M696 front fork springs help.....please.

[causeofkaos]

So i have come to tems with the fact that i might be a bit of a fat ass...as far as ducati is concerned im 6'1" 220lbs, after having the suspension guy adjust the rear of the 696 he said im already maxing out the front and that i should get stiffer springs up front. My dealer is yet to respond to my inquiry on springs and i was hoping i could get some help from you guys. Details on GSXR fork swap what all is involved and how much it might cost, if that is the more cost effective over stiffer springs. Someone point me in a direction as far as manufacturer or vendor or anything would help. Any help is greatly appreciated. Any comments about my weight will be ignored. Thanx in advance.

[stopintime]

I have the same forks, S2R800, and my weight is the same as yours.

My guru was very disappointed with the stock front suspension. It was much, much too soft and there was almost no rebound damping - which will give a jumpy front. They, most importantly, changed the springs and wanted to replace/customize the valves to supply the correct compression AND rebound effect. I now have both, at the cost of about $300.

The next step up is new/other forks, but from what I have been told - not necessarily worth it. Adjustability is nice, but worthless unless you really know what you're doing. 80-90% of the need for adjustability is supposed to be about the rear suspension anyway.
Brake-wise you already have very good ones!

Opinions will be plenty, I'm just pitching in what I have experienced and done.

[Jimmy Ducati]

All I can say is good luck getting any info from Ducati.
I have been trying to get the rear spring rate for about
2 months now. I have had many people guess what it
might be, but can not get factual information from either
Ducat Italy, Ducati USA, or Sachs the actual manufacturer.
It is quite strange really.
I weigh 205 and my rear is maxed out, so at 220 your rear
is under sprung as well, assuming your spring is the same
as mine. I actually have no problem up front other than
zero adjustability. The new monster uses the same shock/spring
as the 696 so no help there.
I'm curious about what your guy said about the rear. My guy
said i was topped out, he said when you are off the bike you
should have about 1/4" of movement upwards. With mine,
the rings are all the way to the end of their travel and I now
have lost that upwards movement. He advised me to get
a new spring, or entire new shock.
This is the guy I saw, My Duc dealer uses them pretty much exclusively

http://www.gmdsuspension.com/about.htm

They can do you your fork swap as well we spoke about that briefly.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

[DucatiTorrey]

So, I'm about to buy a 696 and haven't heard anything about this. I'm 6'2" 205 lbs  Am i going to have a problem here?

I'm new to bikes, and not going to be riding really agressive, but damn. this is worrying. what the hell do people do riding two up?

[stopintime]

So, I'm about to buy a 696 and haven't heard anything about this. I'm 6'2" 205 lbs  Am i going to have a problem here?

I'm new to bikes, and not going to be riding really agressive, but damn. this is worrying. what the hell do people do riding two up?

Our bikes are made with suspension to suit a ~160lbs rider, but it will perform ok for heavier riders as well. As we move away from the middle ground in respect of weight, skills, preferances - the *need* for adjustments might occur. After a while on the bike you might, just might, feel that you need the bike to be set up especially for you (weight, riding style, preferances - comfort, road conditions, track days). My guess is that most riders never touch their suspension and are happy anyway.

There are some adjustments you get done before picking the bike up, the rear preload and rebound, to suit your weight. A cheap tool to adjust the spring preload is also a good idea for the times you bring a passenger. 5 minute fool proof job.

The future will bring your own unique experience - don't worry about a Ducati's ability to provide a safe ride.

In many cases, like from me, you will get advice based on what individuals did and many of us have nothing to compare with, so we think we have the solution for you as well. "Must be right for him - it works great for me."

Bottom line: don't worry

[causeofkaos]

hey guys thanks for the input.
Pro Italia just got back to me, Ohlins and Racetech might have something but he is gonna find out let me know. As far as the 696 suspension is "designed for someone between 150 and 180lbs" <--wish the salesman would have mentioned that.
 
