The facts.
| Brand | Öhlins |
|---|---|
| Part Number | 00281-16 |
| Spring Rate | 75 N/mm |
| Free Length | 125 mm |
| Inner Diameter | 46 mm |
| Stroke | 60 mm |
| Construction | Straight |
| Finish | Powder-coated yellow |
| Country of Origin | Sweden |
DescriptionThe whole story▼
Öhlins part number 00281-16 is a shock absorber spring rated at 75 N/mm, 125 mm long with a 46 mm inner diameter. Adding a pillion or luggage changes the load enough that the standard rate stops working.
Key Features
- Öhlins part number 00281-16
- Free length 125 mm
- Measured spring rate 75 N/mm
- 60 mm of usable stroke
- Straight-wound, constant rate
- Inner diameter 46 mm
- Powder-coated yellow
Manufacture and Tolerance
Two units carrying the same part number behave the same way out of the box, which is the whole point of testing each one. Service parts stay available for years after a part number leaves the current price list. Materials read unremarkably on paper — aluminium, steel, nitrogen — and the difference lies in how precisely they are made.
Size and Rate
Free length 125 mm, inner diameter 46 mm, rate 75 N/mm — those three figures define the part completely.
Choosing 75 N/mm
If the suspension bottoms out or the geometry collapses under load, this is the direction to go. This end of the range suits heavier riders, two-up use, or a machine ridden hard enough that fork dive becomes the limit. Firm rates trade some small-bump comfort for support — the right trade on a good surface at speed. A road machine spends most of its life in the first third of the fork's travel — that is the part the rate governs.
What the Rear Spring Decides
Two riders 20 kg apart on the same motorcycle genuinely need different rates, not different clicks. The rear spring carries the rider, the pillion and the luggage; the front carries only part of it. Because the linkage is progressive on most modern machines, a small change in rate moves the sag more than riders expect.
Applications
Where Öhlins lists this size against a particular unit, the listing is a starting point rather than a boundary. This spring is chosen by its dimensions rather than by motorcycle model: check inner diameter, free length and rate against the fork it is going into. This is a service part in the proper sense — it wears, it settles, and replacing it restores what the suspension was designed to do.
Installation
Any suspension workshop can fit these; the fork does not need to leave the bike for long. Both legs are done together, and both take the same rate. The fork legs come off, the springs are swapped and the oil level is reset — half a day in most workshops.
Road Approval
Road approval: springs are not separately type-approved in Germany because they substitute a part that is already homologated with the fork. Model-specific documents, where they exist, are named above.
Fitting and Setup Service
Öhlins suspension rewards careful fitting. We recommend having the work done by an authorised Öhlins service centre — and we are one ourselves: we fit, service and set up Öhlins components in house. If you would like us to handle the installation, just ask and we will quote it with the order.
Specifications
- Brand: Öhlins
- Part Number: 00281-16
- Spring Rate: 75 N/mm
- Free Length: 125 mm
- Inner Diameter: 46 mm
- Stroke: 60 mm
- Construction: Straight
- Finish: Powder-coated yellow
- Country of Origin: Sweden
FitmentWhich bikes this fits▼
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