Anyone got any advice on the above? I’m only riding on the road but want to upgrade the rear shock and possibly swap to cartridges on the front, the prices don’t seem to be much more than revalving them. I’m the best part of 95kgs and the roads round here are exceptionally crap so it needs to be compliant and not just track orientated. Maxton are really close and have a great reputation but thought I’d ask before I dive in. I would prefer to buy British but not if there’s better out there for my application. My head was turned from Maxton by the Mupo but after finding out they don’t exist anymore I was advised to look at the Bitubos as fantastic alternatives. And down the rabbit hole I went….
Maxton 1st class both front and rear Nitron is good but are limited on fork options but make good rear shocks I've heard mupo and bitubo are good but can be hard for servicing.
Got a bitubo on the rear of my hyper (the 3 way one) lovely bit of kit...cant fault it... Got Nitron pro cartridges on my z1000 on the front and a nitron 3 way on the rear....again...lovely, beautifully made - transforms the bike Never tried maxton though - ohlins ttx mk2 on the rear of the RSV4 and NiX30 cartridges on the front...again brilliant - i would say as the RSV4 is the one that gets ridden the fastest....the more you push it the more compliant it becomes.... I like Nitron stuff for exactly that reason - its british...im all about finishes and materials...the nitron kit has well, not even weathered - the rear shock after 6 years looks like new...and the z is my everyday bike...gets used in all weathers...gets cleaned too...
Mupo was the brand that made me second think the Maxton thing and got me into this mess but I was told Mupo does not exist anymore as it’s been shut down with Bitubo being the next best thing. The Bitubo looks like great kit but I’ve no first hand experience of them. My luck the week after I fit them they will shut down I don’t think I’ll go wrong with any of the options as Maxton is round the corner from me and I’m 30 miles from a really good Bitubo/Nitron service shop. I just didn’t want something that was race focused needing constant adjustment. Set up once and then just ride the thing. I don’t have much of an issue with the Showa BPF’s but I don’t want get the rear done to then highlight the front issues. All manufacturers only offer the top shock for the V2 platform so the front should match. MCT seem to the go to people for a revalve on them at around £360, Maxton revalve is about £600 and full cartridges are hitting the £1k mark but offer greater performance for the road due to the smaller diameter pistons.
I would say that the big piston forks are actually very good. You aren’t going to notice a big difference on the road by paying loads for fork cartridges - honestly- unless you are racing and really pushing the front end to it’s limits then it’s just spending money for the sake of it. If you are struggling to get your setup right then the right springs and oil for your weight should be all you need for road riding. The rear shock is a different matter. I have Ktech and I would definitely recommend it. Nitron and Maxton also make quality kit - all British made. Race quality kit generally has finer adjustment options but that doesn’t mean you have to make constant changes once it’s setup. You will pay more for that level of tuning though, which might be a waste if you just want a better quality shock for the road. Based on what comes up on ebay and on here second hand, it would seem that Ktech are more popular than the other 2 brands with Ducati owners. There’s one on there at the moment - mint but at the higher end of the price range for used shocks. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/14477991...UW2ZS23Q_i&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Thanks for the advice and real world feedback. The front feels quite good and an oil and spring change would probably out perform me like you say. I’m happy to send them off to MCT and save a few quid in the process. I was hoping no one would mention Ktech but they do seem to be very popular so must be getting something right. I’ll do some research into the whole DDS thing. Another shock to deliberate about What I like about Maxton is they valve the shock to your personal use and also set it up on a dyno to give you a good base setting, hopefully a few clicks later and it’s dialled in. They only offer the top GP10 shock due to space needed on the V2 platform
A visit to TWSuspension near Preston (not too far for you) may provide the solution you’re searching for. He sets up all the brands mentioned here, services them all too. He’ll tune your suspension for your weight and riding style while you wait (£50.00), or provide real world advice on what you may want to consider. https://twsuspensiontech.co.uk/ Tel: +44 7743 735 346
I like the standard BPF's but it's hit and miss with them, some tuners hate them. MH told me he hates them because where the body of the leg is the piston outside, as the bike brakes really hard it distorts the tube and the piston doesn't move as well. You probably have to be a lot quicker than me to have those issues!!! Mupo have indeed quit. Personally all of the ones listed seem okay. My mate had Bitubo on his race R1, and loved them, and I've spoken to loads of people with Nitron who like them, and yes, british built so without being all nationalist it's probably just easy to get good support etc.
