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[Pard]

Another tire changing machine.  Looks promising.

[Pard]

Set of OZ wheels coming next week for comparison to stock wheels on stock suspension.

Set of Ohlins coming after that.

Smiles per miles value proposition to be tested...

[Pard]

Installed a set of OZ wheels today with the stock suspension still in place.  Will test tomorrow and report back.

Ohlins are ready for installation following the test.

[HoodRichOG]

I'm a bit of a suspension snob and while the Ohlins is pretty basic level of suspension I can tell you that you will not be disappointed. I usually upgrade the suspension on my bike but in the case of the Ohlins I find it to be pretty good.

I have not had any of the complaints that people have with the stock suspension.

[Pard]

Great to hear!  ^^^  Thank You!

[Pard]

Back from the test ride with OZ wheels.

Verdict:  Well worth it.

Stock suspension is now able to handle the demand.  No more pogoing on sweepers with road imperfections.  On all but the roughest roads, the suspension makes the ride tolerable, not painful.

Spirited performance riding is no longer sketchy due to an inability to coordinate the action of front and rear suspension.

Handling, acceleration, braking, and range are all improved.

Forces to change direction are reduced.
You will need less twist of the throttle to reach your chosen speed at your chosen acceleration rate.
Braking requires less distance and less force.  Regen works to slow the bike more substantially.

Range is improved.  Less force to get up to speed, less battery consumption.  About 2.5% based on my very methodical route test.

Get rid of those stock wheels...

[Specter]

Ive got the stock suspension on mine and sometimes the front end feels real squirrely, like it want's to drift all over the place and im not pushing it.   Not sure if it's just me, subliminally maybe pushing, or leaning, it just seems VERY like loose at times.  Maybe it's cold and the tires are sliding?  I dunno, but at this point, as I am wanting to get into riding a bit more spirited, and not just straight line, this really concerns me as I don't need to low side into a damned ditch here on a simple turn because I over estimated what the bike can do.  Sometimes it feels like the front wheel wants to start sliding in a turn, like there is sand on the road, but Ive actually stopped, parked the bike, walked back and checked, nope, it's a clean turn.

Ive heard that suspension is really a BIG thing when it comes to performance riding, and then see the Ohlins listed for what?  almost 4K on their website.  That's a LOT, but if it helps the bike  perform much better, (and safer) then i'd be in for it.  I really wish there were more shops around here with someone who I knew who KNOWS these things and I could trust to really help me tune the bike in, get the suspension adjusted PROPERLY for me  and all.  I really do NOT trust the dealer in Orlando, and the more people I meet who have dealt with them as well, the worse I feel about going back to that place.  I am told the place in Daytona has a lot better group of folks there, which although under the same overall owner, sure hope is true.

What would be a dream is someone opening a shop up, that deals with mainly E bikes, ALL of them, and throw in E cars too.  Get the techs, get the people trained, and now we KNOW there are people who ARE qualified to work on our rides for us.  yes most of the stuff is standard that any bike shop should be able to do, but a lot of them are squirrely because it IS electric, and want to act like, well those are not ICE brakes, that's not an ICE tire or dumb shit and don't really want to touch the bikes.

Aaron

[Pard]

@Specter  , Dave Moss does remote suspension tuning  for a very fair price.  Reach out to him.  You may also want to go to a local track day, where you can always find very knowledgeable suspension savvy types to help dial in what you have.


https://davemosstuning.com/remote-tuning/#:~:text=Remote%20tuning%20is%20a%20unrivaled,%2C%20Zelle%2C%20Facebook%20or%20Square.

