Ohlins Nix30 2014 R Forks

GB Tools is on Ebay.au, but I think I can get all the tools including the pull rod and cartridge clamp cheaper from triumphparts.englemotors.com. After viewing a fork oil change video, I think I need the pull-up rod. And in-US shipping is free for $100+, so I'll throw in the cartridge clamp.

I cannot find anything about shims for the NIX30 forks. The TTX36 uses 6mm ID shims.
Are the NIX 30 shims also 6mm ID? The Ohlins SKU number for the added shim would show that.

I saw somewhere that the torque for the compression stack nut is 3Nm.
I found 3 litres of new Silkolene 5 fork oil in my garage, but it’s a bit heavier than the Ohlins (24 vs 19 @ 40C). I’d rather use something lighter. The ATF idea is very interesting, I’ll certainly consider that, especially if you observed that it reduces stiction. ATF is very rugged, can withstand a very harsh environment.
There seems to be no build info on my fork legs, so I’ll assume the same stack as yours, and order the tools and shims to do both ends at the same time. Thanks for all your help.
IanB

 

Mobil 1 synthetic LV ATF is not available in Australia at a reasonable price, but there is a local equivalent in Penrite synthetic LV ATF. Similar viscosity to Mobil, 28 @40C, a bit more than Ohlins 1309-01 (19@40C). I’ll go for the Penrite, keeping in mind it's heavier than the Ohlins fluid, change all the shims under the transition shim to 0.1mm.
In the shock, add a transition shim, thinner shims under it and pressurise the shock to 10 bar. From previous experience 12 years ago with the Showa suspension on my Daytona 955i, I won't regret making the suspension a bit too comfortable, as long as it doesn't bottom out on the worst bumps, but I'll aim to keep it a bit firmer this time. I'm retired, and my bike is used only for road riding.
IanB

 

I just bought the tools
T3880341 top nut tool
T3880342 17mm spanner
T3880343 pull up tool
T3880344 cartridge clamp
T3880345 cartridge tool
for $110 including US domestic shipping, not too bad.
And I found what the Ohlins guy did to my left fork 4 years ago. He changed the clamp shim from 15mm diameter to 10mm, to soften the whole stack, he said.
So my stack was certainly different to yours.
In your modified stack
0.10 x 26 x 3
0.15 x 16
0.15 x 24 x 2
0.15 x 22
0.15 x 20
0.15 x 18
0.15 x 16
0.5 x 10
0.2 x 12
the clamp shim would effectively be the 0.5 x 10. I think I'll leave my clamp shim at 10mm to help soften the impact on large bumps and do the other changes as well, the transition shim and thinner slow shims. Since I won't know what my stack is until I dismantle the fork, I'll just buy all the shims to build your modified stack. I could use the 0.2 x 12 as the transition shim
IanB

 

AUD300 worth of nitrogen bottle, regulator, hose, needle fill tool, bought on Ebay, on its way.
Now for the shims.
I just found the correct angle to look at my left fork leg. It's FL9280.
Need to somehow get the build sheet for that here in Australia.
IanB

 

reach out to Oh Au. If they are anything like Oh US, they will be very helpful and likely provide a build sheet for your forks.

 

There is no Oh AU, as far as I can tell. I have the Ohlins US phone number in NC. I'll try next week.
It looks as if the FL9280 fork build (L and R fork both say FL9280, albeit with different compression/rebound stacks) along with shock build TR9110 are the standard Ohlins builds for the 2018 ST1050RS. I didn't realise until now that the NIX30/TTX36 valve builds change for each new ST model. Triumph doesn't advertise, "new for this year, harder suspension". I'd like to know the builds for the 2016 ST1050R, because, on mine, the ride was quite firm, but I never felt I needed to change it. The suspension build info should not be hard to obtain if it's standard for any model/year.

 

The folks in NC are very helpful.

 

I bought this tool to remove/replace/torque the TTX36 shock's compression valve. I seem to have bought the last one. I was going to use a 5mm or 6mm pin wrench, but this is better. Torque the valve to 10Nm.