Dave is a Bitubo specialist https://obsessionengineering.co.uk/ might be worth giving him a yell. He's got first hand experience of riding them on his TT bike too.
Nitron & Maxton are as good as any . I have both on current bikes and cannot fault either. The difference over the stock shock was far better than I expected. This will be a mod you will really enjoy.
This is really not helping my decision So much quality info which backs up my thoughts that I can’t go wrong with any but it’s good to hear real life experiences. A Nitron R1 and MCT front would outperform me but Nitron don’t list my bike, All other offerings only list the top spec shock for these, must be used to rich Ducati owners I’ve already spoken to TW and they will be the guys who set the bike up no matter what I get. They were my 2nd point of contact after Maxton but nothing was listed for the Streetfighter V2 on his system
Thought I’d put some rough figures for any other interested parties. For just under 1500 I can get a Maxton rear shock and MCT to fettle front. For a few hundred more I can get the full Bitubo XXZ rear shock and EBH cartridges installed and I’m still non the wiser. I’ll have to decide, do I spend slightly more knowing I’ve over done it or save £300 and always wonder what if
OK here is my two cents. There is nothing to be gained or lost by having the same supplier front & back. Road riding with a great rear shock will transform your bike and your enjoyment The original forks correctly set up; possibly with spring changes, is quite probably all you need and will be much less expensive. The main differences between top of the line Ohlins, Maxton & Nitron are colour and price. Hope this helps!
If you're not too far from Maxton (Frodsham) you'd be daft to go anywhere else. They make some of the best aftermarket shocks and for internals and it's on your door step. Richard is great and he'll spend as long as it takes to discuss your options, benefits and settings, plus he's always there if you have any queries. I'm less than an hour away and back when I was racing in DD everyone was dropping stuff at Maxton as they'd done a cartridge kit for the very dire forks, this was when they were in the little church (next to their new building) but they were nothing other than professional. Likewise I went back a year or two later when I was racing an R1, same again. I've been contemplating for some time to go back as they're working wonders on my current road bike.
I live in Frodsham and Maxton were the default choice but I couldn’t help looking at options and getting real life opinions. Before I put this thread up I researched and decided to give Mupo a try, loved the product etc so contacted Dave which led me to Bitubo. Their pressurised fork cartridges look brilliant as does the rest of the gear but I really don’t have the expertise, skill or patience to make the most of the bitubo shocks and it’s for a road bike so probably overkill with yearly service intervals especially with my skill level. The other week I spoke to the guys at Maxton and had look at the products which are again top notch and way beyond my level of riding, Richard sent me the spec sheet and I was just deciding on what to do with the front end, rebuild or go full cartridge to compliment the GP10 rear shock. Like you say, Richard is no nob. He truly knows what he’s going on about and his set up is fantastic with actual real life knowledge and a shock dyno to take out the guess work As a side note, my lads just had brain surgery(3 weeks ago and brought forward from April next year) and we’re about to move into a rental property while we rebuild ours so as you can imagine is a bit chaotic here. Council took over 10 months to decide on planning but that’s another story. Anyway, decided to tick this off my list yesterday and make some decision on the front with end with Maxton when Nitron emailed with an offer I couldn’t refuse if they could use my bike to develop the products on. So, in Feb it’s off to Oxford for a few weeks for an R3 rear and TVT Pro cartridge kit, will I always wish I’d gone to Maxton? Probably, but my bank balance will be happier with this decision. My only stipulation, a titanium coloured spring
I ran mupo for a few years and would never touch it again. for road maxton or nitron out of the two in my opinion. Id steer clear of race stuff for the road. It isn’t what it was designed for. Off the shelf ohlins is made in China these days fyi