Jimmy D
i happened to be at Pro Italia and these guys do a suspension tuning for $20 front $20 rear they set up a tent outside first come first served, he adjusted the rebound on the rear that was it didnt say anything about maxing the rear out.
had he not said anything about the front being maxed out i would not be concerned at all, cant say i would have come up with any concerns on my own.

ducatitrrey
like i said if the guy hadnt said anything i would not be asking these questions. I kinda rushed into the 696, as great a bike as it is i should have waited for the m1100, but i do not in any way regret buying the 696.
all i can say is do some homework before you buy any bike ( i got too excited and didn't )

Like stopintime said Don't worry mostly

[gage]

sportbikes are built to the 90th percentile man in mind. 90th percentile in weight and height and in the case of ducati they seem to focus a little lighter on a smaller Italian build. Same for the japanese.

The 696 is only one of dozens built to this same target. Bikes built for fat people are called harleys

[ChrisH]

I know this is bringing a horse back from the grave muhahaha. But, specifically for this post, there are shops here in the us that use shock and spring dynos to get exacting measurements about whatever setup you bring in. they could tell you spring rate, whether they are progressive or Linnear, etc. For shocks they can tell you what type of conditions They were designed to handle and why, etc.

If it were me needing to understand the info that was alluded to below. I'd call eibach.

All I can say is good luck getting any info from Ducati.
I have been trying to get the rear spring rate for about
2 months now. I have had many people guess what it
might be, but can not get factual information from either
Ducat Italy, Ducati USA, or Sachs the actual manufacturer.
It is quite strange really.
I weigh 205 and my rear is maxed out, so at 220 your rear
is under sprung as well, assuming your spring is the same
as mine. I actually have no problem up front other than
zero adjustability. The new monster uses the same shock/spring
as the 696 so no help there.
I'm curious about what your guy said about the rear. My guy
said i was topped out, he said when you are off the bike you
should have about 1/4" of movement upwards. With mine,
the rings are all the way to the end of their travel and I now
have lost that upwards movement. He advised me to get
a new spring, or entire new shock.
This is the guy I saw, My Duc dealer uses them pretty much exclusively

http://www.gmdsuspension.com/about.htm

They can do you your fork swap as well we spoke about that briefly.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

[loopsrider]

sportbikes are built to the 90th percentile man in mind. 90th percentile in weight and height and in the case of ducati they seem to focus a little lighter on a smaller Italian build. Same for the japanese.

The 696 is only one of dozens built to this same target. Bikes built for fat people are called harleys

 


Easy now tho... I'm 5'9" and 210. A little out of shape right now due to an injury but I've been pretty fit @200 in the past. Some guys are just built solid.... and don't ride Harleys


Good input on the suspension recommendations... I'm hoping to send mine out this winter to be tweaked.

[loopsrider]

All I can say is good luck getting any info from Ducati.
I have been trying to get the rear spring rate for about
2 months now. I have had many people guess what it
might be, but can not get factual information from either
Ducat Italy, Ducati USA, or Sachs the actual manufacturer.
It is quite strange really.
I weigh 205 and my rear is maxed out, so at 220 your rear
is under sprung as well, assuming your spring is the same
as mine. I actually have no problem up front other than
zero adjustability. The new monster uses the same shock/spring
as the 696 so no help there.
I'm curious about what your guy said about the rear. My guy
said i was topped out, he said when you are off the bike you
should have about 1/4" of movement upwards. With mine,
the rings are all the way to the end of their travel and I now
have lost that upwards movement. He advised me to get
a new spring, or entire new shock.
This is the guy I saw, My Duc dealer uses them pretty much exclusively

http://www.gmdsuspension.com/about.htm

They can do you your fork swap as well we spoke about that briefly.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

Why not just pop the spring off and have it checked? Takes about 30 seconds to check by a suspension shop. I had an aftermarket rear spring of my motocross bike checked and it was WAY off from what it was advertised as.