Ducati Monster Forum

I figured this is the best place to ask this question.....

I rode my wife's new-to-her '01 M900ie for about 350 miles a couple of weeks ago. When riding hard, especially on the gas coming out of a curve, the front end did not seem very stable, was really twitchy, and not very confidence inspiring. I was not coming out of the curves any harder than I do on my ST2 nor my 748, probably not even as hard, so it made me think about what may be causing it.

Is this just a characteristic of the suspension's geometry? The best reason I could come up with that I found an interesting theory is that, with handlebars that are several inches longer than the ST2 (modified with Helibar adaptors and superbike clipons) and the 748, plus the different riding position and hand wrist positions, I was thinking I'm just getting more dramatic feedback through the bars. I mean, a slight wiggling of the front end may not be a big deal with narrower bars, its just that adding another couple of inches to each side, there is more dramatic movement due to the distance from the steering head.

Any other suggestions or theories? I'm tempted on slapping a steering damper on the thing because I'm not too sure just how stable it is on these roads and how we ride. BTW, I can get a good headshake in a couple of curves with the ST2 when really pushing it.  ;)

Here is a pic of the bike...

(http://desmodemon.com/monster/monster_brp.jpg)


Here's a picture of the ST2 bar modification (for those who may be interested)...

(http://desmodemon.com/st2_heli.jpg)

I just installed a Matris damper a few weeks ago... I have gotten headshake several times in the past while throttling out of turns, and a few of those times were scary enough to think about throwing a damper on the bike, which I did...

I tried to throttle out hard w/the damper on a few times and haven't noticed any shake, so I guess it's doing its job..

-Maybe playing w/your rebound damping might help?? if it's rebounding too slow (staying compressed for too long), then the front wheel is more likely to get really light + do the old "shopping cart" wiggle, aka: Headshake...

-That's just my theory BTW, Take it for what it's worth...  :-\

I believe the bike has non-adjustable SHOWA forks.

How old are the tires, how worn are they, and what kind?

How much do you weigh?

Tires - Brand spanking new Michelin 2CT tires

Me - Around 240 or so

Add weight to the front end - if she won't go to clip-ons, fill the handles bar with lead shot & have her lean forward when accelerating.

The longer bars do make it more responsive to small inputs.
Monsters are more tail-heavy than your ST or 748, so that makes them less stable on heavy throttle.
And at 240, you're well outside what the OEM springs can handle.

First step would be to get the suspension sag set up for your wife.