Ohlins Suspension Components - Coppersmith Test Mule

Thom Coppersmith heads the U.S. research and development effort for Ohlins factory suspension components. Ohlins' Swedish-designed and -built forks and shocks work on some unique concepts, and the company prides itself on closer tolerances and greater adjustability than what comes stock on most bikes. I recently got a chance to ride on Ohlins suspension on a truly epic day.

The track was the Budds Creek Motocross of Nations course less than 24 hours after the final international moto had finished. The track by design was filled with tricky off-cambers, big jumps, steep drops and well-tilled loam. The international racers weren't kind to it, and it was suitably hammered with wicked braking bumps, brutal acceleration chop, tricky ruts and combed jump faces. It was perfect as far as I was concerned-real motocross with a track so destroyed that all supercross-type launches were taken out of the equation.

The black and blue plastic-disguised 250F functions as an "anonymous" test platform for Coppersmith to dial in settings without getting labeled as a specialist to any particular brand. After some intense investigative journalism (I asked twice), I discovered that the bike was a KX250F, selected because of the testing Grant "Moose" Covas and Thom had done with Christophe Pourcel when he won his World MX2 title on a green bike.

Coppersmith/Ohlins has valving settings to cover everything from off-road to supercross. The stuff I was riding was factory equipment, set at TTX-4 with a slight mod to soften the high-speed compression. The springs were two rates too stiff for me, which kept the bike too high in the stroke and made turning less than ideal, but everyone was struggling that day on that beat track and I felt surprisingly good.

The thing that struck me most about the suspension, and this is difficult to explain, is that it seemed to perform differently than any Showa or KYB suspension in the point of transition from compression to rebound. It felt like the suspension would soak down to a point, then get a good, cushiony, somewhat "dead" or "dense rubber" feel before beginning the rebound stroke. The bike was extremely controllable-no bucking or loose feeling at all, just a "suction" to the track with no jarring.

Dirt Rider has already tested similar Ohlins components on our 2008 KTM 250 SX-F (Fine-Tuning, April '07) and we're not done yet. If you can rest at night with the high price tag, these components are a true dream.

Parts List
Ohlins: www.coppersmithsuspension.com;
330.724.2900
Factory RXF fork: $8500
Factory TTX-44 RXS shock: $3750
22mm triple clamps: $1500
Titanium spring: $750

Boyesen Engineering: www.boyesen.com;
800.441.1177
Quickshot APC: $99.95
Supercooler kit: $219.95
Clutch cover: $92.95

Bridgestone: See your local dealer
M-403 90/100-21 front: $90.10
M-404 110/90-19 rear: $101.92

Michelin: www.michelin.com;
800.847.3435
Bib mousse foam tube, 90/100-21 front: $155.95
Bib mousse foam tube, 110/90-19 rear: $155.95

Acerbis: www.acerbis.it;
800.292.5877
Rear fender: $26.95
Front fender: $21.95
Radiator shrouds: $45.95

Powersport Grafx: www.ridePG.com;
800.903.6764
Graphics: $79.95
Number plate backgrounds: $59.95

Sunline: www.sunlineracing.com;
661.257.2756
Shifter: $29.95

FMF Racing: www.fmfracing.com;
310.631.4363
Factory 4.1 titanium exhaust: $899.95
909 grips: $14.95

Cycra Racing: www.cycraracing.com;
740.929.0188
Stealth hand guards: $49.95

Scotts Performance:
www.scottsperformance.com;
818.248.6747
Stabilizer mount kit: $139.95
Scotts/hlins steering stabilizer: $329.95