Ohlins service recommendation?

[al_roethlisberger]

Prior to the pandemic I had planned to rehab my 2022 Lemans, but then things of course went off-course...

The Lemans has been sitting, minimally maintained, for many years prior to that as other priorities took precedence.  

As part of evaluating what needed to be done to put the bike back on the road, I noticed that the bump-stop on my MG 127 Ohlins rear shock had completely disintegrated and fallen apart.

So back in 2019 I had located a shop called Fast Bike Industries here in North Carolina that specialized in service of various suspension brands, including Ohlins.

They quoted $160 for a service that includes full disassembly, inspection, deep cleaning, and reassembly. This included the few wear and tear parts such as piston band, o-ring, seal, oil, and the aforementioned bump stop.

Well, as many things have changed in those intervening years, Fast Bike Industries (Hendersonville, NC) was acquired by Andreani USA, who still does the work and the quote is now $175.  And if I want a new heavier spring for my expanding waistline, a replacement Ohlins spring is $100.

None of that sounds too bad to me, but I also don't know that much about Andreani USA, or really even the prior Fast Bike Industries.

 

So two questions:

 

1)  Does anyone know anything about Andreani USA (formerly Fast Bike Industries) and the quality of their work?

2) Does anyone have any other recommended shops in the USA that service Ohlins suspension to recommend?

 

It wouldn't surprise me if my forks could use some service in the coming year or so as well.  So any recommendation would be great that also services and can setup Ohlins forks as well as shocks.

 

I had the forks setup by Lindemann Engineering many years ago, again when I was about 30 pounds lighter, but Mr. Lindemann passed away some time ago.  But the company still is in operation, so I'll reach out to them as well. 

 

Thanks!

 

 

[p6x]

On 1/26/2023 at 4:10 PM, al_roethlisberger said:

2) Does anyone have any other recommended shops in the USA that service Ohlins suspension to recommend?

https://www.af1racing.com/services

 

[andy york]

Is this the Fast bike located in Henderson NC ? If the same guys are still working it they were top notch.

the guy that started it worked for road race teams since he was a teenager.Maybe 1 or 2 of the guys came from Ohlins located in the same town.

Now would be the time because once late spring gets here they will more than likely be going to the races. They had to turn me down last year because

of there race schedule. They recommended GMD Computrac in Fairmont GA. I was pleased with the result even though it was

a tad expensive. I took the forks and the shock to them. New seals- oil- bushings- and something broken on the

rear shock adjuster.

[al_roethlisberger]

Lindemann Engineering is indeed still (or back) in business, run by a friend that picked up the business after Jim's passing:

 

Lindemann Engineering Race Suspension - Lindemann Engineering (le-suspension.com)

 

They quoted similar pricing for the work.

 

 

[al_roethlisberger]

2 hours ago, andy york said:

Is this the Fast bike located in Henderson NC ? If the same guys are still working it they were top notch.

the guy that started it worked for road race teams since he was a teenager.Maybe 1 or 2 of the guys came from Ohlins located in the same town.

Now would be the time because once late spring gets here they will more than likely be going to the races. They had to turn me down last year because

of there race schedule. They recommended GMD Computrac in Fairmont GA. I was pleased with the result even though it was

a tad expensive. I took the forks and the shock to them. New seals- oil- bushings- and something broken on the

rear shock adjuster.

 

Yes, this is the same "Fast Bike Industries" in Hendersonville, NC, but I'm not sure if the same technicians are working there though.  

I'll have to ask them if the same technical staff is working there after they were sold to Andreani.

[footgoose]

I took mine (front and rear) to my local Ducati shop. Their chief tech was Ohlins schooled, as you might imagine with so many Duc models running the kit. My rear was 225 iirc.

For suspension assurances, it was worth it to me to let a pro do it.

[al_roethlisberger]

Thanks, and while there is only one MG dealer in NC in Charlotte which is only 2+ hours away, there are a few Ducati/BMW shops within an hour that do say they have Ohlins specialists.  So that may be a good option as well 

[andy york]

'For suspension assurances, it was worth it to me to let a pro do it.'

Agreed. Somewhere in my toolbox is my certificate from Ohlins claiming 

I am qualified to work on Ohlins forks and shocks. I did the week long Training 

in Hendersonville at the "factory"( usa headquarters).

Yes you can try it yourself but without special tools there is a really good chance 

of f****** it up. I to choose to take it to someone that does this day in and day out.

 

[al_roethlisberger]

11 hours ago, andy york said:

'For suspension assurances, it was worth it to me to let a pro do it.'

Agreed. Somewhere in my toolbox is my certificate from Ohlins claiming 

I am qualified to work on Ohlins forks and shocks. I did the week long Training 

in Hendersonville at the "factory"( usa headquarters).

Yes you can try it yourself but without special tools there is a really good chance 

of f****** it up. I to choose to take it to someone that does this day in and day out.

 

 

 

Thanks Andy, that's now a couple positive references for the folks in Hendersonville 

 

And on that note, here is a response I received last night from Luciano Ubaldini, president of the new owners of "Fast Bike Industries", Andreani USA in Hendersonville, NC. 

I asked him if he minded if I shared his response with the forum before doing so.

