Ducati Monster Forum

Anyone tried this setup?  I spent the better part of Friday afternoon installing this shock. Seemed like it might be easy but I ended up having to remove the muffler and the fuel tank.

To support the bike I used jack stands and put them under the mounts for the rider footpegs. I tried removing the rear wheel to make it easier but I could not get the nut holding the rear wheel on to budge. Maybe I should have broke out the impact wrench for that. The problem is the rear hugger, it is in the way but I found that removing the screws that hold the top and right sides allowed me to move it out of the way enough to get at the lower shock mount. With it attached it is in the way and the left side screw is behind the rear tire. No way to get at it without removing the rear wheel. If you have a carbon fiber hugger it would need to come off. Plastic is flexible enough that you can move it around.

Seems a lot stiffer already with less sag but I knew it would be as it is properly sprung for my weight.  Need to get it dialed in now.

Anyway, it is all back together. I'll take it for a shakedown ride later this morning.

(http://s15.postimg.org/o3fmantwr/IMG_9471.jpg) (http://postimage.org/)

(http://s15.postimg.org/kxzly70ob/IMG_9472.jpg) (http://postimage.org/)

To answer the question, I did mine several months ago and it is a very straight forward task. Quite simple to do in about 1/2 hour with the correct tools and procedure. No need to remove wheel.

My dealer did mine prior to delivery. Ohlins always overdoes things a bit. He had to back off the preload to set the sag. He only weighs 15 lbs. more than I. Took it for a ride and backed off the damping one click. Then it was spot on. (This assumes your fork is dialed in correctly.)

Is this a DU-737? Should certainly NOT be stiffer than the stock Sachs as delivered!  :o

BTW, the damping adjustment on the DU-737 is both compression AND rebound as per Ohlins in NC.

How did you remove the lower shock bolt with the hugger in the way?  Also, I could not get at the top shock mount nut without at least lifting the tank up.

I took it for a ride yesterday and noticed immediately how much smoother it feels.  The rear suspension no longer wants to throw me off the bike over every bump despite having very little sag now.  I think I need to back off the preload a bit.  Next Saturday I have an appointment to have my suspension setup for me at my local dealer.

You remove the hugger using a cut down Allen wrench and then that gives access to the lower attach bolt. The top bolt can be removed/reinstalled and torqued with a universal joint. The torque might be minimally affected by the angularity of the universal.

Looking at the pic of your tire makes me wonder why you wanted to change the shock since the original does not appear to have been challenged. If it was for the Ohlins bling I can understand that, having been guilty of the same with my bikes and cars.

[roll] Meeeow.

Oh for Pete's sake. It is almost as though omitting my last sentence smacks of selective editing. But, since I feel as though I am entitled to my opinion, so should you be entitled to yours.

I never liked the feel of the OEM shock.  It always felt undersprung yet fairly unforgiving over bumps.  I ride at a pretty brisk pace but yeah I have maybe 1cm of little used tread at the edge of my rear tire. 

This strikes me as a patently bizarre comment, particularly as you've made the swap yourself!  ???

When I rode the demo, my impressions were that the forks worked, the chassis worked, the tires worked, the bike needed a bar and a 14T, AND..., the rear was basicly AWOL.

As for "bling", the DU-737 works well, but is a budget item and good value. Hardly looks any different than stock unless you peer at it. It's more than acceptible..., but it ain't no $1,800 3-way adjustable Ohlins, (which I' ve had on another bike.)

IMO, unless you are going bonkers with a fork swap too, there ain't no point in "prime beef" on a 796 or EVO. The DU-737 is worth every penny though.

My Gawd! I thought it was plain I was asking from a perspective if he was looking for a performance enhancement or just for the appearance of it? I plainly stated that I did mine solely for the bling of it, be that as it may. So any perceived derogatory inferences did not come not from me.

Also very well documented here and other web sites that the DU 737 is a marginal improvement over the stock unit. No news there. Installing the correct spring is much more significant.

My research did not lead me to believe that at all.  Do you mean to tell me that I just replaced an OEM rear shock with only 15,000 miles on it with a marginally better new one that is actually sprung for my weight?  Christ I feel like an idiot... 

Your own seat-of-the-pants meter is telling you otherwise. The Sachs is marginal and the DU-737 is as good or better than your forks. In fact, they are well matched.

No idea WHAT HE read "on the Internet".  ;D Be your own judge. My dealer quite liked it and was surprised it could make such and improvement so inexpensively. He's one of the foremost Ohlins techs on the East Coast. http://www.ducpond.com/aboutus.asp (http://www.ducpond.com/aboutus.asp)

Skybarney and several others here also thought it transformed the bike. Set yours up properly and get back to us.

Thanks, that's pretty much what I've read too and my opinion after riding it confirms that.  I've already taken a little preload out of the rear shock but haven't ridden it since doing that but there is a little bit of sag now where there was virtually none when I first installed it.  Should be well worth the $44 the dealer is charging me to help set it up for me this Saturday.

