How good is the Ohlins EC 2.0?

I know the question of “is it worth getting the S over the base” has been asked numerous times but aside from all the differences, how good is the adaptive suspension?

It is all relative no doubt, but allow me to elaborate on my situation... I’m obviously trying to decide between a V4 and a V4S (Streetfighter). My previous bikes were an Aprilia RS 125 (2-stroke) and a Honda CBR 600 RR. I have no experience with adaptive damping but I do come from a car background and understand the basic principles of suspension compression and rebound. Chassis geometry not so much. I intend to use my bike mainly on the road but plan on doing some track days (no slicks for now).

So all that considered, my question is... is the adaptive function of the factory Ohlins worth having when compared to an Ohlins FGRT 200 and TTX setup for example?

What I find most compelling about the factory Ohlins is how “plush” most people say it is.

I had mine set up by by Dave Moss for the track. I had made some changes (from one of his video) before and it was already excellent. He made a few more and now the SF V4s is like a magic carpet!! Keep in mind that the V4s suspensions can be set to "fixed", where they behave as traditional Ohlins., once the setting is done.
Indo love my dynamic suspensions so far.

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The V4S is a gift from the gods. On my 1299S I could feel the suspension adapt. The V4S is sublime. Road or track, awesome. You can break the corner up the way you like it. I have mine set up as follows for track:

• Braking Support set high.
• Mid corner set for grip.
• Corner exit set for stability.
• Front dampers set to +2 (to aid the break support).
• Rear damper set to +1 (to squat just a little).

The bike is really easy to set up. Just think of what you don't like its doing. Get back to the pits and adjust what you think will fix it.

Get it resprung/revalved to your weight and abilities. That's the biggest problem with the S-model, it's way off in stock trim. I think this masks the positives of the adaptive suspension and makes many people don't like it.
After the suspension is correctly dialed in hardware wise, it performs on a very high level, both in fixed and adaptive mode.
Plush and comfy on bumpy roads, precise and supportive when pushing hard. Always only some button clicks away

I will be utilizing a very firm fixed setup for my next trackday, while keeping a more plush active setup for street riding. That is the beauty of the electronics, a couple button presses transform the bike for it's intended purpose. Feel a bit of wallowing under braking or it feels skittish in the corners? Stop and make those changes from the switchgear, rather than having to get back to the garage and guestimate with manual screw turns.
My first trackday was with the bike right off the showroom floor, to see what that felt like. Now, it has correct sag and what I feel are damping settings at a good reference point, so it should be even more controlled.

Slightly off topic but in the general theme, Danilo Petrucci says in motogp;


“Many people think MotoGP bikes are easy to ride because of the electronics. But the [spec Magneti Marelli] electronics only work after you make a mistake. So you go a lot faster if you don’t use the electronics, because you can prevent things happening before they happen and control the bike better.

“The bike wants to slide and it wants to wheelie, so if you use too much electronics you won’t be fast because the electronic controls only help you after you make a mistake.

“If you rely totally on the electronics for sure you can open the throttle in the middle of the corner but the bike will be slow, because of all the torque and ignition cuts from the electronics.

“The more you use the electronics the slower you go.”

Paul G said:

Slightly off topic but in the general theme, Danilo Petrucci says in motogp;


“Many people think MotoGP bikes are easy to ride because of the electronics. But the [spec Magneti Marelli] electronics only work after you make a mistake. So you go a lot faster if you don’t use the electronics, because you can prevent things happening before they happen and control the bike better.

“The bike wants to slide and it wants to wheelie, so if you use too much electronics you won’t be fast because the electronic controls only help you after you make a mistake.

“If you rely totally on the electronics for sure you can open the throttle in the middle of the corner but the bike will be slow, because of all the torque and ignition cuts from the electronics.

“The more you use the electronics the slower you go.”

Click to expand...

That's why Dave Moss recommends putting the suspension settings in fixed for track duty. If you don't know what the edge feels like you'll never be able to stay right at it.
Having been on motorcycles from age 7 I was down on all the nannies, and still keep settings like DTC & ABS at their lowest on the street and off at the track. But I get their value in certain situations and the level that has been reached makes them mostly seamless. What I hate is getting the bike back from the dealer with everything cranked to 11 since the tech is rightfully freaked about a mistake on a customer's bike.
This level of intervention does worry me for younger generations only knowing the safety net however; we are already at a point where new truck owners can't back a trailer without electronic help, God forbid they hop on a 200hp monster and accidently turn off DWC.