Ohlins Manual

8/4/2019 Ohlins Manual

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Owners Manual

hlins Shock Absorber for MC Road & Track


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Introduction

hlins Racing AB - The Story

It was the 1970s, a young man named Kenth

hlin spent most o his spare time pursuing his

avourite sport: motocross.

A careul observer, Kenths attention wascontinually drawn to one specifc detail -

motocross bikes had more engine power than

their suspension could handle.

It was not long beore Kenth realised that better

perormance could be achieved by improved

wheel suspension.

hlins Racing was established in 1976, and

just two years later the company won its frst

World Championship title. Despite being in the

business or 30 years, the search or perection

and new unctions is still the main ocus o the

company.

Congratulations! You are now the owner o an

hlins Shock Absorber. More than one hundred

World Championships and other major world

titles are defnitive proo that hlins shockabsorbers oer outstanding perormance and

reliability.

Every product has gone through rigorous

testing and engineers have spent thousands o

hours, doing their very best to use every possible

experience rom our 30 years within the racing

sport.

The product that you now have in your

possession is pure racing breed that is built to

withstand.

By installing this shock absorber on your bike

you have made a clear statement you are a

serious rider with a ocus on getting the maximal

handling ability and outstanding eedback rom

your bike. Along comes the act that your shock

absorber will be a long lasting riend, delivering

the very best o comort and perormance every

time you go or a ride.

Go explore!


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Safety Precautions

hlins Racing AB. All rights reserved. Anyreprinting or unauthorized use without the written

permission o hlins Racing AB is prohibited.Printed in Sweden.

Safety Symbols

In this manual, mounting instructions and

other technical documents, important

inormation concerning saety is

distinguished by the ollowing symbols:

The Saety Alert Symbol means: Warning!

Your saety is involved.

Warning!The Warning Symbol means: Failure to

ollow warning instructions can result in

severe or atal injury to anyone working with,

inspecting or using the shock absorber, or

to bystanders.

Caution!The Caution Symbol means: Special

precautions must be taken to avoid damage

to the shock absorber.

Note!The Note Symbol indicates inormation that

is important regarding procedures.

Note!The shock absorber is a very important part o

the vehicle and will thereore aect the stabilityo the vehicle.

Read and make sure that you understand

the inormation in this manual and the mounting

instructions beore you use this product. I you

have any questions regarding installation or

maintenance please contact your nearest

hlins dealer.

hlins Racing AB can not be held

responsible or any damage to the shock

absorber, vehicle, other property or injury to

persons, i the instructions or installing and

maintenance are not ollowed exactly.

Warning!This product was developed and designed

exclusively or a specic vehicle model and

should only be installed on the intended vehicle

model in its original condition as delivered romthe vehicle manuacturer.

This product contains pressurized nitrogen

gas (N2). Do not open, service or modiy this

product without proper education (authorized

hlins dealer/distributor) and proper tools.

Ater installing this product, take a test ride

at low speed to make sure that your vehicle

has maintained its stability.

Note!When working on this product, always consult

your Vehicle Service Manual.

This Manual should be considered as a part

o the product and should thereore

accompany the product throughout its lie

cycle.


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ContentsIn This Manual pageIntroduction 1Saety Precautions 2Contents 3Design and Functioning 4Setting Up your Vehicle 6 Adjustments 7Spring Preload 8Compression Damping 9Rebound Damping 0

Adjust Length Adjustment and Set-up Inspection and Maintenance 4


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Design and Functioning

Most o hlins suspensions are a high pressure

monotube type. The uid is put under gaspressure and the gas and the uid are kept

apart by a separating piston. The piston is

usually ftted in an external reservoir, connected

by a hose (Fig. 4) or fxed directly on top o

the shock absorber (Fig ). In some models

everything is ftted inside the main shock

absorber (Fig ).

A ew shock absorbers are o emulsion type,

oil and gas mixed inside the shock absorber(Fig ). Pressurisation o the uid is made with

nitrogen. The pressurisation prevents cavitation

o the uid and the shock absorbing action is

thereore more even. The external reservoir also

contributes to better cooling o the uid, giving

longer service lie or the uid as well as the

components.

hlins shock absorbers with external rebound

adjustment have an integrated temperaturecompensation.

As the temperature increases and the

uid ows more easily the ow is controlled

accordingly. The shock absorbing eect is

thereore independent o the temperature.

The more advanced models permit individual

adjustment o compression and rebound

damping.

hlins shock absorbers provide thepossibility o adjustment, making them

adaptable to most vehicles, drivers and ranges

o use. All o the shock absorbers with springs

have adjustable preload o the spring action.

