I wont start by "Quoting" all the questions and calls for justification of whether the Ohlins (or any manufacturers) upgrade is worth it compared to the OE suspension, or if indeed the OE suspension is any good.
My comments below are generally based around suspension requirements for (hard) off-road riding of the XT1200Z Super Tenere, and obviously base on my weight and riding style.
The OE suspension on this bike is DAMN GOOD right out of the box.. Joe Average will be able to get on this bike and with a few tweaks and adjustments have a plush, responsive, and very well controlled ride for day to day riding on highways, byways, and gentle off road.
However... The flexibility and degree of adjustment in this, or any suspension system for that matter, will only compensate for a limited range of factors. We are not all Joe Average, so what suits one will be so far out of the adjustment spectrum for another that it must require change or modification.
Again, as we all know, there are a number of parameters effecting correct suspension setup.
First and foremost
generally is rider + load mass. We know that these, and most bikes manufactured these days, are suspended for around an 80-90kg (190ish LBS) rider. Yamaha threw spring pre-load into the mix so that you can compensate for a pillion and/or luggage to some extent but anytime that you adjust away from the optimum, you compromise.
What we must remember is that as Adventure riders it's very rare we ride naked
, therefore we must either add a minimum of 15kgs of ATGATT to the equation, or remove 15kg from the optimium OEM setup weight. This would place the OEM suspension suitable for riders at around 75kg weight.... I dont know many 75kg riders capable enough to be able to muscle a bike of this mass around the bush with enough conviction as to be able to say that the suspension is correct for them. At 110kg in my birthday suit (pictures available at
www.veteranpornstud.com O
) I am far from the ideal rider weight that the designers had in mind during creation.
I mentioned "generally" above as I believe (apart from rider weight) the larger impact on suspension adequacy on these bikes is
how or
where they will be used. I believe that Yamaha designed this bike to be able to traverse highway to just about any sort of terrain, but at a responsible pace as to not over stress the suspension. I dont think their design brief allowed for hardcore, fat gutted, old MX/Enduro riders like me to thrash around on the sort of "off-road" that I ride on, and the pace that I enjoy riding at.
Another debilitating factor with the OEM suspension is the HUUUUGE un-sprung masses that this bikes suspension needs to attempt to control. The wheels, drive, swing-arm etc on this bike are massive and can very easily overwhelm the stock suspension when the going gets tough, hard, and fast off-road.
I dont like the idea of having to get a spring made, (or trying to locate a factory option (dont even know if they are available)), then having the valving and oil weight changed to suit my preference, and then at the end of the day still not having compression damping adjustment available.
I saw the Ohlins option as financially beneficial in that my OEM shock is sitting on the shelf for re-fit at re-sale, and, the Ohlins is "built/tailored" to suit my weight and the range of adjustment that I require.
Having a rear shock that is tailored to ME now means I can get the front forks spring weighted + oil weighted/level to balance the bike and suit MY needs.
It has been mentioned by a few "The OE suspension should be adequate" or "I always found the factory suspensions do the job just fine"..... They are adequate, and they do do the job just fine - IF YOU ARE JOE AVERAGE and then if your ride your bike on road, or on gentle off-road, or dont push like a mad man..
Greg.
