I keep coming back to this 1198 shock that I have, It's an Ohlins and I'm eager to make it work.

I measured a spring rate on my MC18 and it's about 12.5KG/mm, according to the markings the one on the 1198 shock is 8.15KG/mm (457 lbs)
length is pretty close, about 290mm eye to eye. Wonder how much clearance I gain with 17", in theory should be 12mm which might be enough, however if the tire meets the shock at speed results may be catastrophic so I have to make sure there is no chance of interference, perhaps shorten the reservoir? I have an extra one that was damaged, perhaps I can experiment or convert to remote reservoir but then it becomes too much of a project.