We put an '02 R6 Ohlins shock on my son's race bike. To make this work you just need to rotate the reservoir up a bit. We did a bunch of mods internally to make it the best possible option but in stock form (with the reservoir rotated up), it would be a great option.
CDN Duke
Member
Ryanthegreat1
were you able to easily install the stock KTM RC spring on the R6 shock? And how much do you weigh?
CDN Duke
Member
Found your weight...
psych0hans
Member
Hi, how do you rotate the reservoir?
RC390 Fan
New Member
BTW does anyone know what the shock oil wt is on this R6 unit? I'm thinking about refreshing mine and I might even try a heavier wt oil to help with damping because right now the comp clicker isnt doing much, if anything.
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CDN Duke
Member
According to an earlier post, the compression adjuster is more high speed compression and the rebound is both low speed compression and rebound. Not sure if that jives with your experience? Have you tried increasing rebound dampening to see if that helps?
RC390 Fan
New Member
I have played with the rebound and it does slow the rebound but not the comp, at least nothing noticeable. And if I close the comp adjuster (all the way in clockwise) I can barely feel any diff at all. And it makes sense to me that if this shock is undersprung for the RC then it is also undervalved, no? So, short of a revalve I'm hoping that heavier wt oil will help.
It could also be that you have a bad shock core. You have to remember that these shocks are OLD now as even an 02 shock is 14+ years old at this point. A rebuild, or finding a different shock, might work out better for you if your particular shock is behaving badly. From the description it sounds like it's just not working and in need of a rebuild and/or oil change. Also if the nitrogen is low the adjuster won't do squat. The spring used will also have a big difference in how well it is going to work for you. The stock (yellow) spring on the shock is good to about 140# (that's rider and gear) I've found. Not all of the shock cores out there are good. I reject more than half of the shocks I buy to use as cores for my kits. The "under spring == under valved" is not correct. The valving is mostly going to work for most riders. That said, for RACE applications, particularly the damping, it's not going to work well enough. I've built a few of the R6 shocks out for racers, but if you are racing, you should be looking at a better alternative like the JRi. The R6 swap is a budget option for riders that need something on the bike other than that total POS lump that KTM calls a shock... but it's not a perfect solution for all needs and I don't recommend it for racing. For the occasional trackday, and street riders, it does very well tho... assuming the shock is functional, which sounds like your particular one is highly suspect.
RC390 Fan
New Member
I think the shock is ok but yes it is old. Actually, I bought it from formula390 as the non-rebuilt version because I wanted to save little $, of course being aware that I was taking a chance by not upgrading to the rebuilt option. However, it is significantly better than the stock unit and I'm quite happy with the purchase. I think the shock is working properly.
Regarding my initial question, I guess I dont understand how valving is not related to spring rate. How can that be? I'm not a susp tuner but I have worked on my street and dirt bike susp for years, doing spring swaps, changing oil weight and levels, etc., but never any valving or messing with the stacks and wot not. I understand how it all works on a basic level or better.
Before I got the r6 shock I made a hybrid oil weight for the forks on the RC390, mixing 5 and 10 wt oils. (I think its @ 7 wt now) Also added 7mm preload to the stock springs. It's much better for street riding now but if were riding track I think I would go with straight 10 wt. Forks are ok now, I'm just getting too much sagging under acceleration from the rear.
Maybe I'm expecting too much from this r6 shock but I cant help but think a heavier oil wt would slow the shock action down a little. Or at least make the clickers more effective. I just dont want to spend $700+ on a JRI because I'm mostly riding street.
Thanks for you insight.
Regarding my initial question, I guess I dont understand how valving is not related to spring rate. How can that be? I'm not a susp tuner but I have worked on my street and dirt bike susp for years, doing spring swaps, changing oil weight and levels, etc., but never any valving or messing with the stacks and wot not. I understand how it all works on a basic level or better.
Before I got the r6 shock I made a hybrid oil weight for the forks on the RC390, mixing 5 and 10 wt oils. (I think its @ 7 wt now) Also added 7mm preload to the stock springs. It's much better for street riding now but if were riding track I think I would go with straight 10 wt. Forks are ok now, I'm just getting too much sagging under acceleration from the rear.
Maybe I'm expecting too much from this r6 shock but I cant help but think a heavier oil wt would slow the shock action down a little. Or at least make the clickers more effective. I just dont want to spend $700+ on a JRI because I'm mostly riding street.
