| Ultimate Tuning. Ohlins shock absorbers for your BMW.
Improving your bike's suspension does more for overall performance than increasing your engine's horsepower. You will feel the difference in the first corner! With a real world-class suspension you get better traction and handling. You can ride faster, more safely and in comfort. Just ask any of the more than 80 world champions who won their titles on Öhlins shock absorbers. We guarantee they will agree. Good traction and handling are more important than extra horsepower that can only be used when you are aimed "straight ahead"!
Keep the balance
All our tests have shown fitting Öhlins shock absorbers to your bike will improve handling, but for the best results you have to do something with the front end as well. The reason for this is quite simple. For the ultimate in suspension improvements, the front and rear of your bike must match!
When changing suspension components it is essential that you do not alter your bike's suspension geometry. This applies particularly to your bike's loaded ride height front and rear. The ride height effects the weight distribution. The weight distribution effects the angle of the front fork. And the front fork angle effects the steering.
This can happen
If you fit a new shock absorber, with a fresh spring, your bike will almost certainly end up front-heavy if you have a worn front fork.
A high rear end a low front will give the front forks a steep angle. This results in a quick and slightly nervous steering, especially when braking hard. You may also feel a tendency of the bike to oversteer (the rear wheel looses traction first and the rear end breaks loose). This is not a good combination!
If you only fit new front fork springs the result will be the opposite. A high front ride height will give a flat fork angle and slow, inaccurate steering. You may also feel understeer (the front wheel looses traction first and the front end "push" in corners). Again, not a good combination, but slightly better, at least at high speeds!
It is wise to check
By changing the number, diameter, and thickness of the shims in the stacks and by using different jets in the valves, your Öhlins shock absorber is tailor-made for your bike. The set-ups are not guesswork but the results of true tests with a bike exactly like yours!
Winning concept
All Öhlins shock absorbers are based on Öhlins successful application of the "de Carbon" concept. The de Carbon concept means that the damping oil is placed under pressure by gas and separated from the gas by a floating piston.
This concept has many advantages. It prevents the chance of cavitation, which happens when the oil can not move fast enough and becomes hard as a rock (compare with an unsuccessful dive into water). It offers better cooling, especially if the shock absorber has an external reservoir (the external reservoir is in fact an extension of the shock absorber and more oil, larger cooling areas improve performance and durability). Gives more consistent damping, regardless of the shock absorber's working temperature. And it makes the shock absorber last longer.
More than 300 models
Öhlins manufactures more than 300 different shock absorber models, each model tailor-made for one specific bike. The basic set-up of each shock absorber model, both the design of the shim stacks and the calibration of the adjusters, is tested both on road and track. They are the results of true tests with your bike and not guesswork!
All Öhlins shock absorbers have one or several adjusters. The minimum is an adjustable spring and the maximum number of adjusters you will find on the top-of-the-line models of Öhlins Type 36P, 46P and 46H. These shock absorbers feature a double-acting rebound/compression damping adjuster in the piston shaft, an independent compression damping adjuster in the external reservoir, adjustable length and a clever little hydraulic adjuster for the spring preload.
Your own set-up
You can fine-tune the shock absorber with the adjusters. You optimise it for your weight, your riding style and the road conditions. Compensate for extra load or a passenger with the spring adjuster. This means that you keep the balance that your bike was designed with.
If the shock absorbers bottom when you are riding with a heavy load on rough road and, the trick is not to increase spring preload. That might cause your bike to ride high in the rear and have a negative effect on the steering, see "This can happen" above.
Instead you should increase compression damping with the adjuster in the external reservoir. This adjuster increases compression damping without changing rebound damping, see The Owners manual for your specific vehicle type.
The double-acting rebound/compression damping adjuster in the piston shaft modifies the damping at a ratio of approximately 90% rebound, 10% compression. 10% effect on compression may seem like very little but feels like a lot. Remember that the spring absorbs most of the load transferred during a compression stroke. And you need the 90% on rebound to stop the spring from extending too fast during the rebound stroke!
Read more about Ohlins at www.ohlinsusa.com
Call or stop by MAX BMW to find the right shocks for your bike and to have us set them up for your body type and riding style.
|
