S2R1k fork issues

[pcv57]

Last spring I had my shop upgrade my forks with Racetech springs and valves. Now,  less than 1000 miles later, the ride has become very bouncy. I went to adjust the compression and found out that there is little to no difference between it dialed all the way in or out. Any ideas what would cause this to happen? I know the parts were installed and done by a good mechanic.

Thx

[hackers2r]

To cure bouncing, I think you would want to add some rebound damping.

[EEL]

Simple way of calibrating rebound. Press down hard on the forks and let go. Start all the way out and keep dialing the rebound screw in (clockwise) until they stop pogoing at the extension. It should just be push down and come straight up. No secondary downward stroke

Your compression adjustment should be set such that you are using all but 1 inch of your fork travel based on your riding style.

All of these setting adustments are dependent on whether you have your preload set properly.

[booger]

^ if that's true, then a very clear and useful bit of information. It's good to have that info in a nutshell without having to read a suspension book on it. Preload sag should be easy enough to set, as long as you can use a tape measure. I assume that compression is guaged by fastening a ziptie to the fork sliders and then riding/adjusting?

[hackers2r]

^Yup.  Zip tie works great. 

[Two dogs]

I found this guy Dave Moss pretty good at explaining the dark art to a layman
check out his many videos on youtube

Two Clicks Out: Suspension Changes for Different Tracks

Two Clicks Out 15: Tweeked Triple Clamps

[pcv57]

Thx, it is definately an art but my concern is that there is no adjustment for compression. It is the same all the way in or out. This is after installation of new Racetech springs and valves. I'm just wondering what could be the potential causes. It's probably worth mentioning that I'm a 185 lb rider and my rebound adjustments are all the way in. There is no more adjustment at that end.

[hackers2r]

Wow...hmm...that is a problem!  Does backing off the rebound adjustment do anything?  Or is all adjustment inactive?

[EEL]

UH OH..

Do some field verification and report back. How many clicks can you go on your compression adjusters? Start all the way in and count out. You should have 14-16 clicks.

If you have a torque wrench, look at the service manual and torque down the compression adjuster bolt. I believe it was 40NM but check the SERVICE MANUAL. There are links available (search for one of my recent posts (keywords fight club) ). Many people dont install the adjuster improperly and there is a tendancy for the compression adjuster nut to not torque down properly if the installer set the clicks wrong an used an impact driver to screw it in, instead of a torque wrench like they should be doing. If you cant torque it down and it keeps spinning you've got some issues.

Also, the shim stack could have been installed improperly installed with too much play. There are clamping shims that need to be installed (thick metal washers about 2.55mm thick) on top of the shim stack. Usually your fork needs about 5 to 6mm of spacing on top of the shim stack to remove the slack between the shim stack and the valve assembly (2 clamping shims stacked on top of each other. If this is the case you're never going to get functional valving. Unfortunately, you would have to dissamble the fork to validate this.

There are other issues: You have to drill holes in your damper tubes to allow for the stock compression stack to be removed. If your installer didnt deburr these drilled holes properly the new o-ring will be cut when you try to install the valving back into the damper rod and you'll have a short circuit on your valve stack due to improper sealing.

I just installed racetech valves 2 weeks ago on my bike so all these issues are VERY fresh in my mind. Hopefully you had a reputable suspension shop install the valves because dealers many times dont know the intricacies if fork internals.

GOOD LUCK.

[pcv57]

EEL, thanks for the detailed description. I believe (still have to verify) that I have more than 16 clicks of compression adjustment. Also, one fork had a different number of clicks than the other. The guy who did the work is a certified Ducati mechanic and was trained by one of two Master Ducati techs in the northeast so I'm a little baffled. Also, the suspension was a lot better when I first picked up the bike last spring.
I spoke to them and thay are going to check it out for me and make it right. I'll report back when we find out what the issue is.

[EEL]

Honestly you're going to get a slight variation in clicks one way or another. 1 click difference is fine. the reality is so long as you back out the same amount from fully closed, having 16 or 15 clicks doesnt matter. The concern is if the adjuster bolt isnt properly secured. This generally happens if you try to set the compression adjuster for more clicks than you are supposed to.

For the compression adjuster you're supposed to back your adjuster all the way out and then secure to the proper torque.

For the rebound adjuster on the showas, its the exact opposite. Turn in in to the amount of clicks you want and then torque the locknut appropriately.