Thanks for you insight.
andysodandy
Member
@formula390 I wish to buy one of your R6 Fully Rebuilt shocks but am not sure where I tell you my weight for the spring. I'm aiming to be 100kgs fully suited. I hit Add to cart but I cant find where to add in my weight.
Thanks
Thanks
@andysodandy you can put that information on the message to seller on the PayPal check out what you want. The other option is to just email me and let me know and we can work it out. I always contact folks after I get their orders and confirm what was in the sellers note, or contact them some other way, just to make sure that people get exactly what they need 
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Fangfactor
Member
What a great thread with a wealth of info on this topic. Ive read through it all and have an R6 body on the way.
Now Im trying to work out the correct spring weights for my 210 pound weight with riding gear.
The bike will be for track use only
From what Ive read on here Im tossing up between the 11.6kg or 12.5kg rear spring and 0.95 or 1.0 racetech springs for the front
Can anyone confirm which would be the correct way to go for my weight and application?
Thanks
Now Im trying to work out the correct spring weights for my 210 pound weight with riding gear.
The bike will be for track use only
From what Ive read on here Im tossing up between the 11.6kg or 12.5kg rear spring and 0.95 or 1.0 racetech springs for the front
Can anyone confirm which would be the correct way to go for my weight and application?
Thanks
chevaliernoir
Member
I just want to share my experience.
I bought a used R6 shock locally, and requested a complete check/rebuilt (noting was really damaged inside, but gaskets and oil have been changed of course)
I mounted it on the bike (the most difficult is to find a way to maintain the bike during the operation.
I used a very basic tube and 1 collars for the interface without any difficulty.
Initially the preload was at the middle course. (I'm 79kg, without any gear)
The static sag was low (~2cm), so I removed some preload, and adjusted compression/rebound based on my feeling in static
I showed the bike to local suspension tuner (who is also the boss of KTM shop!)
I made additional fine tuning of compression/rebound.
Without knowing the spring rate of R6 he was able to feel that it could be a bit weak for race (but would be OK for Road)
Indeed the Ohlins and Racetech recommended rate is higher that the R6 one.
... But as the fork is also weak, then it's a good compromise.
I will test it on track on Monday.
For road usage I would just say it's much more comfortable that the original shock.
Note that this suspension specialist is able to machine an internal part of the fork in order to adapt a cartridge that he can calculate and tune depending of the usage.
The cost is around 350 €.
A local racer (much fasten than I am) is enthusiast about this mod.
I bought a used R6 shock locally, and requested a complete check/rebuilt (noting was really damaged inside, but gaskets and oil have been changed of course)
I mounted it on the bike (the most difficult is to find a way to maintain the bike during the operation.
I used a very basic tube and 1 collars for the interface without any difficulty.
Initially the preload was at the middle course. (I'm 79kg, without any gear)
The static sag was low (~2cm), so I removed some preload, and adjusted compression/rebound based on my feeling in static
I showed the bike to local suspension tuner (who is also the boss of KTM shop!)
I made additional fine tuning of compression/rebound.
Without knowing the spring rate of R6 he was able to feel that it could be a bit weak for race (but would be OK for Road)
Indeed the Ohlins and Racetech recommended rate is higher that the R6 one.
... But as the fork is also weak, then it's a good compromise.
I will test it on track on Monday.
For road usage I would just say it's much more comfortable that the original shock.
Note that this suspension specialist is able to machine an internal part of the fork in order to adapt a cartridge that he can calculate and tune depending of the usage.
The cost is around 350 €.
A local racer (much fasten than I am) is enthusiast about this mod.
The spring on the shock default is going to be too light for you. Also remember that the R6 has a cantilever arm, so you can't make comparisons between the bikes that easily. I'm going to guess you are going to end up around 90kg in full gear. For track, you'll want to look at around a 11kg spring for you. The swap is MOSTLY intended towards street and canyon riders, and occasional track days, on a budget.
Is it as good as the JRi? Nope.
Is it better than stock? LIGHTYEARS!!!!
I absolutely LOVE seeing so many people benefiting from all the work, time, and money it took to develop this swap mod. Posts like yours make it worth it, as well as those who have done it, and might not have spoken up.
andysodandy
Member
Our R6 shock goes into the suspension guru this week so this weekend I'll be able to tell how it goes
andysodandy
Member
WOW the R6 shock has made a huge difference. Cost us $300 to have the shock serviced and a new spring installed for 75kg for my wife to ride so she is super happy and it also lets me take it now for some fun rides. Not anywhere near what spring I would need for my 105kgs but at least now it doesn't squat to the bump stop and do nothing
All up an awesome investment in this little rocket!