 

Quote

Good morning AI,

Hope you’re doing fine and thanks for your recent email.

 

I had a look on your exchange of emails with David. 

Please let me introduce you to Andreani USA.

 

My name is Luciano Ubaldini and I worked 13 years in Andreani Italy before accepting this new challenge to open a new branch here in NC. 

Andreani Group International (The Italian HQ), is the sole distributor of Öhlins, Kayaba, SKF, Showa and many other brands and products, for the Italian or European market. If you want to have a look you can go on the European site by now www.andreanigroup.com 

 

The company has an international reputation for its product lines of suspensions, tuning and tools. We have Teams working with us in the WSBK and MotoGP since almost 25 years. The company itself is focused on suspensions since 1985. 

 

All our technicians have technical background non only including Öhlins but also OE brands like Marzocchi, Showa and Kayaba. For almost all suspension brands we got tools and spare parts in stock. 

David is one of the technicians which has built a huge reputation through the years woking for important AMA and now Motoamerica Teams. He also takes care of many small OEM projects. 

In the Offroad department we got another well known technician that worked in Marzocchi for 20 years and 10 years in Andreani together with Öhlins he assisted official teams in the World MXGP. 

 

So basically the Andreani Know-how, experience and background grants us to be one of the best MC and MTB suspension points in Europe and now getting a feet into your beautiful country. 

We’re fresh in USA but well known in Europe. Actually for your bike we got also a suspension upgrade for the V11 Les Mans from 2001 till 2006 and is gets your fork a better handling and support through out your rides. It’s also giving your fork the ability to be adjusted in Compression, Rebound and preload. If you want more information about this kit we can get in touch with you over the phone. Our website might be ready within a week. Finger crossed 😅

 

If you’re willing to reply to this email with your phone number, we’ll give you a call and explain you also better the job we would do on your suspension and what's included in the pricing. 

 

If you have any question please don’t hesitate to contact us back. 

  

 

Best Regards,
 

Luciano Ubaldini | President Andreani USA Inc. US Mobile +1 (828) 582-0791 • IT Mobile (+39) 347 4648 458 Email L.ubaldini@andreaniusa.com Address 137 E Central St. , Hendersonville, NC, 28792, United States Website www.andreaniusa.com

 

 

 

[docc]

It seems there is still no Andreani fork cartridge for the early V11 40mm Marzocchi forks. Perhaps these talented technicians will know of a Ducati application with those same forks . . .

[al_roethlisberger]

26 minutes ago, docc said:

It seems there is still no Andreani fork cartridge for the early V11 40mm Marzocchi forks. Perhaps these talented technicians will know of a Ducati application with those same forks . . .

Maybe, in that email exchange above he seems to suggest they may have upgrade solutions for OE Marzocchi suspension.  It might be worth inquiring if they do, or if they would be interested in taking a look at the "old" Marzocchi forks on the V11 series to see what may be possible  

[docc]

4 minutes ago, al_roethlisberger said:

Maybe, in that email exchange above he seems to suggest they may have upgrade solutions for OE Marzocchi suspension.  It might be worth inquiring if they do, or if they would be interested in taking a look at the "old" Marzocchi forks on the V11 series to see what may be possible  

Having searched for the 40mm Marzocchi application before, I found this statement notable, 

". . . we got also a suspension upgrade for the V11 Les Mans from 2001 till 2006 and is gets your fork . . . "

So, no direct 1999-2000 (2001) Sport/RM application. We have wondered, in the past, if that same Marzocchi 40mm was used on some Ducati (especially Monster), but were never able to confirm a reliable cross reference.

[Speedfrog]

A bit late to the party but here is another Ohlins specialist that comes highly recommended. 

Dan Kyle in Sand City, California.

https://kyleusa.com

https://shop.kyleusa.com/main.sc

[GuzziMoto]

I would happily use Fast Bike Industries / Adreani if I lived in that area. In fact, I would consider them even living where I do. I do like having a suspension guy that is local. Generally I like doing stuff myself, but time is in shorter supply than it was when I was young. So I could see paying someone to do the job. The young me would do it myself. But I am not that guy anymore (sadly).

I have heard good things about the Adreani fork cartridges. They seem to be a quality company. But the guy in the email might not understand that Guzzi used very different forks on the early V11 vs the later V11 and V11 Lemans.

[al_roethlisberger]

5 hours ago, GuzziMoto said:

I would happily use Fast Bike Industries / Adreani if I lived in that area. In fact, I would consider them even living where I do. I do like having a suspension guy that is local. Generally I like doing stuff myself, but time is in shorter supply than it was when I was young. So I could see paying someone to do the job. The young me would do it myself. But I am not that guy anymore (sadly).

I have heard good things about the Adreani fork cartridges. They seem to be a quality company. But the guy in the email might not understand that Guzzi used very different forks on the early V11 vs the later V11 and V11 Lemans.

 

Thanks.

 

David from Andreani USA called, left a message about their services, and also sent me an email with the same information.

 

That and their president corresponding directly with me a few times is a good sign of the customer service at least 

 

Their prices are reasonable, and with the good feedback I'm receiving so far here, along with their being somewhat "local", I'll probably give them a try.