I’d buy direct before I would buy from suspended by smarty , Carol Burks is not a suspension expert , he is a retired power company lineman who got into selling Ohlins to make a few bucks , the knowledge you think he possesses is printed on Ohlins website and literature , research it and you will have the same knowledge. He now makes his own mounting brackets he will try to sell you to increase his profit. Buy from someone who truthfully has knowledge and can help you. Howard was a full service dealer / authorized service center , Smarty/ Carol is a dealer only and that is a huge difference. A authorized service center has a lot more knowledge and understanding of the shocks , how they work.

 

i figured that about the service center, but the nearest one to pittsburgh is akron ohio, about a 3 hr drive. i found one place local thats just a dealer, im currently seeing what kind of deal they can get me but the parts guy didnt even know they were a dealer, had to ask the owner. if they want msrp ill just go through ohlins directly. i think im going to give the ohlins service place a call tomorow and see what they have to say too, see what they carry in stock and all that, they might suprise me, but they look more like a dirtbike place by their website.

 

Dude, you’re 45 minutes from Pro-Action in Beaver Falls, they will install and tune your suspension and you’re supporting an American local business. I love mine. They set me up. And I lived in Phoenix. Best customer service I have received regarding bike parts. I hope to ride there as I am closer and have front suspension done.

 

im well aware of that and im not in any way knocking them. its actually a little more than 45 mins since im a little ways south of the city, but still negligable. ive been wanting to change for awhile and they were on my short list. part of the issue is, theyre an emulsion shock for 925 where everyone else is doing a divided shock for right around 1000 and their piggyback shock is 1700. the way it was put to me, ohlins is the gold standard in motorcycle suspension. thats pretty well undisputable. everyone else is compared to ohlins so, why not just buy what everyone else is compared to? i think im still going to give pa a call tomorow too though.

 

For what you are trying to get from a big bike, the difference between emulsion and divided might not make a bit of difference. The way it’s set up will make more difference in the outcomes up you are looking for.

 

im not going to dispute that, but if im getting emulsion shocks i feel i should be paying in line with where most premium brands are priced. most other high end emulsion shocks are in the 600$ range. i dont really see much point in paying more for less. if pricing were comparable, or the products were comparable for the money, id be right there.

 

I bought a set of the HD044's last year, and bought them straight through Ohlins USA. Very nice to work with. IIRC, the guys name was Jerry, and we talked about overall weight, type of riding and so on.

 

IMO, you don't want what they have in stock you want what is intended for your riding weight and use.

If the seller doesn't take that information from you then you won't get at least the minimum you need from a shock.

 

Also try Cycle Solutions. Great customer service. And you can normally get a bit of a discount.

 

I’m taking Ohlins off to put Bitubos on, like I put on my last bike. I don’t ride aggressively enough to need a competition shock (external reservoirs for cooling). Ohlins doesn’t do much for me on their base shocks. I’ll have rebound adjustability on the Bitubos for $100 less, which is just a bonus.