With about 2 months on my Ohlins suspension setup I figured I'd share my thoughts for anyone else interested. My motivation for upgrading was that I was frequently bottoming out the stock suspension off-road, and the bike would easily go into a bounce on-road which didn't inspire confidence at 40mph+, especially when cornering. I went with Ohlins because I've had good experiences with their products in the past and know there's a good chance they'll still be rebuildable if the bike lasts long enough to be an antique.
Ohlins doesn't sell their products direct, but a local shop is a distributor so I ordered the parts through them.
Ohlins FSK 161 HON CT125 TOP CAP & SPRING KIT - includes two different sets of fork springs, one set has a spring rate of 5.0 N/mm, one has a spring rate of 6.0 N/mm. The higher the rate number, the stiffer the spring. Not included but something you'll need: fork oil. Ohlins 10W is recommended.
Ohlins HO 029 Ohlins HON CT125 SHOCK - includes yellow and black springs, with yellow springs mounted. I swapped the yellow for the black to match the color scheme of the bike.
There are videos on YouTube for Ohlins and YSS fork kit and rear shock installs that can help give you an idea of what to expect.
The front fork kit install consists of pulling the forks, draining them, cleaning them, and reassembling with the new springs and top caps. The shop I ordered the parts through assisted with this. Removing the fork boots gave a little trouble, but everything else was straightforward.
The rear shock install was extremely easy done one at a time with the bike on the center stand. The hardest part was getting the snorkel hose back into place after disconnecting it, silicone spray lubricant helped with that. Read the included Ohlins instructions to see which way the shocks should face, almost every photo and video I've seen of them has had them installed backwards. You will need a deep well socket for the exhaust side bolt.
The rebound damping is the most noticeable improvement, and the suspension's travel is less abrupt feeling thanks to the stiffer springs in front and progressive springs in rear. For street and gravel or dirt road riding the recommended and default settings have worked fine for me. For more technical trail riding and washboard dirt or gravel roads it was a bit more comfortable with some preload removed. You still feel the bumps bucking the bike around on washboard roads, but it's much more tolerable than with the stock suspension, and it's in control enough to go faster on them.
The Ohlins setup addressed both issues I was having, I'm no longer bottoming out the suspension and the bike no longer goes into a rebound bounce. Adjustability is easy enough that I'll do it for a day of trail riding, but otherwise my use of the bike is pretty mixed so I keep the preload at or near the default settings which seem like a good balance.
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June 2023 long term review update: Still very happy with the Ohlins suspension setup front and rear. Have played with the adjustments a bit over more terrain and load weights and I found that it's very easy to adjust on the road. Can adjust rebound by turning the black adjuster wheel by hand. There's a small tool for adjusting the preload which packs small and doesn't require the same space as a typical shock spanner so you can adjust it without taking off the snorkel or exhaust.
Here's a better product page for the rear shocks: https://www.ohlinsusa.com/parts/2020-2021-honda-ct-125-mini-s36-shock-ho-029
Would I buy it again? Yes. Upgrading the suspension in general was a huge improvement on my CT125. If you're not jut putzing around the yard on this bike I would highly recommend it, even if you go with cheaper upgrades.
Ohlins doesn't sell their products direct, but a local shop is a distributor so I ordered the parts through them.
Ohlins FSK 161 HON CT125 TOP CAP & SPRING KIT - includes two different sets of fork springs, one set has a spring rate of 5.0 N/mm, one has a spring rate of 6.0 N/mm. The higher the rate number, the stiffer the spring. Not included but something you'll need: fork oil. Ohlins 10W is recommended.
Ohlins HO 029 Ohlins HON CT125 SHOCK - includes yellow and black springs, with yellow springs mounted. I swapped the yellow for the black to match the color scheme of the bike.
There are videos on YouTube for Ohlins and YSS fork kit and rear shock installs that can help give you an idea of what to expect.
The front fork kit install consists of pulling the forks, draining them, cleaning them, and reassembling with the new springs and top caps. The shop I ordered the parts through assisted with this. Removing the fork boots gave a little trouble, but everything else was straightforward.
The rear shock install was extremely easy done one at a time with the bike on the center stand. The hardest part was getting the snorkel hose back into place after disconnecting it, silicone spray lubricant helped with that. Read the included Ohlins instructions to see which way the shocks should face, almost every photo and video I've seen of them has had them installed backwards. You will need a deep well socket for the exhaust side bolt.
The rebound damping is the most noticeable improvement, and the suspension's travel is less abrupt feeling thanks to the stiffer springs in front and progressive springs in rear. For street and gravel or dirt road riding the recommended and default settings have worked fine for me. For more technical trail riding and washboard dirt or gravel roads it was a bit more comfortable with some preload removed. You still feel the bumps bucking the bike around on washboard roads, but it's much more tolerable than with the stock suspension, and it's in control enough to go faster on them.
The Ohlins setup addressed both issues I was having, I'm no longer bottoming out the suspension and the bike no longer goes into a rebound bounce. Adjustability is easy enough that I'll do it for a day of trail riding, but otherwise my use of the bike is pretty mixed so I keep the preload at or near the default settings which seem like a good balance.
------------------
June 2023 long term review update: Still very happy with the Ohlins suspension setup front and rear. Have played with the adjustments a bit over more terrain and load weights and I found that it's very easy to adjust on the road. Can adjust rebound by turning the black adjuster wheel by hand. There's a small tool for adjusting the preload which packs small and doesn't require the same space as a typical shock spanner so you can adjust it without taking off the snorkel or exhaust.
Here's a better product page for the rear shocks: https://www.ohlinsusa.com/parts/2020-2021-honda-ct-125-mini-s36-shock-ho-029
Would I buy it again? Yes. Upgrading the suspension in general was a huge improvement on my CT125. If you're not jut putzing around the yard on this bike I would highly recommend it, even if you go with cheaper upgrades.
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