749/999 fork identification

[4corsa]

I recently bought an 05 749 Dark for a great price with the intention of making a decent track day bike out of it. Definitely can't afford Ohlins suspension, so i'm looking to buy used 749S or 999S Showa components. There are some used ones on ebay. If the inner fork tube is gold (TIn coated?), does that always indicate the S Showa fork? Are they the same for both 999 and 749? Any help or suggestions are truly appreciated.

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[ZDM]

IMO going to a "Ti Nitrated" fork tube will not make any performance difference. There are several suspension specialty companies that can upgrade the internals. Occasionally an OEM Ohlins fork comes up for bid as well as Showa forks with Ohlins internals.
It just depends on what your budget is.

[4corsa]

Thanks. One problem with the OEM Dark is that, in order to save money, Ducati used a lower end system that has compression setting in one fork and rebound in the other only. This can't be ideal, and has fewer options for upgrade. I'm assuming all the internals of the S suspension are an upgrade to those of the Dark, not just the TIN coating.


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[CrimsonCloak]

The 999 forks are the same dimensions and they are nitrided as well.

[4corsa]

Thanks - actually the 2003 749S forks i'm looking at are Gold Nitrided, not TIn coated. So can i assume the standard 749 (except for Dark) are TIn coated, and the S models are Gold nitrided? Would love to know what other specific upgrades the internals of the S Showa have compared to the base 749 shocks.


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[4corsa]

Originally Posted by CrimsonCloak

The 999 forks are the same dimensions and they are nitrided as well.

So are the base model 999 forks the same as the 749 S forks?


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[CrimsonCloak]

I don't know if they are *exactly* the same internally for valving and springs, but they are both showas, both nitrided, both fully adjustable and they are physically interchangeable in terms of size.

[ZDM]

Go to Omaha or Commonwealth Ducati and link to their parts fiche. Then see what's what. Ducati notoriously make a part that will fit many models, so I would imagine there's very little diff if any at all from a 999 to a 749 fork. You can also check part #'s on the lower/upper triple trees to see what fits what. IIRC the 999 base model fork are Ti Ni gold.
Instead of chasing a deal on the OEM Showa's with a special coating that reduces stiction, spend the $$$ on getting your forks set-up internally or go to a used set of Ohlins.

[DMCTRUBY]

I don't know the specs for the older models by 2005+ 999s use Ohlins front and rear. With the front being Öhlins 43 mm upside-down fully adjustable fork with TiN surface treatment. These are a world of difference between the two in terms of performance, the Ohlins are worth every penny.

[4corsa]

Originally Posted by ZDM

Go to Omaha or Commonwealth Ducati and link to their parts fiche. Then see what's what. Ducati notoriously make a part that will fit many models, so I would imagine there's very little diff if any at all from a 999 to a 749 fork. You can also check part #'s on the lower/upper triple trees to see what fits what. IIRC the 999 base model fork are Ti Ni gold.
Instead of chasing a deal on the OEM Showa's with a special coating that reduces stiction, spend the $$$ on getting your forks set-up internally or go to a used set of Ohlins.

Unfortunately, the OEM Dark forks are limited for internal upgrades. They do not even have individual compression adjustability at the bottom of the fork. Instead, one fork is set up to adjust compression only, and the other fork is set up to adjust rebound only. The used 2006 749 S forks are available for $250. Perhaps it makes sense to start with this simple swap upgrade this year, and then save my pennies to have them upgraded internally next year.