Ohlins FG 9700 User Manual

Racing manual

Öhlins super bike front fork FG 9700

Including:

Setting up
your fork

Changing
springs

and seals

Service
the fork

Trouble
shooting

Technical
info

Spare parts
& tools

Traction, handling,
comfort and safety

1

Öhlins super bike
front fork FG 9700

Contents

Introduction __________________ 2
Setting up your forks
Spring preload adjustment ______ 3
Rebound adjustment
Compression adjustment
Changing springs
Changing seals
Dismantling the forks __________ 4
Assembly of the forks
Troubleshooting
Oil level adjustment ___________ 5
Technical information
Spare parts __________________ 6
Tools

Safety signals

Particularly important information is
distinguished in this manual by the
following notations:

The Safety Alert Symbol means:
ATTENTION! BECOME ALERT!
YOUR SAFETY IS INVOLVED!

WARNING

Failure to follow WARNING instruc­tions could result in severe injury or
death to the shock absorber operator,
a bystander or a person inspecting or
repairing the shock absorber.

Introduction

The Öhlins front forks use a Cartridge
system for damping. This gives a damp­ing force which depends on the speed
of the piston in the cartridge system.

The combination of spring and air­gap (oil level) gives a possibility to ad­just the characteristic of the fork to suit
different tracks and riders.

For example a soft spring in combi­nation with a small air-gap (high oil
level) gives a progressive action of the
front forks.

For better understanding, please re­fer to our oil level chart.

A telescopic front fork is depending
on a smooth friction-free action.

Make sure your front forks are serv­iced regularly and don’t use strong sol­vents such as brake cleaner to clean
the front forks. This will dry out the seals
and steel tubes and cause friction.

Regularly, put a little Öhlins grease
(148-01) on the steel tube and work it
in by pushing the forks up and down.

Öhlins Racing AB can not be held
responsible for any damage to spare
parts or person if the mounting-, main­taining- and servicing instructions are
not followed exactly.

Also no guarantee can be given for
the performance and reliability if these
instructions are not followed.

CAUTION!

A CAUTION indicates special precau­tions that must be taken to avoid
damage to the shock absorber.

NOTE!

A NOTE provides key information to
make procedures easier or clear.

Setting up your forks

We would like to give you some basic
guidelines, how to set up your Öhlins
front forks. However you must remem­ber that the front forks are just one part
of your motorcycle and to get it to work
properly, the whole motorcycle has to
be set up according to your bikes
manual.

1

Put your bike on a front stand so you
can fit the front forks.

Maximum torque on the bottom triple
clamp and steering damper bracket (if
it is located on the diameter on the outer
tube) is 15-18 Nm.

Fit the front wheel and brakes.

2

Unscrew the adjustment housing on top
of the fork (use tool 797-01) on both
upper tubes and slide the fork up and
down gentle to make sure everything
works correctly.

3

© Öhlins Racing AB.

All rights reserved.

Any reprinting or unauthorized use

without the written permission of

Öhlins Racing AB is prohibited.

Printed in Sweden.

2

Assemble the adjustment housing
again and set your initial preload of the
spring by using a 12 mm socket until
you get a ”static sag” of 25-30 mm.

Each turn gives 1 mm in preload, maxi­mum preload is 18 mm.

4

The best way to check the ”static sag”
is to put the bike on the ground in run­ning condition.

Measure the distance between the bot­tom of the outer tube to the fork bot­tom.

Then lift the front end of the bike, so
the fork is fully extended.

Take the measurement again. The dif­ference between those two figures is
”static sag”.

5

The ”clickers” are a ”bleed function”
separate for rebound and compression
damping.

Rebound is on the top centre of the fork
and compression at the bottom part of
the fork.

You start to count from fully closed
(clockwise) and set it to the recom­mended ”click” (use tool 794-01).

For recommended start setting please
refer to the specification card.

Spring preload adjustment

Using a 12 mm wrench, turn the upper
adjustment screw.

Maximum adjustment range is 18 mm.
One turn on the adjustment screw will

cause 1 mm change in spring preload.
Adjust so the front forks lowers 25-30

mm from the top, unloaded position.

Rebound adjustment

Adjust the rebound rate on the adjust­ment screws positioned at the top cen­tre of the front forks.

Use a hex key with a spherical head
(use tool 794-01).

Adjustment range from closed valve
(clockwise) until maximum open valve
(anticlockwise) is 20 ”clicks”.

Recommended adjustment ”click”, from
closed position (see specification card).

Compression adjustment

Adjust the compression rate on the
lower part of the front forks (compres­sion valve). Use a hex key with spheri­cal head (use tool 794-01).

Adjustment range from closed valve
(clockwise) to maximum open valve
(anticlockwise) is 20 ”clicks”.

Recommended adjustment ”clicks”,
from closed position (see specification
card).

Changing springs
1

Loosen the screws that hold the fork
legs in the upper triple clamps.

2

Loosen the adjustment housings (pos
7, page 7) about two turns (use tool
797-01).

3

Remove the fork legs from the motor­cycle.

4

Fasten a fork leg in a vice. Use soft
jaws.

5

Unload the spring completely by turn­ing the adjustment screw completely
anticlockwise. Use a 12 mm wrench.

Remove the blue locking nuts.

6

CAUTION!

Do not damage the o-ring and do not
drop the flat key into the fork leg.

Carefully remove the adjustment hous­ing.

7

Remove the preload tube and spring.
(The free spring length see page 5).

8

Install the new spring and check the
oil level.

Install the tool 1765-01 on top of the
preload adjustment screw.

Pull out the piston rod as far as possi­ble and turn the compression adjust­ment screw fully clockwise.

This will keep the piston rod in top po­sition, which will make the continued
assembly easier.

9

Install the preload tube.
Install the tool 1766-01 on top of the

preload tube and fasten it below the
edge of the preload adjustment screw
(pos 18, page 7).

Remove the tool and continue the as­sembling.

10

Install the adjustment housing.

CAUTION!

The flat key must be guided in the slot
of the adjustment housing.
The o-ring must be greased, or it
might be damaged.

11

Install the two blue nuts.

12

Loosen the preload tube, and bring it

to its correct position in the adjustment

housing.

Tighten the lower lock nut gently, and

then unscrew it 1/4 of a turn.

Tighten the upper gently against the

lower nut.

Fasten the adjustment housing in the

fork leg.

Make sure that the fork leg is fully ex-

tended when tighten the adjustment

housing.

13

Install the fork legs on the motorcycle

and adjust the preload, compression

and rebound according to the above

instructions.

Changing seals

Put the fork legs upright for 15 minutes.

1

Fasten the fork leg in a vice. Use soft

jaws.

2

Unload the spring preload completely by

turning the adjustment screw completely

anticlockwise. Use a 12 mm wrench.

Make a note of the number of turns.

Remove the two blue lock nuts.

3

Carefully remove the adjustment hous-

ing.

CAUTION!

Do not damage the o-ring and do not

drop the flat key into the fork leg.

4

Remove the preload tube.

5

Slide the outer fork leg up until the top

bushing is just above the inner leg.

(Approx. 140 mm from complete bot-

tom position.

This is to make sure there is no oil

above the top bushing).

6

Slide the outer tube completely down.

(Fork seal touching fork bottom).

7

Push the piston rod down so that it is

in level with the top of the outer tube.

3