Shocking workmanship

[homer]

Robert. Expecting all motorcyclists within N.Z to utilise the services of a pro like yourself with a corresponding wait time and expense is impractical.
Hydraulic shock absorbers are mechanically simple devices, and while the nuances of set-up escapes most Kiwi's most are going to'give it a go'

yep i agree
soon well all have bloody bikes and no where to take them to get fixed or serviced , this will be due to the fact that no one knows what there doing .
or
Itll be great the first few times till the one doing the work leaves and you didnt know this .
then you end up with someone who dosnt know what there doing on a specific item of the bike .

So what ill just think will be! stuff the ohlins
shag all the other expensive crap , and just stick to the factory products .
no problems .

Just my 2 cents

[nodrog:Me]

it would be quite helpful to know who the authorised service people are.

[Robert Taylor]

I repeat that the reason for my post was to highlight the shoddy workmanship that is going on. Undeniable, indefensible and of course it happens across a much broader range of product than Ohlins.
Having spoken my mind re this I guess it was inevitable that I would be maligned by some for daring to have high standards, well thats how it feels to me anyway! And its interesting to note how some tried to dilute the fact that there actually is quite a lot of complication with high end suspension units. Its actually about a good deal more than just looking at the ''nuts and bolts'' assembly. I think a tendency for many to ( in their own minds ) oversimplify the task is where people often run into trouble. Add to that that many so called service people misrepresent their abilities and I think also that such work requires a very keen eye for detail. I say unapologetically that there are many who lack same... And how many repair bills have a much higher labour hours content than they should have because the mechanic struggled away disassembling and reassembling when the correct special tools would have saved a LOT of time. And also not being privy to service updates, specific precautions etc.
People know where to get hold of me and people that have dealt directly with me know that in fact I most often have a tendency to be very helpful.
Our own turnround time for service / repair is improving enormously with the hiring of excellent staff and more organisation. But we do have a number of people around the country who we entrust to do service work and this will become more formalised later this year with suspension schools for our nominated techs, run by a visiting Swedish engineer.
All it takes is a simple phone call / e-mail so I can then determine the complexity of the job and direct to an entrusted technician within easiest access.

[Sanx]

Oh dude. to use your analogy, a saturn five rocket motor is just two bags one containing oxygen, one hydrogen, give it a squeeze and light the blue touch paper and stand clear. The devil is in the detail and thats where the difference is.

Thanks for the blueprint! I aim to have my first commercial satellite launch later this year. Of course, I'll be using Honda parts for the rocket - Suzuki's parts were cheaper and faster, but wouldn't last beyond the first separation.

Have our standards and mindsets really deterorated that much? Should Helen Clark be shouldering a lot of the blame for this?

That's probably one thing she isn't personally responsible for...

That a challenge?

I've got a CBR250 if you want to waste Morcs in a really embarrassing manner.

I can get a printed catalogue from Yoshimura with prices for everything they make. If I want to know what a part costs in the USA, I can pretty much just convert the NZD price to USD.

Good luck getting the same from Ohlins. Your only option there is to go, cap in hand, to your local dealer, and take on the chin whatever price he's deciding to charge based on his sales volume and support costs.

Given that all Yoshi stuff is imported into Australasia via Mat Mladin imports, who proceed to rip everyone off, you cannot simply translate NZD into USD to get the price of the appropriate part in the USA. Ohlins have a policy that dealers can only advertise MRRPs, which is fair enough, given that they (rightly) class their products as premium items. It might make life slightly harder for the average Joe to go online and find out which dealer can give them a better offer, but as RT has outlined a number of times, simply buying an Ohlins shock does not result in better performance. You need the right spring and valving for your weight, and some knowledge of local conditions and what you plan on doing with the bike can be advantageous too.

To take your Yoshimura example, very few bits of their kit are anything other than simple bolt-on items. The bits that aren't simply bolt-on - cams, engine-management devices, etc - are subject to sale only through authorised agents, because of the potential for that item to cause damage to the host machine.

And Morcs, i've got Ohlins.. wanna see if you can beat me on your TL?

I beat your blinged-up Ray Clee-tuned, Ohlins-suspended, Brembo-disked 1000 on a stock 750 ... (and no, I'm never going to forget it!)

[ArcherWC]

Half the people who spend $$$ on ohlins will get outridden by ya average joe on a 5k bike anyway.

Ive got Ohlins Pete, wanna race