*SOLD* FZS600 Ohlins Linear Fork Springs £60

[arch33angel]

Only fitted to my 2002 Foxeye for a few months. Being a lightweight 9.5 stone and doing mainly town riding they were just too stiff so I've went back to stock springs. These are virtually good as new. £60 inc delivery.

[vinnyb]

Hi, pm sent, I think.

[tommyardin]

What weight springs are they? It is not as simple as just putting a set of linear springs in the forks, they must be matched to your rider weight clothed up.

I have Ohlins linear springs on my FZS 600, but the ones I fitted were made for the Suzuki SV650 as they suited my rider weight fully clothed up inc helmet and boots, the others supplied by Ohlins were much to light.

I fitted Ohlins 8.5 N/mm Linear Springs as they suited my riding weight of 13.5 to 14 stones.
The SV 650 springs were a little longer than the Yamaha 'Progressives' so I had to shorten the steel tube top spacer that is standard with the bike by that differing amount.

In fact the whole process was not quite as simple as that as I fitted cartridge emulators at the same time, if anyone was interested I could post the whole process in here. It had been posted before or part there of, so I guess could be found with a search.
I kept a log and wrote it all up as I went on with my upgrade.
Might be of interest, might not.   

[vinnyb]

 Hi Tommy, I fitted a new rear shock and a Hagon progressive fork springs earlier this year, the shock is great but I'm not that impressed with the springs so I need to either play with oil levels and/or grades or swap them out for linears and go from there. I've contacted archangel about them but haven't asked about the spring weights. If I get them I'll see how they feel and maybe upgrade with YSS emulators if I think I need them. Like I said to Archangel, I don't object to spending money on the forks if it makes a noticeable improvement to their feel.

[tommyardin]

Hi Tommy, I fitted a new rear shock and a Hagon progressive fork springs earlier this year, the shock is great but I'm not that impressed with the springs so I need to either play with oil levels and/or grades or swap them out for linears and go from there. I've contacted archangel about them but haven't asked about the spring weights. If I get them I'll see how they feel and maybe upgrade with YSS emulators if I think I need them. Like I said to Archangel, I don't object to spending money on the forks if it makes a noticeable improvement to their feel.

Hi Vinnyb,
The trouble with Progressives is that they are a compromise which ever way you look at them, they are what they are, they try to cover rider weight from one end of the weight spectrum to the other, the same spring is for an 8 stone rider up to a 18 stone rider, it just can not work for such differing rider weights.
The original Yamaha spring is said to be 'progressive' the springs that came out of my 2003 FZS 600 were not Progressive, by definition 'progressives' change spring rate progressively across it entire length, the ones taken out of my bike were dual rate with a definite change about 1/3rd way down the spring. See photo of the two springs Linear and the original side by side.
A correction to my earlier post, on reading up my log again the SV650 Ohlin Springs are in fact 10 mm shorter than the original Yamaha springs, but as I fitted the YSS Emulators these effectively add 16 mm to the spring length, so in fact I had to remove 6 mm from the spring top tube spacer.   

[tommyardin]

If you not interested in suspension upgrades to the FZS 600 don't read this it will bore the f--k out of you 

But for anyone who might have an interest I hope it helpful.

This log was written almost two years ago so it may sound like past tense 

Firstly I purchased a new Nitron (R1) Sports rear shocker, it was built with the correct spring and settings for my riding weight and riding style.
Whilst replacing the shocker I stripped out all the linkage and cleaned all the needle bearings and repacked with ‘Red Rubber Grease’, I was surprised as there was still quite a bit of the original grease still in the bearings, they were showing no sigh of wear   :-)
For the front forks I purchased a pair of YSS Cartridge Emulators from Wemoto.com.
(YSS Model PD310 for the 2002-2003 FZS 600 Fazer)

To facilitate the operating of the Emulators the Damper Rods need to have more holes drilled through them to overcome their damping effect. YSS recommend that 6 X 8mm holes be drilled in them to achieve this.
I went a slightly different route because the damper rods on the 2002-2003 FZS 600 are shorter (190mm) than the earlier Boxeye model (210mm), I was concerned about encroaching on the upper chambers of the forks when the forks are on full compression by drilling the 3 X Double (6) 8 mm holes. 3 X 8 = 24mm, plus 2 X 10 mm minimum spaces between holes = 44mm extension up the damper rods.
(using the centre of the original damper hole as a datum point)
 
