Ohlins FGK 132 Cartridges...GSX-R 600/750, K6/K7

[Yankee Doodle Dandy]

I've seen aftermarket piston kits whose piston bands stopped the rod dropping but not to the extent of adding 0.5kg spring force.

I have seen this too. I have also seen aftermarket piston kits that fit so loose I was afraid they would not seal.

I know of one factory level team that was having fork problems and after trying several different things he felt way too much fluid was bypassing the rebound valve assembly.

I wish someone would produce a rebound piston with an o-ring behind the piston band just like a shock piston. You would have to play around with the o-ring size, groove dimensions, and the band thickness to get it right but I think once everything was sorted you would have a good seal without any noticeable friction.

[Robert Taylor]

I have seen this too. I have also seen aftermarket piston kits that fit so loose I was afraid they would not seal.

I know of one factory level team that was having fork problems and after trying several different things he felt way too much fluid was bypassing the rebound valve assembly.

I wish someone would produce a rebound piston with an o-ring behind the piston band just like a shock piston. You would have to play around with the o-ring size, groove dimensions, and the band with to get it right but I think once everything was sorted you would have a good seal without any noticeable friction.

I think also that a lot of oem cartridge tubes are not exactly round and true...and then theres the issue of them often not sitting concentric to the centreline of the fork when locked into place. Sidethrust, uncontrolled bypass leakage etc.
This is one reason so many suspension proffessionals have a cynical view of self instal. The success of the job can be so dependent on attention to detail and ACTUALLY KNOWING what you are looking for. There are very pedantic people out there, there are also many that have the mechanical finesse of an elephant.

[Toast]

Just like to add my experience of this product to the thread: My R6 race bike has Ohlins FGK 25mm cartridges up front

Yeah they feel amazing and let me get away with ham-fisted murder, but it wasn’t until I came to sell the set of Metzeler Racetecs that had done about 90 laps of track duty (about 35 Manfeild and 55 Taupo) that really showed me how well they have been working:

The greatest degradation in tread depth that I could find was about 80% of brand spanking new!! That was on the left shoulder which Taupo hammers when you’re braking hard in to turn 1 and the corner on to the main straight

I’m not a super fast fella and am not pushing the absolute limits of bike or tyres, but got to within about 3% of 600cc lap record at Taupo so, and compared to my old bike where I was destroying fronts at a slightly slower pace there this tyre wear came as a rather pleasant surprise!

Obviously I’d better man up and start pushing the bike! 

(Not wanting to blow the Ohlins trumpet too hard here but the TTX36 rear has kept the rear tyre in even better nick than the front during that time!)

[Yankee Doodle Dandy]

I think also that a lot of oem cartridge tubes are not exactly round and true...and then theres the issue of them often not sitting concentric to the centreline of the fork when locked into place. Sidethrust, uncontrolled bypass leakage etc.
This is one reason so many suspension proffessionals have a cynical view of self instal. The success of the job can be so dependent on attention to detail and ACTUALLY KNOWING what you are looking for. There are very pedantic people out there, there are also many that have the mechanical finesse of an elephant.

One of my FAVORITE things is to come across a thread in which someone wants get their forks valved and someone else tells them to buy such and such parts because it is easy and then proceeds to tell them "I didn't even have to take the forks all the way apart, I just left them on the bike and took the cartridges out". They only did part of the job.

[Shaun]

They only did part of the job.[/QUOTE]




Exactually mate, where does all the old rubbish go then

[Robert Taylor]

One of my FAVORITE things is to come across a thread in which someone wants get their forks valved and someone else tells them to buy such and such parts because it is easy and then proceeds to tell them "I didn't even have to take the forks all the way apart, I just left them on the bike and took the cartridges out". They only did part of the job.

Yes its amazing how many different perceptions there are of what is a good job!

[Yankee Doodle Dandy]

Yes its amazing how many different perceptions there are of what is a good job!

You know what they say, ignorance is bliss.