Currently I have standard, run of the mill, Showa forks on my 916. I guess, as the bike hasn't been used and they haven't been looked at for many years, it would be good to have them serviced even though they feel good and there are no leaks. The way I see it, as I will have the forks off the bike, I have several options; 1. Just keep the Showa forks and service them with new oil and seals, etc. (probably also get them nitrated). 2. Get the internals changed for better performance. 3. Get Ohlins or other brand as an upgrade. I must just say that I don't typically go on trackdays (although I may just go on the odd one coming up) and use the bike on shorter fun runs through the countryside when the weather is good. I'm still to convince myself that I will notice a difference with upgraded kit but if the costs aren't too bad I'd give it a go to see. So, anyone got any advice for me? If I go for number 3, what is the availability of Ohlins for the 916 including any yokes required? For number 2, is there a recognised 'best option' for replacing 916 fork internals? Cheers.
Chris, you have to ask yourself how much are you prepared to spend, also how many miles have they done and is it worth the expense. A 916 is now at that time of its life when collectors are looking for them in unmolested form (people don't tend to buy a 20 year old bike as a daily use or main track bike) so the Showa forks would be more desirable for someone who is buying the bike to keep rather than drive. If they ain't leaking and the dust seals are not degraded just change the oil. If you want to spend loads for minimal improvements on infrequent summer drives at least keep the original kit. I just bought a new pair of TiN forks for my 748 heavily discounted (£440 instead of over £2k) as it was cheaper than having them fully serviced, they had done 38k miles and the bushes were getting a little sloppy but I use the bike regularly (daily atm) and put 2-3k on it every year.
Ohlins is all about the looks more than anything, so unless your looking to make a show bike and have the money I would not do this. Get them services and maybe upgrade the internals, I took my 748 forks to K-Tech a few years ago and they transformed the forks. It was cheaper then buying Ohlins and performs better than stock Ohlins.
Check out the parts for sale, a set of R&T in good condition (not mine) for £1000 plus he has mag offset yokes and real porn radial calipers to match
I would agree, I had the Showas re-valved and sprung by Ktech and it was a big improvement. However, I have since fitted 1198S Ohlins to my 916 and also had those re-valved by Ktech and they are in a different league to the modified Showas, which I have now fitted to my Monster (needed a re-spring for the lighter bike) so can do a (sort of) back to back test. The Ohlins are better in every way, firmer yet more supple and compliant - the Showas will bottom out under extreme braking unless the preload is increased to the point where they become too firm yet the Ohlins are just spot on all the time. I'm not sure how much of that is down to the Ktech valving though as prior to the upgrade they were too firmly sprung. The valving in the Ohlins is a bigger bore than in the Showas which, I would imagine helps with the control?
How would those compare to the Ohlins that came on the 916 series bikes? its not a complete apples to apple comparison going from 916 Showas to 1198 Ohlins. Personally, I have to say that if I had the money 1198 forks with the brakes would be an amazing thing to do, but that is getting very pricey.
Is there much needed to fit 1198 ohlins to the 916 . I done the swap on my 748s for 748r ohlins so was wondering what's needed to do the job on my 998 with 1198 ohlins
My 916 has always been a bit of a project for me and not much of the original bike still remains. For me it's about the ownership as well as the riding so I rarely make decisions on it purely based on money and how much value it adds to the bike. Saying that I always weigh up the costs as a decider on the more pricey bits (apart from my mag swingarm and engine, I went a bit mad there ) and that is why I've been thinking so much about the forks.
Not too difficult in terms of work but fairly costly, although you may find the 1198 Ohlins easier/cheaper than 916 series Ohlins as they are more plentiful and newer. You'll need; Ohlins forks 56mm bottom yoke, I bought a billet Ohlins yoke but you can also bore out the existing. Radial calipers 15mm offset discs 1198 Front spindle New brake lines You can retain the speedo drive although I didn't, in which case I needed a spacer to replace the drive and the 998 mudguard will fit. Given that I had to remove the stem from the yoke to do the swap, I took the opportunity to replace the steering bearings. Here's the end result;
I put FG43RT on my 916. Apart from Mag wheels its the next best mod I did to her. Shes more supple and I can feel the front better. As long as you keep originals, then I dont see an issue. (sorry for iphone screenie but its all i have access too atm)
You'd need to speak to Mike. But he has I everything needed as it's a 748 base bike with radial R&T (which again are night and day better than 1098S ones) ohlins. Ps he has had a lot of enquiries but may be open for a deal on the front end
Agreed on the wheels, suspension improvements are great but lighter wheels are the best single mod you can do by far, especially if you're starting with the heavy old 3 spokes that 916s were fitted with - completely transforms the handling and feel and gives benefits everywhere by virtue of less weight, rotating or otherwise.
just get everything set for your type of riding and weight. You will set a massive difference with the correct springs and valves.
Many years ago I was about to buy some mag. wheels, but just as I was about to hand over the money someone showed me a mag. wheel that had disintegrated, leaving just the hub intact. The conclusion at the time was that potholed roads was the cause. Is this a common thing to happen with them?
Marchesini manufactured 2 types of magnesium alloy wheels at that time, ultra light weight (for the time) which were for track use only and R&T wheels that were still very light but reinforced to make them more robust. The R&T wheels were identifiable by cross webbing in the spokes on the rear wheel and a pronounced U section spoke on the front. Use the track only wheel on the road at your peril. Fast forward to the 2008 and the 1098R Marchesini aluminium alloy wheels are lighter than the R&T Marchesini magensium alloy wheels. I have both. Andy
When I bought the 10 spoke Marchesinis for my 916, I looked into the weights and found the forged ally wheels were only a little heavier than the Magnesium whilst being half the price and stronger plus don't need any special care. If you want the lightest go with carbon fibre but be careful with tyre changing. Personally I think the forged ally is the best overall setup.
