One more suspension question: Rear Ohlins swap for an S2R 800

[DucLeone]

and might want to consider that ohlins is a straight bolt on right? (beside of attaching the canister)
matris need some relocating of the ignition coil, correct me if i'm wrong.

i've been following this thread becouse i'm planning on doing the same mod, so more input i get easier be my route

[ScottieDucati]

Hmm then details are still lacking such as what the springs are shipped on the Matris vs. Springs on the Ohlins, etc... something tells me the Matris units on clearance at Oncycles don't come customized for you / your weight... where plenty of Ohlins vendors will sell the shock with a spring and setup based on rider weight.  Either way it still stands, the best thing you could do is spend that $$ with a pro getting something setup for you versus saying it's a value buying an off the shelf shock on clearance... if $800 is your budget, your SOL if it's not shipped as you need it.... and you still haven't touched the forks!

[OwnyTony]

and might want to consider that ohlins is a straight bolt on right? (beside of attaching the canister)
matris need some relocating of the ignition coil, correct me if i'm wrong.

i've been following this thread becouse i'm planning on doing the same mod, so more input i get easier be my route

Assuming you have an s2r800, you will have to do some mods to get the matris to fit. 
It is basically removing the airbox under the seat, and finding a new place to mount the coils and the electronic box (dont know what it is called) that was connected on top of the air box.

If i remember correctly, Monstermash originally fitted his s2r1000 with the stock shock off of a 999.  Then he got a matrix shock made for the 999 and put it on the monster.

From his thread/post, I decided to put a 999 shock on my s2r800. 

If you choose to go the 999 shock route, you will need a drill, bits, some nuts and bolts, zip ties, plate of metal (i used an aluminum plate that i found at work) and something to cut the plate.  I used aluminum because I have scissors that can cut it.

I am thinking about painting my aluminum plate black so I may take everything apart and do a review.  It is really easy as long as you have the parts.

If you decide to go the 999 route, I got my shock off of ebay for $114 shipped.  It only had 500 miles on it so it looked brand new.   Im not shock expert, and if I remember correctly, I think the 999 shock spring is a little stiffer than the s2r stock spring. I still have to set everything up but I think I will try to dial it in as much as possible with out changing the spring.  Still an improvement over the s2r800 suspension bits as I have also put adjustable forks from a s2r1000 with only 1500 miles.

[Monstermash]

Scottie,

I do agree with the main point of your argument. But keep in mind when I stated the Matris was better, I was referring to the price point. Not to mention the TTX shock isn't available for the 999. To be honest, if I had to pay full price for the Matris shock, I would have went with the Ohlins DU333.

All kidding aside, we all realize that getting the proper set up for your weight and riding style is the best move. As far as a budget, I really didn't have one, within reason. When I originally built the bike last year I had about $8K put aside for mods. I choose what I thought was the best after doing all the reasearch. As it turns out I did order the Matris with the correct springs for my weight. I didn't "just buy them off Ebay".

As Ownytony stated the 999 shock comes sprung a little stiffer than the monster shock and it happened to work out well that Oncycles had one left in stock. The argument about purchasing something that was "made to fit the bike" is pretty moot. If you look on the Ohlins website they don't even list a shock for the S2R1K so I called their tech support line and was told that the S4R shock wouldn't fit my bike. Huh? After a 20 minute conversation with the rep I finally convinced him that both bikes use the same swingarm and linkage and it will bolt right up. I had to have the same conversation with Dan Kyle. So much for using the experts huh?

Jason at D.O.S. knew the answer right off the top of his head. He had experience installing a 999 shock on an S2R and knew with absolute certainty that it would fit. He told me what I had to do to make it work and I did it. And it was pretty simple. He has also used/raced both brands. He was a Matris dealer and he IS an Ohlins dealer and based on his opinion I went with the Matris. I think that getting this kind of opinion is considerably better that just useing a brand because you were able to barter with the local dealer to get some parts for your bike.

Speaking of Penske, I looked at them also. I was of the opinion that if Scottie likes them so much then they are certainly worth a look. Believe it or not I do respect your opinion on a lot of things, it's just the way you try to make your point that rubs me the wrong way.    I have to be honest, I wasn't impressed with the Penske stuff at all. I'm sure it works great but it's ugly as hell and the fit and finish looks like someone made it in the metal shop at the local high school.

It's funny, you mention that all of the top racers use Ohlins or Penske or whatever brand, but you fail to remember that they only use that stuff because they get paid to. It's all about sponsorships and money. Thats why all the local guys use the stuff because the marketing has worked. I'm quite sure if Matris wanted they could get their product on the grid at Moto GP, it would just cost them tons and tons of money. There are many products out there that may not have the name/reputation as the bigger guys but they make a much better product. I'll give you a great example. Ask someone you work with to choose between two digital cameras. The brands they have to choose from are Sony and Hassleblad. See which one they choose. I guarantee they make the wrong choice and pick the Sony because of brand recognition even though the Hassleblad is about 100x the better product. On a different scale you are doing the same thing with the Ohlins/Penske/Matris debate. You know absolutely zero about the Matris stuff but because the other brands are known entities, you think they are better even though it may not true.

I'm quite sure if matris called you and said hey, we have a new contingency program for local racers and we want you to use and promote our products, you wouldn't even remember how to spell Penske in five minutes.

[OwnyTony]

Monstermash, just to clarify.
You did have a stock 999 shock on your bike?
The stock 999 showa was sprung a little stiffer?

You then upgraded to the 999 matris correct?

[Monstermash]

Monstermash, just to clarify.
You did have a stock 999 shock on your bike?
The stock 999 showa was sprung a little stiffer?

You then upgraded to the 999 matris correct?

No, I had a 1098 shock on it and it seemd to work great but there were clearence issues. I then made the change to the Matris. The stock 999 showa will mount up just like my Matris.