The facts.
| Brand | Öhlins |
|---|---|
| Part Number | 00281-75 |
| Spring Rate | 12 N/mm |
| Free Length | 280 mm |
| Inner Diameter | 46 mm |
| Stroke | 170 mm |
| Construction | Straight |
| Finish | Powder-coated yellow |
| Country of Origin | Sweden |
DescriptionThe whole story▼
Öhlins part number 00281-75 is a shock absorber spring rated at 12 N/mm, 280 mm long with a 46 mm inner diameter. Rear spring rate sets ride height, static sag and how much of the damper's stroke is actually usable.
Key Features
- Inner diameter 46 mm
- Measured spring rate 12 N/mm
- Powder-coated yellow
- 170 mm of usable stroke
- Free length 280 mm
- Straight-wound, constant rate
- Öhlins part number 00281-75
Manufacture and Tolerance
The unit is rebuildable: seals, shims and oil are catalogue items, not a reason to buy a new one. Production has stayed in Sweden since the company was founded in 1976. Two units carrying the same part number behave the same way out of the box, which is the whole point of testing each one.
Size and Rate
Free length 280 mm, inner diameter 46 mm, rate 12 N/mm — those three figures define the part completely.
What This Rate Does
This is the end of the range where small-bump compliance matters more than resistance to diving. The trade is fork dive under braking — noticeable, but rarely the limiting factor on the road. On a machine ridden solo and mostly on the road, softer is often the honest choice. Road surfaces are the hardest test of a spring rate, because the fork has to cope with both a smooth stretch and a broken one.
Rate and the Linkage
Öhlins sells rear springs separately precisely because rider weight varies more than machine weight does. Two riders 20 kg apart on the same motorcycle genuinely need different rates, not different clicks. Progressive springs change rate through the stroke, which suits machines with little travel and a lot of load.
Applications
This is a service part in the proper sense — it wears, it settles, and replacing it restores what the suspension was designed to do. There is no model list for this size because the spring is a dimensional part: it fits whatever fork it physically fits. The safest way to choose is by static sag: set the target figure, and the rate follows from whether you can reach it with preload.
Fitting
The fork legs come off, the springs are swapped and the oil level is reset — half a day in most workshops. Öhlins states an air gap for this application, and that figure is part of the setting rather than a detail. Springs are supplied ready to fit; no cutting, grinding or packing is needed.
Road Approval
Road approval: no separate certificate. The spring changes the rate, not the construction of the fork, and is treated as a service part.
Fitting and Setup Service
This is not a part to rush. Öhlins recommends installation by an authorised service centre, and we are an authorised Öhlins service centre — fitting, servicing and setup all happen here. Get in touch if you would like the work done with the order.
Specifications
- Brand: Öhlins
- Part Number: 00281-75
- Spring Rate: 12 N/mm
- Free Length: 280 mm
- Inner Diameter: 46 mm
- Stroke: 170 mm
- Construction: Straight
- Finish: Powder-coated yellow
- Country of Origin: Sweden
FitmentWhich bikes this fits▼
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