ohlins rear shock

[cornish mafia]

right .............come too the place where people have tried and know the answer ............... i have a 2003 Ohlins rear shock off an edwards rep and am going to fit it to my 2005 Falco ........................i'm hoping ( thinking ) it's just going to be a straight forward change out or am i wrong and the linkage has to be changed as well ?????? Also for the front , progressive springs or just re-valve and bushes to be change and leave the springs alone ???.

Had a Falco about one half years ago and sold it for an edwards rep ( i know , i know .....don't say it !! ) ......not the one i got the ohlins from by the way .......... anyway am now going back to the Falco cause apart from top end there really is no difference when it comes to road riding between the two and to be honest the Falco looks better ......got the fast colour ....balck and bronze !!!! Fitted a Penske shock to my last one so knew that one was going to fit but trying to save money ( thanks labour !! ) so went for an ebay ohlins ........

Got the chip , stubby end cans , performance filter .........jack up the rear end , drop the front and she will keep up with most thing on the twisty bits ......good for about 150 so who needs more for the road .....

Looking forward to any advice and help from you guys ...................by the way i still have the edwards rep for sale and will be for about another 10 days if anyone wants one ...........£4500 ono ....... live in cornwall though so will have to travel

[Falcopops]

I think you'll find I'm a bit further south

Welcome back to the Falco.

Shock will need the corresponding linkage to work properly.

IIRC others have tried with the O/E linkage with varying results.

Dunno about the front I got Ohlins for that end.

[cornish mafia]

So does that mean basically get a 2003 rsvr linkage then ......if i do that will all the bolts still fit straight on ?? Must admit i was hoping it would just slide right in no questions ask .........better start looking for a linlage !!!

You may have me on the South thing as well ..........

Nice one

[fastasfcuk]

welcome maff,someone will be along soon to give you a definate answer, but i'm sure you do need the linkages.

[cornish mafia]

Looking as we speak .........anyone have any sitting around ? 2003 model Ohlins from an RSVR .............

WHAT ABOUT A 2001 RSVR LINKAGE .........THAT SHOULD FIT .......SHOULDN'T IT ????

[D-Rider]

Hi and welcome.

Basically you want any Mille linkage that is before the 2004 new shape bikes but where the linkage is a different shape to the Falcos. I think that basically means 2001 - 2003 inclusive - either Mille or MilleR.

Compared to the Falco (and early Mille) linkage, the dog bone is longer and whereas the Falco (and early Mille) triangles are roughly equilateral the ones you want are roughly isosceles.

as for the front end, if yours is 2005 registered I guess it's probably a 2004 bike (the last year they made them) and probably has Marzocchi forks. I moved from Marzocchis to Ohlins and although there is some improvement, it's not a "night & day" thing like the rear shock.
The Marzocchis (and Showas on the earlier bikes) are decent kit and may only need a good set up to match you and your riding style.

Hope this helps

[cornish mafia]

spot on ........all that i needed to hear ........think i have a linkage sorted already and as for the forks they're gong to reactive suspension to have the valves changed and bushes for about £200 ........all in all cheaper then the Penske shock was going to cost for the lot .... although i may even try the forks first with out doing anything to them ...........anything to save money ......

Forget what it's like having a Falco again , always looking for ways to make 'em better .....and ALWAYS spend money on 'em ........

But that's why we buy them !!....

[paganman]

Hi, I didn't bother with the linkage when I fitted my RSV R Ohlins, I got Reactive Suspension to re-valve the Ohlins to suit the Falco and fit a spring to cope with my weight (chunky!) Mangocrazy on here, gave me some cracking advice and if you can find the link it's worth a read. It's the best modification I've ever done to a bike, handles like a dream now. Good luck

[mangocrazy]

Cheers paganman, glad to hear it's working out well for you. If you've got the correct RSV(R) linkages already, cornish mafia, you might as well use them; they'll work just fine.

The only gripe I had with them had nothing to do with the way they worked but the fact that the linkage/dogbone was rubbing against my Falco hugger. The standard Falco linkage dogbone didn't do that, so I decided to try a different tack. It's all detailed here, so make a cup of tea, pull up a chair and zzzzzzzzzzzzz......

[cornish mafia]

Well my heads on fire now ....................thought i had it all sorted and then i read all of that I haven't brought the linkage yet and must say like the idea of what you done to yours ............................i will say right now you know a lot more about this then i EVER will so thanks for the post .......

