Is Aftermarket Motorcycle Suspension Worth The Money?

I tested my aftermarket Bitubo shock vs my stock Yamaha R1 shock to see if it's really worth 6 times more money.

⚙ MY KIT

📷 SOCIAL

[static]

Swapping out the stock springs to one that matched my weight solved 99% of my issues. As well as servicing them with fresh oil and a new rubber bumper thingy. Mine bike was a zzr1400.

[jomunoz]

You are brave, getting this video out to people that always have an opinion on motorcycles, but probably have never own a sports bike.

[JPWest]

Just get the right spring for your weight for the Bitubo.
Obviously that’s the problem with the shock.

[ncgriso]

Have you looked at fitting the standard spring to the bitubo shock? That would (might) improve the spring rate issue. If it's already running an Ohlins spring there's a good chance they are interchangeable. You might get a great solution at no cost other than the labour...

[igoradsilva]

Perhaps the difference between them is not about the feel. Maybe it's about the durability, or maybe it's about how well it handles different ambient conditions (like if it doesn't misbehave in very wet or very good conditions)

[franklinwilkerson]

You absolutely would have to do this comparison with both shocks with the correct spring and set up with at least sag/preload set. The better shocks have much better damping because the way the oil is forced through those tiny holes is more involved and precise. You also need to test in the same weather. Rain setup is completely different than dry. I did spend far too much time staring at my Ohlins suspension though. Tires are more important than a foo foo shock.

[Qassu]

I'd go through the process of tuning that Bitubo to suit my riding and weight. It takes some time as you actually need to do it twice, the track and street setups are different. But, you'll be totally fine with that original shock too. It does have wider operating range so it'll be much easier to setup for mixed riding and it does have enough tuning range for most of the riders. In your forks, keep the Bitubo cartridges, just change the springs to the correct stiffness for your weight. That's something you may have to do for the original cartridges too as the original springs are pretty stiff. I have a -09 Fireblade and during this winter I'm going to upgrade the front suspension with at least a bit softer springs.

[christiansacra]

I’ve swapped the rear shock on an 09 GSXR 750 and a 11 GSXR 750, both have really made a difference imo. Suzuki kinda skimps on suspension and brakes though so it naturally would. I put a Penske on 09 and K-tech on the 11, both bought second hand on eBay and set up for me professionally. I feel I have better control of the bike on road and track

[comfysofa]

id never tried "goog suspension" - but took the plunge on my old RSV4 factory with already installed oem ohlins and went for NiX30 fronts and a TTX mk2 rear (which was amazingly cheap and almost new) - ive never been on a race track and a comlete novice but my only description i can give was when pushing it "the hard you ride...the more compliant it becomes"....im glad i upgraded and feel that it was worth the money.

[vito]

I tend to use stock parts on my track bikes until I reach their limits. on my 1995 yzf750r stock shock and fork springs were fine for my weight and pace, on a "newer" 1999 R1 they were hopeless so I had to change them. my advice would be to learn the basics of suspension setting and try to tune what you have before spending money on something you may not need

[RatherBeTouring]

This was a good video. Not everyone has a full workshop or access to money for aftermarket gear so hearing the stock setup works as intended is a thumbs up for the manufacturer .

[greyanaroth]

Man, a wrongly sprung shock is very jarring, especially for lighter riders. I went down 2 spring rates on the stock Öhlins on my rsv4 factory. And wow, the difference was massive. You may want to hit up your local bitubo dealer or get in touch with the parent company for a different valve stack + spring for your riding and feel the difference. It SHOULD glide over surface imperfections while giving you great support for track riding.

[gvybin]

I am no trackrider, but I played with suspension enough to learn that everything starts with the right springforce. If you have the sag (front and rear)with your own weight right, without having to change the preload to the extreme ( preload doesn't stiffen your spring, it just sets your rideheight front/rear to level the bike), then and only then, you are good to move on to setting damping and rebound. SO, an expensive rearshock with the wrong spring for your weight, will never be good. On the other hand, some OEM springs on bikes are way to soft for the average rider. Example, I changed the rearspring on the rearshock of my Tiger Sport 1050 to match my weight and did the same with the frontsprings (lineair hyperpro's). So I changed nothing to the damping or different valving. I got the sag perfect front and rear. Setting up the stock damping ( rebound and compression was easy after that) I got a 10 times beter suspension for very cheap.
I think that the only way to have a fair comparison is to have the right spring on both OEM and aftermarket.I also think, that for the average, non track rider, having the right spring will do it for most of us, that is, if the OEM spring is already a decent damper, with possibility to set compression and rebound and with fresh oil.
Congrats on your videos. great to watch and respect for the work done

[NeveMindAnything]

The best sunday afternoon entertainment!

[ssc]

Hi, I'm really loving the shock absorber series. It's one thing that we motorcyclists experience the least variety of. I feel my bikes rear suspension is stiff for me. I can feel each undulation on the road surface through the rear suspension. The ride quality is always busy. I was under the impression that aftermarket suspensions, if setup correctly, are good at absorbing sharp bumps whilst providing very good handling and stability in corners, which made them so expensive. But this video was a revelation for me, and helped me understand that an expensive aftermarket suspension does not necessarily mean comfort. I'm confused again. It's hard to find a bike the same model as you own which has aftermarket suspension setup which can be test ridden. And aftermarket suspensions are not inexpensive either for trial and error. Now I'm confused again 🙂. I hope you make more videos on suspensions, their setups, the detailed physics behind why each setting performa the way it perform and the factors with with which a beginner can judge the feel of a suspension setup. Thanks!

[Mageer]

For the road, Yamaha stock suspension is good enough with some tweaking. I replaced the rear shock spring and went with a thicker fork oil and it transformed my XSR 900.

[Anonnymouse]

Setup and maintenance is everything.
Once your stock shock is old & tired you could get it rebuilt and setup by someone who knows what they are doing... but for a little more you can get a brand new one that's setup for you by the factory.

[wiggenvan]

I mean, I know you kind of recognized it’s not a fair comparison, but I don’t know if you recognize how much. To at all compare the two, they need to be set up the same, with the same spring rate. Even a stock shock may not be set up properly for an individual, and you may have to swap springs. Stock springs don’t have a weird quality to make them applicable to a wider variety of weighted riders. You didn’t actually compare anything, except that if you don’t set up your suspension, you might have no idea how much better or worse it could ride. The fact that you kept comparing between stock and aftermarket makes me think you don’t see the full gravity of setting it up. At the very LEAST, one should set up pre-load, but did you even change any settings on that? Set up is also not just for the dimensions of the rider, but rider style and skill. You should really have someone with a lot of knowledge help you set both up, and then see what you think.

[Affliction]

Yesss I have a 2019 R1 and I feel like the stock shock after dailed in to my weight is good for me.

[jessevvilsteren]

The way its Setup makes a huge difference, getting it tuned to ur specific Weight makes such a difference.