[Tassie V2]

Hey guys, is it worth upgrading Showa forks with the Ohlins 20mm FPK valve kit ? Does the upgrade require springs etc. ??

 

[gunther19820]

I was just talking about this this weekend with a friend. The 20mm kit isnt a full cartridge kit, that you are disassembling the OEM cartridge and replacing pieces.

Although this was based on the couple Gixxer frontends he did this in. Not sure if they run Showa's or what, so my information may be wrong

 

[[email protected]]

The FPK is just a valving kit. You'd still need springs. Is it worth it......depends on what you want from the bike. If you're serious about racing and are able to use the bike to it's fullest now then I'd most likely skip just the valving and go to a full 25mm cartridge kit. If you're just wanting to get more feel and ability for blazing the back roads and canyons then the valving and springs is your ticket.

The stock Showa pieces are not that bad. When I got my 848 it was pretty good but changing out the springs for proper weighted springs and adding the Racetech gold valves (similar to the FPK) made a huge difference in cornering ability and feed back.

 

[gunther19820]

The stock Showa pieces are not that bad. When I got my 848 it was pretty good but changing out the springs for proper weighted springs and adding the Racetech gold valves (similar to the FPK) made a huge difference in cornering ability and feed back.

Is there a guide to determining what weight springs, etc.. came in the stock Showa pieces?

 

[[email protected]]

Here's the link to RaceTech's stock spring chart and such. Stock frt spring rate is .96 and .95 was recommended for me at 180lbs. Front wasn't too far off but the back was quite stiff. Rear was 8.3 and 7.8 is recommended.

RT - Digital Product Search

I followed RaceTech's recommendations for spring and their recommendations for setting up pre-load before riding the bike and it only required a bit of tweaking.

 

[Tassie V2]

I know with suspension you are always chasing youre tail , limited by budget and compromises. I have 3 bikes , a Bimota DB8, Ducati 1098s track only, and my favorite Ducati 1098SF (base). The Bimota had woefully underdone sus. I put a Matris cartridge kit into the Marzzochi front forks and an Ohlins TTX in the rear , The 1098s is just stock but the geometry spot on. The Streetfighter has Showa but doesnt feel smooth, (hasnt had oil changed yet at 17000km). Maybe this hasnt helped? It feels like its not moving freely enough. (Gets ridden to hard to soften up).

 

[[email protected]]

The Streetfighter would benefit some with proper springs and re-valving. As it's nice to have it handle well but doesn't need to be razor sharp like a race bike needs to be, I'd say get it sprung properly, re-valve the front for better rebound and damping rates and see how that goes.

 

[Tassie V2]

The Streetfighter would benefit some with proper springs and re-valving. As it's nice to have it handle well but doesn't need to be razor sharp like a race bike needs to be, I'd say get it sprung properly, re-valve the front for better rebound and damping rates and see how that goes.

Thanks mate will have a look at them.