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Ohlins Install


lshark

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Thank you Yoshi,

I know my shocks must be worn out by now, it's a tick over 110,000KM, stock suspension feels fine but shocks degrade in small increments so I may not be aware of reduction in performance.

How does one know if the shocks are in need of replacement?

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I have ohlins on the veefalo as well - turns out the shock is the same size as the 5th gen, same length - I had the spring beefed up already so it was a nice fit. Salvaged the Ohilins from the Old Girl 1998 after it was totalled, front end was smashed up but the swing arm was untouched. I sent it to Ohlins to have it rebuilt - they replaced the seals and replaced a bad pneumatic slave cyclinder for the preload adjuster $300.

Ohlins Install

The Ohlins off the Old Girl

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i don't think mine was worn out, so to speak,but i said before that since i'm a big guy, i needed to at least have my OEM shock re sprung...so i have to factor that into my comparison..the Ohlins was re sprung for my weight and.pre load (sag measurement) was right on the $$..... i did get to do a nice 125 mile ride yesterday, although the roads are still a mess.....i added 2 clicks of compression damping along the way and it tightened things up really nicely...the rear suspension feels very precise now...it recovers very quickly from a bump...compression, rebound..done !! i wish that i had done it right off of the showroom floor...serious good investment

i also had a nice conversation with the people at Hard Racing this morning to ask a few tech questions and they were very helpful

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Ohlins on my K12S. Night and day difference. Like magic. They do need to be refurbished every 10K-15K miles, per specs. If Ohlins makes a complete front fork kit for the new VFR800, I will be waiting in line. The only mod any bike really needs.

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  • 3 weeks later...

i really got to give it a decent test today now that most of the winter gravel is gone from the roads.....what a difference ....so much more stable....I can't believe how sloppy the stock suspension was by comparison... even at my 260 lbs, riding solo i'm well below the max capacity of the VFR12 of 433 lbs, yet at maximum preload setting the oem set up was nowhere near a proper sag measurement and it rode like shrimp trawler.....the Ohlins on the other hand, with the proper spring installed, dialed right up on the sag measure and the standard damping settings seem just right for everyday riding and just a few clicks away from really sporty..(gonna try a little more comp damping tomorrow) but i was stunned today when i took my fav ride at near full clip.....i didn't realize what a bucking bronco it used to be....the tight twist roads aren't nearly as much work as they used to be...forks need more comp too...but WOW !!! wish i had done this long ago...can't say if the Ohlins is worth the diff in price over a Penske or others, but it is a world away from OEM...another nice day tomorrow... :cool:

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My old VTEC had a fully adjustable Hyperpro shock (remote preload adjuster, high&low speed compression and rebound) with a progressive spring, I had the front end modified by HK Suspension; it had Eibach springs with CBR600F4 internals and rebound adjustment in one fork leg, compression in the other. It rode like a dream; handled bumps beautifully. When I sold the VTEC and bought the 1200F; I was shocked at the difference. The 1200 reacts really badly to bumps and dips. I have the Sport Rider's recommended settings which improved things but still a lot worse than my old bike. I can't wait to improve my suspension as well...

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Just keep in mind if you change the front springs; the brand and nominal viscosity of the fork oil makes also a big difference, Honda manual says KYB KHL 15-10. With other brands this is close to 5W in comparison.

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Cool beans, lshark. I'm definitely jelly. I've had Ohlins on several bikes, including VFR1200's current stable mate, Speed Triple R. They are most certainly in a league of their own. Another good thing is that they are completely rebuildable, so they hold their resale value pretty high.

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i let the Honda dealer put my Ohlins springs in, they promised they'd use the right stuff

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so, i did the front free sag/ride height measurements and the front was a bit soft...added some preload to bring it up to specs (ohlins recommendations) and now waiting for some rain showers to pass

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  • 2 weeks later...

the more i ride the more i am amazed by the difference the suspension upgrade made.....i hate to gloat about it (not) and don't want to use every old cliche to describe it, but this bike is as tight as a crab's ass in hot water now...it corners like it's on a rail !!!....now i see what a rocking horse it was with the stock set up...even at slow speed i feel a difference.....i'm even pretty happy with the forks with the Ohlins springs and fresh oil....they're not perfect but liveable.too bad they don't have adjustable comp damping because that would do it.....if you haven't upgraded yet, it's worth hocking your wedding band or whatever it takes to get it done

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  • 2 months later...

first couple of hot days and i'm noticing that the seat and my right thigh getting roasted....right frame rail very hot to the touch....coolant normal...temp gauge in the bar above mid, dropping below occasionally ....i suspect the bracket for the shock remote reservoirs is trapping the heat in....thinking about punching some vent holes in it....should work....and imagine the weight savings

post-23916-0-53070000-1403822881.jpg

post-23916-0-64291300-1403822889.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...
Guest richy170

Did you put the holes in the bracket regarding the heat issues and if so can you add some pictures. I'm waiting patiently for my Ohlins to be built and they should be installed around mid August. It has been 7 weeks already since I ordered them. Any update if you can still keep the hugger as I have recently had mine resprayed red to match the bike and would love to keep it. Any other installation issues so I can share them with the technician as he has never fitted them before on a VFR1200.

Just had the front done with Ktech springs, oil and valves and it feels superb.

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What do you mean valves? I looked for Racetec Gold Valves but they don't offer them for the 1200F...

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  • 7 months later...
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So, is HO-013 (as mentioned in this thread) the full part# for this shock? Comes with preload adjuster mounting bracket? Also, the pics show the location of the preload adjuster mounted but not the remote resevoir, where does that mount and does anyone have pics of their resevoir mounted?

Thanks

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here's another pic showing reservoir and preload adjuster.....bracket is included.....

.link to ohlins page http://www.ohlinsusa.com/fitment/ho013/%C3%96hlins+Suspension+Product+Information+HO+013

shock type is S46HR1C1S

specific model for VFR1200F is HO-013

post-23916-0-19779200-1424886540.jpg


bracket mounts to stock preload adj mounting hole on left and rear brake line guide mounting hole on right....fit is good, install is easy

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Whilst I have an Ohlins fitted to my now defunct 5th Gen, I have opted for a cheaper but still rebuildable Nitron shock for my 6th Gen (to be fitted next weekend). I'm going to see how the 7th Gen works out before I make any decisions about investing in better suspension.

Just reading through the Nitron website, in this document, there are a number of pages explaining rebound/damping etc and adjustments and how they relate to what you expereinece on the road which may prove interesting for some.

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  • 1 month later...
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There didn't seem to be a definitive conclusion as to whether or not the OEM hugger could be used with the Ohlins, does anyone know for sure?

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Yes you can fit the Ohlins rear shock, with the genuine Honda rear Hugger. No problems with the rear hugger fowling the Ohlins rear shock.

post-26584-0-92860200-1429636767.jpg

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Yes you can fit the Ohlins rear shock, with the genuine Honda rear Hugger. No problems with the rear hugger fowling the Ohlins rear shock.

until you load it up and ride 2 up. Pyramid hugger work much better

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As I said the genuine Honda hugger does not foul the Ohlins unit, whether I am solo, 2 up or 2 up fully loaded, now I hope I have explained myself fully this time.

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As I said the genuine Honda hugger does not foul the Ohlins unit, whether I am solo, 2 up or 2 up fully loaded, now I hope I have explained myself fully this time.

Same here, Ohlins rear shock, OEM hugger. No issues.

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