ÖHLINS

Öhlins is the Swedish suspension brand you can spot from a distance by its gold forks and yellow springs, and a regular sight on the MotoGP and Superbike grids. Here you will find its rear shocks, forks, fork cartridges and steering dampers, each with its own part number for a specific model and year range, from a Honda Monkey to a Panigale V4.

Kenth Öhlin founded the company in 1976 and started out making motocross shocks; from there it moved into road racing and road bikes. That mix still shows in the range, which runs from the dirt to the track.

Which part to upgrade first

• Öhlins rear shocks are the most common upgrade: that is where the step up from the stock unit is most noticeable, especially with a passenger, luggage or broken tarmac.
• Fork cartridge kits replace the internals of your fork with Öhlins damping without touching the tubes or yokes, and balance the front end once the rear is new.
• A complete Öhlins fork is for superbikes, motocross and enduro, the Africa Twin or one-off projects.
• A steering damper calms the bars when you accelerate over bumps or ride at high speed.

Much more than sports bikes

Öhlins is associated with the track, but the range goes a lot further. There are shocks and cartridges for adventure bikes such as the Ténéré 700, Africa Twin, Transalp or DesertX; for neo-retros such as the R nineT, Bonneville or Interceptor 650; for Harley-Davidson and Indian customs; for scooters such as the Vespa GTS, Forza 350 or X-ADV; and for small 125s such as the Monkey or Dax. There is even suspension for 65 and 85 cc minicrossers and for classics such as the 1989 GSX-R 1100 or the R 80 GS.

What to be clear about before choosing

• Your exact bike, with years and version: between an R nineT and an R nineT Scrambler, for example, the part number changes.
• Your weight in full kit, and whether you usually carry a passenger or luggage: the spring depends on it.
• How you ride: commuting, touring, track days or off-road do not call for the same setup.

With those three details we can point you to the right part number for your bike on the chat. And if you are looking for other makers, they are all among our accessory and gear brands.