I'm no expert here, but I can easily see how one could call the sachs shock unforgiving.  IMO, the bike does handle pretty damn well in stock form, and at least for me, it inspires confidence.  It's a pretty bumpy ride out back on less than stellar pavement especially compared to the front, but knock on wood it's never done anything I didn't expect it to.  That being said, I wouldn't mind a little more cushy back there, and I'd probably drop the 650 to have it. 

You will see a BIG improvement with that ohlins shock.  Much lighter in weight also.

I love my Rear Ohlins.  It was a very worthwhile expense.  Had to powder coat the rear spring though!  Yellow is just awful.

Come on... THAT was your GIRLFRIEND!!!  ;D

Yes, yes it was.  She all but made me change it.  Guess there are worse things then being nagged over a bike mod.........Guess I will keep her.   ;D

I don't mind the yellow Ohlins spring.  It looks exactly like the spring on the OEM shock, which I'm sure was intentional. 

What color did you powder coat it?  Red might look cool, white would be sweet if I had white wheels.  Black would just make it blend in and I'm not sure that's a good thing.  I'd have to see it before judging though.

Ohlins springs are yellow.  [roll] If you paint it, how will you read the number?  ;D Mine's 41/115 L2110 BTW and I'm 175# plus gear. (Rear sag should more or less match the front.)

I'm not going to paint it.  Just wondering what Skybarney's looks like.

Looks like this:

(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f149/Skybarney/Ducati/1c9434b1b4_zps891a63a0.jpg) (http://s46.photobucket.com/user/Skybarney/media/Ducati/1c9434b1b4_zps891a63a0.jpg.html)

Also, I took a picture of the numbers on the spring before I powder coated it.    ;)

WHAT?! You didn't paint it "carbon fiber"?  8)

That looks really nice.  [thumbsup]

I'm fine with the yellow though.  If it bothered me I'd have powder coated the OEM spring 15,000 miles ago.   ;D

Other than the license tag the spring was the only yellow thing on the bike.  Besides it was a cheap mod @40.00.

mmmm carbon spring..... [drool] 

You mean because my rear tire doesn't look like this?
(http://s3.postimg.org/9y7q5xu3n/P1010227.jpg) (http://postimage.org/)

I don't think it is that bad for a street bike that has never seen the track.  The yellow line is where the edge wear stops on my tire and it is pretty evenly worn up to that point.  The blue line is where the compound changes.  A lot of my riding is commuting with weekend canyon riding with friends.  I may or may not get aggressive, depends on the traffic, temperature, how confident I'm feeling, etc.  Just haven't really pushed this set of tires too hard yet.  I have a couple thousand miles on this rear tire.  The front is much newer.
(http://s24.postimg.org/ad3t7s21h/Rear_Tire.jpg) (http://postimage.org/)

But yeah, I certainly haven't pushed it as hard as the tire above.  Maybe if I go find an empty parking lot with a nice smooth surface I can work on melting some rubber.   ;D [Dolph]

 Go find some chip sealed road in central Oregon and you can get your tire shredded in no time at all!

Different tires also.  I would have to ride like an asshat in the mountains to make my Rosso 2's look like that melted tire. 

Don't worry about how your tire looks. I race, and am plenty capable of shredding tires, yet my street tires have always looked pretty weak. Partly due to tire type and the cooler temps here, but also due to me riding tame on the street...too much stuff to go wrong IMO so I ride well within my limits on the street.

...and good suspension makes a difference whether you're pushing it or not.  [thumbsup]

Öhlins   [evil]


(http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l394/stopintime/PuteogantiS002_zps6233a182.jpg)

SPROOOOOIIIIIING

What is that?!?  It is so pretty - can't look away.

It's a ~$1,100 Bitubo three way adjustable shock (fast & slow compression and rebound) + very easy preload adjustment - in a kit with bracket for the reservoir on S*R passenger foot peg mount. I haven't had an Öhlins on my bike to compare with, but this is amazingly good. Previously I had a WP shock with an even nicer looking 'gun-metal' spring, but otherwise not as good as this one.

(http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l394/stopintime/bomb/bomb016.jpg)

Instead of starting a new thread I thought it would be useful to resurrect this one.

I've had 500 bucks worth of work (revalved, serviced, seal and Eibach spring) done to my rear shock on my Evo and it's pretty good but the roads in my area have really got into bad shape. People are denting rims and bouncing off line into the bush on some of the local roads favoured by motocyclists. I like the shocks performance at pace or on good quality roads but the rising rate action of the cantilever set up can be harsh. A local suspension tuner loves the cantilever set up for the track for its rising rate and light weight even though it doesn't appear as compliant as a linkage system.
I read that the Ohlins 737 basic emulsion type shock is more compliant while giving the control and poise required. It appears to reduce the harshness transmitted by the less forgiving cantilever system.

Anyone like to share info on this?

Honestly, my stock Sachs shock feels better than my 737... but I don't think it's set up right for me and the bike.  I've got to take it to someone (there's a guy here in town that can do both a remap, and tune the suspension...) and have him work it out.

