Preload Adjustable Caps for Non-Adjustable Forks?

[fasterblkduc]

Get this book,
http://www.amazon.com/Sportbike-Suspension-Tuning-Andrew-Trevitt/dp/1893618455

Read it and you will understand everything that you need to about your suspension. The reason that yours is "inferior" is that you have no adjustability, and progressive rate springs. (springs that get stiffer as they are compressed) To get forks set up right for you you need to have the right spring rate, set the sag, set the rebound, and set the compression. The sag is a reflection of the amount of preload that is on the spring, and it changes how much force is needed to start the compression of the forks as well as how far your forks will compress under load. The rebound and compression are the speed at which the forks compress and rebound. This is the oversimplified version
You have three basic options to set yours up.

1. DIY as I explained. This will get you set up but will not allow for easy adjustability. You can make adjustments but it requires taking the forks apart and changing the spacer by adding/removing shims (they come with Racetech springs), or changig fork oil. It's the cheapest way but requires labor.

2. Buy a drop in cartrtidge kit that has full adjustability. This is very expensive but will allow you to make your adjustments by turning knobs. I would NOT recommend buying the preload caps. That is for sure a huge waste of money to be able to adjust your preload.

3. Buy used (or new) adjustable forks. This is affordable if your patient enough to look for used, approx. $500 and then spend $100 on the right springs. (unless it already has springs for your weight)

[corey]

Thanks for the down and dirty version, very appreciated.
I'll be stopping at my local Barnes & Noble this evening to pick up the book. I've been looking for another Moto book to read

Thanks for the help man!
I still might end up forking over the dough for the Matris Cartridge Kit, depending on how bad i wanna keep my S2R.
I think it might be my "project bike" for a long time, because of the unbeatable styling and ease of labor.

[cduarte]

I have a set of brand new ST2 forks for sale, they're a direct bolt in and will work much better than the junk marzocchis... I was going to put them on my bike but I found a set of S4 forks that I installed instead.

[stopintime]

I have a set of brand new ST2 forks for sale, they're a direct bolt in and will work much better than the junk marzocchis... I was going to put them on my bike but I found a set of S4 forks that I installed instead.

Just put them away and wait for my winter mod mood and more money to appear

They are longer than stock forks, aren't they? (I have clip ons, so it wouldn't be a problem)
What is the spring rate on ST2 forks?

[red baron]

http://www.protwins.co.uk/products_monster/monster_sus/prod_monster_sus12.html


If anyone does contact them, let me know how much they are.   

Paging Hooligan Machinist.

[hooligan machinist]

 

Paging Hooligan Machinist.

You rang??

[cduarte]

Just put them away and wait for my winter mod mood and more money to appear

They are longer than stock forks, aren't they? (I have clip ons, so it wouldn't be a problem)
What is the spring rate on ST2 forks?

they are 3mm longer than the stock forks, and I don't know what the spring rate is, but suffice it to say that they're much heavier than stock.

edit to add, I found this chart on the net about ducati spring rates and the ST2 spring rates are slightly lighter than the S4 forks that I'm using on my 695 which work very well so they should just be a bolt on and go.

http://www.ducati-upnorth.com/tech/suspensionspring.php

[scott_araujo]

That's a lot of $$ to adjust your preload. You can spend about five bucks and DIY. Just go buy some PVC from your local hardware store and
cut it to length. That's what you have in there stock...plastic spacer.

Or, if you want to save a ton of money, and get the same end results:
I would recommend ordering the correct springs for your weight, then set your preload correctly. Just doing this will make a world of difference
without spending a ton of money. You can even adjust your compression and rebound by changing out fork oil to a different weight. If you
just want to throw a ton of money at fully adjustable forks for the bling factor then...knock yourself out. If you want to learn more about
how your suspension actually works and set it up yourself, then buy a suspension book and DIY for a hell of a lot cheaper. There is a really good
book about suspension by Andrew Trevitt that you can find at B&Noble.

Springs from Racetech = $100
fork oil                      = $20
suspension book         = $25
spacers                     = $5

Total                        = $150

I won several class championships racing a Monster with stock forks that I set up myself, and I know plenty of other people that have done the same
so if it's good enough to ride at a level where it's very critical to get it right, then it's sure as hell good enough for anything you do
on the street.
 

+1.  I changed the stock springs to Race Techs, ditched the 7.5w stock oil for 5w, and set the preload by cutting spacers (which came with the springs) to length.  It made an amazing difference for about $150 total and a few afternoons in the garage.

I don't doubt that the performance of Traxxion internals or another higher performing fork would be better or that the non-adjustable damping of my stockers is sub-par, but for $150 this made a night and day difference.  The stock forks aren't that bad but the stock springs sure are easy to improve on.  No suspension works well if it's not set up right.

Scott