 
I opted for 2 X Double (4) 10mm holes with one 15mm space between them = 35mm, also to give me a little more lea way I used a fine chain saw file to lower the original 5mm damper hole centre by another 3mm, before drilling the 10 mm holes. 2 X 10mm = 20mm, plus 1 X 15mm space = 35mm, and as I had lowered my starting point by 3 mm, the extension up the damper rods is now 32mm as opposed to 44mm.
The general settings for the YSS Emulators is two full turns (For lighter togged rider) in on the Emulator adjusting screw from initial emulator spring contact with the valve, I set mine to 3 full turns as I am 88-89 Kilos togged ready to ride (14 Stones).
This setting I am fairly happy with although 3.5 turns might have been better coupled with 15 weight Silkoleen Pro Fork oil.
Whilst doing this work I replaced the original Yamaha ‘Progressive’ fork springs with Ohlins 8.5 N/mm Linear Springs, again suited to my weight. 
The Outcome:
Firstly I am really pleased with the overall improvement with the bikes handling, I have heard terms like ‘The bike feels more planted’ and ‘I feel more confident cornering now’ and that ‘The bike turns in better now’ and to be honest I think the terms that have been used are accurate.
There is a twisty bumpy lane near me (1/3rd mile Rat Run) that has quite a few holes and uneven surface areas (Not fair to call them Potholes) but it’s a lane that I ride at about 35 - 40 MPH because it shakes the crap out of me and because I know that the bumps and pits are coming up I tend to brace myself ready for them (Wrong, I know) and the bumps travel up the forks and give me stick in wrists, elbows and shoulders and generally p----s me off.
I found myself riding down that lane the other day at about 50 mph thinking to my self could go faster,
of course I was still feeling the bumps, but, they are not jarring anymore and the bike feels much more stable.
Since then I have taken the bike out on the infamous A272 in Hampshire (Petersfield to Winchester) a sweeping road that is great for biking, (Be warned speed cameras are a regular feature along its length) 
I noticed that powering hard out of corners the forks tend to feel as if they topping a bit, so I may need to replace some of the fork oil with a heavier viscosity oil, to stiffen/slow up the rebound as bit. This should also help with the compression damping and might mean I have no need to adjust the emulator setting by another ½  a turn.
I have purchased 30 weight Silkoleen Pro fork oil.
I will replace 100ml of the 15 weight with 100ml of 30 and see how that feels, I understand this to be fine tuning.
I replaced 75 ml of 15 weight fork oil with 75 ml of 30 weight, I did not notice any difference to start with but by the time I had ridden about 40 miles I notice a real improvement powering out of bends, I noticed the bike was not topping out anywhere near as much, I think the delay in noticing any difference was due to that fact that it took a while for the oils to blend/combine together, since then I have replaced another 50 ml of the oil from the forks with another 50 ml of 30 weight, now I am really pleased with the rebound its fast enough to keep the wheel in contact and does not make the wheel run light at the top of rebound.
Plus there is no need to adjust the YSS emulators as I feel that the whole setup is just right for my riding style and weight.

I feel that this a worthwhile mod and that it has been a great improvement to the bike, not just the handling but also the comfort.
The only setback is that without purchasing another set of Damper Rods this is an irreversible mod as far as the front forks go.
There are often sets of Fazer FZS 600 forks on eBay for sale, and if they are bent in some ways so much the better as they will be cheaper. The stanchions usually bend from the point where the stanchion enters the bottom sliders or where they exit the lower steering yoke so the damper rods should be unaffected.
There is always a disclaimer with any information or advice:
Anyone doing this mod, especially the front forks does so entirely at their own risk.
One last thing.
Some say there are better and financially cheaper ways of improving the rear suspension.
There is a member on FOC-U (DevilsYam) that can supply you with a modified R6 mono shock to fit your Fazer and set it up for your weight and riding style, he can also supply the necessary dog bones and fitting instruction for considerably less than I paid for my Nitron Mono shock.
You might find you can save yourself a small fortune.
Don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with the Nitron but it is pricey.
There is also a serial front suspension moder on FOC-U (Kebab19) you can search for his advice on the front fork mods.
I have used his advice in the fork modifications that I have done, and, I could not be more pleased.
Static Sag on Front is 25 mm.
Static Sag on Rear is 16 mm.
Static Sag is just the weight of the bike on the suspension.


Rider Sag on Front is 41 mm
Rider Sag on Rear is 37 mm
The Rider Sag is weight of rider and bike combined on the suspension.
Rider fully togged up ready to ride, complete with helmet, leathers, gloves and boots.

You will need the help of a couple of reliable friends to steady the bike and to measure Front and Rear Rider Sag.
I am now looking forward to seeing those 5/8 inch chicken strips slowly diminishing.

WAKE UP sorry thought you might have fallen asleep

[tommyardin]

Better picture of the original Yamaha front fork spring.
Is it 'Progressive' or 'Dual Rate' ?

[arch33angel]

The legend on the springs reads 08619-80 FFS-KBA 91119 What this means I don't know.

[robbo]

Had  dig around on the interweb, 08619-80 is 285mm long with a spring rate of 8 Nm, the recommended ohlins oil is part no. 01316 and the oil level should be 100mm and is suitable for a GSF600 Bandit 1995-99 and also ZZR600 Kwaka1993/94
08807-01 is also 285mm long with an 8 Nm spring rate. The recommended ohlins oil is part no 01314 with an oil level of 140mm.
Hope this helps.

[tommyardin]

Well done Robbo, you confirmed what i wondered/guessed that the last 2 numbers are the spring rate I believe, so 80 is 8 N/mm, 85 is 8.5 N/mm and so on.


Most Ohlins motorcycle springs will fit as long as the are the right outside diameter, the original springs are 35 mm outside diameter and 318 mm long, that is the ones that came out of my 2002-03 Foxeye (2002 model 2003 registered) FZS 600. Just been up to the shed and measured them.


The Ohlins SV650 linear springs were 34 mm outside diameter and 308 mm long.


The difference of 1 mm in outside diameter made no difference as the SV650 fork leg inside diameter is the same as the FSZ 600 and they sat comfortably on the tops of the YSS emulators.
The difference in spring length can be overcome (As long as they are reasonably close) by either cutting material from the top tube spacer or if the springs are a little to short by adding 35 mm penny washers to the top of the tube spacers (Available on eBay) but make sure that you put the original solid steel disk/washer to the top of the stack or it will impact on the fork pre-load adjusters.


My guess would be that the 8 N/mm spring would be OK for a rider weighing no more than about 12 - 13 stones fully togged/clothed to ride (76 - 82 kilos)
if the seller is asking for £60 and they have only been in the bike a short while they are a bargain.
I paid almost twice that amount for mine, but they were new. 

[arch33angel]

Hi, thank you for getting some info on them. I'd be about 11 stone togged up with top box on. The springs where fine for out of town riding but I'm in town 80% of the time. The stock progressives are back in now and while not perfect by any means the shit road surfaces aren't as jarring now.