Full Ohlins Setup (FKA 114 + YA 818)

[SCORPiON5150]

Just ordered the Ohlins offerings, FKA114 front fork cartridge kit & the YA 818 (STX46) rear shock. I'm a heavier rider currently at around 250lb / 113kg without gear. With gear + the additional parts on my bike I'm setting up for around 295-300lb / 135kg. 7,0 front springs & 9.0 (heaviest Ohlins offers) are being equipped.

 

I searched all over & failed to find much info or review on the Ohlins offerings, especially vs Rally Raid or even K-Tech's offerings. Where are all the Ohlins owners at? LOL. There are very few reviews, comments from owners, or any info in general on these parts. It was more difficult than I expected to even find technical data on them such as the piston size in the FKA 114 (they're 30mm btw vs oem 20mm or RR 35mm).

 

Due to lack of info, I almost went with RR instead. Ultimately as I mentioned in another thread here, I started to think to myself, in over 30 yrs of riding all different styles of bikes being my primary hobby, being around countless riders, reading countless reviews, comments, videos, etc, etc, as well as my own experiences with quite a few bikes as well, I can't recall anyone ever ONCE saying they didn't like or weren't really happy with their Ohlins stuff,  or say they regret their purchase. I'm sure there are people out there.... But the fact I've never encountered a dissatisfied Ohlins customer over the years says a lot regarding the general quality of their offerings.

 

I decided to take the gamble on Ohlins stuff being worth the investment. I'd like to think the T700 will be no different than other experiences & a noticeable upgrade over the stock KYB stuff. I'm sure it will be a ways down the road that I've received my parts, gotten them installed, dialed in, tested, etc but I will most likely create a review myself at some point since there's such little info out there currently.

 

Does anyone have experience with the Ohlins T700 stuff? Care to speculate on why the RR stuff is so extremely popular & Ohlins, normally being a go-to brand for ANY bike, is not as popular a choice on this platform? Care to share why you personally decided on something different? Mostly just curious why there's such little discussion to be found on what should be some pretty sought-after parts.. Feel free to chime in & let's get some discussion going!

 

Edited October 18, 2022 by SCORPiON5150

[powder]

I'm going to give you a short answer.

 

RR/Tractive is more popular due to the owner being present in forums and social media and Ohlins is not. They also sponsor/collaborate with youtubers/influencers while Ohlins doesn't. That is not to say one product is better or worse than the other, just why one is more popular.

 

 

 

[SCORPiON5150]

On 10/20/2022 at 4:34 AM, powder said:

I'm going to give you a short answer.

 

RR/Tractive is more popular due to the owner being present in forums and social media and Ohlins is not. They also sponsor/collaborate with youtubers/influencers while Ohlins doesn't. That is not to say one product is better or worse than the other, just why one is more popular.

 

 

 

Makes sense

[Svrider]

I would like to think the other is price/cost. A lot of people just put down a lot of money for their T7, and probably don't want to plunk down another $3k for suspension knowing they don't need the full effects of the top tier Ohlins. I went with RR open cartridge fork kit, because I new it would be at least 50% better than stock. It ended up being better than that, so for my money, that's all I felt the need to spend. Just my opinion

Edited December 31, 2022 by Svrider

[Texas700]

Same weight here, would love to hear about the Ohlins stuff when you get it all installed.  I will also be contacting Terry at Norwest Suspension and Bimmershop in California and see what they say.  

[JTNC110]

I installed the full Ohlins setup.  It was just over $2k with everything including oil.  Find a good dealer for better pricing.  Pit Lane Moto in Youngsville, NC will give you a great price.  

 

I took it on a ride of mixed pavement and gravel and the difference is amazing.  I did hit a large protruding rock at speed that would have bottomed the stock front end but the Ohlins did not.  

 

Front and rear are firmer in a good way.  Front feels very planted.  

 

There still a lot of experimenting to do with the clickers as I just set everything midway for now.  

 

I had to get a little creative for the remote shock reservoir mounting as the intended mount is the OEM exhaust hanger which I've chopped off for high mount exhaust.   