Am basically going to have the Ohlins serviced and the spring change to suit my weight .....14.5 stone but about 16 loaded up with the leathers and kit ......NO LAUGHING .............What i'm thinking now is IF i have a spring of the same length ( 6 " FREE LENGHT , 2.25" I.D ) and good enough for my weight then it should just be a case of changing it out with the o/e one that is in there .....PLEASE SAY YES TO THAT ???

If you do then i think i may just go ahead and get that sorted , fit it and see what happens ........i don't use a hugger as i like the way the bike looks when jacked up and you can see the back wheel .......still have the small protector hanging down to save the shock .......

Must say to everyone who's written in a big THANK YOU for all your help and for making me think an easy job isn't now so easy ....LOL ....

This will make you all laugh though ......i've already spent just under £700 and i haven't even got the bike yet !!! ....for gods sake DON'T tell the misses !!!

[D-Rider]

.....What i'm thinking now is IF i have a spring of the same length ( 6 " FREE LENGHT , 2.25" I.D ) and good enough for my weight then it should just be a case of changing it out with the o/e one that is in there .....PLEASE SAY YES TO THAT ???

If it's the right size and right for your weight using the linkage ratio that you plan to use then I think it should be OK.

Have a chat with reactive or whoever you plan to send this to and I'm sure they will advise.

.... we're unlikely to mention your spending to your mrs .... mine thinks my Falco is still standard ......

[cornish mafia]

right that's it my head has just blown up .............am going to buy the other linkage for a 2003 shock and then see which one fits best ........either way the bloody thing is going in .......
Have sent the link to Reative suspension for Gareth to have a read over and then the man will set me straight and what ever he says will go ......... feeling it would have been better to just order another Penske shock that i know will just slot right in !!!

Will keep you guys up-dated as and when i do ..........

Haven't even got the bike in the garage yet and already i'm confussed .......

Great to be back ..... .....by the way my misses thinks a Falco is a bird !!!!!

[D-Rider]

Sorry - didn't mean to complicate it - both routes work, the mille linkage and mille shock or falco linkage with suitably sprung and revalved shock.

Though if you can get the linkage at a sensible price, I'd say that's the easiest solution and will leave the shock to operate exactly as it was intended.

[mangocrazy]

Hi cornish mafia, sorry to complicate an already complex-sounding subject; that wasn't my intention. To be honest, I'm a big believer in 'suck it and see'. If you can easily get your hands on a suitable RSV(R) linkage & dogbone at the right price, I'd go for it. It's a proven mod, loads of people on the forum have done it and all of them give it the thumbs up. As I said, the only reason I looked at alternatives was because of the hugger.

If it were me I'd just stick the Ohlins on the bike (with linkages etc.) and see how it feels. I'd hazard a guess that for your weight, the standard Ohlins spring will be pretty much bang on. The reason I say this is that (for me at least) Ohlins always seem to over-specify spring rates for my weight (around 11-ish stone). But a couple of extra stones weight would probably bring the shock and spring into its best working range.

So I'd certainly give it a go before splashing the cash on revalving and respringing the bugger. As it happens, I'm going DOWN on the spring rate, because it feels too firm for me. I've ordered a 700lb spring to replace the 800lb spring I have fitted at the moment, as it just feels too heavily-sprung for my liking. Bear in mind I'm talking about an Ohlins shock with Falco linkages/dogbones here, so the spring rate is a lot higher than it would be with the RSV(R) kit.

If after all this, it still feels a bit soft, then you've lost nothing (except a bit of time) and Reactive will be able to advise on a suitable spring rate for you.

And your secret is safe with us...

[cornish mafia]

Thanks Mango not a prob at all , infact very much appreciated ............everyone .........

I'm gong to do my thing with it and see what happens then i'll let you guys know when i'm done ........be a couple of weeks yet cause i'm at sea till next week anyway ....

To be honest i'm almost thinking f##k it and post the shock on ebay and go and order another Penske one.............................if i'm going to die from the misses might as well make it worth it !! At least that way i know it's just going to fit right in and there's no haasle at all ........................apart from another £300 !! LOL....

Am starting to worry now as i WAS going to ask what to do with the forks !!!!.........that would make my head go POP FOR SURE