Bitubo, MUPO, and Ohlins

So I am headed overseas for a bit and am planning to do some work on the bike for when I get back. Probably some fun local races and mainly track days etc. What are your thoughts on the above suspension lines?

I know about Ohlins and have the factory stuff that came in my '14 S, but figured if I am already spending the money lets upgrade ....because ducati habits. Below are the setups I am considering.

MUPO K911 fork kit and AB1 Evo with Hydraulic Preload

or

Bitubo ECH-29 Fork kit and XXF61 rear shock.

Thoughts..opinions...other suggestions. This will become my new dedicated track bike and be built as such so keep that in mind.

I'm looking at a bitubo setup for my base 1299, thinking if it works for Michael Dunlop at IOMTT it's good enough for me. The 3 way XXF61 is also a good argument if you can get it set up properly But technical specs aside, input from anybody with first hand experience would be nice

Yeah that's what I'm hoping for. I have met one member here using Bitubo and I know JarelJ uses Mupo on his new bike.

The advantage of Ohlins is ease of setup and widely-available guidance on what works, and many shops who are experienced in working with the products. I have never ran Bitubo, and have no experience with it, so won't comment. The advantage to the Mupo setup is more advanced technology/components than others, such as the variable spring rate technology, and the fact that it's different/cool/conversation piece. No one ever walked by my bike in the pits this year without commenting "Wooah!! What are those forks?? Those are cool!!". Also with Mupo you get factory custom valving specifically for your bike and even the exact tires you will be running.

So I'd say if you're all about functionality and purpose, just get Ohlins since you know it will work well. If you want to try something different and fiddle around a little more, I've been very happy with my Mupo setup once I finally got it sorted. I'd say it's for a more advanced user who understands suspension setup and knows how to tune their bike to track conditions. If you're the type who would post on a forum and ask others for their suspension setup so you can "try" it, then Mupo is definitely not for you! ;-) Also with the Mupo setup, you know you're literally running the exact same components that are being used in World Superbike/Superstock on the Barni team, whereas the Ohlins stuff on Davies' bike is nowhere near the same as what you can buy off the shelf.

JarelJ

Thanks for the feedback. A couple more questions in response to your post.

I understand Suspension and tuning it to a moderate level (I don't need to ask other peoples setup anyways and can read my tires decently enough) (Not professional, but willing to tinker and learn more and more.)

I don't think I can swing the full fork upgrade, but is the cartridge kit going to give me similar performance in my existing Ohlins tubes. (Will it even fit??)

Have a bitubo steering damper and it started to leak from day one

Gecko said:

Have a bitubo steering damper and it started to leak from day one

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well that's not legit!~

i love the look of the Mupo stuff and would love them on my bike but with ohlins it's easy to get them serviced and like Jarel said the expertise is out there should you need it.

but after all that is said i still would like the Mupo i just wish it was a little cheaper.

no mention of the FGR TTX25 pressurized kit for your stock ohlins? It's pretty tricked out, I heard it they lubricate it with butter.

akunochi said:

JarelJ

Thanks for the feedback. A couple more questions in response to your post.

I understand Suspension and tuning it to a moderate level (I don't need to ask other peoples setup anyways and can read my tires decently enough) (Not professional, but willing to tinker and learn more and more.)

I don't think I can swing the full fork upgrade, but is the cartridge kit going to give me similar performance in my existing Ohlins tubes. (Will it even fit??)

Click to expand...

Yes, the K911 fork cartridge kit is exactly the same as the internals in my full Mupo superbike forks. My business partner here has the K911 cartridges in his 1199 Panigale, and they work very well. The only thing you gain from the full forks that I have is the increased rigidity and "tuned flex", the oil height adjustment, and the ability to run 108mm spacing brake calipers.

jyli19 said:

no mention of the FGR TTX25 pressurized kit for your stock ohlins? It's pretty tricked out, I heard it they lubricate it with butter.

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I ran those last year in my 899 Showa forks, they're really good, but I think for most people who are not at the top of the club-racing chart or somewhere on a MotoAmerica grid, you will not get the full benefit of them vs. just having the NIX30 cartridges. The benefits to the TTX25's is in the very bottom of the suspension travel under the hardest braking conditions, where a professional rider would spend more time than most riders. They also require significantly more maintenance than the NIX30's do, depending somewhat on how much oil you're running in the forks. The pros run very little oil, just enough to keep the seals wet, and then they need to be rebuilt frequently.

I have always used a Ohlins set up on all my previous race bikes but have gone with the Mupo cartridge and rear shock and damper on the 1299 .
Jarel wa kind enough to help with the initial set up and have found the Mupo to work extremely well I love it .

Wilkson,

Was the initial setup troublesome? Is it the variable spring rate that throws people for a curve when tuning vs traditional Ohlins?

No the initial set up was straight forward quite easy really . My rear spring rate was off so swapped that out and Im getting excellent results .
My bike is really confidence inspiring to ride .

akunochi said:

Wilkson,

Was the initial setup troublesome? Is it the variable spring rate that throws people for a curve when tuning vs traditional Ohlins?

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The variable spring rate adjustments are very easy, actually, no more difficult than swapping springs on a normal cartridge. The benefit is you don't need to buy any other springs, you can adjust the rate without changing springs. Also, you can adjust the rate in small increments, much more precisely than swapping springs out, where you would typically go in .5kg increments. You can go .25kg on each side, so .125kg precision is possible. So if you're riding at the level where you would typically have a different fork spring rate for different tracks, it makes it very easy to switch on the fly right in the pits. For most track day riders and amateur club racers, you probably won't switch spring rates very often, but the advantage is in the initial setup to find your ideal rate since you can "try" different rates to see how the bike responds before settling on your choice. I'm running a lighter spring rate than I have ever ran in the past, and I probably wouldn't be if I hadn't had the ability to experiment with the different rates to find what worked the best.

As has been said before, the real benefit of any race suspension, is tuneability and ease of use (adjustment).

If you set ever manufacturers fork internals to their setting that closest replicates the stock setting, theoretically, it would be extremely hard to feel the difference between any of them.

If you just want an upgrade for the sake of an upgrade (and there's nothing wrong with that), then Ohlins is probably your safest bet. If you want a bit of pillow talk with other bikers about your suspension, then go for one of the more discerning brands, but stick closely to the brands recommended base settings.
If you really want to get into settings and setup, then 100% go for something like Mupo, Bitubo or K-Tech.
All very good, arguably Mupo is the best, but K-Tech would be the first step away from Ohlins. Still plenty of information and parts availability, but slightly more interesting, and slightly better than Ohlins.

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