Ohlins Damper re-valve Sydney?

[Johnnyflash]

Done some searching but to no avail. Does anyone know where would re-valve a stock 06/07 ZX10 Ohlins damper in Sydney? Can't justify buying an aftermarket one so shitty stock one revalved it is!

Oh, and has anyone got a stock damper surplus to requirements?

Cheers
J.

[Wattie]

Zenodamper

[hoffy]

Zeno..hes at lidcombe..

[HYPE]

Zenodamper
2/15 East Street
Lidcombe NSW 2141

M. 0406 468 039
http://www.zenodamper.com.au
info@zenodamper.com.au.

best to Email queries & requests

[Johnnyflash]

Cheers guys, pricey enough in Zenodamper at $135 I thought!

Hoey's in adelaide is $90 and Racebike services is $80......!

[Wattie]

Didnt you say Sydney?

[Johnnyflash]

Didnt you say Sydney?

Yeah but was pricing around for comparison!

Does it sound expensive to you?

[Wattie]

When you consider what a new damper is worth, then its pretty good.

What is comparable prices in syd?

[born green]

Didnt you say Sydney?

Yeah but was pricing around for comparison!

Does it sound expensive to you?

I paid $120 four years ago in melbourne , so i reckon $130 is ok... its well worth the expence.

[steve086]

I just bought a white power steering dampner for my rs125 it was $470. So to get one beefed up for $130 is a bargain compared to buying a good one

[born green]

I just bought a white power steering dampner for my rs125 it was $470. So to get one beefed up for $130 is a bargain compared to buying a good one

Yep...for a 130 or so, u get a huge difference, they do work well when done...

[zenodamper]

Hmm, comparing apples with apples? One can fix the ZX Ohlin's SD's very simply and cheaply; but like all work, there is work and then there is work, so are we all quoting for the same work>?

It is not a matter of revalving, as they do not have a valve like a shock or fork does, it is more a matter of fixing up the leak they come with standard. The same leak that means the damper at 0 clicks is akin to a regular one at like 8 clicks out. So, if one just pulls the part and puts back in then it is one price, but if one pulls the part, replaces that, as well as the seals and rebuilds it using the 10,000 dollar Swedish machine, it is another price.

Likewise, I could do fork oil changes in 20 minutes, no doubt, but when I do do it, the cartridges comes apart and every shim is checked for rust or bends, and the pistons checked for flatness, as well as everything else. So, yes, a regular bike shop may charge the same or even less, but it is not the same work, is it? Point being here is that over time we should try to raise the standards for work, not lower them through pricing pressure. Some people just want cheap work, and that's fine, but as long as we know that not all work is the same work, quality-wise. Usually one can tell what sort of company it is from it having less employees (or none like me) vs. more, this usually differentiates the business type - time, wages and Super pressures etc. And also the purist nature of the operator often as not too!

I (only) ride every day, and have loved my bikes probably more than most will know. So asking me to do worse work than I would want for myself somehow never sits right in the stomach. I often make the error of thinking people want things how I do too. I know I am like a purist-facist dictator in this area, but it errs in a non-malicious direction at least!

Of course, I did not have to explain this. Can't stop people from speaking, right? But like saying there is no class system in Australia, which is not a problem for those more affluent weirdly enough as they can be viewed as equals (ha ha), likewise, suggesting that all suspension businesses run the same way only ever helps those with no massive idealogy for improvement to live up to. Indeed, some tuners/techs never even ride bikes, let alone use the latest technology in their everyday commuter machine, hmm, very unsame really... LOL

[Kawawog]

Yep, had mine done by Mr Z, best money spent

[Zedexten]

Hi Zeno.

I am assuming that this thread is about 're-valving' the SD that comes with the 2011 model ZX10R ... or that this applies to all of the dampers? I thought I would share my experience, it might help others. Of course, if your experience differs please speak up.

I have a 2011 model, and had the steering damper 'revalved' by another damper specialist. This procedure meant replacing the valve with one which had the holes sealed with loctite. And when I took it out on track it felt great - job done. Until I almost dropped the bike in the pit lane; I turned to the right and the damper almost locked completely. WTF?
So I checked everything else first; no loose cable, nothing that could have caught the steering? No, all clear. So I had the specialist look at it and he confirmed that sure enough, there is more 'dampening' when steering right compared to left. He then proceeded to take the SD completely apart, check every aspect of it to figure out what could be causing it. Nothing, all looked fine (inc the modified needle). So he grabbed another needle - one that he had modified for another customer and he fitted it to my SD. Yep, you guessed it ... the problem remained. So, no idea what is causing it.
There is also the slightest 'nothchiness' in that direction. Only the slightest, but it is more so in that direction.

I figured that in my usual way I'd go online and ask around, and sure enough I found a couple of other riders who experienced the same problem. One bloke only found out when I told him how to check it .... so I'm guessing there are others out there still.
I then asked the suspension experts in the US, and they could shed no light on it. HOWEVER, the 'modification' they do differs a little - they change BOTH the valve and the seat in the SD. In fact, if you look at the schematics and spare part lists of the original SD and the aftermarket SD (021 v 023 from memory) the difference is not just the needle, it's also the seat (the orifice, the hole) - it's a different size. I'm thinking that there must be a reason for it, and the only thing I can think of is that with the smaller seat (OEM, I think) the pressure in one direction must force the valve to close a little more, hence the greater 'dampening'.

For personal reasons I haven't yet had the chance to address my SD - I was going to replace BOTH the valve and the seat, to see whether the theory is right.

What do you think James? Have you noticed anything like it? Does it make sense?

[zenodamper]

Yes, I know the parts you mean, I also have them here - there being 3 basic means to achieving a similar result. One of which being epoxy, which I tend to not see as something I want to do any more - I just do not like any glue or otherwise inside oil, and besides the part is not bank-breaking to begin with.

No, I do not see left to right as different (yet!), because it is a needle on a thread, it cannot favour one direction, or float to another from any pressure change. And the seat is fastened inside too, so their relationship is being governed by that pitch.

With the state of the economy and the offshore purchasing, I am unlikely to spend time researching this. Much sounder to put my time into getting a TTX to work well on a 10R (which I have now done, tried and tested, thanks) - one needs more brains IMO. Which won't do much now to stop the band-wagon-trend-thinking about K-Tech though will it? Steering dampers on the other hand are so low to buy-in from wherever-state or kingdom that I coincidentally also do not have purchasing access to, and add to that the individual's freedom to do so as not being penalised by our government (i.e. selling out the small guy - why can't I be an American mom?), and well achieving legend status with cheap fixes that sap oodles of time is just not for me - I do not believe people are even that grateful even if you do, and gratitude doesn't pay for my spine to get put normal again.