clicks & knobs OHLINS

my suspension was a bit firm, GREAT on smooth roads but a bit scary on the bumpy back lanes where i live so i decided to put it to standard (or softer)

The bike is a 2002 RSVR, OHLINS forks & shock
whilst meddling i've come up with these questions:-

My manual (half a photocopy!) says for RSVR

REBOUND. 0 - 25 clicks adjustment, std setting unscrew 8 clicks out
COMPRESSION. 0 - 25 clicks adjustment, std setting unscrew 12 clicks out
PRELOAD. 0 - 14 turns, std setting 8 unscrew 8 turns

however mine has,

REBOUND. 0 - 38 clicks, so i set 14 out
COMPRESSION. 0 - 29 clicks, so i set 14 out
PRELOAD. 0 - 16.5 turns, i set std 8 turns out (it was set at 4 before)

Im showing 4 rings at the fork tops (manual says 3 std but i like the turn in)

since i seem to have more clicks (?) ive just wound the clickers a bit further but kept approx the same ratio.
is this ok? why have i got so many more clicks/ turns?

On the rear shock i had 1 click less than the 0 - 25 clicks on COMPRESSION but im happy this is within normal limits.

after i took the bike out for a quick spin, and although softer, it felt much nicer on the bumpy back roads.

STEERING DAMPER. 1 - 18 clicks adjustment, std setting unscrew 8 clicks
ive unscrewed damper 12 clicks, i cant feel it interfering and was going to stiffen it further. (had a BIG slapper over hump back bridge this morning before softening suspension!)

looking forward to some intelligent input :thumbup

These were my settings i posted on a site a few years back, your settings are out by a lot by the look of it..........................



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Rob, here are my settings i used on the road on my 01R, so should work on your bike, they are what suits me, but at least they will give you something to work from

front

preload, nut on top of forks......8 turns from soft (clockwise)
rebound, allen key in top of forks..........13 from maximum (anticlockwise)
compression, allen key at bottom of forks.............12 turns from maximum (anticlockwise)
forks with 4 rings showing

Are your forks leaking again? if the air gap is wrong it will cause this, but has it just started or was it like this when they did the fork seals?

rear

rebound, knurled knob on bottom of shock.............18 from maximum (anticlockwise)
compression, knob on top of the shock......12 from maximum (anticlockwise)

i'm assuming the preload on the rear was not altered (the spring)

I weigh about 13 stone in my kit, so it will give you some idea, it sounds to me like the preload on the fork springs could be the problem, but i would set it to these and try it, if it is still the same then i suggest you take it back to the dealer and ask them to put the correct oil/air ammount in the forks, i run mine at 95mm air gap.
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Here are the standard settings for an 02R

settings are as follows mate


forks
compression damping 12clicks anticlockwise
rebound damping 12 clkicks anticlockwise
preload 8 turns clockwise
forks through yokes 4 reference notches showing


steering damper
15 clicks anti clockwise


shock
spring length preloaded 147mm
compression damping 12 clicks anticlockwise
rebound damping 20 clicks anticlockwise



Hope this helps, it looks to me that you are adjusting from minimum and not maximum:dunno

Thanks for the reply,

im still a bit confused though
the info i have in my manual for the clickers is to to start from most rigid position (ie complete clockwise) and unwind said number of clicks or turns (ie turn anti clockwise)

the compression setting is same as yours
rebound 8 out (mine) v's 12 out (yours)
and the your rebound info starts from the other direction

what confuses me most is why i have so many extra click/ turns on the fork adjustment or is this normal and my rsv-R manual info is wrong somehow?
did the setting change between r models???
The problem is that if i have more turns than normal then i cant use 'normal' setting info.

On the rear shock the compression setting checks with yours although my rebound info says 14 clicks anticlock std reducing to 7-9 for track.

My manual does say that std settings are suitable for racetrack (although it then gives further racetrack settings)
could i have settings for another country (perhaps one with smoother roads! )

How many turns/ clicks do you other folks have
Go on, get to the garage, squirt them with wd40 and start twiddling
everyone knows that lubricating your knob is good for a service

ahh, the dark art of boingy bits
thanks in advance fellas

The info i have given you is correct, you must adjust from the directions i have given, believe me i have owned these bikes for 10 years and know what way to turn my knobs

Ive had mine for nearly 53 years and I'm still not sure of the best way to turn my knob.

Listen to the Wise Old Badger

badger,badger, badger, mushroom, mushroom (i assume you know what that's about )

you wise sage
im not doubting your info just wondering why mine was so wack
ive looked through my manual and the illustrations are for the original (98-00) shape rsv so maybe the ohlins forks were slightly different to the later model (01-03) or maybe the setting were just refined?

either way i am going to try your settings tomorrow but the reason and i'm so keen to know the range of clicks/turns is to find out if my forks are abnormal. if i have 20% to 60% more clicks/turns than standard then the usual settings will be well out and irrelevant/ dangerous
i assume most manuals don't mention range then.

obviously static sag and mileage since last service (oil quality) will play a part also

thanks again, i'll report back

right, ive been messing around with bike today
(and riding, i love this weather )
the settings that i ended up with yesterday are actually quite similar to badgers although ive gone a bit softer due to local bumpy roads.

fork preload differences in setting didnt matter in the end, there is just over 16 turns available on the preload so 8 clockwise or anticlock makes no difference as it's in the middle.
(although they were well out when i got the bike)

just about 4 rings showing on fork tops.

Rear shock rebound was set as advised and compression is now a bit softer.
steering damper wound up to 15 clicks anticlock (3 from max)

Bike handles nice and safer on local roads than before, bumps absorbed better although i still get bounced out of saddle on occasion, i'm loving the thought the steering damper is there as well as bars can get a bit light.

Tyre pressures standard. I'm happy now with a base setting.
thanks for your help, i just wish the info in my manual wasn't so confusing in the first place.

Glad to be of help, the Ohlins are a wee bit choppier than Showa, you will have to live with that.

Glad you are happier now, makes a lot of difference if you are confident in the bike:thumbup

Badger said:

the Ohlins are a wee bit choppier than Showa

Click to expand...

Really? I rode one with an Ohlins yesterday and it was like a Goldwing compared to my shagged Showa. I was thinking about an Ohlins but if a good Showa is smoother than that then I may reconsider.

A303 said:

Really? I rode one with an Ohlins yesterday and it was like a Goldwing compared to my shagged Showa. I was thinking about an Ohlins but if a good Showa is smoother than that then I may reconsider.

Click to expand...

I have to say my Ducati Showa forks are much nicer than my Ohlins on the RSV were. Still handle as well but much better over the choppy stuff that upset the Ohlins.

My Ohlins were tweaked as per Badgers for oil height etc but were always harsh compared to the the Showa setup. Think you need the Superbike valve kit to get them to work better. Shimmed to harshly for me with too little bypass for those bigger hits.
In standard trim i think they are a bit form over function. The Ohlins shock i never had an issue with apart from seal failures but it worked fine.

Thanks Spoonz.
I was up at Griff's yesterday and he came back raving about my Showa front end after riding it. I've always thought it was good but assumed that someone who knows better could probably improve it - Griff said don't change a thing - that was after he'd done a seal and put new oil in them. I rode Griff's with the Ohlins front and it didn't give me as much confidence as mine but his rear shock was like a magic carpet!

BTW, I'm talking to a bloke about an Ohlins shock off an 03 - I am right in assuming that it will fit my 01 with no issues?