to 2-up settings (then back) and be rewarded by superior comfort and a smiling cuddly wife at the end of the trip, that would be close to nirvana!

 

I weigh about 185, so I asked Howard to set up the shocks for a solo rider, 200lbs, then to account for a 135lb passenger and 50lbs of gear. As I said, I put about 400 miles on it solo in the past week. Great ride. This Friday I tossed a 125lb female friend n the back and took a 20 mile ride without adjusting the preload at all. I didn't get a chance to measure the sag, but I can tell you that the bike rode just fine. So I doubt I'll bother with the preload for a casual two-up ride. If we load up next year for Laconia, with full saddlebags and tour pak I'll crank them up a quarter turn as Howard has advised.

Graham, what's an MG ZT. Don't think they ever brought that one over to the States. Got a pic to share?

 

Tossed? A bit harsh old chap! I trust you assisted her as she gracefully took her seat... As for her sag, that is just too much!

Congratulations for being the first to ask! I have had it in my sig for ages, trying to tempt someone!

It is likely the last MGs you saw were the MGB roadster and GT? For years after that they just made badged versions of hatchbacks and the like, then in the 90s introduced the MGF, which I had two of. They continued making badged ordinary cars, eventually topped off with the MG ZT260. It is a 'sleeper' of a medium saloon/sedan - with a 260hp Mustang V8 engine, 2-valve, dohc, mildly tuned and with a Rausch 5-speed box, limited to 150mph. They made just 883 (like that number?!).