Ducati Monster Forum

G'day All

I have an S2R 800 07, And I'm a heavy guy, so the OEM suspension is struggliing to keep my heavy ass from dragging on the ground, I have been speaking to Dale at Teknik Motorsport in Sydeny about getting my suspension serviced and setup with with the correct springs and valveing, He seems to really know his stuff and has come up with a number of options depending on my budget and what I want to do.

I can find no one up here in Cairns who seems to know what to do, They all just say, bung in some heavier springs and oil and she'll be right.....

I don't think so buddy. I do it right, or I don't do it at all.

So I am wondering has anyone dealt with these Guys? everything I see on the Web reckons they are pretty good, And I have to say Dale has been very good at answering every question and query I have had.
I wanted to see if any of the OZ monsters has any other suggestions or issues.

Thanks

My brother has just had his R6 race bike set up by teknik and he was really pleased, not only did they do the job well but when he went to pick the bike up they ran through everything he needed to know and then asked when he was racing next. I cant remember the name of the fella but he went and met my brother at the track to fine tune his suspension. Not a bad service if you ask me.

can you go into further details as to the offered options?

thanks

If your 800 runs that same budget forks as my '99 M750, then you're likely being told the right thing. You can't revalve the Marzocci's I've got, the best advice seems to be "put in .9kg springs and 10wt oil, that's as good as they get" - I hear that from Brad Black who I trust as much as anybody.

If I'm right about your forks, your next real option is to start looking for replacement forks. Something adjustable off another Monster is the cheapest/easiest alternative, but they seem to be hard to come by. Forks off most Ducati Superbikes can be made to fit, but we're talking modified triple clamps (shimmed lowers, bored uppers) due to the size differences (and you'd need to ensure you get the right caliper mounts and match the disc offsets too). I hear tales about people fitting GSXR600 and R6 forks, but if you need to ask about a conversion like that it's probably not the sort of job you're up for... If you're made of money, just buy Ohlins and get custom triple clamps and brembo monoblock brakes and trick clutch and brake masters (oh, and get a set for me while you're at it) - that'd set you back something like the price of a good 2nd hand S4RS I suspect...

big

Big,

you are right - they are 43mm non-adjustable Marzocchis.

some of those SBK forks come up on the parts for sale. and they are cheap.

but all that boring, shimming and brake adjustment sounds expensive!

yeah I went down this road a little while ago.
Was looking at ST2 forks, as I was told that they do fit and it's an easy swap.
I was talking too Jimmy Gunn at Zeno Damper in Caringbah Sydney.
But after much too and fro and then missing the sale of the forks I was not convinced.
Especially that I felt in the end I was going to be wasting money changing forks.

After new tires went on recently my front end feels totally different anyway, much more compliant.
I will still investigate fork oil as a first option then springs after that if needed.
So for me it was the tires that changes the front end.
What are you running, it might make a difference.
I went from stock Pirelli Diablo to Michelin Pilot Power's, massive change.

Hope that helps, a different take on front ends.

cheers
Matty...

Speaking to Dale at Teknik, This is what he has offered

Front forks
Revalve which includes full clean and service with new Silkolene Oil
Rebound upgrade Kit
$460
Front Springs for my Weight
$180

Rear Shock
Revalve Which includes full clean and service with Silkolene oil
$250
New rear spring
$180

Also for the Rear
Upgrade to Ohlins (Fully Adjustable)
$1050
Rear spring to suit
$180

I asked about the Front fork Rebound Upgrade Kit, He said there Guys fit them all the time to OEM non adjustable Forks. I can just a service and revalve $300 but I decided the rebound upgrade seemed like a good Idea to me. I'm torn between just doing the upgrade to my rear shock or replacing it with the Ohlins

I'm not a hard core rider, I mainly commute with a little cruising around on the weekend, the odd blast up the ranges and overall I am happy with the way suspension feels, I just know it is struggling to haul my heavy ass around, I just want it done right.

Mattyvas, I am running the OEM Battlax, but when I'm braking the forks are bottoming out, a decent bump and I bottom the forks, I spoke to Dale about this and he also agreed just a revalve and oil would not fix this.
But trying to get somebody up here to do even the most basic suspension work is just insane, as soon as most of the guys up here look at them, they see that's a non adjustable fork and they run in the other direction.
I weigh about 115 geared up, The males in my family are big guys, we are not Fat, just built big
(Big boned [cheeky])

Even if I got new forks, I would still have to get them serviced and resprung. So for what I need I think the rebuild of the OEM forks will be my best option.

with winter approaching:

could you take the bike in and have forks and shock removed, sent down to Sydney for rebuild?

That's the plan, I'll send the forks down first, Then I'll most likely get the Ohlins for the rear I can get the Ohlins from somebody like Motowheels with the correct spring and save about $400

It doesn't worry me if the bike is off the road for a couple of weeks while the forks are done, It just means the Wife and I will have to share the car while it gets done.

I'm just waiting for my stand to arrive so I can safely lift the front of the bike and store it while the forks are off visiting the Doctor.

Sounds like a good plan, let's us know the results as I am sure you will.
And if you need anyone to help you with things in Sydney just sing out.

No worries, Thanks for the Offer  [thumbsup]

The more reading I do, I think the Ohlins upgrade will be the best option for the rear, I can order it from overseas from Motowheels with the heavier spring a lot cheaper than I am paying for it in Australia.

I assume fitting a rear Shock assembly will not be difficult

Yeah I guess so.
But anything that might mean my safety and it goes to the shop.

True, But I think If I take this to my dealer I think he's going to be pissed and tell me where to Insert my new Ohlins Shock!!  [cheeky]

I might throw a topic into the tech area and see if there are any pitfalls to watch for, Looking at the Parts manual, it all seems pretty straight forward.

Thanks for your help and Information guys, much appreciated, I'll let Dale from Teknik look at the front forks and see what can or can't be done, If they can't be modified like he suggests then I'll start hunting for some SBK forks as suggested and try again.  [moto]

Not sure if these will fit or are any better than what you have.....

But they are in your part of the world!

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ducati-forlks_W0QQitemZ300234437880QQihZ020QQcategoryZ32077QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

But those 'forlks' are made of, wait for it ..... leather!

lol! See I could understand if the seller just spelt Forks as Forlks once. Maybe twice. But three times?

Hmmm I'd be interested to know what they're doing there. I've heard rumours of being able to do _something_ with these forks, but almost everyone says you can't...

big

G'day Big,
I have dropped Dale another Email asking if it is going to be an issue fitting the rebound adjusters to the OEM Forks, but the last time I spoke to him he knew all the details of the forks, non Adjustable, diameter, brand, even down to what valving and oil on board as standard.
I'll let you know what his response is.

The Ebay Forlks I think I'll give a miss, They are 10 years old, I will still have to have them resprung, fully serviced and re-valved anyway and at $500 they are a bit rich.
Plus I refuse to buy anything on Ebay. I hate Ebay with a passion and I refuse to purchase anything through the Ebay system, I also refuse to use Paypal.

Another Update

Spoke to Dale at Teknik, They have not Modified the OEM Marzocchi Forks themselves with a Rebound Kit,
But there head Suspension Tech is very keen to replicate the results that have been achieved on these Forks overseas.
So they have agreed to pay all transport cost to get the Forks down and back, and if it works out, This Mod will be made available to all.
Somebody has to be the Guinea pig (No Disrespect to Teknik), So I look forward to seeing the final results.

And if it doesn't work they can just do they service and revalve like we originally planned, no harm done.

When it's all done I will report back to every one with the results.