4

N2

Fluid

Separating Piston

Emulsion Shock

Absorber

Internal Gas

Reservoir

External Piggyback

Reservoir

External Reservoir

with Hose Connection


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Design and FunctioningFluid is orced through needle valves at a

low rate o ow (Fig 6) and through a number

o orifces in the piston (Fig 7) at a high rate

o ow. The ow through these orifces isregulated by shims (thin steel washers) that

at high pressure are deected to open or the

uid. On most models the needle valve can be

adjusted rom the outside.

By altering the size o the shim-stack

(Fig 8) (i.e. number, thickness, diameter) the

characteristics o the damping action can

be changed. This should only be done by an

authorized hlins service workshop.

6

7

Compression damping

When movement o the motorcycle causes

compression o the shock absorber, the uid

ows through the needle valve (combinedcompression and rebound valve) in the

piston rod. I the velocity o the compression

movement is high, i.e., in the case o rapid

compression, this will not be sufcient and

consequently the shims underneath the piston

will open to allow or a greater rate o ow.

The uid that is displaced by the volume

o the piston rod is orced into the external

reservoir via a separate compression valve. The

separating piston is displaced, thus increasing

the gas pressure.

Rebound damping

When the spring orces the shock absorber to

extend again, the uid ows back through the

needle valve. The uid owing into the chamber

is orced by the pressure o the gas back into

the shock absorber via a separate non-return

valve. I the piston velocity is high, the shims on

top o the piston will also open to allow the uid

to ow through.

8

Reboundfow

Compressionfow

Stop washer

Shim stack

Piston


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Warning!Beore riding, always ensure that the basic settings

made by hlins are intact. Take notes, adjust in

small steps and make only one adjustment at a

time.

Step 1Spring Preload - Free Sag - Ride Height

Spring preload is a crucial part o setting your

motorcycle since it aects the height o the

motorcycle and the ork angle.

Note!The ollowing procedure should be perormed on afat surace.

Put the motorcycle on a workstand so that

both wheels are o the ground and the

suspension is unloaded.

Mark, or example with a piece o tape, a

point immediately above the rear wheel axle.

Measure the distance rom the marked point

to a fxed point, or example the wheel axle(R).

Measure the distance rom the bottom o

the upper triple clamp to a fxed point, or

example the ront wheel axle (F).

Put the motorcycle on the ground so that

the ront and the rear suspensions are

slightly compressed. Repeat the measuring

procedures (R and F).

Sit on the motorcycle in normal riding

position, properly outftted in your ridinggear. Repeat the measuring procedure (R

and F).

.

.

.

4.

.

6.

Recommended Measures

I no other recommendations are given in the

Mounting Instructions ollow the measures

below:

Free sag (R1-R2), (F1-F2)

Rear - mm

Front 0-0 mm

Ride height (R1-R3), (F1-F3)

Rear - mm

Front 0-40 mm

Note!Always check on the hlins web site

www.ohlins.com or with your hlinsdealer/ distributor or the latest inormation.

Step 2Adjust spring preload

I your measures dier signifcantly rom

the recommendations in the Mounting

Instructions or the table above, adjust the

spring preload. (See chapter Spring Preloadin this manual).

I the ride height still diers rom the

recommendations, you may need to change

to soter/harder spring. Contact your hlins

dealer or advise.

Warning!Incorrect spring rate may result in a ront geometry

that is either too steep or too fat. This can result

in a tendency o under or over steering, that couldseriously aect the handling characteristics o the

motorcycle.

.

.

Setting Up your Vehicle


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Stability and Traction

All motorcycles are designed with a suspension

geometry that includes height and ork angle.

The changing o components can aect this

and it is thereore essential that both the rontand the rear ends match each other.

Changing to hlins suspension gives

optimum perormance only when both the ront

ork and the rear suspension interact properly.

It is very important that the ront and the rear

loaded heights are within the specifed values.

Front Fork Springs

To optimize the stability and traction o your

motorcycle the ront ork must match the rearsuspension. hlins Racing has a variety o ront

ork springs available or a large number o

motorcycle models.

The springs in combination with the hlins

shock absorbers contribute to superior stability

and traction. See the hlins Recommendation

List by contacting your nearest hlins dealer or

using our web site.

Warning!I there are no matching springs or your

motorcycle model, use the original springs,

however, they must be in good condition and not

atigued.

FGK kits and Piston kits

hlins Racing also produces complete Racing

Cartridge Systems, or ront orks, as well as

piston kits to upgrade your ront ork to a higher

perormance level.

Prepare the Settings

By adjusting the shock absorber and testing by

trial and error you can learn how the dierent

settings aect your motorcycle.

