Mille shocker linkages

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arizonabay · #1 Post by **arizonabay** » Thu Jul 22, 2010 7:30 pm

Curious about having to fit original mille linkages to the 2003 mille yellow spring Sachs.

It would appear that you have to but I am unsure why. Is the geometry so different that the Falco linkages just will not work on the mille shock or do they actually fit, but cause issues with the height/angles?

The reason I am asking is that I have 35mm jack up triangles on the original shock that’s fitted at the mo and would like to use them with the new 2003 mille shock I have just bought.

I realise the new shock has a height adjuster but I find the extra 35mm on the original is still a wee bit low for me and could do with a wee bit more seat height.

Also, does anyone have an idea how much extra seat height can be gained from the '03 mille shock?

Cheers

furygan man · #2 Post by **furygan man** » Thu Jul 22, 2010 7:59 pm

was that the one just gone on ebay, was a good price! triangles and dogbones seem to be the rare part of the equasion, sorry can't help on the technical side!

Falcopops · #3 Post by **Falcopops** » Thu Jul 22, 2010 10:28 pm

There is a big difference in the length of the link rod (Dogbone) too, which matches the spring and shock performance.

IIRC someone has run a mille sachs with faclo linkages and managed to get it to work, but if you have both sets you can mix and match to see what works for you.

Perhaps the falco plates with the mille rod would work.

Can't help with the max height Q'n.

D-Rider · #4 Post by **D-Rider** » Thu Jul 22, 2010 11:18 pm

The mille and Falco geometries are very similar - that's why swapping things works.

The first Mille's (those with the white spring Sachs) use the same linkages as the Falco.

Aprilia then introduced the Yellow spring sachs shock to the mille and although the basic geometry of the bike was the same, the spring rate and stroke of the shock was different and so it needed different linkages to operate in a similar fashion.

Therefore when swapping the yellow spring Sachs (pre '04) or the Ohlins from the same years to the Falco. you need to take the mille linkages with it.

As has been said, Mangocrazy has had a shock reworked to operate with Falco linkages - but I think that must have required a different spring and probably re-valving too.

Nooj · #5 Post by **Nooj** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 1:22 pm

Certainly a new spring I'd say, but I think there's enough damping adjustment on the Ohlins unit to cope with the original shims being left in it. May be wrong of course.

#6 Post by **mangocrazy** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 8:04 pm

I thought that the damping range of an Ohlins would be sufficient to allow it to work on both an RSV and a Falco, but John at Revs Racing convinced me that the shock should be revalved to suit the Falco; my Ohlins was an aftermarket shock for the RSV with the hydraulic preload adjuster. John downloaded the Falco-specific valving spec for the Falco and applied it to my shock. Note that I'm using Falco linkages with an RSV shock here.

I was also using a spring of the same weight as the standard Sachs shock (800lb/in or 14.3kg/mm depending on your preferences) and it was VERY firm; punishingly so, in fact. So I ordered a 700 lb/in (12.5 kg/mm) spring and asked John to fit that as well. I also asked him to reduce the compression damping a tad, as we were getting kicked out of the seat on a regular basis.

A combination of the two proved fantastic for our recent trip to France. I hadn't even had the chance to try the bike out with the new shock settings before we set off, but I had only gone half a mile down the road before I realised it was pretty much bang on the money. I had to increase the rebound adjustment by 5 or 6 clicks, but apart from that it was superb. I suspect I'm getting close to the upper adjustment limit on the rebound setting, but as long as I can get what I want in the range available, I''ll be happy.

I haven't had a chance to try it out solo yet, but I'm sure it will be just fine. If it can handle 2000 miles to France and back 2-up with luggage, it can handle solo riding, I'm sure.

I'm always wary about recommending a particular setup, as people's tastes and preferences vary so widely. I have a definite dislike of harsh, rock-solid suspension; give me compliance and feel every time. I don't like suspension that's wallowy or soggy, but I'm always looking for compliance with control. Getting kicked out of the saddle on a regular basis tells me something is seriously wrong, but at the other extreme I hate bikes that wallow around bumpy bends. The trick is finding the middle ground and avoiding the extremes.

#7 Post by **mangocrazy** » Sun Jul 25, 2010 8:21 pm

Just a quick note to say I had a 30 mile blat today solo, and the suspension feels bang on for me. I'm about 11.5 stone (dripping wet) and the 700lb rear spring on a Falco linkage felt just about perfect. This is after a revalve of the RSV Ohlins to Falco spec, of course.