The dogs' Hornet mods

[The End]

We just got a Nitron rear shock for my beloveds 600 Hornet. Brilliant thing. But $$$$$$$

Ive started a thread on WT about the valves.

Have you had your fork springs done?

I'm sitting on 43,000 Kms and changed the fork oil and seals around 2000kms ago. That is all I have done to the suspension.

From doing some research people recommend Ohlins on the rear and upgraded springs in the front.

I probably have around $800 maximum for both, so have to weigh up my options and do what I can afford to.

I have only had 2 bikes - a Yamaha Scorpio 225 and now the Hornet 900 - and have very little knowledge about suspension - nor have I ever ridden something with "good" suspension.

What I am unsure of is just what I am missing, given I have no experience on a bike with high end suspension. When out riding I definitely feel bumps in the road and cornering can sometimes be a little bumpy, but have always figured this to be a part of being on two wheels.

[nzspokes]

I'm sitting on 43,000 Kms and changed the fork oil and seals around 2000kms ago. That is all I have done to the suspension.

From doing some research people recommend Ohlins on the rear and upgraded springs in the front.

I probably have around $800 maximum for both, so have to weigh up my options and do what I can afford to.

I have only had 2 bikes - a Yamaha Scorpio 225 and now the Hornet 900 - and have very little knowledge about suspension - nor have I ever ridden something with "good" suspension.

What I am unsure of is just what I am missing, given I have no experience on a bike with high end suspension. When out riding I definitely feel bumps in the road and cornering can sometimes be a little bumpy, but have always figured this to be a part of being on two wheels.

Have you checked your sags? What fork oil weight did you use?

The Nitron was $1399. With $800 I would go for fork springs and valve mods. And a rear spring. Rear shock will cost way to much.

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Have you checked your sags? What fork oil weight did you use?

The Nitron was $1399. With $800 I would go for fork springs and valve mods. And a rear spring. Rear shock will cost way to much.

Nope I haven't really toyed with the suspension at all (haven't done enough reading to know what to do) and the replacement oil that went in was the same weight as stock (as advised in the service manual).

I should've pounced on Allan's Ohlins shock earlier.

[98tls]

Have you checked your sags? What fork oil weight did you use?

The Nitron was $1399. With $800 I would go for fork springs and valve mods. And a rear spring. Rear shock will cost way to much.

Must be a cheaper option than Ohlins for a rear shock,the name Ohlins is constantly spouted on the interweb as though it will give the buyer of one the ability to notice the difference between that and oemload of wank but then thats aftermarket for ya eh..."buy our bolt on can and get a 10hp gain"Best money spent if your serious is aftermarket rims period,expensive but at least something is acheived.

[nzspokes]

Must be a cheaper option than Ohlins for a rear shock,the name Ohlins is constantly spouted on the interweb as though it will give the buyer of one the ability to notice the difference between that and oemload of wank but then thats aftermarket for ya eh..."buy our bolt on can and get a 10hp gain"

Well Ohlins is more tune-able. But its a rebuild to do it. Nitron responds better to the clickers. I have an Ohlins on my VTR. My Bandit has a Busa shock which works well.

Hornet is a odd fitting and length given that its not got a linkage. No nothing else fits it.

[nzspokes]

Nope I haven't really toyed with the suspension at all (haven't done enough reading to know what to do) and the replacement oil that went in was the same weight as stock (as advised in the service manual).

I should've pounced on Allan's Ohlins shock earlier.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjGgq1z9zbo

Go do it.

[98tls]

Well Ohlins is more tune-able. But its a rebuild to do it. Nitron responds better to the clickers. I have an Ohlins on my VTR. My Bandit has a Busa shock which works well.

Hornet is a odd fitting and length given that its not got a linkage. No nothing else fits it.

All good my point is the greater percentage of those that buy one wouldnt ride any better with one than a block of would in place of what they had from the factory,no matter what the internet says.

[nzspokes]

All good my point is the greater percentage of those that buy one wouldnt ride any better with one than a block of would in place of what they had from the factory,no matter what the internet says.

Fair call. But my Ohlins and my girls Nitron was about comfort not about more speed. Got my Ohlins for next to nothing off TM.