Always begin your setting by taking a test

ride with all adjustments at their recommended

basic setting. Choose a short run o varying

character, or example with long as well as

sharp bends, hard as well as sot bumps. Stayon the same run and adjust only one setting at

a time.

Adjustments

Most hlins shock absorbers or motorcycle

are equipped with spring preload, compression

and rebound adjusters. Due to limited space

in some vehicles it is not possible to have alladjusters in certain models. The three adjusters

mentioned above will be discussed in the

ollowing chapters.

A deeper understanding or the dierent

types o adjustments will give you a good

knowledge o how you can get better

perormance rom your hlins shock absorber.

When you adjust the spring preload, youmove the spring seat. This will lower or raise the

ride height.Compression damping controls the energy

absorption when the shock absorber is being

compressed, thus controls how easy the shock

absorber compresses when you hit a bump.

Rebound damping controls the energyabsorption when the shock absorber is being

extended and, thus controls how ast the shock

absorber returns to its normal position ater

being compressed.

Note!When riding with a passenger or changing the

load, the spring preload must be adjusted or

proper unction and vehicle balance. First, check

the headlight angle by placing the vehicle about

5 m rom a wall, with the rider in normal riding

position. Turn on the headlight. Mark the centre o

the light on the wall with a piece o tape. When you

have a passenger or when you put packing on thevehicle, the headlight angle will be too high. Adjust

the spring preload until the headlight angle is the

same as beore but with the passenger or extra

load on the bike.

Adjustments


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When adjusting the spring preload you move the

spring seat. This will decrease or increase the

initial spring orce, which will lower or raise the

motorcycle rear ride height.The spring preload is undamental or the

unction o the suspension. I the preload is

incorrectly set, any other adjustments will not

help to get the intended perormance rom the

suspension.

A Free spring length

B Installed spring length

Shock absorber ully extended

A - B = Spring Preload

Spring Preload is the dierence

between the measures A and B.

A

B

How to Set the Spring Preload

1 Mechanical Adjuster

Use a C-spanner. Loosen the lock nut (A).

Move the lower spring platorm (B) to thedesired position. Turn clockwise to increase the

preload, turn counter clockwise to decrease it.

2 Hydraulic Adjuster

Turn the Hydraulic Adjuster knob to set the

spring preload. Turn clockwise to increase

the preload and turn counter clockwise to

decrease.

3 Integrated Hydraulic AdjusterTurn the hexagon screw on the hydraulic

adjuster to set the spring preload. Turn

clockwise to increase, turn counter clockwise to

decrease.

AB

Spring Preload


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Compression damping controls the energy


compressed, thus controls how easy the shock

absorber compresses when the rear wheel isbeing loaded or hits a bump.

Compression Damping Adjuster

. Adjust by turning the knob on top o the

reservoir. Turn clockwise to increase damping,

turn counter clockwise to decrease.

. Adjustbyturningtheknobontopofthereservoir.Turnclockwisetoincreasedamping,

turncounterclockwisetodecrease.

3.Adjust on top o the reservoir. Turn theslotted screw clockwise to increase damping,

turn counter clockwise to decrease.

4. Adjustontopofthereservoir.

High speed: Turn the hexagon screw.

Low speed: Turn the slotted centre screw.Turnclockwisetoincreasedamping,turn

counterclockwisetodecrease.

Reset the adjuster

Turn the adjuster clockwise to ully closed

position (position zero [0]). Then, turn counter

clockwise to open, and count the clicks untilyou reach the recommended number o clicks.

See recommended Set-up data in the Mounting

Instructions or the shock absorber.

Caution!Do not use orce, delicate sealing suraces can be

damaged.

4

4

Compression Damping


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Reset the adjuster

Turn the adjuster clockwise to ully closed

position (position zero [0]). Then, turn counter

clockwise to open, and count the clicks untilyou reach the recommended number o clicks.

See recommended Set-up data in the Mounting

Instructions or the shock absorber.

Caution!Do not use orce, delicate sealing suraces can be

damaged.

Rebound DampingRebound damping controls the energy


extended and controls how ast the shock

absorber returns to its normal position aterbeing compressed.

Rebound Damping Adjuster

Turn the wheel on the piston shat above the

end eye/bracket. Turn clockwise to increase

damping, turn counter clockwise to decrease it.


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Adjust LengthBy adjusting the length o the shock absorber the

steering geometry as well as the chain orce can

be changed.

Ashortershock absorber will result in a lowermotorcycle. The ork angle as well as the trail

will increase, and normally the chain orce will

be reduced with less anti-squat as a result. A

slight change o centre o gravity is another

result o changing the length o the shock

absorber.

Alongershock absorber will result in a

higher motorcycle. The ork angle and trail

will decrease and normally the chain orce will

increase with more anti-squat as a result. Aslight change o centre o gravity is another

result o changing the length o the shock

absorber.

