The facts.
| Brand | Öhlins |
|---|---|
| Part Number | 00281-45 |
| Spring Rate | 20 N/mm |
| Free Length | 285 mm |
| Inner Diameter | 46 mm |
| Stroke | 168 mm |
| Construction | Straight |
| Finish | Powder-coated yellow |
| Country of Origin | Sweden |
DescriptionThe whole story▼
Öhlins part number 00281-45 is a shock absorber spring rated at 20 N/mm, 285 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
- Inner diameter 46 mm
- Free length 285 mm
- Öhlins part number 00281-45
- Powder-coated yellow
- Measured spring rate 20 N/mm
- Straight-wound, constant rate
- 168 mm of usable stroke
How Öhlins Makes Them
Machining, anodising, assembly and testing all happen in the same building rather than across a supply chain. Production has stayed in Sweden since the company was founded in 1976. Anodising is hard-coat rather than decorative, which matters on a component exposed to road salt and stone chips.
Dimensions
The 46 mm bore and 285 mm length are the two figures that decide whether it physically fits; 20 N/mm decides whether it suits the rider.
Choosing 20 N/mm
A soft rate favours grip and comfort over support: the fork moves early, which keeps the tyre loaded on a poor surface. The trade is fork dive under braking — noticeable, but rarely the limiting factor on the road. Comfort and grip come from the spring moving early; this is the end of the range where that happens. 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
Because the linkage is progressive on most modern machines, a small change in rate moves the sag more than riders expect. The damper can only control the spring it is given; the wrong rate makes every setting a compromise. A rear spring is the cheapest part of the suspension and the one that decides the most.
Applications
If you are replacing a sagged original, measure its free length first — a tired spring often measures several millimetres short. Öhlins builds springs to dimensions rather than to model lists, so the question is always the same: does the diameter fit, does the length fit, and is the rate right for the rider? A spring is one of the few suspension parts that is genuinely interchangeable: same bore, same free length, and it goes in.
What Fitting Involves
Check the free length against the old springs before fitting — a sagged original often measures short. Torque the fork caps to the manufacturer's figure; the springs change nothing about the assembly torque. Öhlins states the oil and the air-gap for this application — both are part of the setting, not a detail.
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
Fitting matters as much as the part. We are an authorised Öhlins service centre and carry out installation, servicing and setup ourselves — get in touch and we will arrange it alongside your order.
Specifications
- Brand: Öhlins
- Part Number: 00281-45
- Spring Rate: 20 N/mm
- Free Length: 285 mm
- Inner Diameter: 46 mm
- Stroke: 168 mm
- Construction: Straight
- Finish: Powder-coated yellow
- Country of Origin: Sweden
FitmentWhich bikes this fits▼
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