Busa shock for the Bandit was $60.

[AllanB]

Did the big O on my Hornet. Very noticeable difference and I was very happy with the result for the $ spent. All relative to the stock units performance of course.

The rear on the Hornet is a stout unit - no link as noted above, it gets busy back there, lots to cope with and some inbuilt limitations. It does well until pushed a bit.

Hagon make one for the Hornet - I have no idea if they are any good - from memory they tend to supply with a one size fits all spring like the stocker.

Should have grabbed mine it was a bargain

[Gremlin]

...the name Ohlins is constantly spouted on the interweb as though it will give the buyer of one the ability to notice the difference between that and oemload of wank but then thats aftermarket for ya eh...

Big difference between BMW OEM electronic suspension and Ohlins Mechatronic. $5k and worth it.

Hornet suspension is definitely from the budget bin, mine has Ohlins rear and Racetech internals in the front.

[Maha]

All good my point is the greater percentage of those that buy one wouldnt ride any better with one than a block of would in place of what they had from the factory,no matter what the internet says.

Transalation: If you're an ugly cunt, and then buy an Armani three piece suit in an attempt to smarten yourself up, and even though it fits you very well, you're still and ugly cunt.

[Kendog]

All good my point is the greater percentage of those that buy one wouldnt ride any better with one than a block of would in place of what they had from the factory,no matter what the internet says.

When we put the Ohlins in the 2005 hornet we also had a stock 2003 hornet so it was easy to compare.
The Ohlins was a noticeably better, smother ride. We put it in to lower the bike, the improvements were a great added bonus.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjGgq1z9zbo

Go do it.

Will have to wait till I can get a couple of people to help

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I emailed Robert Taylor recently to get some insight on to what options I have for the Hornet.

Here is is reply - with the rear shock being in reference to Allan's recent listing on Trademe

REAR END. If you can get that shock for no more than $500 to $600 then maybe go for it. Given the way our kiwi dollar has somewhat weakened that shock now brand new is $1199 incl. Please bear in mind that the fitted spring rate on that shock should you purchase it may not ideally match your personal stats and loading scenarios so you may have to budget for a spring and a shock service. That will push your overall cost to just short of $1000 and you still have a second hand shock.
That listing is the "entry level" Ohlins, they also do a bells and whistles listing that is $2100 in end price, but sadly nothing inbetween.
What I would also like you to consider is English made Nitron. www.nitron.co.uk
We distribute these also and they have been a revelation, the quality is every bit as good as Ohlins and better in some areas. The ride quality and response to adjustment is actually better . Their equivalent to the Ohlins also has a ride height adjuster. What we do is to submit a build request sheet to Nitron with your personal stats, application and loading and they build to suit. Its a 3 week to 3.5 week turnround. $1069 incl and its a brand new shock with a warranty built specifically for you with ride quality better than Ohlins. We are actually now selling more of these than Ohlins and a real telling statement is that 2 years back Ohlins tried to buy out Nitron.
Note that in deference to the colours shown in the website all the gold parts are now titanium in colour,as are the springs
Further to this the options available with Nitron are manifestly more numerous and more affordable than Ohlins. Ondependently and tommorrow I will forward to you a magazine article.

FRONT END. We have upspec'd the fork internals of more than a few Hornet forks over the years. The standard fork springs are progressively wound,are too light in start rate so the front initially rides too low in its stroke and then rests on the over aggressive end rate of these springs.
Exacerbating this issue the compression pistons inside these forks are very restrictive in flow so ride quality over abrupt bumps is way deficient of what it could be. So what we do is we fit linear wind springs in a rate appropriate to you, we revalve the stock rebound pistons ( which are okay ) and replace the base compression pistons,installing a high flow type. Very slippery Ohlins oil is used. The end result is much better chassis pitch and brake dive control but also ride quality is night and day better

I think what I am going to do first is look at upgrading the front as I don't have enough money to even think about touching the rear

[nzspokes]

Will have to wait till I can get a couple of people to help

My 11 year old is an expert in sag measurement.

Agree with what RT says on both ends. But I would make my own pistons probably from some old Bandit forks.