[tracteur]

Do you guys think there would be any difference between putting the fork cartridges in the stock tubes vs. buying the complete setup from ohlins? Other then the black and gold tubes? One could get a rear shock for the price difference and the bike is expensive enough already, just wondering if it's worth it.

I guess you're not going to the track? In that case the cartridges can handle the street use. I have them mounted and the improvement is enormous. The weak point is the next bottleneck ( as always ) the shock, so that has to change next year.

 

[tofur]

I guess you're not going to the track? In that case the cartridges can handle the street use. I have them mounted and the improvement is enormous. The weak point is the next bottleneck ( as always ) the shock, so that has to change next year.

No, I might do some track days but nothing serious. Nice to hear a first hand account though! I first learned how important suspension is when I moved from my honda crf230f to the KTM 250 xc-w. Basically totally different bikes just due to the suspension. Once I had the KTM's set up for me it was another revelation, so I'm looking to do the same with the 9T.

 

[dkNigs]

I'd love the ohlins forks, but no easy I could bring myself to lose the gold!

 

[firstime911]

I have limited money.. i can only change either the front forks or the rear suspension set.

Which one is better if i can only afford one, will make much different in term of stabilization and handling ?

Thank you

 

[Karamazov]

I have limited money.. i can only change either the front forks or the rear suspension set.

Which one is better if i can only afford one, will make much different in term of stabilization and handling ?

Thank you

Are you unhappy with the stock suspension?

 

[tracteur]

I have limited money.. i can only change either the front forks or the rear suspension set.

Which one is better if i can only afford one, will make much different in term of stabilization and handling ?

Thank you

What do you prefer? unstability in the front or rear? Imo & experience;
1. if the front is in full control the rear is less of a problem. I don't mind if the rear takes a step aside but it freaks me out if the front drifts away.
2. high speed (motorway) instability is gone with the cartridges installed

Start saving my friend

 

[tracteur]

Are you unhappy with the stock suspension?

if you have the possibility to ride a 9T with Ohlins, please do Karamazov. My former bikes also had an Ohlins upgrade and so I'm spoiled.
Can you drive a car without airconditioning, yes.

 

[Karamazov]

if you have the possibility to ride a 9T with Ohlins, please do Karamazov. My former bikes also had an Ohlins upgrade and so I'm spoiled.
Can you drive a car without airconditioning, yes.

I've had upgraded suspensions on other bikes, yes. Never Ohlins, always Wilburs. As far as stock BMW suspensions go, the NineT is the best I've seen yet. Room for improvement, sure, but good enough to wait on the upgrade until I have 10 or 15k on the stock set-up.

I'm not trying to dissuade anyone, I'm just asking since he mentioned having limited financial resources. If he doesn't have an issue with the stock suspension, why spend the money upgrading it? It is one of the more expensive things you can do to a bike. Unless you're tracking it, or a serious knee-dragger... I think a lot of people who really can't tell the difference spend a lot of money unnecessarily. For those who are sophisticated enough to appreciate a well dialed-in suspension and have the resources to pay for it, it's a no brainer.

 

[25PSi]

What is this freeway high-speed instability is being mentioned? I routinely do .... well lets say high enough.... and have not noticed anything serious with high speed handling on this bike. Actually, like any self respecting German vehicle, it seems to get better faster you go.

 

[tracteur]

What is this freeway high-speed instability is being mentioned? I routinely do .... well lets say high enough.... and have not noticed anything serious with high speed handling on this bike. Actually, like any self respecting German vehicle, it seems to get better faster you go.

+ 100 mls/hr ( gps ) and an occasional max

With the new setup one still has to lean against the wind but as odd as it might look with less effort. The body takes the blow and it is possible to manage with fingerpressure ( but maybe it's all in my mind, what do I know after 400.000k ? ) . Less effort equals more comfort equals higher average. The new susp won the fight for me and I like

 

[tracteur]

I'd love the ohlins forks, but no easy I could bring myself to lose the gold!

No need for loosing the gold, only the internals are new

30mm Cartridge Kit Road & Track FGK 231 | Motorcycle | Öhlins DTC

 

[25PSi]

Hey, no one is arguing about benefit of nicer suspension. All i was looking for some education as it seems there is something missing in my understanding and knowledge.

