MXA TEAM TESTED: RD SUSPENSION-TUNED OHLINS FORKS & SHOCK

WHAT IS IT? The new Ohlins RXF 48 S forks and TTX Flow DV shock, alongside new modifications offered by RD Suspension, have given the Ohlins “O” factor a huge leap forward by opening up oil flow. 

WHAT’S IT COST? $3269 (forks), $1578 (shock). 

CONTACT? Rob Woodard at www.motocrosssuspension.com. 

WHAT STANDS OUT? Here’s a list of things that stand out with the RD-tuned Ohlins suspension.

(1) Design. The Ohlins RXF 48 S forks feature gold-anodized upper fork tubes, gold TiN (titanium-nitride)-coated lower fork tubes, billet lugs and supplied Ti bolts are things of beauty! New for 2023, the Ohlins TTX Flow DV shock now comes with high-speed compression clickers.

(2) Fork. The MXA test riders loved the Ohlins RXF 48 S forks right out of the box. The base setting from RD Suspension was ultra-plush. They are the most comfortable set of forks we’ve tested. Inside is a 22mm cartridge that utilizes a nitrogen-pressurized piston to push the hydraulic fluid from the high-pressure side back into the low-pressure side to speed up damping response and oil flow. Additionally, a 16mm spacer was added to the spring perch, opening up the oil flow by 50 percent. This resulted in even more comfort on small square-edged chop on the track. However, we had to increase oil height to still maintain bottoming resistance. 

(3) Shock. The Ohlins TTX Flow DV shock uses a 22mm cartridge and nitrogen-charged piston. The previous generation lacked adjustability, so the new high-speed compression adjuster was a big plus. MXA test riders found more rear-wheel traction in flat corners, along with increased comfort on acceleration chop out of ruts with RD’s setting on our 2023 KTM 450SXF test mule. 

(4)  Installation. The RXF fork lugs are billet-machined with the pinch bolts angled at 45 degrees to help ease front-wheel installation. We loved this, because it made space for our hands, whether we used a T-handle, ratchet or a torque wrench. We recommend torquing the top triple clamp to 17 N/m, the lower to clamp to 12 N/m and the fork lugs to 15 N/m. The Ohlins TTX shock bolts are to be torqued to 40 N/m, not the factory-recommended spec of 60 N/m (40 N/m is stamped on the shock clevis and eye).

(5) Performance. Every MXA test rider drooled over the fact that the Ohlins suspension components were “glued to the track.” Our Vet test riders loved the out-of-the-box settings, and our pros only needed a few clicks. For our Vets, on the forks we went 14 out on compression and rebound, and set the shock on 8 out on low-speed compression and rebound, with the high-speed compression on 10 clicks out.

WHAT’S THE SQUAWK? Two quibbles. (1) Price. $4850 is a hefty price for complete suspension package, albeit less expensive than a Showa A-kit. (2) The fork cap can be a bit confusing. The Torx T25 screw on the left is the air-pressure bleeder, the 3mm Allen in the center is the compression adjustment, and the Torx T25 screw on the right is the nitrogen charge port.

MXA RATING: This is the best and most comfortable Ohlins suspension we have ever tested, and we have tested a lot of really good Ohlins stuff over the last 40 years.

 

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