2000 Ohlins shock spring help

nknudsen

nknudsen

Member
I was looking at both rear springs that came with my bike tonight. A 4.8 is on the bike and a 4.6 came extra.

-Would my 2000 EC250 have come with a 5.2 rear spring?
-At 195lbs is a 5.4 best?
-I think my shock had been revalved for a lighter rider/spring will the 5.4 spring make my rear shock a pogo stick??

Thanks in advance!
 
Not really. I'm 176, 205 geared up. I have a 5.4 on my '07 and its on the soft side for race speeds. I just sprung my '12 stiffer, 5.6/.46, and its very stable at higher speeds. Small stuff feels good because the preload is very light (8-8.5mm). Only down side is being bike rides slightly higher in the stroke, and being a tall bike anyway, makes for some occasional extra tipovers in some of the trials like sections here. My feet are out of the trash on the trail though, and the skid plate never hit anything all day. Wheelies over 2-2.5' downed trees were a snap.

I'f you have the 5.4 try it, but if the shock was valved for the very light springs then yes you will have a rebound issue. A 4.6 will be unridable so its a no brainer to try it and find out. That has got to be the lightest spring I have ever heard of fitted to a 250!
 
my 01 had a 4.8.. i am pushing 200 geared up and ended up with a 5.2.. i think a 5.4 would be a good start..
 
On the older bikes especially, with the lower clearance compared to the '12/'13, stiffer is better. Don't think stiff spring means harsh ride, its quite the opposite when the preload is reduced compared to a light spring with it jacked up. Same applies to the fork.
 
Thanks everyone, I don't have a spring yet. I wasn't sure if the early bikes ran lighter springs and that's why it came with those. The bike is used for trails & single track. I ride a little faster than average but not a racer.
- It sounds like a 5.2-5.4 would be ok?
- Do you think the shock could just be adjusted to work with the stronger spring?
-So the 4.6 & 4.8 are odd balls? Do light weight riders look for these springs?
 
Yes, those are for featherweights. Stock rate has been 5.2 on the 250s. The shock can be revalved for any spring/terrain/weight/ability. If it was revalved for a lightweight with a 4.6 spring, you will most certainly need it corrected for you. Forget the 5.2, If your 195 in street clothes your looking at a 5.6. Gear really adds up weight fast. Basic gear plus a 70 oz Camelback, just my harescrambles stuff(no tools, etc.) is 30 lbs over my gym shorts weight!
 
I just spoke to the previous owner and he said it came from Smackover with the 4.8 spring and he installed the 4.6. Was it common for Smackover to re spring the bikes when new? The owner didn't sound like he had requested it. The good thing is that he said the shock was not revalved softer. Now to find a new spring.
 
RT is wrong, I had a '00 XC250 and it had a 5.2. 200s had a 5.0 I think. Back theen the importer did a lot of stuff to the bikes before they got to the dealer, so stuff like springs could vary.

edit:

I just realized you did the KYB conversion, what springs are up front?
 
I stand corrected. The Racetech calculator said 5.38 even for 195lb enduro, amateur, not tall person, without an oversized gas tank. :( I guess I need have at least one cup of coffee before I type in the morning.
 
Its all good Z, your not a doc giving medical advice!:D

So, yeah, that would mean 5.4 or 5.6. To keep the preload down to a minimum go with 5.6.
 
GMP said:
RT is wrong, I had a '00 XC250 and it had a 5.2. 200s had a 5.0 I think. Back theen the importer did a lot of stuff to the bikes before they got to the dealer, so stuff like springs could vary.

edit:

I just realized you did the KYB conversion, what springs are up front?
Click to expand...

All I know about the forks is the previous owner had them set up by FTI for woods use, B class, 180ish lbs mounted to a 08 YZ250F. I know that doesn't help much for specs.
 
I've found out that GG around 02'-03' changed the linkage rods (ratio) and used a stiffer spring (5.2) than the previous models spring(4.8-5.0). I'm guessing the ratio change comes into play when selecting a spring for the pre 02' bikes? Is it a different rule of thumb?
 
I know the shock was shortened and top mount lowered in '03 as I had both '00 and '03. Linkage was the same. Basically the '03 was lower in the rear, and I thought the '00 turned better. I don't remember any big difference in feel vs spring rate. I do think the '12 is stiffer than the older platform with the same rate spring, but its a completely different linkage geometery.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Thanks for the help. I found a new Ohlins 5.4 spring I'm going to try. I should also drop a few of the extra winter pounds too:)
 
GMP said:
RT is wrong, I had a '00 XC250 and it had a 5.2. 200s had a 5.0 I think. Back theen the importer did a lot of stuff to the bikes before they got to the dealer, so stuff like springs could vary.

edit:

I just realized you did the KYB conversion, what springs are up front?
Click to expand...

The springs used in my KYB forks are .46, would that be in the ball park? I went with the 5.4 rear spring.
 
Last edited:
You should be good. If anything you might be better off with the 5.6 but it should be a lot better now. I have yet to race with my new springs. I think the rear is OK, maybe a hair stiff. If I have any issues we could work out a trade if your 5.4 is too soft.
 
GMP said:
You should be good. If anything you might be better off with the 5.6 but it should be a lot better now. I have yet to race with my new springs. I think the rear is OK, maybe a hair stiff. If I have any issues we could work out a trade if your 5.4 is too soft.
Click to expand...

Sounds good. This will be a learning experience for me. I've played around more with my snowmobile suspensions than my bikes in the past.
 
I'm riding this weekend where the WEC was held a few years back, some tough stuff. Next week a brutal harescrambles course on a ski slope. I should know soon enough if I'm happy with the 5.6 or not. The fork is awesome with the .46s at 1mm preload, I'm sure the KYBs are as well.
 
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