Marzocchi's, all bling and full of crap.

[GHEZZI]

I read somewhere else that the forks on my 'S' model were all show and no go. They were stripped down today and my suspension guru confirmed my worst fears. The internal cartridges are not re-buildable, both ends are crimped so re-shimming at this point in time is not an option.

The standard spring has wire dia. and coil rate that are both constant, but the spring is tapered from top to bottom. It has a different dia at each end which would give it a very small progressive rate. When compared in a press with other known springs it measured close to .8kg. When assembled the springs have a minimum of 11mm pre-load, (not sag).

We could substitute normal road bike cartridges but that would reduce travel from 165mm to 120mm. Dirt bike cartridges would be too long. Or ...
We could cut the bottom of the original cartridge off, machine a new end with circlip groove and silver solder it on, plus machine a new valve holder and clip it in place. However, at this point there is no guarantee that a gold valve would fit or if the original valve has suitable oil ports for re-shimming.

We have replaced the standard 10w oil with 5w.

HAS ANYBODY ELSE BEEN HERE BEFORE?

[mountainrider]

I was in touch with traxxion dynamics a couple of months back. They had not been into one as of then.

I called Penske 2 days ago, and same story.

Ohlins USA is nearby. I called a friends cell who works there and left a message. No reply as yet.

I think Penske is probably the most likely to get us sorted. If someone would be willing to lend them their shock and fork for a couple of weeks, Mike assured me they would have us something.

Alternatively, Traxxion Dynamics in the Atlanta area is a genius with both Ohlins and Penske. They also have their own cartridge design. I'm certain that they could improve our lot but need a guinea pig. Maybe one of us in the ATL vicinity can live without their hyper for a short while?

Elka was pretty much willing to work out the rear shock but need a bike to work with. Any Canuks willing to let them experiment with your ride?

Finally, Some of us have theorized that the Multi Stradas shock is the same as ours. None of the suspension people know for sure. If someone wants to send them their shock or accurate measurements, we can confirm this. There may be a solution available already for the rear.

I agree with Ghezzi that there is too much high speed damping. Its pretty harsh over square edges and no amount of knob twiddling improves that.

We can make this bike way better. Too bad Ducati didn't.

[dukepilot]

Lindemann Engineering has some experience with the HM forks and shock. They have taken them apart and know what to do to make them work better. They will respring the forks, change oil and tweak the adjusters for about $215. They can also revalve/adjust the Ohlins rear shock. http://www.le-suspension.com/

[PedroHM]

Has anyone on the US side hit up Dan Kyle for a solution? he's the muts nuts when it comes to this kind of thing

[scottysspeedshop]

Race Tech has the GTR 25 mm cartridge kit Ohlins avalible now retail is $1299.00 its a little pricey but will be well worth it.I am havine them installed next week and will let everyone know how thay work.

[93Octane]

guys, its stock stuff. nothing stock is going to make you the next casey stoner. any bike that you buy needs suspension work and needs to be dialed in for you. yes they are bling but aren't all ducati's?

[infidel]

The stock forks perform pretty well. If Ghezzi hadn't of posted the details up most of us would not be able to tell from riding the bike that the internals aren't top shelf stuff.

[Buckelew]

Originally Posted by infidel

The stock forks perform pretty well. If Ghezzi hadn't of posted the details up most of us would not be able to tell from riding the bike that the internals aren't top shelf stuff.

if you say so.....harsh at higher speeds, mushy and divy at lower speeds......not so good.

[GHEZZI]

Well guys, I'll be the first to admit that the stock suspension is pretty damn good, with adjustability to fine tune for personal preference. However, with a slight tweak to one end the other shows up its shortcomings, so you add a tweak there and now the tables are reversed. At least we are on the road to improving things. Hell, I ain't got no women telling me how to waste my time and money .
Me Mum finally got her pacemaker yesterday so hopefully I'll get out this weekend to test the 5w fork oil, hey if I got one of those I wouldn't feel the need for all these improvements. Steady as she goes skipper!

[mountainrider]

Originally Posted by scottysspeedshop

Race Tech has the GTR 25 mm cartridge kit Ohlins avalible now retail is $1299.00 its a little pricey but will be well worth it.I am havine them installed next week and will let everyone know how thay work.

Baited breath here! I need more faith in the front.