 

[pettefar]

Have you checked the tyre pressures? Mine works fine at an indicated 220KPH - I have a Givi screen (type A660 from Amazon.co.uk) on the motorway. 36PSI.

The Öhlins Shock Absorbers look lovely but the price! Gosh.

 

[jellies]

Are these all straight choices no hacks required?

0/ stock
1/ replace with S1000RR internals
2/ replace with ohlins internals
3/ replace with ohlins full set

and is it, good, better, best, best
or good, better, best, bestest

I mean is "2" different to "3" in any way other than the look? what part of the equation are the shock tubes, in terms of final result?

 

[tofur]

Have you checked the tyre pressures? Mine works fine at an indicated 220KPH - I have a Givi screen (type A660 from Amazon.co.uk) on the motorway. 36PSI.

The Öhlins Shock Absorbers look lovely but the price! Gosh.

The price isn't that out of line considering what your getting. Contrast that with an exhaust thats like 1300 bucks, and the ohlins internals or shock are a steal!

 

[tofur]

So I talked to the vendor, apparently the big difference between the internals and the full fork setup is friction, less in the ohlins fork, which translates to a better, smoother ride. Not sure if less friction is worth 1000$ though.

 

[EliZ]

Are these all straight choices no hacks required?

0/ stock
1/ replace with S1000RR internals
2/ replace with ohlins internals
3/ replace with ohlins full set

and is it, good, better, best, best
or good, better, best, bestest

I mean is "2" different to "3" in any way other than the look? what part of the equation are the shock tubes, in terms of final result?

Option (5) - I scored the front end off an S1000RR for $400, not 100% sure if the calipers will fit but couldn't let it go at that price... Will start a new thread once I get them and start fitting.

 

[tofur]

I only got 15 minutes in before the sun went down and the rain blew in but I can already tell these were worth every penny. Soak up bumps way better, the bouncing is gone, just feel great. Took a few hours to install it all but wasn't too bad.

 

[maddmike]

Looks very nice. Feedback on the ride? Where did you order from?

 

[tofur]

Looks very nice. Feedback on the ride? Where did you order from?

I ordered them from kyle racing, pretty fair pricing imo. Email dan@kyleusa.com for info. He will spring them for your weight before shipping too which is awesome.

I just went for a 60 mile ride on familiar roads to compare. I've got them all set at ohlins recommended settings, I'll start tweaking them after a little bit.

They are firm, I'd say equally as firm as stock, but they absorb impacts better. The big highway divides still create a bit of a bouncy affect, but that's unavoidable when you are dropping or climbing 6-8 inches suddenly at 80mph (some of the overpass divides here in fl are brutal). I'm going to mess with the setup a bit to see if I can improve it anyway. There is only so much suspension travel on either setup and big dips/rises will get the whole bike bucking and kicking a bit, only way around that is to drive a dirtbike/motard, lol! But the ohlins definitely absorb more force before transferring it into the frame.

At slower speeds they do a great job of soaking up bumps, one strip of road near my place that's reminiscent of bad roads in upstate ny (pot holes, bad patches, etc) would totally defeat the stock setup and it was just not a pleasant experience, the ohlins handled it very well. Just a more sophisticated setup.

I really really like how the rear shock handles amply applied power coming out of turns. Just so smooth, hard to put into words but it's nice.

The bike is more stable when leaned over as well, I dragged more peg today then I have in my whole time owning the bike. It seems more willing to get over that far, it's either that or I'm more willing to get over that far because of how good the bike feels.

The front end feels more willing to turn in, like on those 2nd gear quick 45 degree turns. I guess the front end geometry is a bit different.

If one was looking to drop a few grand on their bike, this is a great way to do it. Now I'm focused on stripping weight (both off myself and the bike, lol!), because in the immortal words of Jeremy Clarkson, POWAA!! Speaking of, I did some weighing while installing and the Ohlins forks together shave 4 pounds, the shock another 2. I'm looking at the titanium akra silencer now, I was shocked how heavy the stock cans are when I installed the remus header(that saved at least 6-7 pounds).