Suspension upgrade question

[diamonddog-2]

Sorry about the response gap there but I had to get some billable work done!

SEE!!!!.....this is why I come here!  All this information and experience!  Next thing ya know, I'll feel like I should become a actual member!   

I've always fought the cheap side of myself, trying to get by on a less expensive route. I usually regret it....but not always. Everybody loves value and getting a deal. However; I almost hate spending too much, needlessly, as much as I do being 'penny-wise and pound-foolish'.

Thank you, Moronic, for the detailed description of how it all works. My tiny brain needed to read it twice to get it....mostly.  It kinda sounds like the Penske might be a better internal valving system, which is the bigger part of the fluid dynamics and ultimately, how well the shock will work?  It ain't all that much more than the price I was originally quoted for the DU 044 anyway, which is also set up specifically for my weight/riding by Duc of Omaha. Possibly just putting a 'weight corrected' spring on a new Sachs [my current one has 30K on it] might also be a big improvement?  I dunno, I kinda lean towards a Penske.  Question: if my weight goes up or down , say 10 lbs from 180, is there a simple external adjustment to slightly compensate? Preload, I get that but anything else?  This M900 is for single riding only.

Next up:  What to get for the fork rebuild!?

[S21FOLGORE]

Adding 10lb. to 180lb. is just 5.6% increase, so it's well withing adjustable range.

It's not that Penske has "different" system. They (shim stack valve) all work based on the same principle.
Take a look at the video below. (Skip to 2:20) You will get the idea of how shim stack valve looks like.

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/tuesday-tune-ep-2-how-damper-oil-flow-is-controlled-2016.html

Then, read the links below.


http://www.motorcyclemetal.com/gpage26.html

Then, read this.

http://www.shimrestackor.com/index.htm


http://www.shimrestackor.com/Physics/model-physics.htm

[ducpainter]

Sorry about the response gap there but I had to get some billable work done!

SEE!!!!.....this is why I come here!  All this information and experience!  Next thing ya know, I'll feel like I should become a actual member!   

I've always fought the cheap side of myself, trying to get by on a less expensive route. I usually regret it....but not always. Everybody loves value and getting a deal. However; I almost hate spending too much, needlessly, as much as I do being 'penny-wise and pound-foolish'.

Thank you, Moronic, for the detailed description of how it all works. My tiny brain needed to read it twice to get it....mostly.  It kinda sounds like the Penske might be a better internal valving system, which is the bigger part of the fluid dynamics and ultimately, how well the shock will work?  It ain't all that much more than the price I was originally quoted for the DU 044 anyway, which is also set up specifically for my weight/riding by Duc of Omaha. Possibly just putting a 'weight corrected' spring on a new Sachs [my current one has 30K on it] might also be a big improvement?  I dunno, I kinda lean towards a Penske.  Question: if my weight goes up or down , say 10 lbs from 180, is there a simple external adjustment to slightly compensate? Preload, I get that but anything else?  This M900 is for single riding only.

Next up:  What to get for the fork rebuild!?

My dad had an expression... 'Cheap is expensive, and expensive is cheap'.

I, too, fight outlandish prices whenever possible, but always try to buy the best I can afford. I can't afford to buy a deal that doesn't work.

Buy the best you can afford, be confident in your choice, and I doubt you'll ever regret it.

[MonsterHPD]

I don´t know current status on eBay, but maybe you could find a "full" secondhand öhlins  (with both adjusters), or any high-quality shock for that matter, and have it serviced and re-shimmed and -spurng to your weight?

I´m about 135 lbs, and I have softened the shim set-up on all Öhlins shocks I´ve had (M900, M800, 749 / Hym 1100 track bike). As they come, they are too harsh for comfortable street riding. set up that way, they will work on track as well. The bike may move around a little, but it´s controlled.   

We tend to be a little Öhlins-biased here in Sweden, not so much because they should be better than anything else, but because they are common. A bit like small-block V8´s in the US ... 

As for the forks .... well, I won´t go there, some of you will know what I think of the "adjustable" 50/54 Showas ... unfortunately, the 50/54 Öhlins shocks are quite rare and probably expensive.

[diamonddog-2]

Again, thank you for the links that help to visualize the mechanics of what's happening inside the shock and lead to a better understanding.  The fact that there's software for mapping a shocks rebound/damping is just crazy-cool.  The discussion has been just great!

Penske vs. Ohlins?    Either will be a big improvement over the stock Sachs shock with 31K + miles on it.  The good news is that I just realized I have some money coming from a property tax refund.

Yes, ducpainter, I've slowly learned that quality remains long after the expense has been forgotten, er, or at least became a distant memory...   My brother and I both still fight the "cheapness gene" we inherited from our dad.   I had to resist the temptation to get a much cheaper version of my bike, the Duckati Muenster 8991/2

... yep, slowly learning