I know that certain vendors that work with STT stock certain brands, and I don't want to piss anyone off, but... Purely from a hardware standpoint, is there any advantage to an Ohlins vs. Penske shock? How about fork internals... Ohlins inserts vs. Race Tech? Application is my 2006 Triumph Daytona 675. Experience only, please. Leave speculation at the door. (For the record SuperbikeItalia set up my stock stuff and I have every faith in Ken's ability and product line. This isn't a Ken vs. Someone Else thread. I just want an objective measuring stick.) Thanks! -Tom
A little bit more info on your riding experience/ ability would be helpful. Quite often, stock suspension is more than adequate on its own. I personally have a 2006 r6 w/ Ohlins rear and stock front. I will be going to Ohlins 20mm in front by spring though. That being said: I have ridden Penske, Ohlins and Fox shocks. All perform very well and all had their advantages. Did any one perform better or longer or make me faster than another one? No. the secret is getting the particular part set up for YOU and YOUR riding style. All of them offered better feedback and adjustability than stock From my experience on the other end of the bike, Stock stuff could be called "good" Race Tech stuff is "better" while the Ohlins stuff is "best" by popular opinion. I know many people that simply use RaceTech valving w/ stock springs and are VERY fast. Ohlins tends to offer that little bit of extra feel and feedback IMO. In my case, i am looking for that ability to fine tune the feedback from the front so i am going with Ohlins. Like I said, preference and riding ability dictate much of this decision. On the shock, if you get a better deal on one over the other, take it, you wont be disappointed either way!
"all will work well IF you spend time setting it up" Actually they will ONLY work well if you take the time to set they up. Big $$$$ suspension parts could perform worse than stock if you don't. Best advice I can give you, is to use the products from the guy who will set up your bike. This way he knows what's there and their limitations.
Also remember that every company produces a wide range of models that address various needs in terms of features & price points. For example, the Penske triple clicker is far more than most people need so the double clicker is a great alternative at a lower price. Also, the Olin R&T grade forks sold on Ducati, Aprilia, etc. bikes are no where near the higher grade Olins or other brand stuff sold in the aftermarket. Simply upgrading the internals (with Race Tech, Olins or GP Tech) of whatever OEM stock shocks your bike came with will generally deliver a better result than the OEM stock supplied Olins R&T grade units... FWIW, when I was comparing Olins v. Penske, I ended up with the Penske because of the ease of servicability and set-up and also more favorable comments/feedback posted on the WERA BBS. YMMV
Thank you to everyone for their input. Most of it reinforces exactly what I had been thinking. Justin- I am just getting back into track days, but am progressing through Intermediate quite nicely. Slow and steady progress, I plan to dabble in advanced later in the year. Because I am only an Intermediate I feel that there is a lot more work to do on me before I upgrade the bike. I'd like to do upgrades in stages, but don't want to burn money. My first impression was right on with your evaluation, and I am steering (no pun intended) toward Ohlins inserts for the forks. Brian- I had also been leaning toward a Penske shock for the rear based on bang for the buck. Mike- I hear you loud and clear. That's why I'll probably not do what is stated above, unless someone steers me toward a reputable shop that does both Penske and Ohlins. Hank- Point taken. As much as it would be cool to fiddle with both high and low speed compression damping, I'm not sure I'll be able to tell the difference. Oh, and I can have money for track days for the difference in price! Thanks, all, for your thoughts! -Tom
My advice on shocks is for you to get the shock that your tuner has the most experience with. And even better if they have experience with your particular bike. All shocks are good, picking one over another is really splitting hairs. Also keep in mind that when you are choosing a shock you get what you pay for every time. There is a reason one shock is $800 and another is $1800. I have a ton of experience on your chassis and I have done the complete Ohlins and the complete Matris setup too. Hell, I even managed to crash one during a magazine test! If you have any questions please feel free to email me at departmentofsuspension@yahoo.com Thanks Jason