Ducati Monster Forum

so I'm a big guy...I weigh 250 w/o gear right now and still losing weight.  I'm going to get a monster(possibly be getting a s2r 800) but I'm worried about the suspension.   Is there anything that I need to do to the suspension to get the full potential out of the bike?  I've heard some say yes while others say no....what do you guys think? ???

I have an 07 S2R 800 and I'm a pretty heavy guy, Now I don't crazy on my Bike and so far the suspension has coped (Just) But I have decided that in the next 12 - 18 months I am going to get the Forks rebuilt and the Rear shock Rebuilt, So this will include a tear down, clean and service, Re-valve to suit my weight and re-spring to suit my weight.

If you want to push the bike to the limit, then I would suggest do it promptly

I knew when I bought the bike the OEM suspension would struggle if I wanted to go out and scrape pegs on the corners and blast up the nearest mountain range.
But so far I have just added some preload to the spring and adjusted the rebound up a little and for the Commuting, cruising and little bit of Fun on the range, it has worked better than I thought. (Considering it's hauling my Fat Ass around  [cheeky] )

So for me, Rather than go all out and spend mega $$$$ on Ohlins, I have spoken to a couple of Suspension places and they have said in my case to just do as I listed above, The shocks/springs will need a good clean and service in 12/18 months time anyway, It will all time in nicely.
And as one guy I spoke to said, for the money I would spend just buying 1 Ohlins Shock setup for the Rear I could my Forks/rear shock all set up (re-valved), cleaned and serviced, new springs and better than I would ever need and still walk away with money in hand.

Talk to a suspension specialist, tell them what you want to do, where and how you ride and they will point you in the right direction.

I weigh about 235-240 with gear and have owned a S2R800 and a S4RT.  I really liked my 800 even though the forks are not adjustable.  However when I switched to the S4R I felt I could corner much better.  If I consider only the suspension differences between the two bikes I feel MUCH more confident in normal riding with the adjustable Showas on the S4R.  The bike is more stable and holds the line in the corner.  Several board members have redone forks for the 800 or replaced them with SBK or GSXR forks with success.

You will enjoy your bike if you get a S2R800 and no you won’t crash and die without adjustable forks, but you may find it's worth the money to get a S2R1K or plan on the forks getting done.  Just to enjoy the bike even more.

For me it's all about safety and fun - being able to trust the suspension is vital for both.
We discussed the rebuild here:

http://ducatimonsterworldwide.org/index.php?topic=3882.0

At the minimum, a respring will make you much happier.

Its rideable without this, but it would help you out a lot.

Assuming the bike you are buying has front and rear suspension in good shape, then the only think you have to do is replace the springs with stiffer rated ones, not a full rebuild or Ohlins.  Factory bikes are set up for ~170lbs w gear.  At ~250lbs, you would have to crank a lot of preload which (I believe) reduces the usable travel of the suspension.  You could ride around like this, but IMO if you crank the preload initially, then the next mod should be stiffer springs as suspension has a huge effect on riding confidence and enjoyment.

I would say that you should factor in the amount of weight that you plan to lose.  I am a solid 220 with gear and pack and my 06 S2R 800 doesn't have any problems.  If you are planning on dropping more weight, a complete refitting might be a little much.  On the other hand, having the options for such adjustments would be nice.  Just wanted to mention that you are not so far out of the "weight range" that cheapest mod might be to just keep droppin the lbs.  Save that money for a new jacket and pants. 

If you can find a good deal on an S2R1k you could have adjustable forks, they would still need to be respring though. ( Im only 143lbs and i had to get them resprung, they were crap)
But the soft clutch pull of the S2R800 does sound mighty appealing. GSXR GOLD FORKS!

well if all goes well I'll be getting the bike next week and until I recover from the purchase how much should I adjust the preload(and how do you do it).  Also if I adjust the preload, will it mess up the cornering cause the front will still be bogged down?  It took me about a year to lose 20 pounds so losing weight isn't a fast aproaching issue(it takes me forever to gain weight as well as lose it)...I may have to get some gsxr forks asap....I'm so glad that they will be a  direct swap...I'll just have to get up the courage to do the swap to a brand new bike(to me....it's a 2005). at least bikes are a less expensive hobby than muscle cars ;D

Good luck on both projects - I'm in your shoes, just about one year and 20-30 pounds ahead of you. It took me three years to loose the first 45 pounds.
I work as a personal trainer and can tell you it's the long term perspective and disciplined work which will last. These things take a long time and has to be slowly integrated in your mind and emotions.

exactly...I woke up after I wasn't able to go on a 6 mile hike that used to be a breeze for me...I just got really lazy. I'm training to try to get back into shape so I can start dong 50 mile backpacking trips again ;D

On a Monster that's not a problem, you know ;D

Seriously; that kind of achievable and down to earth goal is just what's going to get you there. Loosing weight has to have a meaningful purpose to the individual, doing it to please outside pressure is not enough for weight loss outside the 8-10 pound range. "Most" people have the short term capacity to do that, but they often gain the same weight after the outside pressure is gone. BTW: did you know that spirited riding burns calories three to five times faster than sitting down doing nothing. That's close to a hike or a slow jog. I have it scientifically measured.

yea, I figured that out after my msf course this weekend...I was sweating like hell and it was only 50 degrees...I can't wait to get back on a bike ;D

Having just lost a bunch of weight myself, let me offer a bit of advice.  If you do suspension work soon, have it done to your target weight.  I didn't, and now that I've lost 25+ lbs, my "moderate street riding" suspension is now "MotoGP stiff" and I'm going to re-do it. 

Having the bike set to your target weight gives you a bit more incentive, and will be plush as you re-learn to ride it.  By the time you hit your target, you'll be ready for a nice, tight bike.

well, I think that I'll lose around 25 pounds max but prob less cause I also want to get my strength back up.  In high school I was able to leg press 1200lbs for 10 reps.  my goal will be to get up to 1k...So I'm thinking that I'll go with the gsxr 1000 shocks that are supposed to be stiff and up the preload of the rear shock.  If that doesn't work than I'll set up the suspension for 230-35 and that will last me for a while.  It would be better in my eyes to have to replace the suspension in a year than have one so soft that it pisses me off

I went the expensive route last year and got a Matris fork kit up front with an Ohlins shock and new spring out back.

At the minimum, you want a rear spring for your weight and adjustable settings up front and out back.

I'm a big guy, too, and having the bike set up for me transformed the riding experience for me!!!