Looks as if 8 bar is a reasonable compromise pressure for the shock, enough to prevent cavitation.
I still need the torque for the front fork compression valve shim retaining nut
I think the shim ID is 8mm. I don't know if the nut is a different size to the TTX36 shock compression valve, which has 6mm ID shims, and according to this workshop manual, is torqued to 5-6Nm.
PDF 07606-01 CD - RE Suspension

 

I found what I need on Youtube
Nix 30 fork cartridge valve nut is a 13mm nut on an 8mm aluminium thread, thus the 8mm shim ID. No particular torque, it's not too fragile. For me, tighten to 10Nm with some Loctite 222.
IanB

 

I edited this update and the next one to eliminate extraneous info.
My rear shock TR9110 compression stack originally looked like this.
Shims ID 6mm, OD 20mm down to 12mm, thickness 0.15mm, clamp shim 6/10/1.5

6/20/0.15
6/18/0.15
6/16/0.15
6/14/0.15
6/12/0.15
6/8/1.5 clamp

Four years ago, the suspension specialist reduced the clamp shim from 6/10/1.5 to 6/8/1.5. This softened the whole stack, but not enough.
I will leave the smaller clamp shim, reduce the other shims to 0.10mm thick to soften the stack more at all suspension velocities, and insert an 8mm OD transition shim in the 3rd position.

6/20/0.10
6/18/0.10
6/8/0.15 transition
6/16/0.10
6/14/0.10
6/12/0.10
6/8/1.5 clamp

The transition shim along with the softer low speed section should allow the shock to absorb rapid, shallow bumps such as on the coarse stone chip roads typical in Australia, and the thinner overall stack with the small clamp shim should allow higher suspension velocity for large, sharp bumps.
If this is too soft, I won’t mind, provided the rear does not bottom out on the largest bumps.
But see next update.
IanB

 

I verified in Ebay photos that the 1050RS shock build is TR9110, like mine, and the 1200RS fork build is FL9510, like lolachampcar’s. The complaints about excessive Speed Triple suspension hardness I’ve seen in forums and reviews seem to be confined to the 1050RS and 1200RS. It's likely that my FL9280 compression fork build is similar to that of the 1200RS FL9510.
8/26/0.15 x 3
8/24/0.15 x 2
8/22/0.15
8/20/0.15
8/18/0.15
8/16/0.15
8/10/0.50 clamp

Following lolachampcar’s success with inserting a crossover shim and changing the three 8/26/0.15 shims to 0.10mm thick, I’ll do similar in my TR9110 left fork.

Shim stiffness is proportional to the cube of the thickness. Reducing thickness from 0.15mm to 0.10mm reduces the stiffness in the ratio (2/3)^3, or 8/27, about 30%. If every shim is reduced, the whole stack stiffness is reduced by 70%. That’s a much bigger change than reducing the clamp shim diameter. I guess the shim thickness, in increments of 0.05mm, is a very coarse adjustment of shim stack stiffness. Clamp shim diameter, in increments of 1mm, is a finer adjustment. Of course, the shims in a stack can be different in thickness.

The stiffness/thickness cube rule means that reducing 8/26/0.15 x 3 to 8/26/0.10 x 3 is about the same as removing two shims to have 8/26/0.15 x 1. No wonder it made such a difference in lolachampcar’s ST1200RS. The slightly heavier ATF might compensate for some of that reduction.

I’ll probably do this in my bike:
Remove two 8/26/0.15, one 8/24/0.15, add a 8/10/0.15 crossover shim. Other shims still 0.15mm thick to avoid softening the stack too much.
8/26/0.15
8/10/0.15 transition
8/24/0.15
8/22/0.15
8/20/0.15
8/18/0.15
8/16/0.15
8/10/0.50 clamp

The transition shim might go behind the 24 instead of the 26. After adding the transition shim initially, lolachampcar then reduced the first 3 shims to 0.10mm, reducing the slow speed stiffness by 2/3. With the transition shim behind the 26, it's about the same in this layout. Behind the 24, it would be reduced by 1/3 instead, without changing the high speed response.
Overall, remove the multiple same-diameter shims in the original stack and add the transition shim, plus the earlier clamp diameter reduction. The high speed response should be improved by the removal of 3 shims.

For the shock, change 6/20/0.15 and 6/18/0.15 to 0.10, add one 6/8/0.15 transition shim.
6/20/0.10
6/18/0.10
6/8/0.15 transition
6/16/0.15
6/14/0.15
6/12/0.15
6/8/1.5 clamp
Option here is to make the 6/18/0.10 shim 0.15 thick instead, to soften the low speed a bit less, but I want the high speed softened quite a lot. If the low speed is too soft I can turn the compression adjuster in a few clicks. Or I could do this
6/20/0.10
6/18/0.15
6/8/0.15 transition
6/16/0.10
6/14/0.15
6/12/0.15
6/8/1.5 clamp

At least I can try again if the result isn’t ideal. I hope to do the shock next week, the fork when the tools arrive from the US. The fork shims are on a 6-7 week back order.
IanB