Yup, all the suspension is brand new at the start of this year as the old stuff went with the 2010 bikes to Quay Garage (who are also selling all the trick bits from hicky & linfoots bikes) so i cant see why they would sell off unless they needed to get new design stuff, by all accounts the height of the shock stops you using the 08-11 shocks on the 2012.
I've still not seen the new CBR and defo have no data on it.. flippin long time till the start of the season... I guess the frame is the same as is the motor but the arm and linkage....
I sat on the bike in the show but didn't have a chance to lok at everything coz it was being swapped lol. We will have to weight and see
frame geometry is sliiiiiightly different, motor same mounts but internally diff, swingarm & linkage way diff.
Both the HO888 & the earlier HO788 are Ohlins TTX36 shocks for the 08-11 Blade. The HO888 is the newest model shock for the 08 onwards Blade and has slightly different damping than the earlier model H0788 shock, but the main difference is the hydraulic preload adjuster is now remote and connected by a hose to allow the adjuster to be mounted remotely. The problem with the earlier H0788 shock was it had the hydraulic preload adjuster clamped to the resevoir body of the shock which caused clearance problems on the ABS model as the undertray is much deeper on the ABS model (basically the same clearance problem the ABS model had with the Longer HRC style huggers)
Playing devils advocate and not meaning to be awkward but won't the "super rare mega amazing valving & internals" be tailored specific to Kiyo or Shakeys track requirement and almost certainly far to extreme for most riders and pretty much guaranteed far to extreme for the road riding even if shakey or Kiyo was doing the riding. The other thing that would concern me is although the bragging rights as Dan mentions would be awesome to say I use the exact same Shock Shakey did, is it not true that although well serviced the shocks have had an extremely hard life. I believe Ohlins recommend a service after 10 hours of racing or 20000 miles road use which to me shows how hard the shock has been used and that 10 hours racing use before a service is for your average racer I would imagine ex Motogp, WSBK race winner and 2 times BSB Champion Shane Shakey Byrne is a little harder on shocks than Mr Average Racer. Not meaning to upset anyone or be awkward but just some thoughts to consider that I thought may be useful to someone.
Yeah I agree, no shock will be set up out the box and sometimes you can buy more "settings" than you want or need the TTX is a complex shock in that the number of internals both OEM and aftermarket are massive..! My X Stobart shock was a spare and had only done a few laps and even that shows small stone chips etc etc I would not want a shock thats done a full years racing unless it looked mint, do you get mint shocks after a year with those boys on them? As for those forks well as I said they require constant services unlike the R&T forks, so unless your a club racer, want some extreme bling, they would not be for me however nice they look..........but man they do looks the dogs! Going back to the shock I do think its worth a call and I do think they work well on the road or track however fast you may be but spend time to setup sag etc and maybe have it reworked if you find it too stiff and you would have a good deal, you may find that its nice out the box winning bikes are not hard to ride so suck it and see..
Make some good points. But.. What would you rather buy, a boggo ohlins from someone on ebay with no gaurantee about its age, history, spec, service history etc, or a year old shock thats done next to nothing, been serviced every round for service sake, and has all the right bits. As for setup, the trick bits wont stop it being useable on the road, as Nutty, Arthur can vouch they are prefectly useable on the road and for mere mortals like us, the main difference is spring rates and generic setup. A session with Colin from 100% or similar would soon have it setup for you, As you probably know BladeRR8 its not really to make it harsher/stiffer etc, its about being progressive, predictable and compliant, something that we all want from our suspension anyway. As for servicing, its not 10 hours. its usually done every round with Factory teams for service sake but most normal racers & trackday bods have it done once a year. My ttx36 was serviced annually and was fine, i know for certain the Bitubo stuff is Annual service also.
With mine all I did was setup sag front and rear, found good geom with my forks (after some testing) and the bikes suuuuper plush the Unit Prolink does the bizz and makes the shock work unlike say my 848 thats had the TTX in and out and still is HARSH! Like I said the stock shock is miles from consistent and even the average rider would admit the bike would be better...or so I would hope...
Some great points Craig, and the history and service records will be second to none I totally agree mate. I m sure the shock will be great buy for the right person but I think the comment "As for setup, the trick bits wont stop it being useable on the road" is correct IMO it will be far from ideal for use on the road and potentially worse than stock. Yes there is a range of adjustment but I seriously doubt the range will be wide enough to go from BSB Racer to joe average road rider. If I bought the shock I would budget for it getting it revalved specific to me and my requirements but thats just my opinion.
Worse than stock? I could say many things, but worse than stock? not a chance. 3 of us on here run/ran ex race shocks on the road, me on my 06 road blade (ohlins ttx from tom tunstalls bike) Arthur with his ex Stobart ohlins & iirc Nutty with her ex gazza johnson shock. The internals dont change what it can do, just the way it does it.
Just my opinion in a discussion mate did nt mean to offend I thought my comments could be useful to someone who was nt too knowledgeable on suspension. I m a firm believer in if its not broke don t fix it. What I meant by it could be potentially worse than stock is something set up for a lightweight racer who demands a lot from a shock is totally different to an average road rider and could be too extreme and with the range of adjustment available not be able to be simply dialed out. Suspension is a compromise and very rider specific what works for one does not necessarily work for another which could possibly be worse than the stock set up after all the stock set up is hardly bad and must be perfect for.someone. The internals do change what it can do and the way remains the same, I.e shims or ttx or big piston the method of control is constant the variable is thee range of damping I.e what can be done.
