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tcallahan707
6/8/2017 6:16pm
6/8/2017 6:16pm
Edited Date/Time
6/9/2017 8:56pm
I did a bit of searching but couldn't find the answer so I apologize if this has been hashed out before. With kit suspension, is there a fairly accepted hierarchy with what setup is best between KYB, WP, Showa, Ohlins, and anyone else? Or is it about matching certain setups with certain bike models? Or are they all fairly equivalent and it's personal preference? Any insight to purchasing would be great.
What bike are you riding ?
The Shop
That's what I feel like would be the case. It's similar to pipes. Might as well go for the ones that have the most test time with a particular bike/team, although the difference is very minimal. Either that or it's probably more important which one my suspension guy is most familiar with.
I agree setup and a good understanding of it is more important than the name on the equipment, but each brand certainly has its own unique feel or traits in my opinion. Personally I like kyb generally, but that's just my opinion.
There's a reason you see top guys going from brand to brand, air to spring etc.....none of them are bad they're all just chasing a feeling. That's about as clear as mud but I hope it helps.
Ps: if I were you and had a 17 Honda I would just have someone set up my stock stuff right. It should turn out really good!
P.s. please don't tell anyone in sweden that I'm not a fan of öhlins. I'm worried I might get deported.
So far in small chop and trails they are really good. I need to race a harescramble with them so I can test them in that environment, but that's what they were designed for so I'd guess they will be great. Mine are sprung for motocross.
I know on a moto board it's hard to believe, but word on the street is that guys are selling their Cone Valves and going with these. Protune in Welston Ohio did mine.
For what it's worth, I had Ohlins forks sprung for me before this and just didn't like them. They were too stiff. It is possible that they had been setup for a pro rider since they were used. I don't think they were because I bought them from a good guy on here, but I couldn't get myself to like them. The Dal Soggio are exactly what I was looking for in terms of plushness.
Would be really cool to see some sets torn down and parts compared. There are so many types of forks and shocks now days , it gets confusing on exactly what a guy is looking at.
Pit Row
The Fork/Shock are about 1lb lighter than the stock suspension in spite of the heavier springs, and you don't need new clamps because the top tubes are the same dimensions as stock. The bottom tubes are 48mm as opposed to the stock 49mm. The shock body is shaped slightly different than stock and the reservoir looks a little bigger. It all looks trick as hell with the DLC and Kashima. On the track, I noticed an improvement right away. It's got similar plushness to the stock suspension but it doesn't blow through the stroke and bottom out. The bike handles much better, mostly because the forks stay up in the stroke better than the stock stuff. I ran 103mm of sag and actually slid the forks up higher in the clamps than I did with the stock forks so it turns amazing and still don't get any headshake. Is it better than the stock revalved and sprung suspension? I'm going to ride some buddies bikes that had their stock stuff revalved and compare and I'll let you guys know, but I'm happy with my purchase so far.
Showa is directly supporting, Enzo is doing KYB, Ohlins I'm working with one of the Swedes for intial setup and a US guy will attend the test, then WP USA is taking care of their stuff.
That's why we're doing this test.
And I think there's things I'll like about each set over the others.
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