kw86er Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 I am in Vancouver BC Canada I am looking at the K-Tech RCU Razor-R Lite and Ohlins YA 335 or the stock rebuild by Norwest. The YA 335 is on sale at 707.65 CAD Locally The Razor is 495 US = 645.31CAD BUT I will need to order from US and will pay duties and shipping on top of that. Both come in about the same it looks like but I can get the Ohlins locally and know the exact cost when I purchase not to mention deal with a local dealer which I like. I am also a sucker for the gold/brand but I would not suffer significant performance loss for it. My forks are gold though so if all things were relatively equal I would buy the Ohlins. The Norwest rebuild is tempting but only a couple hundred in savings... In the front I am thinking Race Tech Kit by Norwest or another local shop who pissed me off once in the past but shipping the forks is also a hassle. I will need to figure out return shipping to my US recreation property address as Norwest doesn't ship to Canada. I am thinking with the right tools a Racetech trained suspension technician should be able to install a gold valve kit without a hitch right? Still getting a quote from them. Anyway I have read that the K-tech is better than the Ohlins but at roughly the same price and from a local supplier is it that much better. And maybe the rebuild is as good and worth the savings? this is what I am trying to figure out. Also if the shock is spec'ed for the FZ-09 do I need to consider anything when specifying my weight? the FJ has enough extra weight to mess with these figures I would imagine. Any help is appreciated K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kw86er Posted August 22, 2018 Author Share Posted August 22, 2018 I guess I should make sure this shock is even a match before I get my hopes up. https://www.baysideperformance.ca/2014-2016-yamaha-fz-09-ohlins-rear-shock-s46dr1?zenid=ks8843omsl7ag5qnucrq9jt6k6 Some companies just say fz-09/mt-09/fj-09/xsr900 so I assumed they were all a direct swap. Does anybody know if there is a difference between this shock and one I might order specifically for a 2017 FJ-09? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kw86er Posted August 22, 2018 Author Share Posted August 22, 2018 I think this has my answer. https://www.ohlins.eu/en/products/motorcycle/ya-335--4736/ But some sites say it comes with 01092-31 spring mounted and the Bayside performance allows me to include my weight. I am not sure if they just send the same spring as anybody else or if they are made to order. I guess I should call them on that tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwicanuck Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 When you order it from them they will ask your weight and will get the correct spring, that’s what they told me anyway when I asked. I got the same shock from different store. You can get k-tech from a couple of places in Vancouver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koth442 Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 Ohlins is a better known name. Usually a decent negotiating point when selling a used bike. '15 FJ09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kw86er Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 I had a quick "live chat" with a guy at Bayside Performance and they said it is a different shock for the FJ but that they did not list it on the site. He said same price so just make note that I need a shock for the FJ when I buy it from the site... Not exactly confidence inspiring but would probably work out ok. I have ordered lots from them in the past. They have good prices and are very busy trying to make sales and keep people happy. That said I think I would rather give a purely suspension shop the order just to make sure the correct equipment. Rod at RMR in the Valley has been helpful and going back and forth via email. He suggested the Andriani Carts at first but I said I had read pretty dismal reviews here and on the FZ site. He didn't have any mods or tricks for them to offer. I wanted a Race Tech or GP kit and he gave a third option of the K-Tech Piston kit. I finally came to the decision that I will get the K-tech Razor R Lite and K-Tech Piston Kit all supplied by a local shop. I doubt that this bike will be worth much when I sell it anyway (I am already getting good use of my skid plate!) but I am sure if I can say it has K-Tech front and back that people can do there own research if I ever sell it. I will post my impressions when I have some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kw86er Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 I just changed my order to the GP kit. The K-tech website is kinda misleading in saying that it offers compression adjustment. https://www.ktechsuspensionusa.com/Yamaha-FJ09-2017_p-21465-k-tech-suspension-20ssk-fork-piston-kit.aspx I don't think it does, it's just a generic description for all models of motorcycle and the FJ carts do not have an adjustable comp leg. The GP kit works out $100 cheaper than K-tech via RMR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member texscottyd Posted August 23, 2018 Supporting Member Share Posted August 23, 2018 @kw86er - Sounds like you have a good plan. Regardless of the option you take, I suspect you’ll be amazed by the improvement to the bike. Personally I went the Ohlins 535 & Race Tech route, and it pretty much transformed how the FJ handles. Keep us posted on your impressions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattonme Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 I am in Vancouver BC Canada how close to the US border are you? There are mail-drops that will hold a package for pickup and you can walk it back across the border. I'm pretty sure there is a K-Tech-Canada though... or the stock rebuild by Norwest. He's not doing them anymore unless in bulk (like 5 units) I've been meaning to send a batch of ZX6 shocks to him to redo... I am also a sucker for the gold/brand but I would not suffer significant performance loss for it. The performance is close enough. Get the right spring! The downside of the Ohlins is no length adjustment. Big UPside considering your location is easy access to Service department. In the front I am thinking Race Tech Kit by Norwest Not an option. but shipping the forks is also a hassle. especially across the border! I can ship you ready-to-drop-in upgraded stock cartridges which you can install yourself (depending how handy you are) or a local shop. Stoltec's piston kit is also available. I have an RT kit sitting on the shelf FWIW. While the RT kit is probably the cheapest option it's the less good option IMO. Also if the shock is spec'ed for the FZ-09 do I need to consider anything when specifying my weight? Depending where you land in the weight class the FJ runs one step higher spring rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattonme Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 I think this has my answer. https://www.ohlins.eu/en/products/motorcycle/ya-335--4736/ But some sites say it comes with 01092-31 spring mounted and the Bayside performance allows me to include my weight. I am not sure if they just send the same spring as anybody else or if they are made to order. I guess I should call them on that tomorrow. Ohlins ships every FZ/FJ shock with the 95N/mm spring. Your local guy switches it out if he remembers/you insist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kw86er Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 Thanks Matt for your input. Terry gave me a quote for the Race Tech gold valve kit intall and a rebuilt shock he has on the shelf. I have an account at the shipping brokers but shipping forks both ways and a trip accross the border doesn’t seam worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattonme Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 ahh, I didn't realize Terry was sitting on product. Sorry for the out of date information. Last I talked to him he was busy with a real job and was "out" of doing onsie-twosie work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stumpy Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 @kw86er - Sounds like you have a good plan. Regardless of the option you take, I suspect you’ll be amazed by the improvement to the bike. Personally I went the Ohlins 535 & Race Tech route, and it pretty much transformed how the FJ handles. Keep us posted on your impressions. I just ordered a Race Tech kit myself. I have the penske 8983 rear right now and have been fine tuning it over the past couple of days. How does the Race Tech work for you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member texscottyd Posted August 25, 2018 Supporting Member Share Posted August 25, 2018 @stumpy - I’ve been very pleased overall with the Race Tech Gold Valve setup for the FJ forks. I went with the part number FMGV S2050C kit, along with their 1.0 springs for my 225 pounds of suspension-crushing mass... Full disclosure: I didn’t do the install myself, so don’t know what magic went into the internal compression tuning exercise. The owner of the local shop that did the work has known me for years, and done outstanding suspension work on several of my track bikes, so I just trusted his judgement implicitly and let him make the decisions. Good news/bad news: There still isn't an external compression adjustment (the bad), but it’s so spot-on that I haven’t felt any need to further refine the compression adjustment (the good). You could spend more on higher-end parts, but for the money this works very well on the FJ. A quick side note: Depending on your weight, dialing in that trick new Penske shock may be an exercise in futility until you get the forks right. Once the bike is balanced and set up for you, it’s an amazingly competent semi-sport bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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