After Market Shocks for R1150RT

[litigator]

What have you guys found to be best? What about cost-benefit of Ohlins versus Wilburs versus Works or any other? I have been told by my dealer that at less thatn 40K miles the front stock one is shot. Should I replace both?

[GSman]

To only replace one would make a bad situation worse I think...

[jgrant]

I think it would depend on your riding style on if you need Ohlins. They are great shocks and do wonders but if you don't ride aggressively you might not get your money's worth out of them. A full Ohlins' set-up is not cheap at all. Why do you want to go Ohlins' vice OEM?

[Blue Beemer Dude]

Why do you want to go Ohlins' vice OEM?

 

Maybe because OEM is widely considered to be crap, and Ohlins are widely considered to be among the best, and are rebuildable to boot?

 

Just a guess, I'm not trying to answer for him.

 

Michael

[jgrant]

I do pretty well on my OEM shocks. Crap is probably a relative term. I know a lot of folks who go for Ohlins' when they don't need them. I just hate people to drop over a grand for something they won't get their money from.

[Ken H.]

It is at hard at first to justify it, but a lot of us will tell you, they transform the bike in a way you won't believe was possible before you did it. The suspension control and the progressive nature of the good aftermarket ones is amazing. A lot of us have BTDT with, "What's wrong with my OEM ones? They feel fine to me." THEN we road a bike with Ohlins on it.

[Reddog900]

I recently changed my OEM w/14k miles on them to Wilbers. The hope was to provide a more comfortable ride for my SO as well as improve handling.

 

Her first words out her mouth the first time she was a pax was WOW, that sure was nice. That was my main goal, she has not hesitated to go on other rides now.

 

In addition to now having the SO join me, I seem to have a better feel in the corners. I am not an aggressive rider but these give me the sense that the bike is more stable.

 

I would recommend that you first spend your money on shocks vs. any other gadget.

 

My $.02, for what its worth.

 

Happy Ridin'

[The Gorf]

I went with the Ohlins on my 00 1100RT and while the ride difference and handling was amazing, you need to be ready for a lot of work. Ohlins don't come tuned at all, and it has been my experience that few places will do suspension tuning. So you need to be ready to spend every Saturday out riding the bike over a well-known stretch of road, heading back, tweaking, and riding again. Otherwise you will have gained nothing for $2k.

[RFW]

What have you guys found to be best? What about cost-benefit of Ohlins versus Wilburs versus Works or any other? I have been told by my dealer that at less thatn 40K miles the front stock one is shot. Should I replace both?

 

I found that the Works shock I put on my K100 had excellent manufacturing quality, but some pretty amateurish engineering principles.

 

In short, Work's triple spring "Steel Tracker" shock that fits my K100 has some very serious M. Mouse design shortcomings that are implimented with excellent craftmanship.

 

Cost-wise, Work's shocks are priced WAY lower than Ohlins.

 

As for your present shocks, you hardly need a dealer to tell you if they are shot or not! Come to your OWN conclusions! There isn't much to testing a shock. These things ain't cheap, and you shouldn't be replacing them just because someone else (who stands to gain) says so!

 

Bob.

[litigator]

Michael, you did read my mind. As to "shot", it was probably too strong a word. He said that I should consider replacing it at the next service.

 

What I really want to know, is which of the choices between the OEM and the pricy Ohlins are the most bang for the buck? I'm even less interested in the high priced Ohlins after the description of the tuning process.

[topdal46]

Here's some shock/suspension info,

 

http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-shocks-suspension/

[Barrie C]

I have just under 30K miles on my '01 RT and the front shocks seem fine to me - am I looking at an expensive rebuild or new shocks soon?

 

Most of my mileage riding is fast highway cruising to and from the office (in all weathers).

 

I spend a lot of time, but not so many miles, around London where the roads can be bad so I have the settings relatively soft to cushion the odd pothole!

[Ken H.]

just under 30K miles on my '01 RT

That's about all the OEM ones are good for.

the front shocks seem fine to me

They always fell fine. Until you feel the new ones!

[MattS]

which of the choices between the OEM and the pricy Ohlins are the most bang for the buck?

The Ohlins, without question, are the one must-do accessory on an 1100/1150RT, you will feel the difference between them and OEM as soon as you sit on the bike.

 

Problem is the RT is not a light bike at all, and the OEM shocks failed to prevent my fairing from compressing onto my front fender, leaving a nice mark there. I thought that should be replaced under warranty, and was surprised that it was not ... on this basis alone I would say that the OEM shocks are in fact crap and it would be money well spent to go with the upgrade.

[smiller]

I found that the Works shock I put on my K100 had excellent manufacturing quality, but some pretty amateurish engineering principles.

 

In short, Work's triple spring "Steel Tracker" shock that fits my K100 has some very serious M. Mouse design shortcomings that are implimented with excellent craftmanship.

I would agree with that critique of some of Works' earlier designs, but the model line intended for the BMW oilheads are are completely different animals and are designed and constructed very well, and at least in terms of construction quality seem to exceed the Ohlins. Take an Ohlins in one hand and a Works Ultrasport in the other and see what you think...