While you will certainly feel the difference with high end components, the stock stuff is really good enough for every rider in terms of control and safety.  Other than always having to have the best, upgrading the suspension is often a performance choice for aficionado types.  I waste money on performance upgrades on all my bikes, while the best riders I know still ride better and faster than I do on the crappiest components   

[Specter]

They have two tracks near me.  one is off by I 75 and I hear a lot of fun, only an hour or so away, I really want to get onto, they offer classes and stuff, and I hear from a lot of people is a really laid back, fun day and great people.  Problem is, I think next week is the only open week left then they appear to be closed until September it seems.  Boo !!  So I might want to just wait until then to get full into it, and by then I'll have all my own track gear, the full leather suit, gloves, boots etc and be somewhat ready for my first lesson.

There is nother track out down by Homestead which is probably a 7 hour drive, so Id need to make a weekend out of it, find somewhere to stay etc, but offers much the same thing, also appears to be more of a professional track with a longer straight away etc for if you really want to open it up, that also offers classes etc etc. 

I absolutely want to go the full, im a stupid clueless noob, teach me from training wheels on route so I have a REAL idea what is going on.  (If I kill myself, that's my own fuckup, but Id have a real hard time living with myself if I killed someone else out of my own ignorance) so want to go the full training route to get to where I can consider myself a decent rider.  Overall at the end of the day, yah the adrenaline rush is awesome but I want to learn how to handle my bike better, on or off the road, lean into turns better and handle it better.  I know a lot of it can be brain trickery, but having someone SHOW you instead of learning it the hard way on your own is a lot better.

I'll have to show up, even if I don't ride the bike that one day / weekend, at least have someone look at it and help me at the least, get the suspension dialed in and general talk.  Riding on a track, where you are allowed to go fast, and have pro's there to help you do it SAFELY .vs.  ok I didn't see any cops, let's 180 and roll back...is probably a better venue in the long run

Aaron

[Pard]

@Specter

For the best training available anywhere, IMHO, leave your bike at home, travel to the next school offered by YCRS.  They rent bikes and riding gear for the 2 day school.  Will change your life.

https://www.facebook.com/ridelikeachampion/

https://ridelikeachampion.com/champ-school/

[Specter]

Thank you for the Inputs Pard.  i was seriously thinking that too, there is another class / school they mention as well which i was looking into.  I also thought about renting a bike because well... why drop my bike when I can drop theirs ::cringe::  but seriously, when you look at the 600 lb Energica .vs. the maybe 300 something ish they will probably rent you, it's a BIG difference in handling tactics, not to mention, you don't have shifting to fiddle with, or a clutch to feather, though you probably could sim it with the regen braking. 

Wouldn't it be better to learn on my bike which IS significantly different in many aspects?  or just learn first, get good THEN go thru with my bike and then learn the differences?   

Aaron..

[Pard]

Thank you for the Inputs Pard.  i was seriously thinking that too, there is another class / school they mention as well which i was looking into.  I also thought about renting a bike because well... why drop my bike when I can drop theirs ::cringe::  but seriously, when you look at the 600 lb Energica .vs. the maybe 300 something ish they will probably rent you, it's a BIG difference in handling tactics, not to mention, you don't have shifting to fiddle with, or a clutch to feather, though you probably could sim it with the regen braking. 

Wouldn't it be better to learn on my bike which IS significantly different in many aspects?  or just learn first, get good THEN go thru with my bike and then learn the differences?   

Aaron..

You will learn the same essential skills regardless of the bike.  Rent one of the schools bikes and the carry over to your Rebelle riding will be 100% despite the differences.  Any rider, any bike, any road is the motto of YCRS, and I can swear the skills you learn are indeed just that transferrable. 

[Pard]

[Pard]

Finally going to put in the Ohlins today. 

There was a delay since I had to source a swingarm mounting kit which differs from stock.  New bushings in the swingarm and top hat adapter for the lower shock clevis.

The Ohlins front forks require relocation of the ABS sensor and phonic wheel from the left side to the right side.  There is no integrated mount in the fork leg on the Ohlins for the sensor, so I also had to source an adaptor. 

[Specter]

Keep us informed!  What a pain, you'd think they'd be more plug and play but well... that'd make life.. too easy 

Aaron