1199 Base Best suspension Package

Good Afternoon Gents,

I know this topic has been covered quite a bit in the past but after some quite extensive researching I still find myself with some unanswered questions. So I am a track rat to say the least and at the end of last year bought a brand new 2012 1199 base leftover. I bought the base because again as a track rat I knew I would end up molesting tearing it down and doing an aftermarket suspension package, motor work, prob wheels etc. etc. So After sneaking in a couple of track days before the end of the year and riding this thing on the street a bit I found it in desperate need in my case of suspension work mainly because I only way 150lbs at best. I also find it to be a slight bit twitchy even with light input do in part to the faster rebound and single sided swing arm. Coming off of the Japanese stuff mainly I am finding many suspension options from many companies I am not so familiar with IE. Bitubo, Matris, Etc. What do you guys think may be the best route for this? I am looking at the Ohlins options right now mainly because I know and have used the brand but feel there may be a better choice. The Bitubo and the Matris look good but there isnt much data on these. Looking more towards something gas charged.

Trying to save myself from trading this thing in on an Aprilia RSV4 Factory hahaha

If you're truly going to be tracking a lot, then the Ohlins is going to be the best bet because 1) there is tons of data for setup and experience with guys running/racing them for 2 years, and 2) there are tons of Ohlins techs to do the setup and refurbishing if you're riding a lot and changing comp and rebound stacks to suit your development.

That's coming from a guy that has the Bitubo ECH-29 Nitrogen Charged Fork Cartridges, XXF-61 shock, and matching gas steering damper on his base. I went with it because it was less expensive than the Ohlins gas cartridges and it was NOT Ohlins. Fact is, there is only one service center for Bitubo in the USA right now and I don't know where to get any data from anyone racing in Europe with Bitubo.

If you really want what the factory 1199 STK 1000 racers are using, then go Mupo. Wicked $$$ and not sure what kind of support you can get here though.

Part of the OP's post doesn't make sense to me.

All the usual options are available for the 1199. I would form a relationship with your local suspension shop who is going to be providing you support and work with them on finding a solution. Your suspension is only ever going to be as good as the person tuning it.

I was very happy with the Ohlins NIX30 kit in the stock Marzocchi forks, and the TTX racing rear shock. I'm putting the gas-charged TTX25 cartridges in my 899 forks, and they make those for the Marzocchi forks as well, it's the FGR174 kit. Like Jeff said, there's plenty of good setup data out there for the Ohlins stuff.

Had the TTX shock since last year which was a great improvement over stock.

Had the NIX30 cartridges installed last month and boy, what a difference! The infamous twitch is all but gone, still there but not enough to back off the gas.

Screw it if you want the best go with these

ScrapperX said:

Screw it if you want the best go with these

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Those forks are tasty, aren't they?

Local guy here has an Ecosse Heretic TI RR with a set of the fluted FGR800 TTX's on it. But heck, on that thing, they look almost pedestrian...

Forgot to add: yes to everyone elses' Ohlins comments. All for the knowledge base and parts availablility; a number of companies sell good suspension parts, but none support their products and users as well as Ohlins.

Thanks guys good suggestions. I am thinking about going the ohlins route because of support I have near me.

jarelj said:

I was very happy with the Ohlins NIX30 kit in the stock Marzocchi forks, and the TTX racing rear shock. I'm putting the gas-charged TTX25 cartridges in my 899 forks, and they make those for the Marzocchi forks as well, it's the FGR174 kit. Like Jeff said, there's plenty of good setup data out there for the Ohlins stuff.

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How does the TTX25 compare to the NIX30? Or is it a wait-and-see

Bitubo

Bitubo here.

Those dials on top of those forks looks like tumours.

Trauma said:

How does the TTX25 compare to the NIX30? Or is it a wait-and-see

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Yeah, wait-and-see, I just ordered the TTX25's yesterday. Will have them on before our next full weekend event on May 17/18. I have a Monday track day coming up next week, and will do that one on the stock forks again so I have one more day of testing/setup on those before I swap them out.

mali said:

Those dials on top of those forks looks like tumours.

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Now that is just critical to the decision of what performance suspension to buy.

JeffD said:

Now that is just critical to the decision of what performance suspension to buy.

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At Starbucks it is....

I went with TTX rear and nix30 front inserts. I do track days and will be club level racing it.

Happy so far. Definitely an improvement.

ScrapperX said:

Screw it if you want the best go with these

View attachment 8928

View attachment 8929

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and then don' forget the other triples, 108 calipers, wheels and discs...


budget/qual/data wise i'd go with the FGRT and TTX ... and sell the marzocchi/sachs cheeeap to a crasher hard to beat overall combo... ttx at the front and the rear work well together..

Set Up

I too am in at 150 pounds. What is your set up on your bike Rebond etc?

Ohins 30mm kit here and TTX rear. I think the gas are a waste unless you are an up front runner and even then it isn't always going to suit everyone. But, have a buddy that I race with that has the gas and is very happy thus far. I say whatever floats your boat, but like Jarel stated, Ohlins has a LOT of available info. Hell, the newest shim stack is an example of how ohlins listens and learns at the track...

Now that I actually have the TTX25 gas carts on my own bike, as opposed to just riding other people's bikes with them, I can confirm that they are indeed better than the NIX30's, but it's marginal. I had NIX30's on my 1199, my last 848, and my 1198S, so I do have quite a bit of time on those. I do agree the gas carts are complete overkill if you're not racing for a national club championship or an AMA ride, but still if you have the scratch and you want the best on your Duc, the TTX25's are it. Other than putting FGR's on it of course, but then you need triples, brakes, etc.