Anyone have any experience with haviong an Ohlin shock done for them by Howard at Motorcycle Metal? In theory, what he does makes a great deal of sense to me ince any "off the shelf" shock will not be taylored very much for a specific riding style, bike, and rider weight, just a vroad ranke of conditions. I am just interested to hear any opinions from anyone on how their biked rode after having an Ohlins shock set up by them. Not really gearing towards the Penske or any of the higher end Ohlins, just an S36E with no external dampening adjustment set up for my weight and ride style. Any opinions would be appreciated, Pics as well if you have preferably with black springs (never saw the Ohlins on a Street Bob).

 

DP, I have the Ohlins with the remote resevoir (36PRICILB), with the black springs. They made an unbelievable difference. I think the length is as important as the brand, I used 13.2 " shocks to raise the *** end up and get the bike to steer (jmho obviously).

I think the standard Ohlins would be a great choice. Not sure all the adjustment stuff on mine is really necessary for street riding (great bling though)

I used a different vendor than Howard (had purchased from them before), but several on this forum have purchased from him....MudPuddle,...... ah damm memory is gone. Anyway, I think all the feedback has been positive. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase from him. (edit see reply from Mudpuddle below)

If you do a search there are quite a few recent threads on Dyna suspension,shocks, handling, etc.

 

everyone that i have worked with that hs used Howard has been so pleased! that is where i am going to get my next set up !

 

You'll get a sweet ride. Have the Ohlin s36E. Howard will hook you up.

 

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DP, yes I got shocked from Howard at Motorcycle Metal.

Apparently I was sent an off the shelf shock.
Not good for me.




greg, I think you were wise to use a different vendor than Howard.

My experience was not good.

mud

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Deleted, no place for this crap Anyone wishes to know why; because this will not do this great forum any good. Believe what you like.

 

Deathproof(interesting moniker- I'm a priest and haven't found anyone who is really death proof yet, but I'm still lookin , in answer to your question about Ohlins shocks.... I bought a set of Ohlins 36PRCL shocks from Howard Messner at MotorcycleMetal.com last winter. They cost me considerably less than retail, thanks to a good deal Howard made for me. He knows me, my riding habits and my bike, having fabricated a dual Brembo front brake conversion for my '06 Streetbob a year earlier. Having had a most positive business experience with Howard from the dual brakes conversion I went back to him for the shock upgrade.
You may have read about the blind test of mystery shocks I did last year- it convinced me that the $ spent on shocks would be money well spent, and I went with Ohlins fully adjustable(length, compression, rebound) piggyback reservoir shocks. The Streetbob has 12" stock shocks, and I went with 340mm(13.4") shocks. I wanted improved suspension and better ground clearance on the corners, but most important was ride quality. I ride a lot solo and occassionally 2up with camping gear. It's important to me to have a suspension that can handle very different situations- aggressive solo riding and 2up riding loaded to the loadlimit of the Streetbob. My experience with the Ohlins shocks is- GREAT.
The shocks have smoothed out the ride over Chicago streets- infamous for their potholes. Rumor has it that entire neighborhoods have disappeared in some of them! I also have Racetech cartridge emulators and progressive springs up front, which helps a lot too- the front end doesn't drop 5" when I hit the brakes hard! The combination of Ohlins in back and racetech up front has given me a bike that isn't a rice burner but one which handles cornering, accelerating and braking much, much better. The improvement over stock, and over the Progressive 440 shocks I had on my bike(my old signature pic below) was incredible. I can corner faster with much better feel- no wobble, stutter or sag in the sweeps. I can hit potholes that used to jar my teeth(and broke a shock mounting bolt one night in the rain before I had the Ohlins on) and the wheel stays locked to the ground while I float over the pothole with only a minimum feel of the hit. When I ride 2up my wife doesn't feel like she's being subjected to a torture chamber. She is so happy I got the Ohlins that it makes the $1450 I spent on them an investment in my marriage(how's that for rationalization?).
I've put a lot of thought and energy into making my bike the best all-around sport cruiser I can, and the Ohlins shocks have been a big part of the project's success. Good luck. Jay

 

 

I seriously doubt Howard did anything wrong. As an owner of Ohlins, setup is crucial to ride.
I can only adjust preload on mine... Experimenting, I increased the preload about 3/4 a turn(threaded preload).
Just this little adjustment caused the shock to bounce me up off the seat blasting over my neighborhood speedbumps. Dialed in, the ride is incredible, the bumps disappear.
I don't know Mud's complaint, and it is none of my business, but, if he desires something different from what he got(and proper adjustment is not the issue), he should send back so Howard can address his needs.

 

Ok then. You say serves him right.... I say I don't think Howard did anything wrong... the comments are related.