Re: Ohlins shocks ... nightmare!

[Bob Hadden <kbhadden@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Wow Doug,  You started a major thread and then missed the whole show?  
Perhaps there wasn't much specific advise, but there were many replies. 
  I am waiting for my brother to get back from Texas so I can ask him 
the exact procedure we used to adjust preload on our Ohlins.

Bob Hadden '98RS

On Apr 20, 2004, at 10:26 PM, <ABSDoug2@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>             I think I posted this already, but *I* never saw it come
> through. Anyway, NOBODY has any suggestions, or did this E-mail really 
> not
> get through?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ABSDoug2@xxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ABSDoug2@xxxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: Sunday, April 18, 2004 12:50 AM
> To: oilheads@xxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Ohlins shocks ... nightmare!
>
>       I bought these Ohlins a year and 2 months ago, 10K miles so far. 
> Spent
> $1K for both. All the measurements worked out when new. I paid the 
> money I
> was damn sure gunna dial these suckers in. Take measurement with 
> wheels off
> ground (center stand). Then you measure with the bike of stand sans 
> rider,
> then with the rider. The remote external hydraulic adjustment was 
> perfect,
> at the beginning of its adjustment.
>       Ohlins claims 20K between rebuilds. Ok, I knew that going in. 
> Let me
> also point out that Ive been trying, in vain to tell myself there was
> nothing off about the bikes handling. Lately I had started to notice 
> the
> back was not right. Let me also say in no way do I mean to offend 
> anyone;
> perhaps Im just a sucker. The experts say that ALL shocks, stock 
> shocks
> included, are shot by 20K. If this is true then most people just 
> pretend
> that isnt true. So I buy into this and interestingly enough, I 
> actually
> noticed something wasnt right at 10K. Could I be so in tune that this
> disturbance in the Force was real? Sure enough the numbers didnt add 
> up! No
> adjustment was left on the remote adjustment.
> I figure its time to get out the spanner that came with the shocks. 
> What
> fun this will be <sigh>. You give the collar a few turns, put 
> everything
> back and hope you got it close enough so the remote adjustment could 
> come
> into play, if not take it all back apart again and try again <sigh>. 
> At this
> point, Im starting to wish I hadnt noticed anything. But at least I 
> can
> say Im in tune with my bike and I did pay the money to have precise
> ADJUSTABLE shocks. What the hell, I like wrenching and Ive got no 
> plans
> today, so with a change in attitude I jump in gleefully.
> So here is the catch. The main collar doesnt adjust! There was a pin 
> and I
> got that out. Took the hydraulic hose off, clearance issue. Put the 
> sucker
> in a vice and got my spanner ready. Here was that moment where the
> adjustability pays off, but no. That damn spanner didnt do shit! I 
> mean not
> a bit. Ive never attempted/needed to do the front, but I damn sure 
> remember
> the directions saying you could. Ohlins shipped these shocks with a 
> spanner,
> so WTF? Since I thought of the directions, I started paging through 
> them
> again.
> On shock absorbers that have mechanical type adjustment the position 
> of the
> adjusting/preload rings can be adjusted. On a shock absorber that has
> hydraulic setting the BASIC position can be adjusted. Such changes 
> should be
> attended to by an Ohlins authorized service workshop.
> The bold is mine. The above isnt even written right as it sounds like 
> you
> need an Ohlins guy to watch you adjust the remote. What I think the 
> author
> is tying to say is, if you want to make a major adjustment to the 
> shock with
> a MECHANICAL adjustment, have at it. If you have the remote, you can 
> only
> make BASIC changes. PLEASE correct me if Im wrong and you read this
> different.
> Now that part about having to send it to a authorized workshop!!! Not 
> so
> fast there you fuckers. You should have made these adjustable and damn 
> it I
> m gunna adjust it!
> I got out a punch and a hammer <shiver>. Hey, why not, at this point 
> Im
> either fixing it, or I have to send it out to be fixed. I got the 
> collar
> to spin three times. There isnt enough material to bang on the collar
> anymore. Other then the collar, nothing else was brutally assaulted. 
> In fact
> I didnt even put a scratch on it. Everything else, is ok and I doubt 
> they
> need rebuilding. I figure if Im sending it in, theyll giggle a bit 
> and
> put a new collar, adjusted the right way.
> Now the questions. How close did I get it? Ill need so help with that 
> one.
> Next question, where do I send them if they arent right. Last 
> question: do
> I feel like going riding in the morning? Time check, 12:45 AM and I 
> havent
> showered yet. <sigh> Why cant I just be one of those church going 
> folk?

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