How to: Ohlins FGRT 214 Rebuild

jc808504 said:

Thanks! like BIKenG said, these forks have like zero info about them so i know its probably not useful to everyone since only the SLs come with a similar if not the same fork and then its just aftermarket. But for the few that need it, hope this helps uncover hidden info.

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Hope jc808504 is still watching this topic as I have a couple more questions.

• Why did you remove the damper rod and piston etc from the cartridge just to replace bushes and seals?
• How is the cartridge outer 'cylinder' attached in the lower leg and how can it be removed?

With the cartridge top unscrewed, the entire guts of the cartridge can be pulled out of the cartridge outer or cylinder, leaving it still inside the inner tube/slider. It has to be attached in some way, probably to the alloy fork bottom/knuckle, but I have no information about how. Showa forks tend to have a bolt from underneath that screws into the bottom of the cartridge and which once removed, the entire cartridge can be pulled out of the lower/inner tube. But the Ohlins have no such bolt at the bottom and instead the cartridge is dismantled in-situ, so the damper rod/shaft and piston can be removed, leaving the outer cylinder, but how is that then attached into that lower/inner tube? Does it somehow screw to the bottom knuckle? How can it be removed?

It's great that Ohlins can be completely dismantled, compared to Showa OEM forks which crimp together the cartridge so it cannot be dismantled and rebuilt. But then Ohlins withhold the information on how to do it and it makes it difficult or even impossible to buy any of the parts to fix it.

I have similar forks to dismantle (actually from a Multistrada Pikes Peak) and although I'm hopeful the KTech tool will also fit this cartridge, I'm trying to figure out how I will then be able to remove the remainder of the cartridge.

I am somewhat dismayed to continue NOT finding info like this for Ohlins forks supplied as OEM on bikes. In these cases, Ducati just shows the entire assembled fork legs in the parts list, but NO parts to repair and/or rebuild. As if Ohlins are responsible for all aftermarket support and/or parts, which would be entirely reasonable. But the truth is that Ohlins act like these OEM forks simply don't exist. So in fact both Ducati and Ohlins provide NOTHING. You damage any part of an OEM Ohlins fork and you can only replace the entire leg. Sorry, but there should be laws against this sort of shoddy practice. Leaving the customer in the lurch with NO opportunity to buy replacement components, instead forcing them to buy the entire assembly. It's disgraceful. To be fair it's not just Ducati as when Honda use Ohlins as OEM forks there's a similar shirking of responsibility.

Rant over, anyone pulled the cartridge cylinder out of the lower leg? How?

Does anyone have any tips for re-fitting the top cap to the damper rod? Pulling the rod up using the holding tool meets with resistance from the top out spring, then having to compress the main spring, unthread the holding tool and screw the cap onto the damper rod seems incredibly hard....

Do you try to pull the nut clear of the Spring Support and get the 19 mm spanner under the nut?

Any advice welcome - thanks.

When I worked on my V4S forks, I didn't use the holding tool on the damper rod. After filling it with oil and setting the air gap, I moved the rod to work out any trapped air, pulled it up and held it with a pair of needle nose pilers until I could get the spring stop (pic below from the OP) and nut started. Then it's just a matter of pulling it high enough to get the cap threaded. Once you figure out how to get one done, the other is super easy. It's just a bit clunky at first.

bp_SFV4 said:

When I worked on my V4S forks, I didn't use the holding tool on the damper rod. After filling it with oil and setting the air gap, I moved the rod to work out any trapped air, pulled it up and held it with a pair of needle nose pilers until I could get the spring stop (pic below from the OP) and nut started. Then it's just a matter of pulling it high enough to get the cap threaded. Once you figure out how to get one done, the other is super easy. It's just a bit clunky at first.

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Thanks a lot - will try that approach.