 

I can't compare to other suspension options because I've never ridden them but I'm overall happy with my purchase.  

[Revy]

how does the ohlins perform on regular street use? small pot-holes and cracks?

[JTNC110]

Revy - I haven't had a chance to do multiple rides and play with the clickers so can't give a real report until I do that.   As it is with everything set midway, it's definitely firmer, a little more feel of surface imperfections.  Potholes will be much better as it doesn't blow through the stroke to quickly/easily.  

[SCORPiON5150]

My apologies I haven't revisited this post in awhile. My Ohlins order from an Italian vendor turned into a can of worms & took far too much extra time to get everything sorted. I purchased from Omnia Racing & would highly recommend against, as the experience was abysmal.

 

In very short, they sent completely different springs than I needed, even tho I specified which to send, & then played games & ghosted me about making things right. Fortunately, I was able to go directly to Ohlins & get the right springs & such, but it took so long I just recently got everything installed.

 

Anyway, did the entire installation myself which was simple enough, but I worked as an automotive tech for nearly 2 decades so your mileage may vary. Special tools are required (unless you want to use creative tricks & cross your fingers) some of which I already had, but I bought a holding tool. Straight from Ohlins for the installation.

 

Currently @ 270lb & with full crash guards, Rally Raid luggage racks, full Black Widow exhaust, skid plate, & other farkles, my sag is very close to dead on Ohlins specs with zero preload. Ohlins tech who helped sort me out nailed it. Running #90 spring rear & #7.5 front which aren't listed in the standard setup specs but available if you call Ohlins.

 

The suspension absolutely transformed the bike & performs + feels fantastic, as I figured it would. Small pot holes, bumps, rough pavement (lots of that here) & washboard dirt roads that would jar my back & wrists + cause loss of traction with the stock bits, now are no big deal. The feeling is confidence inspiring to the point I was railing pretty hard through some stuff I would have not cared to even hit before. I haven't gotten it out in any very rough rocky trails yet that were awful to ride previously, but suspect it will impress there as well.

 

Running the Ohlins presets on clickers so far until this stuff gets broke in more, except I did open the compression on the forks 2 extra clicks. The difference is truly night & day, & the only regret I have is regarding the vendor I went through. Hopefully the parts are or are becoming more available now, so that others may enjoy this stuff as well.

 

I HAVE experienced one issue, tho very minor. The fork kit comes with some clear stick on thick vinyl protectors that have the Ohlins logo on them. I spent a pretty excessive amount of time getting them lined up 100% straight & being thorough in sticking them onto my spotless clean, near new fork tubes. Sadly after the first ride, both sides started to peel loose. That said, I caught it early enough & put a piece of thick clear packing tape over the top of them for now to keep them from peeling off. That's my ONLY real complaint.

 

If anyone has questions I'm happy to answer as best I can. 

[JB700]

Any reason why you chose Ohlins v Rally Raid offerings for a cartridge insert and shock?

Especially as Ohlins is more expensive?

Is the FKA 114, open or closed cartridge?

[SCORPiON5150]

3 hours ago, JB700 said:

Any reason why you chose Ohlins v Rally Raid offerings for a cartridge insert and shock?

Especially as Ohlins is more expensive?

Is the FKA 114, open or closed cartridge?

The FKA 114 is open cartridge which is actually to my preference, as I am able to service them myself. They are 30mm piston design, where the oem are 20mm & RR are 35mm.

 

Yes, the main reason I chose Ohlins over RR is outlined in the first post starting this thread. But there are actually several more as well. I will state the specifics here:

 

1) Ohlins is a highly respected brand that I have personal experience with & anyone I've ever heard comment on their Ohlins suspension (including myself) has had stellar results with the feel & function. Nothing at all against RR here, but I have confidence in Ohlins both in that they will offer the performance I am looking for as well as still being around & in business 10 or 20yrs from now (let's certainly hope RR is as well!)

 

2) RR while I will give John credit for eventually getting back to me about some questions I asked, it took a good amount of time to receive a response. I can't recall now how long exactly but I want to say a week or more. No offense at all to John as I'm sure he's extremely busy, but the delayed communication did not sit well with me, knowing that these products may require some level of technical support to get set up properly. I've been able to get experts @ Ohlins on the phone for any issues in one shot, so far. 

