Ohlins man

[nobleswood]

I have been talking to Ohlins USA in NC about servicing a rear shock I'm going to be putting on my Griso. The helpful tech there, Matt, seemed to know his stuff.

 

This weekend the American International Motorcycle Expo was here in Columbus, OH, so on Saturday morning I got there early, before the lifestyle bikers, to poke around.

 

Turns out the show was geared more towards dealers & wholesale purchasers than riders ; I was talking to a nice salesman from Pakistan about a gauntlet knuckle reinforced leather glove. When It came to cost he asked how many units & freight terms. Mind you he also gave me a quote of $16.53 for a goatskin glove !

 

Towards the back of the Hall I found the Ohlins booth and co-incidentally the tech I'd talked to, Matt. It was early & traffic was low & we had a chance to talk. Turns out he's had a few Guzzi's and currently is cleaning up a neglected Scura.

 

As well as being knowledgable about the Ohlins componets that fit on our beloved V11's, he had a good grasp of the influence on Guzzi & Italien bikes generally, of cash flow, Piaggio & Aprilia over the last few decades.

 

All in all I came away feeling like I had found a friend, someone who understands why we love the flawed individualistic amazing machines we do. And another great place like Harpers, MG Cycle, Moto International etc where we can talk to a knowledgeable Technician.

[LowRyter]

My mechanic here in OKC, Don- the guy that fixed the cracked tranny on my Greenie, is an Ohlin's trained guy.  He might give you a good deal servicing your shock.  He did so for a fellow on WG who was pleased with his work.

 

http://www.motivcycleworks.com/

[Scud]

That sounds like a good day. Did you recruit Matt to join us here? It would be interesting to see what an Ohlins employee does with suspension on a Scura.

[nobleswood]

My mechanic here in OKC, Don- the guy that fixed the cracked tranny on my Greenie, is an Ohlin's trained guy. He might give you a good deal servicing your shock. He did so for a fellow on WG who was pleased with his work.

 

Thanks but he has my shock now so it's a done deal.

 

http://www.motivcycleworks.com/

That sounds like a good day. Did you recruit Matt to join us here? It would be interesting to see what an Ohlins employee does with suspension on a Scura.

Matt said he registered the Scura here, but other than that doesn't 'follow the forums'

 

That said he currently has the original clutch /flywheel & we were talking about replacements. Your name did come up having gone through the same process & that you carefully documented the experience.

So I found the thread & e-mailed it to him. You never know, he may join us now & then.

 

It was interesting to talk to him about what he has done to the Ohlins on the Scura, about what he can do within the restrictions of the original equipment on the bike. Mind you what he can do with his access to parts as opposed to those of us outside the industry where we have to pay retail. Can make the improvements cost prohibitive.

 

He told me of an early experiance with the Scura, the RH boot came loose, the TB's moved back & to the left. Jamming the throttle fixed bar under the TB's against the Rear preload cylinder! A 'tense' moment! So he replaced the preload cylinder with & updated & shorter unit.

 

My bike with it's 43mm Marzocchi forks, he said the internals can be replaced with more modern Ohlins technology. Which after a few other improvements will get on the Wish List. Something Docc advised me to do 3 or 4 years ago.

 

I have heard this before but he said that a growing share of their industry is coming from Mountain bike suspension. Which apparently is a hobby of his as well.

[docc]

Öhlins internals for early Sport Marzocchi forks?!?!?

 

More, more!!

 

Also, word has been that the last of the Öhlins shocks spec'd for the V11 were used up years ago. This availability has changed?

[nobleswood]

Matt, was describing what components he would put in the Marzocchi's but it was abit over my head =(

 

Yes he said the old components aren't available for the V11's but as he works there he could add this from this bin & take that from here ... Not cost effective for us outside the industry but something he could do.

 

I'll ask him to e-mail me his ideas for the Fork re-vamp.