Ducati Monster Forum

Race-tech is just down the hill from my house, so I stopped by to see what they could do for my S2R1K.  Their database contained no information, so they said that they would give me a 40% discount off any work they would do since it would be considered R&D.  I left the bike and checked in with them the next day, this is what they told me:

a.  Stock springs are progressive, they start at 0.5 kg/mm and progress to 0.64 kg/mm - way too light for my 180 lbs

b.  The compression damping is provided by a valve with 8 small orifices, there is no shim stack, so the damping is not progressive, making for a harsh ride (the high speed compression damping is very slow, virtually nonexistent).

 
They made the following mods to the fork:
a.  Spring replaced with 0.9 kg/mm single-rate (P/N: FRSP S3827090), with 15mm preload spacer

b.  Compression damping valve was replaced with a Gold Valve (P/N: FMGV S2040S) plus a shim stack.  They tell me that the shim stack is the key to tuning the compression damping 

c.  The rebound damping valve was replaced with a Gold Valve, P/N FRGV S02S 

d.  5 wt "Ultra Slick" fork oil, level is 110 mm with the spring installed

Haven't ridden in the twisties yet, but the bike feels much more stable.  Front-end dive under hard braking is greatly reduced.  The bumps that I've gown accustomed to jarring me on the way to/from work are greatly attenuated.  Not bad for $420.  I'll have a better sense of how well this is working after some weekend riding.  Next on the list.... I gotta do something about the rear shock.
 

damn wish i paid that price. R&D my ass! my shop said, we know what will work, and we know how to make it work perfect.  I basically have the exact same stuff model as you same spring and valve (just different weight)

Nice Ivan.......................... man I wish I was your neighbor ;)

That's one fine S2R you've put together [thumbsup]

Keep us informed when you do the rear shock.

 +1

I think they just wanted the work and gave a discount. The front forks are basically the same thing that has been coming on the Monsters for some time now. I had BCM do the Race Tech stuff on my M900Sie which Yuu now owns.

 I also know that the forks are the same used on the S4R. The reason I know this is because when I sourced the suspension components for my S2R1K I couldnt' find a listing for fork internals for my bike but they did have a listeing for the S4R so I used that kit with no issues.

 I would guess the reason HeMan's shop knew what to use is because they porbably have done done of them already where as Race Tech probably doesn't have people with S2R1K's coming in off the street on a daily basis.

I think I was fortunate.  They were not even sure that the forks were rebuildable, they may have been confusing the S2R1K and the S2R.  When I called the next day, he said that the internals were the same as some of the other models they had worked on in the past, so they knew exactly what to do once they had them apart.   

Sweet!  I was just eyeing the same thing.  I'm up the road in Camarillo and I'm thinking of bringing in my forks to Valley Ducati Service in Reseda.  I've got an 07 S2R1K and sit at 210 lbs w/o gear...definitely need some new springs.  I think someone on the board has already had their Showa's done by VDS with RaceTech parts.

Rode Palomar Mountain today.  This was about as hard as I care to ride on the street.  There are several cattle crossing grates and the back-side of the mountain has some fairly rough patches.  There was still about 35mm of travel left in the forks when I got home, as evidenced by the O-ring tell-tale.  I'm fairly certain at this point that the 0.9kg/mm spring is too much.  I'm going to dial back the compression damping, but I don't think that is going to get me where I want to be.  I think that I'll be going back for lighter springs.

Nick has performed the RaceTech parts to my S4R and the forks are certainly more compliant.  Not a HUGE improvement but it was certainly worth it and the front end seems to be a lot more stable through the bumpy corners. 

Ivan, do the upgrade to the rear shock.  I had Nick install a Penske shock and it really is a grea mod to the bike and well worth it.

Can you lower your oil level a little to reduce the "air spring effect" and get more travel?  What are your sag numbers?

BK

Do you remember the model number for the Penske rear shock?

