How good is ohlins suspension?

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nick1199

nick1199

Joined
Jan 16, 2012
Messages
294
Location
sydney
Having never ridden a bike with ohlins before and seeing that I'm getting the tri, I just wanted to get some feedback on guys who has ridden a bike (not necessarily a duc) and how it compares with standard suspension. FYI I rode an 08 R1 before with stock suspension. Never thought that it wasn't any good or anything and always knew that ohlins is bad ass but just how actually bad ass is it?

On another planet when compared to standard or just 50% better. I'm mostly going to be doing street riding.
 
You won't be disappointed. Unlike you, I haven't ridden a superbike without Ohlins yet. And yes, even for street use it doesn't hurt to have the better suspension.
 
In the end what is better suspension ?
Well my answer is suspension that set up for your weight,riding conditions and riding style... eg Harry heavy and larry light both go down to the dealer and buy a bike with ohlins and "Know" that they have got better suspension cos it says so on the label..andy average buys cheaper suspension cos he cant afford olhins but he knows what static sag is cos he read it in a book and because his riding had got to the stage where suspension mattered. out on the road what is better suspension..?. well ohlins is if you set up for your weight, riding conditions and riding style... go for the ohlins but get them set up. you know when things a set up well cos its handling like a dream not cos the label says it is.
If you dont know anything about suspension there is a good starting book called Sportbike Suspeension tuning by andrew Trevitt. I found it helpful anyway.. at least it gives you a reasonably simple start to the dark arts.. and then choose your experts wisely.
 
Should have added this on the road conditions vary so much that its hard to have things perfect all the time but you can chase that sweet spot that works for your most favourite places.
 
When I traded in my 1098 base for an 1198s, I could tell the difference immeadiatly. The Olins were at the same time less harsh, but more connected.
 
Well said Pogley. I'm always amazed that more riders don't seem to care to take the time to learn what their suspension is really for, how to meaningfully adjust it, or what benefits they would get from a suspension that is properly setup for them. First thing I do when I get a new bike is to have the suspension adjusted for my weight and riding style, sometimes I need new springs, sometimes not. I would advise anyone to at least learn a basic understanding of what Sag, Compression and Rebound damping, and Preload are, and why they are important to you as a rider. I have been actively trying to learn about sportbike suspension for a couple years now, and there are concepts about it that still mystify me.. but when you have a basic knowledge of suspension adjustments at least you aren't totally in the dark and can understand what someone knowledgeable is talking about.
 
Pogley said:
Should have added this on the road conditions vary so much that its hard to have things perfect all the time but you can chase that sweet spot that works for your most favourite places.
Click to expand...

How very true.

I've talked to & read reports of guys racing at the Isle of Man TT and they have similar stories. That due to the length of the course, changing weather and road conditions, you have to find that sweet spot that makes the bike comfortable over the length of the course.

I think Ohlins with the TiN coating also helps reduce stiction greatly, rather than ground chrome. Some forks (Marzocchi [not all] if I recall correctly) come with DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coating, which is actually better (smoother) and harder than TiN coatings.
 
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Hi Nick199 We didn't assume you hadn't had your suspension set up we're just filling in time waiting for our bikes to arrive like you..

Its like a whole lot of crack heads sitting in a room waiting for the dealer to arrive .. i'm getting sick of racing home to hear the latest

I mean hey ho imagine a Ducati that drops into a corner, flicks left to right and is rock stable midcorner, is like an 848 at the bottom of the range and a full blown superbike at top, and has the looks to match and then you can still adjust your suspension after that.

I cant wait to hear the first reports when the bikes start being delivered to the waiting throng... lets just hope its a long slow draft of complete satisfaction.
 
nick1199 said:
Why do you assume that i never had my suspension setup for me??
Click to expand...

I wasn't even really talking about you, just speaking in general, saying what I had seen before. Sometimes I reply to a post and get sidetracked into a different conversation.
 
S model comes with Ohlins that is made for Ducati. Normal basic Ohlins. I m sure the aftermrket Ohlins would be better for the Panigale. Just like those who got the S model xx98 and still purchase the aftermarket Ohlins to replace the Ohlins they got with the bike. Months after the Panigale is on the road, all the other companies would produce aftermarket parts for it. Be it, carbon fibre parts, suspensions, better LED headlights, etc etc. Just have to be patient. Anyways im getting the base Panigale and will soup it up once the aftermarket parts are available. Save me SGD 10,000 and will use it for the mods. :)
 
It's very debatable because OEM Ohlins is supposedly mass produced and not as good as the aftermarket offerings.

Either way, no matter what brand it is, you should really get your suspension sprung for your weight and setup correctly for you.
 
I'm generally pretty confused about suspension myself.

Having had (still have) stock forks and an Ohlins shock, I have come to the conclusion that:
some of what you might call 'better' is the ride that the suspension offers.
Though, I'm confident that I'm not tuned in enough to actually know that my shock is better than the stock one.

What I do know, is that when I'm chasing a setup, the Ohlins are far more adjustable.
They might have 42 clicks instead of 12.
And each click does something. Rather than nothing, or very little happening between say, 1 and 10, and the last two providing the change. You just can't work with that.

So, does it provide a better ride? Possibly.

Does it provide more to work with? Absolutely.

PS: Whilst getting your sag right is a great first step (regardless of brand), that in itself is not setting up a bike correctly.
Record your base settings and play! If "you're a mong and .... it up", put it back to base and start again...
 
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Cool. Run with that.

I won't blindly ride my bike though, or shell out $ cos I'm too scared to change a few settings myself and understand what's going on.

I used a suspension service at PI recently.
He spent most of the day going in the wrong direction because he didn't know how I rode my bike.

Your unwillingness to learn and play intrigues me.

Kinda like having a stereo and only using the volume knob.
If you change the equaliser to your taste, it's a much better experience.
 
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Properly set up stock suspension is going to be 50% better (at least) than non-setup stock suspension.

Aftermarket suspension properly setup is going to be a night and day difference. Least it has been on every bike I've owned.

I've never experienced Ohlins on a bike, but I was fortunate enough to get an invitation to drive a properly sorted Works Evo at the track and I was absolutely stunned at how brilliant it was.
 
AntiHero said:
I've never experienced Ohlins on a bike, but I was fortunate enough to get an invitation to drive a properly sorted Works Evo at the track and I was absolutely stunned at how brilliant it was.
Click to expand...

Silly words are silly.
A properly sorted Works Evo on Bilsteins would blow your mind too.
 

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