How can I get my bike to turn in faster?

[He Man]

I got to ride my friends Buell XB12R, all i can say is, that thing wants to DROP into corners. My bike feels like a freaking brick. trying to flip on its side which isnt gonna happen unless someone kicks it over.

Ive already got my Froks resprung and re valved. they are TONS better than stock, but still leaves alot to be desired. it feels like a brick, and the only thing i can do to make it more twitchy is to drop the front. And ive already droped it 10mm, anymore and if the fork gets to that last 10mm of travel, it would bust my oil cooler open.

I can raise the rear 1inch since ive droped the seat height by 1 inch would make it turn in quicker? Can I use my stock ride height bar to get that inch or would I need a new one?

[Popeye the Sailor]

Er, barring budget, BEST thing to do would be a set of BST's.


After that, assuming your suspension is dialed in for you, start reducing the rotating mass of the motor. Get the lightweight flywheel and clutch pack.

[Bill in OKC]

Tires can make a difference in turn-in. 

[Howley]

Definitely. Going from a flatted pilot road to a pilot road2 dramatically improved my turn-in.

[Buckethead]

If you've still got the stock brembo 3-spoke up front like you did in the "zombies will eat you clutch plate" thread, the best thing you can do is swap out that wheel. Even going to a 5-spoke to match the rear wheel should make a noticeable difference.

BST's will do the job, but as mentioned, they're kinda pricey.

Newer tires will turn in better than older tires, and taller profile tires will turn in better than shorter ones. If you've got clearance you may want to look at mounting tires a size wider than you're used to. Also, nobody else on here seems to run them, but I've heard good things about Conti Attacks with regard to profile/turn-in.

[ducpainter]

I think tires will do the trick for you.

When I got my 996 I found the thing almost impossible to turn.

A triangulated profile front made all the difference.

The rest of the suggestions will cost more.   

[squidwood]

this is what I would try in your situation.
Check tires for flatness and tire pressures.30-32 in front 34-36 in rear works for me...Tire pressure very important.Front tire pressure below 28lbs and bike handles like a wet noodle/Harley Tractorson.
I would set the sag on my bike.
I would adjust front and rear suspension to factory settings and then go from there.
I would jack up rear ride height a wee bit- 5 mm at a time and see how that goes, that should help turn in.
Check the tightness of aall the fork pinch bolts, caliper bolts etc and the front axle. Write down everything thing  you do so if it does not work to your satisfaction you can return it to the original setting.
One thing you did not mention is what kind of rear shock are you using?  I replaced that last on my bike and in retrospect I should have done that first.It made a massive difference putting the Penske on the rear.I have a fully adjustable fork with custom valves/springs/shimstacks on the front, but the real fun came with that new shock on the back.

[TAftonomos]

Raising the rear will definatly help with turn in, although I wouldn't go a full inch at once, maybe 1/4" increments.  You might end up liking it 1" or even more higher, but better to sneak up on that setting then to have it tuck under hard, know what I mean?

I dropped my S4Rt 1/2" in front, and raised it 1.25 in the rear....and it's still not enough, although I havn't sprung the rear.

CAREFUL dropping the front end....don't want to touch the front cylinder head under braking with the tire.   If you want to be sure, pull the caps off the forks, "unscrew" the springs out or siphon off some fluid, and slowly lower the front down till it bottoms.  Then you can drop the triple down as close as you dare to the cylinder head, although I'd allow at least 1/4" for tire growth, and then that will be your "bottom" setting.

A cool (but expensive) solution is coming soon to monsters for better handling.... but it'll be after december before any more can be made (mag triples with custom offset...$1200 ish)

[He Man]

After that, assuming your suspension is dialed in for you, start reducing the rotating mass of the motor. Get the lightweight flywheel and clutch pack.

Flywheel = cheap mod. BSTs out of price range. Will look into that for the winter time.

My Pilot powers have about 6,000 miles on them though the wear indicator in the middle hasnt shown up yet, I do notice the center to be flat, but I didnt think it would affect turn in as much as you guys say. New tires next season! Hopefully that will solve the issue. I cant justify spending $ on tires right now since i commute with the bike 6 days a week. Im gonna run these tires till the first snow fall.

Taft, I didnt do anything to my shock, i just did the math, 15mm is the MAX i can lower the bike until my fender hits my oil cooler. And then i calculated that with a new tire, i can get back about 3mm of rubber and reallistically i only have about 2mm of space if i were to bottom out. Thats why i did it safe with 10mm in the front. I had the idea of raising the preload and droping the front more. But peopl said that wasn't a good idea. So now im turning to the rear shock. I assume if i jack the rear up 1/4" ill need to get some more preload in the front since im throwing more weight up there.

[Capo]

I am puzzled as to why you ask the this question, given your post http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=8121.msg133610#msg133610

if you raise your rear and lower your front, yes your bike would turn in like maniac, but i doubt youd be safe on the highway if you hit a bump. I had my preload busted at one point and my forks sat 2 inches lower than stock. my turn in was pretty wicked, but i also had absolutely no stability past 55mph.

[kopfjäger]

I am puzzled as to why you ask the this question, given your post http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=8121.msg133610#msg133610

  

[TAftonomos]

I would figure he knows that raising/lowering will affect the turn it, and is probably looking for other ways to get increased turn in without sacrificing the stability.  Really only way to do that is by manipulating the rake/trail and swingarm length, but the monster really isn't adjustable like the SBK is in that regard.

Yes, anytime you chance height, on the bike (and that includes chain tension on a SSS), you'll need to reset/re-check the sag/adjust preload.

[Ducnial]

At the risk if getting slapped around   Am I missing something here?  No where does it state what type of monster we're talking about?  How much the rider weighs, how tall,  turn-in speed or breaking rate?  Monsters do have a tendency to run wide accelerating or decelerating through corners.  Have you  taken it to the track yet?   Thats the best place to sort out suspension issues and work on your technique.  With the proper setup and riding technique I'd pit any comparably powered Monster against a similar geometey Buell.  Remember on most naked bikes rider positon is much more upright rasing the rider center of gravity enormously.  Which explains why many people replace the HB w/clip-ons.  My suggestion is not to throw riding stability out the window in favor of specific type of cornering .  As you push the geometry out of its nominal positions it will likely become more twitchy (unstable) when pushed to other riding limits and may do so rather unexpectedly. Finally if you do decide to alter the geometry to its limits I highly recommed a steering damper as a bandand to improve general stability.  BTW most swingarm links are set to the minimum ride heigth from the factory.

Good luck

[Statler]

perhaps time for sport touring tires next time instead of outright sport tires?    I know it's bike and rider dependant, but 6,000 commuting miles on nice soft rubber like that can have a very dramatic effect on how the bike feels.

folks often say they want the best tires "for that extra level of safety margin", but squaring off sticky sport tires is no safer than running the next level down on the track/street spectrum that will keep their profile longer if you're not riding just in the twisties.  And ignoring safety, the bike just feels bad with squared off tires.

[Ducnial]

perhaps time for sport touring tires next time instead of outright sport tires?    I know it's bike and rider dependant, but 6,000 commuting miles on nice soft rubber like that can have a very dramatic effect on how the bike feels.

folks often say they want the best tires "for that extra level of safety margin", but squaring off sticky sport tires is no safer than running the next level down on the track/street spectrum that will keep their profile longer if you're not riding just in the twisties.  And ignoring safety, the bike just feels bad with squared off tires.

Good point..  If they're squared off its going to take a lot more umph to get them on their edges,  plus they are on the edges    I've never run squared off tires , either that get a nail or the sides get scrubbed scrubbed to noth'in