 

3) RR is much more limited on spring rates for a heavier rider such as myself & 6.4 is the highest offered. John assured me these would infact cover my weight range with much additional preload added, but I was (& remain now) skeptical of that claim, even more so now having found that with the Ohlins, the 7.5 springs I installed put me basically dead on spec with no additional preload. 

 

4) The front 6.4 springs RR offers were unavailable/backordered at the time, & I was hoping to get everything installed & going asap. Sadly that did not end up happening regardless, due to the issues mentioned with the vendor I chose for my Ohlins.

 

That all said, I'm sure the RR offerings are worlds better than oem as well, but I feel like I definitely made the right choice, for me anyway. But I definitely chose the wrong vendor! Lol

 

I will add that I did purchase a bunch of other RR stuff & it's all great & very satisfied, so hopefully nobody takes my words here as an RR bash.

 

 

 

[JB700]

2 hours ago, SCORPiON5150 said:

The FKA 114 is open cartridge which is actually to my preference, as I am able to service them myself. They are 30mm piston design, where the oem are 20mm & RR are 35mm.

 

Yes, the main reason I chose Ohlins over RR is outlined in the first post starting this thread. But there are actually several more as well. I will state the specifics here:

 

1) Ohlins is a highly respected brand that I have personal experience with & anyone I've ever heard comment on their Ohlins suspension (including myself) has had stellar results with the feel & function. Nothing at all against RR here, but I have confidence in Ohlins both in that they will offer the performance I am looking for as well as still being around & in business 10 or 20yrs from now (let's certainly hope RR is as well!)

 

2) RR while I will give John credit for eventually getting back to me about some questions I asked, it took a good amount of time to receive a response. I can't recall now how long exactly but I want to say a week or more. No offense at all to John as I'm sure he's extremely busy, but the delayed communication did not sit well with me, knowing that these products may require some level of technical support to get set up properly. I've been able to get experts @ Ohlins on the phone for any issues in one shot, so far. 

 

3) RR is much more limited on spring rates for a heavier rider such as myself & 6.4 is the highest offered. John assured me these would infact cover my weight range with much additional preload added, but I was (& remain now) skeptical of that claim, even more so now having found that with the Ohlins, the 7.5 springs I installed put me basically dead on spec with no additional preload. 

 

4) The front 6.4 springs RR offers were unavailable/backordered at the time, & I was hoping to get everything installed & going asap. Sadly that did not end up happening regardless, due to the issues mentioned with the vendor I chose for my Ohlins.

 

That all said, I'm sure the RR offerings are worlds better than oem as well, but I feel like I definitely made the right choice, for me anyway. But I definitely chose the wrong vendor! Lol

 

I will add that I did purchase a bunch of other RR stuff & it's all great & very satisfied, so hopefully nobody takes my words here as an RR bash.

 

 

 

Many thanks for that detailed response and I am hovering over Tractive (from RR or Touratech) or Ohlins for my T700

Likewise I have personal experience with Ohlins on my BMW GS's for 20 years and also my Trials bikes

Suspension is a very complex subject and one that needs careful consideration and sometimes it's about the tuner, more than the actual brand

I am a similar weight to you @ 112-113kg and take on your comments about spring rate, which has to be spot on for the intended purpose and a compromise, is just a compromise (a bit like the oem KYB stuff on the T700) - so the comment about the 7.5 springs and zero preload, is taken onboard

I want suspension for 60/40........ on & offroad and don't want a set up that is aimed at high speed offroad and is too harsh for the road

[SCORPiON5150]

1 minute ago, JB700 said:

Many thanks for that detailed response and I am hovering over Tractive (from RR or Touratech) or Ohlins for my T700

Likewise I have personal experience with Ohlins on my BMW GS's for 20 years and also my Trials bikes

Suspension is a very complex subject and one that needs careful consideration and sometimes it's about the tuner, more than the actual brand

I am a similar weight to you @ 112-113kg and take on your comments about spring rate, which has to be spot on for the intended purpose and a compromise, is just a compromise (a bit like the oem KYB stuff on the T700) - so the comment about the 7.5 springs and zero preload, is taken onboard

I want suspension for 60/40........ on & offroad and don't want a set up that is aimed at high speed offroad and is too harsh for the road

You're very welcome. If any other questions come to mind, I'm happy to answer best I'm able.