The spring weight of your Ohlins must be out by a fair bit?

It's possible.  Swapping in the Ohlins was not the magical transformation I expected.

The first spring I tried was too hard, so went with the next one down. It happens. Have you set your rider sag numbers with a buddy?

Trawling the net for feedback supports your view that unless you go fancy a 737 won't be a massive improvement, just a significant one. The consistent theme was a more compliant ride quality while maintaining control.

The work done on my oem shock cost around 350 USD and finding the sweet spot in adjustment is elusive with an oem shock. The range I've narrowed it to is within a 1/4 turn for damping and 1-2 turns of preload. It means I've come to the limit of the shock's capabilities without spending more money. What I really noticed whether I set the shock slack or taut was the feel or feedback from the back tyre was greatly improved. To get the performance I want I need to buy a fancy shock with both high and low speed compression damping.

I actually haven't fooled that much with it, to be honest.  I dialed in medium settings for everything, and set the sag by myself... which may or may not be very accurate... ;)  I can count the times I rode it last year on one hand, work monopolized my time the past 12 months, and I don't normally ride in the winter... even here in Texas.  I also found out... from you guys... that I've got my rear tire pumped up way to high, I need to settle my tire pressures down a bit, and then go after the shock settings.

Switched rear to a standard nonfancy Öhlins on 3 different Ducs now.
One was from a Paso 750, like 1986-88...
Get correct spring, get someone knowable to set sag & basic settings.
Ride, fine tune a notch or 2, then I just forget it cause it just works.
Charlie, get someone knowable to help w basics.

I remember the over inflated tyre, yes that can make for a harsh ride. When over inflated, some tyre models feel like you have fitted a very heavy spring or increased compression damping to the shock. No surprise as the tyres are part of the suspension package, the front line of suspension where over or under inflation impacts stability, compliance and control.


Worth the money [thumbsup].

I have a guy in mind... I probably just need to pull the trigger and call him...

I'm not one of these guys that likes to endlessly tinker with settings... I'm a set it, get it right, and forget it guy.

Update:  Suspension guy will be here Friday.   [thumbsup]

Koko, any questions you want me to axe him about the Ohlins setup?

Sorry mate, I actually replied in detail but the post didn't stick. I have had to resend pms and posts with tech issues. Glad it's back on deck, love this place.

I mentioned the usual stuff about rider weight and shock spring, type of riding and quality of roads ridden. Do you favour compliance over control or vice versa?
Also pillion use and adjustments needed and how to return them to solo settings.

About the time you sent that, I was out in the garage with him... so I didn't see it.  :(

He did a miraculous job on it, however... it's like a new bike. 

He dropped my forks about 15mm, for one thing... which seriously helps steering while braking.  My 796 does not have adjustable forks... sadly.

I set the initial preload about half the way up the shock... thinking my ride weight might be a bit much for the stock spring rate.  He told me the Ohlins actually has a pretty stiff spring... he took about 20-25mm of preload out, which would explain why the rear felt so squirrley.

Yes, we talked about tire pressure... ;)

I am a control person... I don't care how comfy the ride is, I need to have confidence when I roll into a corner or turn.  The bike is like a guided missile, now, over having to shove the thing down into a corner.  I thought raising the front end would make the thing turn like a pig... not at all.  Besides taking out that rear preload, I think dropping the forks down (raising the front) probably was the biggest change he made.

He said I'll have to get it out on some of my riding roads to see if I need to adjust the damping... he was spinning the damper knob like a roulette wheel, but I don't know if he started with it out, or in (full.)  I'll have to axe.

 [thumbsup]

Great outcome. [thumbsup]

Just curious what he recommended for pressure.

+1 on that DP.

Charlie. Remind me what tyres you're running.
So he raised front ride height by 15mm? If so, probably to compensate for the excessive sag from the soft oem springs.

I'm running Rosso III's front and rear.

I think he put 32 in the R, 34 in the front.

Yes... 15mm, I just went out and checked, again.  The 796 forks are not adjustable for anything (although the manual say is it...  [laugh] ) so that would seem reasonable at first blush, but it made a world of difference.

Pirelli site says 32 F 34 R (2.2/2.4 bar). However, with such a light bike my tyre bloke suggested 32 at the rear to get it to warm up and make the tyre work. Also if he put more pressure up front it could be a performance based thing for more stability up front due to the soft springs.
I have removed the pillion pegs and hangers so have no need for pillion tyre pressures on the Evo. I can't see anyone staying on the back for long without the bike wheelieing and throwing them off, as its just too angry. :D

I've carried a passenger exactly once... and it's not likely I'll do it again.  The 796's passenger pegs are intergal with the front pegs.  I actually bought parts to delete them (I don't remember what the pegs came off of... perhaps an Evo...) but never got around to swapping them out.

Dude said the Rosso has a fairly soft carcass, so 32-34psi is the normal range for it.  I don't want to have to replace the front wheel... so I expect I'll continue with 34psi in the front for sure.