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When buying aftermarket shocks...

enjine

New member
The handling on my '99 R1100R (92k miles) has gotten awful enough for me to actually cough up the money for some aftermarket shocks.
After reading hundreds of topics on the subject here and elsewhere, I've decided on Ohlins.

There is one front and one rear shock model available for my bike. One thing I'm not exactly clear on is when ordering a set of shocks, what options do you need to specify. Other than adjusting the shocks' settings, do I need to specify a certain spring or anything else?

My weight is around 220, which puts me right around the point where there might be a stiffer spring might be used or something like that. And I have big aluminum panniers for touring, although I live in NY and do a lot of city driving.

I'm set on buying the ohlins, I just want to make sure I order correctly. Any help would be appreciated... thanks
 
I put Ohlins on my RT last spring. The OEM shocks were shot with 90,000 miles on them (probably shot for a year or more). I was riding in Arkansas and in a series of tight but high speed curves the bike bottomed out several times and started rubbing holes in the plastic. That's when I decided to bite the bullet and drop the cash. If you can handle a basic service on your bike, you can handle the installation of shocks. Save money and do it yourself.
 
Thanks ross,
I did end up buying the shocks and they're sitting here in the room right now. Just have to wait a few months until it's warmer out to install them. I've installed OEM shocks on my bike before, but I wasn't sure about all of the spring rates and other settings related to adjustable aftermarket shocks--when ordering.

On the OEM shocks for an R1100R, you can only dial a single setting on the rear shock. With the Ohlins I picked up, there is much more room for adjustment. I'll just have to wait until they're on the bike to see.

I'm excited because I made a decision to get my current bike handling better instead of simply buying a new bike. Riding the R11R the way it is now, old shocks, I feel like the bike will slip out from under me at any turn. I've heard this from others who have upgraded their shocks, so I'm pretty confident.

Did you feel a major difference in handling after your switch?
 
I expect that you are going to be a VERY HAPPY CAMPER with the new Ohlins.

I changed to Ohlins from stock shocks at 20K miles and the improvement was profound. Handling improved, comfort improved, stability, especially in crosswinds and passing 18 wheelers was greatly improved.

A little bit of sorting out to get them tuned and it feels like a new bike - maybe even better since it already has the farkles on it.

ENJOY
 
Call Ted Porter (www.beemershop.com) and ask him. He can configure the springs you need in his shop, and give you advice about which models to get.

+100000000

I've purchased a few sets of Ohlins, but Ted took the time to ask me the right questions and configure the shocks perfectly for us. I filled out a form that asked about our weights, how much gear we rode with, how we rode and the like.

With some minor adjustment to preload, these shocks work perfectly.

I would highly recommend the remote preload adjustment for the rear shock.
 
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