Ducati Monster Forum

I noticed fork oil on my rim this afternoon. Is this a sign that I should upgrade the stock forks or should I just get the forks serviced? Does Desmoto do fork work?

You definitely should upgrade.   ;D

It means they need to be serviced.  Desmoto can and will do it.  While they're in there, it makes sense to get other work done -- resprung and revalved.  But if you don't want to spend the $ on revalving, at least get them resprung for your weight.  New springs are not that much more than getting new oil and seals. 

Yeah, it's a blown fork seal most likely. Spidey's right - if you have the $, have them check that you have the right springs and oil weight. They're probably due for new oil anyway. When's the last time you had the forks serviced?

Oh yes, they do forks.  Ask me how I know.   [laugh] 

...and don't pull a "me" and wait until your brake pads are completely soaked with oil before you do it.  Makes braking a tad tricky.   [roll]

I've been very happy with their suspension work overall, Tim.  I've had them do two bikes and although I can't say that I'm an expert on this sort of stuff, both feel great and I have excellent tire wear on the track.  I think that's supposed to be a sign of someone knowing a little something in that area. 

Does a bear shit in the woods?  :)

Desmoto does my suspension servicing for the track.

Desmoto for work on the hardware
Dave Moss for help with settings at the track

Does a body good.

Here's pricing from Evolution:  http://www.evolutionsuspension.com/pricing/  Evolution says $200 plus parts for just new fork seals and oil.  A full set-up with seals, oil, springs and valving starts at $580 including parts.   I betcha Desmoto says it something like $250 for fork oil and seals, $400 for seals, oil and new springs and $600-700 for the whole shebang with new valving.  Give a holler once you get a quote from Desmoto.

Here's what you need to know for parts costs:

Racetech Gold Valves-- $180  (or you can get a $1000 kit with cartridges).
Fork springs -- $110
Seals-- $30 or so?
Fork oil -- $20 -$30 per leg?

The rest of the cost is labor. 

Proper springs will make sure you have the right preload, which is the most important suspension baseline.  Fork oil height/weight will set a baseline rebound and compression for you.  Valving will ensure you have properly tuned rebound and compression.  Oil and springs are a minimum.  If you're gonna spend the $, get them revalved.  'course, then the rear will feel like dogshit in comparison, and you'll have to buy an aftermarket shock.   ;D

P.S.  Tigre and 'belle prolly have a better handle on Desmoto's actual prices.  I'm just guessing here.

You'll save money if you can take the forks off the bike and deliver to any shop.

A nice upgrade here (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=15965.0)

As usual, you all respond with the exact information that I need. You are the reference librarians of the motorcycle world  [thumbsup]
Never been serviced in the eight years I have had the bike. I prefer repairs over maintenance and service ;D

Just as a data point, Aftershocks Suspension (now in Livermore) did a fork service on the forks for both of my bikes for $150 a pair a few months ago.  That included fork oil and seals.

Way back in 2003 when they did my Monster forks, stiffer springs were achieved by cutting the stock springs a tiny bit shorter and adding a spacer inside.  No extra charge for that.

I had Race Tech replace Both seals, clean out the inside of the fork, and fill with fresh fork oil for a tad above $200. That is, forks off the bike.

The other thing is, that I have had two negative experiences with leaky fork seals and the resulting loss of fluid and thus loss of proper damping. In one incident a friends borrowed CR 480 had a leaky seal with said loss of fluid, that resulted in a hard bottom out and a broken leg. In another incident, involving same friends Honda V65, a fast freeway like speed, resulted in severe and worsening head shake. I thought I was going down! As I slowly let off the gas the head shake started to diminish. I said Whew! and thought to myself this guy is trying to kill me....

I think Bell warned of some brake problems with her bike, so don't let this go until later. Very unsafe, Etc.

Yeah, it'd be about time then.  ;)

FWIW, I had the Racetech gold valves installed about 6 years ago and the bike has been lovely ever since. About 18 months ago I noticed that the handling just didn't seem as good as it once was, and Desmoto cleaned out the old fluid and refilled, and it was great once again.  Dave Moss will tell you to change your fork oil every few months or something like that, but that seem a bit... excessive. But 8 years is probably a bit on the longish side.

I guess depending on how much you ride, once a year. Based on 12K a year. I use to do the race bike once a year. Cheap and easy to do. Fluid only costs 12.99/qt and that should be more than enough. I use my brake bleeder tool to set the level.   

I finally got the bike into Desmoto today. $300 for new seals and oil in both forks is the quote from them.

Is that on the bike or bring the forks in $300?

On the bike price is $300.

Sounds fair. Or you could save $100 and take them off yourself.