OHLIN shocks......

They've been on my '03 Kawasaki ZRX1200R for over two weeks now, but haven't been able to ride due to the bad weather.

Well today, I was able to put in an hour or two. Let's just say that I was somewhat disappointed in them. I set them up per OHLINS instructions. The OEM shocks on my ZRX are KYB. The OHLINS were no better than the KYB's.

Long story short, I took them off and already have a list of buyers for them.

Doesn't look like I'll have to worry about installing OHLINS on my '03 RT.

A $ saved is a $ earned!

My impression is that most riders are NOWHERE NEAR skilled enough to push the limits of their bike's stock suspension. I know I'm certainly not!

The Veg said:

My impression is that most riders are NOWHERE NEAR skilled enough to push the limits of their bike's stock suspension. I know I'm certainly not!

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Yeah, but that's not all there is to it. There is a qualitative aspect to the ride improvement that makes me feel that I got my money's worth on my oilhead GS.

The stock Showas were OK. But I felt that the damping was harsh, as if they had a stiction problem. Like you say, I could ride the snot out of the bike and still not get everything out of them... but the day-to-day ride quality was unsatisfactory.

With the Ohlins, the bike rides like a magic carpet. Very plush and composed. There is a significant difference even when not riding on the edge.

Plus... they're rebuildable, and I tend to keep bikes for a long time.

YMMV.

Ian

dano said:

They've been on my '03 Kawasaki ZRX1200R for over two weeks now, but haven't been able to ride due to the bad weather.

Well today, I was able to put in an hour or two. Let's just say that I was somewhat disappointed in them. I set them up per OHLINS instructions. The OEM shocks on my ZRX are KYB. The OHLINS were no better than the KYB's.

Long story short, I took them off and already have a list of buyers for them.

Doesn't look like I'll have to worry about installing OHLINS on my '03 RT.

A $ saved is a $ earned!

Click to expand...

Dude, You made that decision only after an hour of riding? you might lose money on the re-sale and I dont see the logic in scraping the whole Ohlins thing in only an hour on the road. At least try different settings. You gotta give it more evaluation. Ohlins are rebuildable and have a sterling Rep. If you only try out new things for a brief period before you scrap them, then look forward to many dissapointments.

I put a set on my 95 R11GS and it took me forever to get them dialed in. I didnÔÇÖt think they were worth the $$ considering the other quality shock mfg. that are out there.

TZOLK said:

Dude, You made that decision only after an hour of riding? you might lose money on the re-sale and I dont see the logic in scraping the whole Ohlins thing in only an hour on the road. At least try different settings. You gotta give it more evaluation. Ohlins are rebuildable and have a sterling Rep. If you only try out new things for a brief period before you scrap them, then look forward to many dissapointments.

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Naw....I don't think so. An hour is plenty to see if new shocks make a diff. or not. They didn't. It's not like you have to break um in ya know.

I got mine at a very good price ($811.00 to my door) as they usually go for closer to 1K. After deciding to not keep them, I had a list of 5 guys willing to buy them. I sold them for what I paid for them. Not a penny lost!

I knew going in when I bought them, that I had better feel an $800. improvement in the ride. I didn't! OHLINS have a "myth" about them. 95% of the people that buy them, are "sold" on them, even before they install them. With that kind of preconceived mindset, how could you not like them?

A loss

Well, Ohlins have made a big difference for me on my R100RSL. The bike is more planted in the corners and this is what really convinced me:

Riding to/from Montana and found ourselves outside of Paonia, CO. The road out was under construction and large gravel, the size of golf balls was the road surface. No stopping or turning back possible, so on we track. I am not an especially skilled rider, definitely my husband is better. But, I tracked straight through this stuff for miles, while he was tracking to the other side of the road by the time we reached the end point. I know this was the Ohlins, and not my riding skills.

And, for two-up riding on that bike, it really makes the difference and seems to remove the flex from the "frame" when hauling ass through the corners.

.02 cents from someone who doesn't care much for extra goodies on a bike.

Its good to hear that you didnt lose money. Those things are sooo expensive. My GS came with a Fox Shock that they no longer sell but will service. Its totally adjustable but otherwise nothing special. I think the Ohlins are cool for their remote adjustable pre-load instead of cranking on the spring like the fox. I thought KYB were supposed to be good- rebuildable?

The KYB's on my Kawi ZRX1200R are good. And yes....rebuildable. They are fully adjustable as well.

I keep heairng the terms "plush" and "planted" from OHLINS owners. They all say that!

If the OHLINS were closer to say $300-400, I would have kept them for that price. But.....$800.00 and up? Oh pullease...........

MrsKbasa said:

Well, Ohlins have made a big difference for me on my R100RSL. The bike is more planted in the corners and this is what really convinced me:

Riding to/from Montana and found ourselves outside of Paonia, CO. The road out was under construction and large gravel, the size of golf balls was the road surface. No stopping or turning back possible, so on we track. I am not an especially skilled rider, definitely my husband is better. But, I tracked straight through this stuff for miles, while he was tracking to the other side of the road by the time we reached the end point. I know this was the Ohlins, and not my riding skills.

Click to expand...

Don't sell yourself short, when it comes to riding skills. Good shocks or not, it was your riding skills that kept you upright. Shocks aren't magic you know.