All up an awesome investment in this little rocket!
WOW the R6 shock has made a huge difference. Cost us $300 to have the shock serviced and a new spring installed for 75kg for my wife to ride so she is super happy and it also lets me take it now for some fun rides. Not anywhere near what spring I would need for my 105kgs but at least now it doesn't squat to the bump stop and do nothing
All up an awesome investment in this little rocket!
Told ya'!
For street and occasional track day, it's a mighty fine update at an affordable price point for most. It's certainly not as good as the JRi (tho a fraction of the price) and not really suited to race duty, but compared to that lump of **** called a shock that's the stocker, it's a pretty dang good update to be sure! andysodandy
Member
I have to say a HUGE thanks to Matt from Formula 390 as I was after the more expensive shock and he even recommended I try the R6 first to save money.
Replied to my never ending noob questions without hesitation and it was an absolute pleasure dealing with him
Replied to my never ending noob questions without hesitation and it was an absolute pleasure dealing with him
Fangfactor
Member
Another option with the R6 body. Mated with the standard rc390 spring!
While considering which way to go in spring rate as Im toward the upper weight limit for the 11.6kg and wondering if I should go with the 12.5 I got thinking.
The standard spring is a progresive rate of 8.8-17.7kg and I previously had the standard shock set on preload setting 8 which seemed to give me a good feel on compression but with no rebound due to the standard crap shock.
I measured the spring length at that setting and it was around 160mm. I then measured the R6 shock withe the preload set at minimum and that was also around 160mm.
The issue is the standard spring dia is 5mm larger than the R6 spring.
So I thought why not give it a go
As I have access to a lathe I turned up a new top and bottom spring collar to suit.
As the photos show the 8.8kg range of the spring is almost fully bound so approx the first 30mm of travel is in the 8.8kg range and the rest in the 17.7kg range.
The rebound damping rates of the R6 are pushed to the limits in the stiff range so basically only the hardest 7 settings are useful as any less and the rebound is starting to feel similar to stock.
Once fitted I gave the old bounce test in the garage and settled on setting 5.
This is a firm setup but feels very similar to my old GP race bike.
After taking the bike out for a 20km test ride Im really happy with the result.
Firm but compliant and not harsh. I think with rider weight in the 100 to 120kg weight range it will work very well for fast track work but maybe a bit firm for daily road work.
Im not saying this is the perfect solution as I would prefer a linear rate spring, but hey I had the parts so its worth a try.
Now the front feels way to soft even with 10w oil and 15mm extra preload. BeforeI I get either stiffer springs or replacement cartridges I might even try 20-25w oil to see how that feels as its only $15 in oil and an hours frigging in the garage. In a way I hope its not the solution as my dream setup would be Matris fully adjustable cartridges
On a side note I can also confirm that the Tyga twin under pipe system doesn't foul the R6 shock with about 30mm clearance with the reservoir.
Anyway I just thought Id share as it gives another option for larger riders on a budget
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chevaliernoir
Member
Thank you very much for your experience sharing.
I really like the idea in the principle, but I just have few comments :
The standard RC spring of not really "progressive". It has a certain rate for first centimeters of travel, then suddenly double the rate for the rest of the travel.
I think this , could be a good compromise for road usage, and for example in order to adapt to a passenger presence or not. But not for track or performance.
The main issue I see is about reboud influence. The rebound (and not the compression) is directly linked with the spring rate, as the role is to damp the movement due to the spring pushing the wheel down. If the spring rate is not consistent, you could not have a rebound consistent too, because it will be tune for the low or high spring rate, but will not follow the spring rate big change.
My comment is theoretical, and for sue real riding and real experience would be more valuable.
I really like the idea in the principle, but I just have few comments :
The standard RC spring of not really "progressive". It has a certain rate for first centimeters of travel, then suddenly double the rate for the rest of the travel.
I think this , could be a good compromise for road usage, and for example in order to adapt to a passenger presence or not. But not for track or performance.
The main issue I see is about reboud influence. The rebound (and not the compression) is directly linked with the spring rate, as the role is to damp the movement due to the spring pushing the wheel down. If the spring rate is not consistent, you could not have a rebound consistent too, because it will be tune for the low or high spring rate, but will not follow the spring rate big change.
My comment is theoretical, and for sue real riding and real experience would be more valuable.
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