I believe it was the Penske 8983 with remote reservoir.  You should speak with Nick at Valley Ducati Service, as we had to send the shock back to Penske to get the reservoir hose shortened and the shock collar had to be swapped out as it would not fit correctly.   He could help you out.

I've been eyeing the Penske shocks as well, trying to decide if its worth getting the 3-way adjustable.  Its about $250 to add the high-speed compression damping, I just don't know if I'm astute enough to make use of it.   Where did you mount the reservoir?  I'm thinking that the passenger peg mount on the left side might be a good place....



Sag is only about 20mm, but take that with a grain of salt because these forks seem to have a lot of stiction.   I mentioned that the sag should be more like 30mm when I picked up the bike, but they insisted that I at least give it a try with some hard riding.  Now that I've done so, I'm convinced that the spring is too heavy.  Reducing the oil level and/or adjusting the compression damping won't increase the static sag, right?   I'm going to take a ride today with the compression damping reduced, just to see if it rides better.

They can probably take out or reduce the preload spacer to improve things.  I'm glad that they are close-by, this way I can eventually get it right.  The work order says that they will change or replace valving as required for 90 days.  I'm hoping that includes changing the spring since they decided which spring to use.

Slightly reducing the oil level won't alter the sag, but it will increase the air volume and should give you a bit more travel.  20mm is not much sag, and the measurement CAN be taken in such a way as to compensate for stiction.  I like to know my stiction value.  If the stiction is really high, maybe it's time for new seals and bushings?  I would try to shoot for at least 30mm sag, maybe more like 35mm sag, see how things go, and then consider dropping the oil level a bit and see where that gets you.  One good road test is to back out the compression and then do some 60-5mph hard stops on a smooth, clean surface to see how much travel remains.  Just for reference, I'm using 0.85 fork springs, but I'm only 165lbs and my M695 is lighter than your S2R1k (different forks, too).  Racetech should be able fix you right up.

BK

Nick mounted my reservoir on the rear subframe near the grab rail on the lefthand side of the bike.  I still have my passenger pegs so mounting it there was really not an option for me.  And, I went with the 2-way adjustable, as I am about as adept as a cave man when it comes to adjusting a shock.

What are your current fork settings?

Nick did my forks a year or so ago. [thumbsup]

Those 0.9 springs should be about right for you at 180#.

Curious what they mean by a 15mm preload spacer... RaceTech springs are shorter than stock, by *far* more than 15mm.

Sounds Great!
I think I'd try lowering the oil level also.
This is a common offroaders fine tuning trick.
The air acts as a progressive spring and the more airspace you have the less progressive it is.
Lowering the oil give you more airspace so it while it will remain pretty much the same the first halve of travel the last halve is where it will have an effect.
Lowering the oil level will not effect the sag.

Most people add 5-10mm of oil with good results. Once your budget goes north of $1000, why not send the forks to Ohlins and have them gut them and install one of their supersport packages?

Thanks Speeddog, you're right on both counts....

I backed-off the compression damping 3 clicks, and now I'm using almost the full range of travel.  [thumbsup]

I re-read the data sheet that they gave me.  My bad, they define preload as the amount that the sping is compressed when installed, not the length of the spacer.  I have no idea how long the spacer is, but the spring is compressed ~15mm. 

Right now I have the preload adjustment set for minimum, the rebound adjustment is set 8 clicks out from maximum, and the compression adjustment is 11 clicks out from maximum.  I don't have a good measurement for sag, its kinda hard to get a good measurement with less than 2 helpers.     


Now about those Penske shocks.... their web-site recommends a 7" spring @650 lbs/inch.  Does this sound about right?

Glad it's working better after some adjustment.  :)

As far as the shock spring goes, I'll check my charts when I get to the shop.

Not too sure about the spring.  I had bought my Penske from Traxxion Dynamics and they took all my info and provided me with the entire unit.  Unlike my forks, I have not even adjusted the Penske as it feels really good.   [clap]