As promised, here is a report of the full Ohlins suspension in the Tenere, I've had them fitted (new rear shock and front fork internals) for 5 days now and have done 250km's of driving on the setup since then. Yesterday I went out for a trip on mixed surfaces, 160km's on the tarmac, 70km's on gravel and 30 km's on some of my favourite tracks. I took it to places I had been to before, where I knew the surfaces and the way the Ten had behaved on them so I could get a more direct comparison between old and new. The old Sachs shock wasn't set as stiffly as the new Ohlins, I don't know all the techie bits, I have therefore commented only on the difference in ride quality, To me the differences are;

On the Road;

The difference on the road isn't huge, it rides a bit stiffer, is a lot less wobbly coming off a bump, it feels more planted than it used to. The noticeable difference is when you are accelerating, or under braking, here it's a different motorcycle, no more major dive on braking and no rearing like a rocking horse under heavy acceleration. My regular pillion tells me it's far more comfortable and that she no longer feels seasick from the rocking motion of gear changes. The rear shock copes much better than the old with varying loads. That is to say that previously I would have to put some more preload on the shock to take a pillion to avoid the ship-at-sea feeling, the new Ohlins shock seems versatile enough to cope with either a pillion or single rider without the need for adjustment. This is great for short trips to town with a pillion, as changing anything on rear shocks is a pain.

Off the Road;

Off the road the Ten is a transformed motorcycle, so much more supple, the bike feels so much more lively, I believe that this is because the shocks recover more quickly to the neutral position in preparation for the next bump. The ride is still stiff, but I can ride 10 to 15km faster per hour over the same surfaces than I could with the old suspension.

Is it worth it?

Probably not. Unless you plan on keeping your Ten for a long time, the stock suspension is acceptable. The longer you plan on keeping it, the more sense it makes.

It is nice though to feel the difference that a mod has made to the performance of your bike. I'd better make the most of it, in a week I won't notice the difference any longer!