2011 Suspension upgrade front and rear best options? Or leave it as standard?

[Ma Salope]

Looking at Ohlins TTX rear and Bitubo front cartridges or Ohlins Cartridges for my 2011 RR. Track bike running in Inters and low fast groups in the main, is it really worth the expense? Had suspension set up but still feels wavey under hard braking going into corners. Would just the front feel better? All opinions welcome ta

 

[alex]

I think the Rear Shock of choice is the K-Tech 35DDS-Pro, seems to be better than all others inc the Ohlins. I seem to have no catagoric answer for the forks - but it seems anything is better than stock.
Matris F12R's, Bitubo ECH29, Ohlins NIX30, K-Tech 25DDS, Ohlins FGRT202 (complete forks) are all worthy upgrades (in order of expense front what I can gather).
Happy to be corrected though by more experienced guys on the forum.

Out of interest I get the same braking behaviour on my stock '12. What pads and Tyres do you use?

 

[Ma Salope]

Tyres are Metzeler Slick SC1 31psi Hot front SC2 27 psi Hot rear, front pads were EBC HH but just put GPFA HH pads in, not tested as yet. My first six months on the bike. Heard Nitron shocks are good too any comments? Ps standard steering damper too.

 

[fast_ryan]

Suspension

The key to suspension set-up is identifying what the bike is doing beneath you and more importantly what it is preventing you from doing. Most stock suspension is actually very good and it's only when you really start pushing it becomes an issue. Before considering aftermarket options have you simply tried changing the spring weights front and rear as this normally pays dividends.

 

[Ma Salope]

No spring rates changed as yet. I have been offered a great deal on New Ohlins rear and front cartridge and spring set which is very hard to turn down, yes I know bling etc

 

[alex]

Re: Suspension

The key to suspension set-up is identifying what the bike is doing beneath you and more importantly what it is preventing you from doing. Most stock suspension is actually very good and it's only when you really start pushing it becomes an issue. Before considering aftermarket options have you simply tried changing the spring weights front and rear as this normally pays dividends.

But equally he's said it's a track bike and a matched front and rear suspension platform upgrade is hardly going to hurt. The non-DDS forks are not enough once you're running sticky rubber.

 

[fast_ryan]

Suspension

Regardless of whether it's a track or road bike changing the spring rate front and rear to suit weight and riding style will be of significant improvement. ?hlins and K-Tech suspension products are exceptionally good as they offer a far greater amount of adjustability but they are really only warranted if your pace is quick enough to justify the expense. If your suspension is well setup and sprung correctly it doesn't really matter if your using slicks, or more road biased tyres, as it will simply feel better allowing you to go faster. The point is you don't always need the latest suspension when actually you would benefit more from simply setting the bike up correctly.

 

[Ma Salope]

OK cheers guys, as I've said it's a track bike in reality can be used on road too, any after market shock and cartridge setup is going to be far better than the stock I have at the moment so I'm sure I'll notice a difference straight away. I priced up all the options and the Ohlins deal I came away with was, with much amazement the cheapest deal!!! So I've taken the plunge and gone for it. Will get some feedback for you at a later stage, deffo find out in Aragon next April Can't wait.
Gone for the TTX 888 rear (early valve model), and 30mm cart set and 10.5 springs. Had better be worth it

 

[alex]

Fair play would be good hear how you get on;
I'm weighing up similar, Stock resprung vs Bitubo for ~?1700 vs Ohlins NIX30 and BM341 for ?1700 delivered.
If I could find someone selling the gear 2nd hand then I'd go for it. But I do feel like I need to try optimised OEM first.

 

[Ma Salope]

Cheers Alex will let you know that's the price I picked the Ohlins up for too :triumphant:

 

[fast_ryan]

Suspension

You can't go wrong with either ?hlins or K-Tech having used both previously. Just remember that once fitted initial suspension setup is usually nothing more than arriving at a suitable base setting. Setup will then vary between circuits and it is an evolving process especially as your pace increases and the bike will respond differently prompting further adjustment as required. You will find the setup data supplied with the ?hlins kit particularly useful. Finally if you have a basic understanding of compression, rebound and preload it will help you identify and remedy any issues on track.

 

[Ma Salope]

Cheers Rys1000RR, reading up on the ohlins downloads already, useful base settings there :Banane35:

 

[fatbob]

I was told the Bitubo set up was the best option for the beemer ,
Fitted front internals and rear shock , bike was great on the track , however it ruined it for road riding.
So it became a track bike....pfffffffft

 

[alex]

Bitubo ruined it on the road?
Interesting - glad I've not taken the plunge.

Is the set-up out of the box too stiff and unforgiving? What sort of spring rate did you specify?

 

[bananaman]

If you set up any suspension for the track it will be crap for the road unless you keep getting the spanners out. My '10 ended up with full Bitubo which was really good on track which is where it ended up 'cos I couldn't be arsed to keep changing it for the road. That's the good thing about the '15, just flick a switch lol

 

[Ma Salope]

Well front cartridges and rear shock in, set at base settings and even just sitting on the bike she feels a lot stiffer all round, I think this ain't going to be good for road use, can't wait to try on track tho. Rear BM931 was a bit of a bugger to get in, lifting the subframe was required to get the boys in and out but got there in the end. Abba stand with front lift part was invaluable for front fork removal, great piece of kit.

 

[alex]

Good to know on the road front, what weight of springs were supplied and grade of oil?

 

[Ma Salope]

I requested 10.5 springs about 13.5/14 stone with kit plus 7.5w Med oil Alex. The rear is a lot stiffer too, supplied with 26/85 spring. Felt very much like the S1000RR I bounced up and down with the kit a No Limits instructor had at Le Mans in Aug, he recons it's awesome on track and he's a very quick fella by all accounts.

 

[pof]

i would have thought 10.5 would be very stiff indeed. phil crowey if im right in thinking is 20 stone and uses 10.5

 

[fast_ryan]

Suspension

It is worth noting that spring weights aren't always necessitated by rider weight. For perspective two riders on the same bike who are the same height and weight may require completely different spring rates and valving based upon their riding styles. A rider who is much stronger on the brakes may require a greater spring rate and will have a much stiffer setup. A rider who is better at carrying higher corner speed will usually have a softer setup and a lighter spring but may require increased ride height to maximise mechanical grip at full lean angle. Suspension set-up generally varies from one rider to another and weight is not always the driving factor behind spring rate selection.