Ducati Monster Forum

Okay so last night I had to go in for my 600 miles service.  I had foregone doing any suspension adjustments as I wanted to ride the bike as it came from the shop for a couple of days before deciding what it needed.  So the 600 miles service went well and then it came time to have their shop pro help me with the setup.  I usually do this myself but I figured I may gain some benefits from his knowledge. 

It took less than ten minutes to find out I need different springs in the front.  Max pre-load at 165 pounds and the front is still soft!  WTF!!!!  Could Ducati possibly have put the wrong springs in the bike?  There is no way it should be maxed out at my weight.  I admit I am more than a little pissed off that I have to spend another few hundred dollars just to make the stock front work with-in spec.   [bang]

160lbs rider is the stock spring setup for almost all Ducati from what i've heard.
how much do you weigh?

I weigh in at 165.

are you 100% this tech knows his stuff?

put up your numbers on here and let the smart guys see them

If you're worried about riding around at 5lbs over spec, then I guess I should be TERRIFIED cruising around on stock suspension at 210lbs   [laugh]

Pre-load = spring tension = sag.  As Raux indicated, post up your actual sag numbers - all of them.

The OE springs are probably progressive and behave a little differently than straight-rate springs.

You mention "soft" as your complaint, which normally implies hydraulics/damping.

Is too much sag at max spring tension your suspension guys issue?

BK

Am I certain the suspension guy knows his stuff?  No.  Were I not in a new shop (A&S Powersports in Sacramento) with new people I would have a better answer.  I have not dealt with them enough yet to really know what to think.

I should have written down the numbers however there was no doubt that I am able to nearly bottom out the shock (front brake locked shove down on bars) at max pre-load.  At the halfway point (2.5 full turns) I could bottom it out.  More compression damping in order?

I feel like it is a bit soft up front as well.  Makes the rear less friendly.. 

If that's a new bike it sounds like a potential warranty issue.  Definitely a safety issue if you can bottom out the forks (hard stop) like that.  Be careful.  I would look at the user manual and see if the suspension settings are at default per new bike setup.  Maybe it just needs more compression damping, or maybe the compression circuit is faulty.

Grab a buddy and a tape measure and get all your sag numbers!

BK

Thanks BK I will get that done tomorrow when my crew is out here.  It may be compression dampening........

I don't know your knowledge/experience level, but Dave Moss has some awesome video out there describing how to get proper sag measurements and how to do a basic suspension setup.  Check it out before your crew arrives.

BK

Not sure if you got this sorted out or not, but I saw that Dave Moss will be at the sacto cyclegear on 4/21 from 10-2 doing suspension setups.  Golden opportunity....

BK

Damn it is noon we just got done flying and I can't get there in time.  Does Dave do this very often? 

I think he keeps a schedule on his site somewhere, but as the racing/track season picks up he gets VERY busy supporting that.  You could email him and find out.  Get there today if at all possible!

BK