bitubo shocks

Gary in NJ

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They might be very popular in Italy or the EU, but I didn’t see any dealers in the US. You might be able to have one shipped, but how will that be supported?

When I purchased my Olhins shock, they took my info (rider weight, experience and type of riding) and set the shock up for me prior to shipping. The spring rate was correct as well as the compression. I didn’t even have to adjust the sag, everything was right correct right out of the box. As much as I didn’t like spending Ohlins money, I can say it was worth it. All of the hardware was included as well as an installation and setup guide written for the FZ6. That surprised me, I didn’t think anybody made any performance parts for these bikes anymore. If I do need support or a rebuild in the future, Ohlins USA is easy to find.
 

bigborer

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They are an Italian company with some presence in misc European races. The shock from the link is an emulsion type shock, aka "decent street performance using 70's technology".

They claim that they will set the suspension for your weight and riding style. There's not much point in spending much money on "better" suspension if it's not set up for you (spring rate, valving, oil weight and volume, gas pressure, etc).
I've tried to contact them for details via email and via facebook and one time they didn't bother to reply at all, and the other they just stopped responding when I asked them for more details regarding the "custom setup", which only left me assuming that their "setup" is the same as giving you an off the shelf t-shirt either size M or size XL. Now- imagine what will happen if you'd ever need to make a warranty claim or require additional components such as a seal kit! Personally I don't deal with this kind of companies, regardless of price.

Ohlins is quite overpriced but at least you are able to find plenty of spare parts, service centers and setup info. Some might not like this but entry level Ohlins (emulsion) is inferior to the OEM stuff from mostly any 600 sport bike from 15-20 years ago (even the cbr 600 f4 had a separate gas bladder!) , and something from a more recent liter sport bike is much more advanced than entry to mid level Ohlins stuff.
However, when talking suspension marginal components + a good set up will always beat good components + marginal setup. If Ohlins sets up their stuff based on real experience the extra price is IMO worth it, but if all they do is use some sort of computer generated data (such as race tech) or worse- they only really swap the springs and leave the rest "standard", then no.

Cheapest option is transplanting a used shock from a sport bike but good results might require a steep learning curve and a lot of effort.
 

meadeam

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Pretty much the conclusion I came to. Not worth the potential headaches with getting parts and service. They sell on eBay, which is probably their only US retail outlet.

As fo Ohlins vs. a nice OEM shock, I don't want to mess with modding anything on my bike or the shock and risk making mistakes. If there were a drop in fit from another bike, I'd take it. But it looks like Ohlins is the best and possibly the only option.

I guess I'll think on it awhile. If I spend that kind of money on the FZ, a rear shock is the next place I'd put it.
 
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