6
CAUTION!
Adjust the oil level with the fork leg
fully compressed and no preload
washer nor spring installed.
NOTE!
See mounting instruction for
recommended oil level.
The oil level is measured from the
top of the outer leg, with the top nut
off, see fig 6.
A change in oil level should be
made in small steps. We recommend
a change of 5 mm at a time and not
outside the range of 80-130 mm.
Maintenance
Telescopic front forks depend on a
smooth, friction free action.
Make sure your forks are regularly
serviced.
Do not use strong solvents, such
as brake cleaner, to clean the front
forks. This will dry out the seals and
the steel tubes and cause friction or
leakage.
After every race:
Clean externally and spray with an
all-purpose oil after washing with
detergent.
Check externally for damage.
Put a little Öhlins green grease
(148-01) on the steel tubes and
work it in by pushing the fork up
and down.
Every 20 hours:
Dismantle the fork and check all
parts for wear and damage, replace
if necessary, see page 10.
Both the adjusters have a normal
right-hand thread.
Click position zero (0) is when the
adjusters are turned
clockwise to fully
closed.
The adjustment range, from fully
closed until maximum open valve
(anticlockwise), is 20 clicks.
In order not to click in the wrong
direction; always first close the ad-
juster, then dial-in the new setting.
Making adjustments
To make improvements using the
adjusters, it is important to understand
the function of the front fork and the
shock absorber and through testing
learn how they effect the handling of
your bike.
Make sure that you have the correct
springs and the correct spring preload
before making any adjustments. And
always start with the Öhlins recom-
mended settings:
NOTE!
See mounting instruction for
recommended settings.
NOTE!
Higher click numbers give less damp-
ing force.
When making adjustments; keep
notes, make adjustments one at a
time... and in small steps.
The adjusters should normally not
be adjusted in steps of more than 2
clicks at a time and not outside the
usable click range.
When you think you have made an
improvement, go back to what you
started with and double check to be
sure. Pay attention to changes in
conditions like tires, temperatures
etc.
In general, compression damping
changes should be used to influence
the bike’s stability and response,
while rebound damping changes
should be used to influence comfort
and traction.
When you need more damping
force, you should mainly try to in-
crease compression damping and
use as little rebound damping as pos-
sible.
This usually means that you gain
comfort and performance in handling.
Oil level adjustment
As the air trapped between the oil
and the top nut acts as an air-spring,
a change in oil level will effect the
damping forces. Not in the early
stage of fork travel, but a great deal
in the later stage.
A general description of how the oil
level/air-spring effects the damping
forces are shown in fig 5.
The air-spring gives the Öhlins
USD fork a progressive spring rate,
preventing it from bottoming out hard.
By using different combinations of
springs and oil levels/air-springs you
can alter the characteristic of the fork
and tailor it to suit different tracks and
conditions.
CAUTION!
The oil level must be the same in
both front fork legs.
Riding a bike with different oil levels
will cause instability.
When the oil level is raised:
The air-spring in the later half of
travel is strong, and thus the front
fork hard.
When the oil level is lowered:
The air-spring in the later half stage
of travel is soft, and thus the front
fork soft.
Oil level
6.
Oil level is
measured from
the top of the
outer leg, with
the top nut of,
the fork fully
compressed
and no preload
washer nor
spring installed.
Air spring
5.
A change in oil
level will effect
the damping
forces, not in the
early stage of
fork travel but a
great deal in the
later stage.
Oil level
5 0 0
4 5 0
4 0 0
3 5 0
3 0 0
2 5 0
2 0 0
1 5 0
1 0 0
5 0
0
F
o
r
c
e
k
g
f
Stroke mm
0
2 0
4 0
6 0
8 0
1 0 0
1 2 0
Oil level 100 mm
Oil level 110 mm
Oil level 120 mm
Oil level 130 mm
Force
Stroke