Note!On modern Hypersport and race bikes all length

adjustment should be moderate. Also very small

adjustments can make a big dierence.

Adjust Length

We advise to remove the shock absorber rom

the vehicle beore adjusting the length. Use

two 4 mm wrenches. Hold the upper nut withone hand and at the same time loosen the lock

nut (lower nut). Turn the end eye/bracket to the

desired length. One [] turn is mm o shock

absorber length. Please make sure to measure

the ride height beore and ater adjusting the

length (see chapter Setting Up your Vehicle).

Tightening torque: 40 Nm

Warning!

Remember to lock the lock nut ater adjusting thelength.

Warning!The adjustable end eye/bracket must not be

threaded out more than that the groove is ully

visible beneath the lock nut. This is maximum

length. Ater adjusting, make sure that the lock nut

is tightened.

Note!Ater adjusting the length, check the headlight

angle o your vehicle.


13/16

Adjustment and Set-upRecommended Adjustment Range

Rebound and compression damping:

clicks rom original (basic) setting.

When you setup your bike you need to do it

together with the ront ork and on all types o

tracks that you want to optimize, there are no

setups that will be 00% perect on all tracks,

you will need to compromise.

Keep priority at:

sae eeling

stability

comort

This will allow you to ride saer and use less

energy.

Rebound Damping

I you have got a good eeling or the bike with

spring, preload and the ride height eels ok

but the bike runs low and packs down underacceleration bumps, with lost line and/or lost

comort and traction, open the rebound adjuster

two [] clicks.

I the bike is nervous and moving a lot or

has a high eeling entering corners, close the

rebound adjuster two [] clicks. Fine tune one

[] click at the time.

Test run and make the necessary

adjustments. For original rebound setting

see the Mounting Instructions or your shock

absorber.

I the vehicle eels

unstable

loose

bouncy

...increase rebound damping

I the vehicle eels

hard

bumpy

...decrease rebound damping


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Adjustment and Set-up

I the vehicle

eels unstable

eels sot

eels low

is bottoming

...increase compression damping

I the vehicle eels

harsh

hard

has bad grip

...decrease compression damping

Compression Damping

I the bike eels sot, unstable, is using to much

wheel travel and you have the perect spring

or you; close the compression adjuster two[] clicks. This will control the wheel during

acceleration more, plus, it will help ride height

and alling through the stroke too quickly.

I the bike eels high, has bad grip at throttle

opening and eels unsmooth over small or

medium bumps during acceleration; open the

compression adjuster two [] clicks. Test run

and make necessary corrections.

When you have sufcient eel o the

motorcycle you can make urther fne

adjustments. It is eeling and experience that

counts.

When you eel that you have achieved an

improvement, go back to where you started and

check once more. Note other relevant actorssuch as tires, temperature etc. Test run to make

sure whether urther fne adjustments should be

made.


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Inspection and MaintenancePreventive maintenance and regular inspection

reduces the risk o unctional disturbance. I

there is any need or additional service, please

contact an authorized hlins workshop.Cleaning

Clean the shock absorber externally with a sot

detergent. Use compressed air. Be careul that

all dirt is removed. Lit the bump rubber and

clean the area below. Keep the shock absorber

clean and spray it with oil (WD40, CRC -6 or

equivalent) ater washing. Wipe o excessive oil

with a cloth.

Caution!Never spray water directly into the adjuster knobs

and/or the ball joints.

Inspection

Check ball joints or possible excessive

play or stiction.

Check the piston shat or leakage and

damage.

Check the shock absorber body orexternal damage.

Check the reservoir or external damage

that can restrict the oating piston rom

moving reely.

Check or excessive wear o rubber

components.

Check the attachment points o the shock

absorber to the vehicle.

Recommended Service Intervals

Racing: Every 0 hours o operation.

Maximum 0 hours o operation

without service and oil change.

Regular street use: Every 0 000 km

Disposal

Discarded hlins products should be handed

over to an authorized hlins workshop or

distributor or proper disposal.

.

.

.

4.

.

6.

Note!Use only hlins Shock Absorber Fluid. Contact

your hlins dealer or advise.

Warning!Do not change the gas pressure. Special purpose

charging equipment and access to nitrogen is

required.

6

4

6


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Your hlins retailer:

hlinsOwnersManualShockA

bsorberR&T|PartNo.074-0

|Issued008-0-4|

008hlinsRacingAB

Phone: +46 (0)8 590 025 00Fax: +46 (0)8 590 025 80

www ohlins com

hlins Racing ABBox 722SE-194 27, Upplands VsbySweden

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