Suspension advice needed

[Two dogs]

My ride M695 has very basic suspension , upgrading both ends with new stuff would cost 2-4k money I would never get back
I have been scouring ebay for cheap stuff with no joy.
My issues are diving front end under heavy braking , scraping the pipes under heavy load through fast corners on uneven roads
and basically to soft and wallowy . I feel I could ride with a lot more confidence with a better equiped suspension.
On the track it wasn't as noticable due to the smooth surface lack of bumps and predictable corners, but on the Old road today it really became a problem with the bumps throwing me off line .
I was advised by a bloke called Terry from a place called Shock Treatment out west that I could have an alternative for a 1/4 of the cost.
1. Introduce a heavier weight oil in the forks and slightly enlarge the flow hole .
2. Introduce a heavier spring to the rear and instal  a separation valve.
There is no ride hight adjust on the linkage would this help too and are they $$
Please add your opinion to this alternative especially if you have had any of these done
as 4k I would be better of upgrading the bike which I don't really want to do yet.
thanks
dez

[dragonworld.]

Yep, +1 to the suggest on the front end, but I'd at least throw a good set of springs in also.

From what I've heard the 695 arse end aint top of the range, so a cheap alternative could be a stock multiadjustable shock from say a GSXR-600 or somesuch, and it its a wee bit longer will give you a but of a lift?? 

[Spider]

I've gone the custom springs, new weight oil route.....I was pretty happy....the reduction of brake dive meant that I could brake later into the corner because the bike would settle quicker in time for steering input.

[Two dogs]

Yep, +1 to the suggest on the front end, but I'd at least throw a good set of springs in also.

From what I've heard the 695 arse end aint top of the range, so a cheap alternative could be a stock multiadjustable shock from say a GSXR-600 or somesuch, and it its a wee bit longer will give you a but of a lift?? 

Thanks dragon , just checked fleabay US and there are heaps for cheaps 
With that shock being longer wouldn't I have to install an adjustable link to take advantage of a longer member ?

[CairnsDuc]

I had a similar problem with my S2R 800, I splashed out on a Ohlins shock and spring for the rear from MotoWheels (They had Ohlins USA change the spring and revalved it for me), and then had heavier springs fitted to the front forks and we played around with the fork oil weights.
The rear probably cost all up about $800 and the front about $300.

The change is amazing, it's made my Monster into a totally different beast, no more ducking and diving into corners,  the bike was not bouncing and wallowing around.

Money well spent  So you can upgrade the suspension, without breaking the bank.

now all I need is for my Goldline Brembo upgrade kit to arrive     Stoppies anyone!?!? 

[Two dogs]

Anyone know if any of these will fit a M695 it is aprox 315 mm eye to eye (used a crapy tape measure )
2006 999 rear shock
748 /749/917/996/998 ohlins rear shock
848 Showa
Or if you have any of these and can measure eye to eye length
thanks
dez

[dragonworld.]

Not sure about the 695 and the shock fitment, but some things to be wary of are:

1. If the shock has a piggyback type comp/rebound reservoir? (Remote types might work) 

2. And dont forget the shocks diameter!. 

[ajw85]

Anyone know if any of these will fit a M695 it is aprox 315 mm eye to eye (used a crapy tape measure )
2006 999 rear shock
748 /749/917/996/998 ohlins rear shock
848 Showa
Or if you have any of these and can measure eye to eye length
thanks
dez

bump. Anyone know the answer to this?

[signora monster]

My issues are diving front end under heavy braking , scraping the pipes under heavy load through fast corners on uneven roads
and basically to soft and wallowy . I feel I could ride with a lot more confidence with a better equiped suspension.
On the track it wasn't as noticable due to the smooth surface lack of bumps and predictable corners, but on the Old road today it really became a problem with the bumps throwing me off line .

I'm glad i'm not the only one that feels this way. I was starting to think I was the problem. It really does shatter your confidence a bit. I have fixed the exhaust problem with high mounts. Please keep us posted with how it turns out. Some more mods may be in order for my 695.
Kaz

[Two dogs]

This is an old thread signora
The little monster has changed muchly
Adjustable forks from am ST2 new seals and 10W oil plus a piggy back shock from a 749 /999 if I remember correctly?  purchased from eurobrit spares in Melbourne a little more expensive than ebay but there was no issue with quality, and a ride height adjuster from the US
Completely different bike cant wait to get it back on the track, I was looking for a new second hand bike to get better suspension but now I am really happy with her now 12K of fun riding later and playing with the idea of mono block brakes to complete the package.

[Brett76]

Nice one - my research told me that the ST2 front end was too tall for a monster. i would love to see some pics if you could...

[Two dogs]

There you go ST2 forks on a M695 Vinyl wrapped new seals 10 W oil

[ajw85]

do you have pictures of the 749 shock installed on your bike? and was the ride height adjuster custom or from a ducati bike?

[Two dogs]

do you have pictures of the 749 shock installed on your bike? and was the ride height adjuster custom or from a ducati bike?

Short answer

I think it was 749/999  Showa for $200  haven't been able to find the receipt from eurobrit but if you are really keen P.M. me and I will call them and ask exactly which bike it came from.

Getting a shock with the eye to eye length isn't the issue with the 695 ,matching leverage ratio so you get the correct spring rate can be done but getting one with the piggy back  at the correct angle was.
The 1098 OEM (plenty around as a lot of owners upgrade) looks on paper to bolt straight in but after reading on the main board that there are rear wheel clearance issues as it faces south I kept hunting.

There are so many different angle piggy backs the easiest would be I guess a remote like from an ST2.

The shock I went with has the reservoir at around 45 degres south west which fouls the frame tab for some of the wiring , as I installed a crankcase breather which removes lots of hosing and the big black reservoir box under the seat enabled me room to move most of the wiring under the seat.
The tab had to be bent down to fit the shock so I just cut mine off rust treated the cut and painted it .
Originally I had replaced the OEM spring with a heavier Ohlins $100 ish which did help a lot with firming up the ride and making it less wallowy but the improvement in handling with a shock with compression and rebound control was amazing.

There is a small bridge in a corner that I ride over on the way home from work that has a really bad dip which would previously make the bike unstable and be quite un nerving  now I cant even feel it even at high speed much safer

The ride heigh adjuster I got from fleabay US for $40 It was from another Ducati and out of the box was 30mm longer  so didn't have to wind out to much thread which apparently can make them fail as in snap if you hit a pothole only issue was it was nearly locked up completely and took a lot of work to crack it open so be aware when buying one that it is not corroded and locked up.

[signora monster]

This is an old thread signora

Sorry, blonde moment . Happens quite a bit. Don't know how I missed that.

I need to meet some of you soon and check out your bikes, then I will know what is going on. Very hard to put things into perspective off the forum alone. Plus, seeing these mods in the flesh will make more sense to me and will give me inspiration to jump on the bling wagon.

Cheers, Kaz.  (Female and blonde, it's not an excuse, it's a fact!! )