I hear that it's not enough just to fit a second-hand Ohlins rear shock to your bike and expect everything to be okay. Seems there are several things to consider.
1. Shock needs to have been serviced (done)
2. Need spring to suit my weight and riding style (okay)
3. Need correct preload (done)
4. Need to adjust length of shock (done)
5. Need to set slow-speed compression and rebound dampening (recommended settings work fine)
6. Need to know that shim stack is set up for riding conditions (hmmm...need to check that one)
Since any adjustment of the shim stack would be a job for the Ohlins agent, I have a question for you, Robert. When you pull a shock apart, can you look at the shim stack and say to yourself "aha -- that's a setup for US conditions; it won't really do a good job on NZ roads" or do you say to yourself "gee, let's change the stack and see if it works better"?
In other words, can you tell just by looking at a shim stack (numbers on the shims, shim thicknesses, diameters, etc.) if a stack is "right for Kiwi roads" or is it hit and miss until you get it right. If someone handed you a shim stack from a stock set up perfectly for a place where they have nice, smooth roads, would you instantly know that it wouldn't be optimal for NZ conditions (lumpy roads).
The reason is my Ohlins will be due for a service in a bit, and I want to know if you can easily tell if its shim stack is optimal for solo riding on NZ roads. Could you recognise a mis-matched shim stack if you saw one, and make a suggestion to the client to make a change? Or doesn't it really matter that much? Or is it damned near impossible to "read" shim stacks like a mechanic would read a spark plug.
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