Rear End slippery

[Guest steveguzzi]

Hi Guys,

Just got back from a ride to find the rear of the bike covered in oil, and no damping in the rear shock.

My bike is a 2001 model year red/grey LM.8000miles.

I was quite happy with the Sachs shock, apart from it feeling a bit too stiff, and throwing me up off the seat sometimes, and I would be OK with getting a new Sachs or repairing it. Is an Ohlins a straight replacement? Would I notice a difference?

Can you guys advise me ?

Thanks

Steve

[dbdicker]

I'm not sure what Guzzi would want for a replacement Sachs Shock, but surely it would be quite a lot That would make an aftermarket alternative like Ohlins much more cost effective. I've put Ohlins shocks on almost every bike I've ever owned and it was a primary reason I bought a Scura instead of a different V11 model. I've always thought that suspension upgrades are worth a heckuva lot more towards enjoyment of a machine than power upgrades. Never regretted paying the admittedly high price for the Swedish kit. Still, there are other, more cost effective choices than Ohlins, some considered as good...........Penske comes to mind.

 

In short, I wouldn't spend for a stock Sachs replacement. If you have to go that money, there are better alternatives available for the dough.

 

Best of luck,

 

Dan

[Guest Brian Robson]

There is a WP rear shock for sale in the classified on this web site. I think he wants ~250 euros.

[Mike Stewart]

Hi Guys,

Just got back from a ride to find the rear of the bike covered in oil, and no damping in the rear shock.

My bike is a 2001 model year red/grey LM.8000miles.

I was quite happy with the Sachs shock, apart from it feeling a bit too stiff, and throwing me up off the seat sometimes, and I would be OK with getting a new Sachs or repairing it. Is an Ohlins a straight replacement? Would I notice a difference?

Can you guys advise me ?

Thanks

Steve

Getting the Sach shock repaired would be fairly costly. You would be looking at 2 to 3 hundred dollars. The seal is not replaceable so the shock head needs to be modified in order to replace it.

 

I have a rebuilt Sach shock that I would sell you for $100.00 US. I had it revalved and resealed by Linderman Engineering.

 

The best rear shock to me so far is the Ohlins shock. They are pricey and go for $900 plus dollars. It has a remote spring adjustment which would be nice if you ever carry a passenger or luggage. The shock length is about 10mm. longer than the Sach shock and will steepen up the head angle slightly. I feel this is a good thing on the 02 bikes and newer. The dampening and spring are well matched for the bike and a one time deal with installation gives this shock two thumbs up in my book.

 

I have also had a Penske shock made for my 00 V11Sport, It took three tries to get the shock to work right. The first time, the shock was too long and the bolt eyelets were too small. The second time, the spring and dampening was too high and the bike was unrideable with the spring rate and dampening at its lightest setting. The good news was that Penske wanted to get it right and I did end up with a very nice shock.

 

So good luck with your decision.

Mike

[callison]

The WP shock itself is a straight in replacement. The remote reservoir is longer than the Sachs though, and won't fit in the same location easily if at all. I'm still fighting with this one myself.

[Guest 1100sport]

Mike, I just read your comment and would like to know if you could help me source an Ohlins or alternatively a Penske for my 1100 Sport.

I have been calling and e-mailing different parts retailers but so far none seems to have the Ohins shock for V11 (also suitable for my 1100 sport). Can you tell me where you get yours ?

 

I am also interested by the Penske whose quality seems on par with the Ohlins. Would you mind giving me the details of the sale/tech person that you were in contact with so that I check with her about the possibility of a custom unit for my bike ?

 

Thank you very much in advance !

 

Mathieu

[al_roethlisberger]

I think Mike got his Ohlins(which I now own) from EMA USA

 

 

They have the correct shock, and will provide it with the correct spring rate for your weight upon request. I believe that the unit with remote preload(optional) and a correct spring installed(~$100 extra) comes in at about $900(after tax/shipping), which I believe is right in between the 2-way and 3-way Penske as far as pricing goes.

 

The Ohlins model is MG 127, which is a 46HRCS derivative/model

 

(Note: not 46PRCS as noted on the page below. I also don't know why they list it as MG 147)

 

http://www.ema-usa.com/suspension/suspensi...ns_shocks.shtml

 

 

Another source is Lindemann Engineering, who is a pre-eminent suspension shop in the Bay Area:

 

http://www.le-suspension.com/

 

http://www.le-suspension.com/LE-Products.html

 

They are a big Penske promotor(and contributed to the shock's internal design according to them ), but also carry Ohlins, WP, and Fox.

 

 

From the Ohlins site, http://www.ohlinsusa.com :

 

 

Öhlins shock absorber 

 

Part No.  MG 127

 

Type  46HRCS

 

Length  286 mm

 

Stroke  70 mm

 

 

 

Another option are the Wilburs that Todd at Guzzitech is selling now. He says great things about them, and are apparently related to the WP folks somehow.

 

You might check them out too, although I've only seen the Wilburs on the Tontis so far, not a Spine... so you could possibly be the first

 

 

al

[Guest 1100sport]

Thank you very much for your help !

I am trying to make my mind between these three alternatives although Ohlins might seem like the less troublesome solution. However the Penske 2 ways seems like a good bang for the buck. By any chance do you know if it is Lindemann who made Mike's shock ? It would certainly ease the process if I could deal directly with the guy who made the former one.

Thanks again,

 

Mathieu

[Mike Stewart]

Mathieu,

 

Linderman revalved my stock Sach shock.

 

I went through EMA (European Motorcycle Accessories) in Livermore California to buy the Penske. It was just closer to home and the guys are easy to deal with. I still prefer the Ohlins shock over the Penske. The main reason is that the shock travel is greater than the Penske unit. If my memory serves me correctly the Ohlins has about 10 to 13mm. more shock travel which equals to about an inch at the rear wheel. The guys at Penske said that most bikes have too much travel but to me where I do most of my riding on the street, more shock travel is welcomed. The Ohlins felt more plush at first but now with more miles on the Penske, they do feel pretty close. The big bumps are felt more with the Penske, probably from the shock bumper being compressed. On the positive side, the Penske shock is adjustable in length, so playing with shock lengths is quite entertaining. I thought this would help my 00 Sport in the handling department but the stock length seems to be where the bike likes it. That brings up another point about the Ohlins shock. The shock is 10 mm. longer than the stock Sach shock. While this being a big plus on the 02 bikes and newer, I think it works against the faster steering 00 and 01 bikes.

 

So to wrap it up, the Penske is a very good shock. But Penske custom builds each shock to your weight. So I just hope it does not take two tries to get the shock of your dreams made. The second time I sent the shock back, they went with a lower spring rate and revalved the shock to the new spring weight. They also used the shortest shock body to gain shock travel. Went from 50mm. of travel to 60mm. which is quite abit when you are talking travel. I am pleased with the way Penske handled the problems and their service is top notch. Within a few days I had the shock back in my hands. I just wished I had talked to them sooner to figure out the problems.

 

Good luck,

Mike

[Guest 1100sport]

Hi Mike,
Thank you for sharing your experience. I think I will go with the Ohlins then. I just sent an e-mail to EMA to check the availability of the V11 shock. I hope they have one left because it seems like it is getting difficulte to get one !
Thanks,
Mathieu