Ohlins FSK 108 Fork Spring Kit Road & Track

[Devilman]

Has anyone installed the Ohlins FSK 108 Fork Spring Kit Road & Track? If so, how does it feel? I don't track my bike it is street use only. I weigh 210lbs with gear on. The front dives a little bit when stopping. I have never ridden a high performance bike before so I have nothing to compare it to other than a Rebel 500. Which I know it has a bad suspension system. I just don't want it so stiff that it knocks my teeth out. LOL. Should I get these or just change the oil to 20 weight? 

[shinyribs]

I googled that part you described. That's actually just the springs that are meant to go along with Ohlins' Nix 22 cartridge kit. Those springs won't work in your stock forks alone. You need the whole cartridge kit for them to work. 

That said, I do have the Nix 22 kit ( comes with the required springs) and I'm 100% pleased with it. Also, before I had the kit in the forks, the nose dive under breaking was cured on my bike with a rear shock upgrade. The stock fork springs are not very soft. Most of the nose dive we feel, in my opinion/experience, is due to poor damping in the stock shock allowing the rear of the bike to unload under breaking. 

 

I'm 220lbs in my birthday suit. 12w oil in the stock forks was pretty uncomfortable with stock springs. The cartridge kit is very comfy for me. 

[twf]

2 hours ago, shinyribs said:

I googled that part you described. That's actually just the springs that are meant to go along with Ohlins' Nix 22 cartridge kit. Those springs won't work in your stock forks alone. You need the whole cartridge kit for them to work. 

 

Why wouldn't work?

Looks like kit with springs, spacers and preload adjustable caps. They are made for all kind bikes including fz07.

 

[stickeh]

i have installed the fsk108 kit and it is not just the springs. its a spring, spacer tube and preload adjuster kit. i wanted to buy the nix22 but couldn't justify the cost vs usage. plus there was no stock available so i plumped for the fsk108 priced at £250 as opposed to  £600. i was confident fitting the springs and spacers but less so with a cartridge kit so i would probably of ended up laying out for fitting as well. i use the bike for lively rides to work and weekend blats in the countryside so no race or trackday ambitions here.

i fitted these myself and used the recommended ohlins fork oil. they were simple to fit. the spacer tube is longer than stock but the spring is shorter and overall its approx. 15mm shorter than the stock assembly.

so the important bit, is it an improvement? i don't know what the nix22 feels like but i do know what stock felt like and this is night and day better. dive issues sorted and front end feel and confidence has risen beyond my expectations. i was unsure as to the results vs cost but am pleasantly surprised, thoughts of adding emulators later on have all but vanished. 

some links

https://www.ohlins.eu/en/products/motorcycle/fsk-108--5374/

XSR700 Suspension Upgrade Series - Part 2: Ohlins FSK 108 Fork Kit Installation - YouTube

MT-07 2020 - motorcycles - Yamaha Motor (yamaha-motor.eu)

 

 

Edited April 28, 2021 by stickeh

[DeLyon]

I've actually ordered these myself, but due to current stock/production issues my local Ohlins dealer had to postpone the installation. Will fit these with the Ohlins STX46 as well. Great to hear people here are having good experiences with them.

3 hours ago, stickeh said:

so the important bit, is it an improvement? i don't know what the nix22 feels like but i do know what stock felt like and this is night and day better. dive issues sorted and front end feel and confidence has risen beyond my expectations. i was unsure as to the results vs cost but am pleasantly surprised, thoughts of adding emulators later on have all but vanished. 

May I ask what your weight is? I am around 210lbs with gear and was wondering if it needs thicker oil than what Ohlins recommends (which is usually for an average rider weight)

[shinyribs]

13 hours ago, twf said:

Why wouldn't work?

Looks like kit with springs, spacers and preload adjustable caps. They are made for all kind bikes including fz07.

 

I was going by the product description that said "designed to work with our cartridge kits". That's all I got.

 

Regardless, a spring swap won't improve ride quality, unless you are severely and constantly bottoming your forks due to way soft springs. And the preload caps are bling to make the package look more appealing.  If you are spending money to purchase properly spec'd springs for your weight then you shouldn't also have to futz around with preload caps to get the springs right. Either way, you're still rocking the stock damping, therefore the same ride quality. Pouring in thicker oil can only make the damping more harsh than it already is. 

Doesn't affect me either way, but I hate to see folks spend hundreds of dollars on bandaid fixes and end up with the same problem they initially wanted to cure. These bikes aren't deathtraps in stock trim. Better off saving up and doing it once vs dropping a few hundred here and there trying to get lucky. 

Edited April 28, 2021 by shinyribs

[stickeh]

we're probably about the same I'm about 97kg (214 lbs according to google) i used ohlins #20 oil as it was what they recommended. i cant comment on what a thicker oil would be like but the #20 feels just fine for me i also have the stx46 the bike was vastly improved with just that but with the spring kit it was even better. i got the shock from Harris performance and due to lack of stock i bought the fsk from a yamaha dealer. you may have more luck finding it from yamaha their part number is FSK-10800-00-00