Man, you ain't kidding about the roads. I'm up in Chicago visiting relative this week. Just yesterday I hit a pothole so hard my clock broke off and flew away. I was so pissed I didn't even stop. I looked down and the wheel and it "seems" straight. But I'll have to closely check it when I get home. I thought I was safe with a 21 down south, but I brought the damn bike north for one stinkin' week.......and thats all it took.

 

Linking

 

OK, fine... never come across a road here in Florida...

 

It looks like I won't be able to ride the bike till next week, Slammed at work till monday. I do want to touch on the finish of these shocks a little more though.
One of the things that made me really want to test these shocks out is Ricors price point vs Ohlins and works. Their shocks are a bit more expensive than works tracker series and Ohins s36 model(mine). I am comparing these shocks as a they all only have preload adjustment available. Well, this brings me to the finish of the shocks. To me the shocks are like comparing the finish of my cast wheels on my bike to something like some contrast cut PM or RSD wheels. The Ricor shocks are really beautifully done. The anodizing is top notch and the contrast is very tasteful. I believe Brian told me the are also available in an all black finish as well. The Ohlins I have just do not compare. Their finish is not even close to the quality of the Ricors. My Ohlins are coated not anodized and are much easier to damage and look worse over time. Also my Ohlins, after adjusting and re adjusting for 2up really started to look bad. The nuts get all scraped up easily from the spanner wrenches and the coating on the top of my spring have peeled off quite a bit where the wrench can come into contact with it while making adjustments. Needless to say they look a little banged up. I am sure this would not be as big a problem with solo riders for the Ohlins though.
it's important that I mention the other model Ohlin shocks should not have these problems with their different styles of preload adjusters, however my s36's do. I think Howard from Motorcycle metal had actually been using a nicer adjuster system on the s36 model now than the ones that I received, although I am not 100% certain of this. His website shows a picture of the exact shocks I have on my bike http://76.162.149.2/gpage31.html (listed as the #2's). Another forum member here just recently purchased the s36 model(YSO191) and his look more like the #3 model shock with the better preload adjustment system. Anyways, on the Ricor shocks, you adjust them by hand, there are no tools to use that can ruin the finish of them. So with the extra money spent on the ricors you get a much higher quality of finish over Ohlins. You also don't put any tools to them to adjust them, so the finish is not subjected to these problems that can occur if the shock get adjusted by a spanner wrench.
Here is a negative I do have with the Ricors on the finished product: there are six small contrast cuts at the bottom of the lower spring finishing cup. The finishing cups and spring all turn when you adjust these shocks. These cuts at the bottom must be meant as an indicator for preload adjustment. The problem is they are all the same. I think something that could be really helpful when someone is adjusting the shock is it to have one of these cuts be marked in some way so that the rider easily can turn both shocks to the same point, as well as figure out exactly how many turns of adjustment are needed for setting the shock up for 2 up. I used a sharpe and made a couple of dots one one of each shocks cuts. Perhaps Ricor can come up with something better and more permanent than my sharpie for this.

 

Hey Rounder,
Thanks for the write up. Looking forward to reading your review when you get a chance to put some miles on.

 

Thanks for your writeup so far Rounder. I'm almost tempted to buy a 11.5 cruiser tuned Ricor. I'll wait to get more of your feedback.

 

Just received notice that my Ricors 12" are ready to be shipped. I currently have the 11" pro 412HD, so expect a night and day difference. And have a 1000 mile ride next month through SE Asia so hopefully enjoying a smoother ride.

 

Well, I went to the garage with the intent of adjusting said preload. It turns out just as Howard told me. There is no preload adjustment on my shocks. what looks like threads are just rings. I don't have any idea why I received two spanner wrenches with the shocks. They are set OK for me riding solo - maybe a bit on the stiff side, so hopefully when I am riding two-up with baggage it will be all comfy for the little woman.

Steve

 

if that is the case, that is really messed up. I mean how do you adjust for 2up or set the sag correctly. I mean you have the indents on the top shock nuts that look like they are meant to be adjusted. I will say though, your shocks look very different than mine. one thing for sure, I could not utilize a shock that has no adjustment whatsoever. If your willing, I think you should call Howard and get an explanation on why everyone else has an s36 with preload and you don't. I can't believe ohlin would sell a shock with no preload adjustment. Makes no sense.

 

There is an adjustment in those. The slots in the top by the top of the springs are where the wrenches go. Turn one toward the other with a wrench on each to adjust your preload. You'll have 3 settings.