I rebuilt my front Ohlins shock today

In December I bought a used set of Ohlins shocks for my 2004 1150RT. I got them for a decent price but the front was leaking a bit, the rear was fine. After calling around I discovering that most places wanted $90-100 to rebuild the shock plus parts cost, plus shipping. An amount which to me seems ridiculous considering the amount of time it takes to do the job,(especially now that I've done the job). I went searching the Internet for info about how to do a rebuild myself and to my disappointment I found next to nothing, but a YouTube video. I did manage to find a site where I was able to download an Ohlins shock service manual that covered my shocks. It must be that I'm one of the few people in this world stupid enough to try doing the job myself, or those who have done it don't write about it on the Internet......Or maybe Google just sucks. I don't know.

So today I finally received the correct seal head that I ordered 5 weeks ago after being sent the wrong one 1 week ago. It takes all of about 5 minutes to reassemble a front Ohlins shock for a RT. Takes just about the same amount of time to disassemble it. No special tools required for the front shock but for a N2 fill tool that I built for about $40.00 and $20.00 of that was for a MOTION PRO NITROGEN NEEDLE KIT. And I had to buy a high pressure regulator and some high pressure hose. Already had a spare tank that was filled with argon, exchanged it for one filled with nitrogen.

For those interested the seal head was $36.92, the piston band was $15.51, both of which according to the manual need to be replaced during each rebuild. The Ohlins oil was $23.18 and a 60 gram jar of Ohlins red grease was $15.95.

The rear shock is another story. I will need to build at least two or three special tools to do that job as that shock has a divider piston and the cylinder head needs to come off. Shouldn't be to much of a problem though, since I have a good size lathe and a small mill in the garage. I'll tackle the rear shock in the next few months if I have some time. Quicker should it start to leak.

Now for one observation. The original shock that came with the bike is flipped compared to the Ohlins. When I say flipped, I mean that the part of the shock that extends is on the top of the OEM shock and on the Ohlins the part of the shock that extends is on the bottom. The nice thing about how the OEM is designed is that the shinny shaft for the most part is protected from bugs, stones, and just about anything else, by the upper frame that the shock bolts into. On the Ohlins, the shinny shaft is much more exposed to incoming debris, which I would think would lessen the life expectancy of the seal head. Has anyone installed something on the lower portion of the Ohlins spring to act as a shield to protect the shaft?

Has anyone installed something on the lower portion of the Ohlins spring to act as a shield to protect the shaft?

That would be me. I took a pair of black pantyhose and doubled it over. Zip tied to the bottom ring and to the top. Covers the entire spring and keeps out all debris, yet breathes.

Prior to this I had a leak happen shortly after a rebuild. 1500 miles. Now I have no issues to date with this cover.

The folks at Ohlins USA are awesome with their tech support and customer service. When I ordered the parts and oil to rebuild both of my shocks they sent me the complete manual in pdf format. I ordered the parts and had them in 2-3 days.

Go straight to the source and avoid the delays

Thanks for the tip. When I rebuild the rear shock, I'll call Ohlins and get the parts.

Hi azccj. Do you consider it worthwhile to do the rubild yourself?

From totting up your shopping list, in parts alone it has cost you at least $151.56, not including your time. This puts the $90-100 that others want more into perspective.

Andy

Dan Kyle Racing gets 250 dollars for his time, parts and shipping for one shock. Plus it costs 25 dollars to ship it to him. I need to hear more about this garage rebuild process. What are all the tools and equipment required? I like TonyK's solution.

Hi azccj. Do you consider it worthwhile to do the rubild yourself?

From totting up your shopping list, in parts alone it has cost you at least $151.56, not including your time. This puts the $90-100 that others want more into perspective.

 

Andy

Actually it was $131.56 but that was for a tool that will get used more than once, enough oil to do at least two rebuilds and enough red grease to do many shocks. The shock re-builders that I called wanted $90-100 just for their labor and oil. The seal head and piston ring was extra. So actually I saved a lot of money and now have a tool that will last my lifetime plus still have extra oil and grease for the rear shock when I rebuild that.

Dan Kyle Racing gets 250 dollars for his time, parts and shipping for one shock. Plus it costs 25 dollars to ship it to him. I need to hear more about this garage rebuild process. What are all the tools and equipment required? I like TonyK's solution.

The front shock is easy. It is just an emulsion shock without a divider piston that separates the oil from the nitrogen. No special tools are needed to take the shock apart but for the locking ring wrenches to remove the spring. You'll also need some way of recharging the shock with nitrogen either by making or buying the tool to do it, but I would imagine that there are shock shops in most big cities that could do that part of the job for a small fee.

The rear shock is another story. First you will need some type of hydraulic press to remove the spring, it is held in place differently than the front shock. The cylinder head needs to come off which requires a tool to hold the shock body in a vice. You'll need a tool hold the divider piston when you remove the vent screw. If the bottom end clevis needs to be removed then you will need a tool to clamp the shaft in a vice. I haven't done the rear shock yet so I can't say for sure what tools need to be made or what common tool might work.

So the advice I would give you now, is that the front shock is very easy to rebuild and is doable by most home mechanics with a decent set of work tools. I would also say that paying someone $100.00 labor to change out the oil in the front shock is......silly unless you have no mechanical skills or just really hate working on stuff or you have a bunch of money and don't mind paying someone to do it.

Best meaty thread in a while. Thanks for great information.

My guess is that Ohlins have softer seals for less stiction (maybe a tiny performance benefit). But it also means you have to rebuild them every year of two, as Ohlins urges. Like the sound of that?

Front Ohlins rebuild is slightly more do-able DIY, once you have the nitrogen gear. On the other hand, what's better about that plain emulsion shock compared to stock emulsion shock?

Suspensions should be right for the particular rider. But a lot of reasons to prefer revalving (or re-oiling) a stock shock. See my write-up.

Ben

I've been using DesMoto Sport in San Francisco for my Ohlin rebuilds for the past 12 years. Just had them done last week and the pair normally run around $350-$400 depending on parts needed. I drop them off and they are done in a day or two.

Ohlins Front shock rebuild, including parts & shaft polishing. $165

Hygear Suspension / 308 Peruville Rd, Freeville, NY 13068

Good people there, Ross Benson owner