 

Regarding 60/40 usage, that is about the same as I'm doing & I feel the Ohlins stuff is very well suited to that ratio. I took a pretty "spirited" (fast) ride yesterday of all pavement but on a very rough & beat up road, with pot holes & bumps I previously would have cringed or had been standing up over, every 30 seconds with the oem suspension.

 

The Ohlins soaked up everything quite well, with an expected level of firmness. It doesn't feel overly soft or "squishy" nor does it dive heavily under high speed hard braking + provided a good level of confidence regarding traction over the bumpy mess of a road I was on.

 

The RR setup I believe, while I have not tried it out personally, seems to be more heavily suited towards aggressive off road usage according to most research I had previously done on it. 

[Hollybrook]

I have the RR open cartridges and shock. They can be adjusted for supple street use or aggressive off road using the clickers. 

 

I weigh about 105kg without gear. My sag with 6.4Nm fork springs is good without preload. With minimal preload, my rear sag is good with 90Nm springs.  I have never bottomed the forks, but have been into the hydraulic bump stop off road. So far, I've not had the chance to ride off road fully loaded, so can't help there. 

 

The Ohlins sound nice as well. 

Edited March 7, 2023 by Hollybrook

[JB700]

2 hours ago, SCORPiON5150 said:

You're very welcome. If any other questions come to mind, I'm happy to answer best I'm able.

 

Regarding 60/40 usage, that is about the same as I'm doing & I feel the Ohlins stuff is very well suited to that ratio. I took a pretty "spirited" (fast) ride yesterday of all pavement but on a very rough & beat up road, with pot holes & bumps I previously would have cringed or had been standing up over, every 30 seconds with the oem suspension.

 

The Ohlins soaked up everything quite well, with an expected level of firmness. It doesn't feel overly soft or "squishy" nor does it dive heavily under high speed hard braking + provided a good level of confidence regarding traction over the bumpy mess of a road I was on.

 

The RR setup I believe, while I have not tried it out personally, seems to be more heavily suited towards aggressive off road usage according to most research I had previously done on it. 

Thanks, that confirms the sort of ride, I want ............on the road

I am not going to barrelling along a 2 track trail or fireroad at 60mph on my Tenere

[Dibles]

Only just seen this post. I have Ohlins on mine! Apologies i couldn't reply sooner. Both on and off road its great. Have both kits and springs you mentioned in your original post. Carry a lot of weight at times so needed them.

 

Cant comment on other options out there. For me based on other bikes in the past; Ohlins have always been the go to for me.  Im sure others are great but for me persoanlly i wouldn't get anything else. Narrow minded, set in my ways maybe but its based on my experience. Im not loaded so it was a big decision and purchase and if you need to save up like i did, in my opinion it's worth saving up for. 

 

I find it great that i can easily adjust the pre load both front and rear. If im out on my own with no boxes, fully loaded up for bike trip, out with just me and the misses, just boxes and heading out for shopping or softening things up for off road it does it all. Its easy to adjust and makes noticeable difference.

 

After 2 years use doing everything it's still like new. I will get rear shock serviced at some stage just to keep it maintained and forks just follow the normal routine. 

 

My only real gripe is the preload adjusters on the forks. They are anodised black and no matter how careful you are trying not to mark them when adjusting they eventually show signs of wear. I don't think it can be avoided tbh.

 

Apart from going all out and getting the RTX 48mm Ohlins forks (which i would love to try!) the FKA kit does a great job!  but honestly for me the RTX would be out of my budget anyway and overkill for what i need.

 

To summarise though deffo recommend the Ohlins, i have always loved their products, quality is always up there and both have made a real positive impact on my Tenere both on and off road. Happy to answer any questions

 

*Edit - Just to say got all the Ohlins with correct spring rates etc together all pre fitted from Off-the-road.de

Used them a few times now and not had any issues in getting parts to UK/France.

Edited April 1, 2023 by Dibles

[Hollybrook]

A black Sharpie (permanent marker) might help with the preload adjuster wear. 

[Interceptor]

On 4/1/2023 at 5:15 PM, Dibles said:

 

 

My only real gripe is the preload adjusters on the forks. They are anodised black and no matter how careful you are trying not to mark them when adjusting they eventually show signs of wear. I don't think it can be avoided tbh.

 

Moist baby wipes on the nut before you put the socket on will save you marks.

[Tenerider]

It's funny - in general, your descriptions of the Öhlins kit remind me of my Tractive kit's performance and feel: more planted, a tad stiffer, confidence-inspiring, more feedback. I think the results might not be that different at all in the end!

 

Off topic, but regarding spring rates, I'm surprised that RR don't offer too many choices there - Tractive and Touratech go from 5.6 to 7.2 N/mm in 0.4 increments - and Touratech list 6.8 as the standard spring for "standard weight and loading conditions".

 

By the way, that's also what Race Tech also recommend for my "average" weight (83 kg). Bret Tkacs recommended their spring rate calculator in some videos and pointed out that he'd personally go one spring softer than their recommended rate: https://racetech.com/ProductSearch/12/Yamaha/XTZ700 Tenere T7/2021

[Hollybrook]

I just tried the Race Tech spring rate calculator and it came out 20% over what is giving me the correct rider sag with no preload.  I have no idea why it is off so far in this case. 

[Tenerider]

4 hours ago, Hollybrook said:

I just tried the Race Tech spring rate calculator and it came out 20% over what is giving me the correct rider sag with no preload.  I have no idea why it is off so far in this case. 

I don't know. Might depend on the method to determine sag, they recommend standing on the pegs.

I haven't done it that way yet.

[Ray Ride4life]

I keep reading about sag but a few weeks ago someone posted a video from ARiemann1 about suspension setup and sag, he explained it exactly how i do it for years and i learned it from one of the main installers at Hyperpro and the finetuning i also did like he said. I went om my regular trails with the allen key and started turning left and right until i understood what everything did.

It's not rocket science but it needs some patience plus trial and error and when you get to a different type of terrain you can start over again or find a good average if you ride in different settings a lot.
Like Adam says in that video, we are not riding competition where we looking for the last 10ths of a second per lap.

[Windblown]

9 hours ago, Hollybrook said:

I just tried the Race Tech spring rate calculator and it came out 20% over what is giving me the correct rider sag with no preload.  I have no idea why it is off so far in this case. 

 

I have dropped in and used the RT spring calculator several times over the years on various bikes and found them to almost always have the  stiffest recommendation of anyone else by one or two spring rates.  Frankly the fact that SO many people have found the same has always made me shy away from trying any of their products. 

 

[Tenerider]

4 minutes ago, Windblown said:

 

I have dropped in and used the RT spring calculator several times over the years on various bikes and found them to almost always have the  stiffest recommendation of anyone else by one or two spring rates.  Frankly the fact that SO many people have found the same has always made me shy away from trying any of their products. 

 

Who knows? Maybe their stiffer springs work great with their valves. I think they know what they're doing, and maybe they're more performance oriented than comfort-biased. But I also wouldn't go for stiffer springs, especially in the front.

As we all know, suspension's task is to keep the wheels in contact with the ground - plushness isn't necessarily a byproduct.

 

Interestingly, their rear spring recommendations are lower by comparison! Recommended by Race Tech is 80 N/mm, and I'm running 85 (no difference between Tractive, Öhlins, ...).

 

And I've just completed the spring rate calculator with "street" riding - voila, here they recommend much (!) softer springs.

Probably because bottoming is much less of an issue onroad?

[Ray Ride4life]

Big problem is everybody counts the full gear but my specialist said springrates are based on naked weight.
Only in the rear you can go for a bit higher when you ride a lot with luggage, that's why i have a 10Nm higher rated rear spring.