Twitchy... Suspension or Steering Dampner ?

[Karna]

Just wanted to get some opinions..

I had my suspension set at 6k now Im at 15k front been feeling a bit twitchy...
my rear was a bit bouncy but I dialed her in...to near the max basically 4 click to max... front also pretty tight... do you think a steering dampener would help... or should I just change the oils etc.. get the right springs for my weight ? as its probably too soft for my weight... I'm 220pounds 6'1 from what I read its about time for that service...


Thanks in Advance...

[Monstaman]

Dampers are great but should not be used to try and cure twitching, true suspension sorting out / setup and tire pressures are paramount particularly if you are punting it a bit.

A damper is still a good idea to take out the tankies from light front wheel or undulations while cranked but that is all.

Putting a damper on is like putting a sticky plaster over a big cut!

Take the time to readjust your suspension and do it properly and the rewards will be better.

[801]

Spring rates on the Hyper are good for 160-180 lb riders, plus they eventually get sacked out. You always want to start with your suspension set up properly as a baseline. Since you're in the L.A. area, call Stig at PPS as he has done a number of Hypers and is an Ohlins specialist.

Originally Posted by Karna

Just wanted to get some opinions..

I had my suspension set at 6k now Im at 15k front been feeling a bit twitchy...
my rear was a bit bouncy but I dialed her in...to near the max basically 4 click to max... front also pretty tight... do you think a steering dampener would help... or should I just change the oils etc.. get the right springs for my weight ? as its probably too soft for my weight... I'm 220pounds 6'1 from what I read its about time for that service...


Thanks in Advance...

[parkcrf]

I had my baseline setup with a professional suspension guy. I do notice a lot of headshake when accelerating past 6K rpms and getting on it hard. It helps to push down on the bars. I know a steering damper would help a lot but not willing to spend the money as I plan to trade up soon for something else.

I think some of this is just inherent in the design and torque of the Hyper

[josephvman]

My suspension guy, who has an excellent reputation, tells me that the biggest problem with the stock Ducati suspension parts is the crap rear spring. According to him, your rear spring was probably shot at 6k given your weight. If you don't want to spend a lot of money on the bike, I would start with a new, quality rear spring and change/adjust your fork oil and take it from there.

[josephvman]

Originally Posted by parkcrf

I had my baseline setup with a professional suspension guy. I do notice a lot of headshake when accelerating past 6K rpms and getting on it hard. It helps to push down on the bars. I know a steering damper would help a lot but not willing to spend the money as I plan to trade up soon for something else.

I think some of this is just inherent in the design and torque of the Hyper

I think a large part of what you're experiencing is due to the wide bars and lack of wind protection. The wind knocks you around a little and the response is to firm up your grip on the bars, which tends to amplify things because of the leverage. This is exactly the reason I went with the Scotts rotary damper, which helped greatly.

[AXE]

Front end twitchy..............add a little preload to the rear to firm it up. This will allow less sag when hard on the throttle and will keep the front planted. If you haven't set the sag for your weight.........then your bike is probably not going to handle as good as it should. If that doesn't work, then springs, oil, etc.

Out!

[Dallara]

Originally Posted by AXE

Front end twitchy..............add a little preload to the rear to firm it up. This will allow less sag when hard on the throttle and will keep the front planted. If you haven't set the sag for your weight.........then your bike is probably not going to handle as good as it should. If that doesn't work, then springs, oil, etc.

Out!

But how's that work, Axe...

If the problem is that there is not enough rake & trail in the front end where he has it set up at the moment, and he needs to either raise the front end or lower the rear end in order to increase the rake and/or trail for more stability???

Just curious...

Dallara

[Papa Zeng]

Originally Posted by Dallara

But how's that work, Axe...

If the problem is that there is not enough rake & trail in the front end where he has it set up at the moment, and he needs to either raise the front end or lower the rear end in order to increase the rake and/or trail for more stability???

Just curious...

Dallara

That is correct. Try moving the front forks down even with the upper triple tree. A steering damper will also help.

[AXE]

Set the sag, it works...............for me that included adding a little preload front and rear. The bike was worlds better across the board, the front end became very planted (on rough pavement, passing trucks, in wind) wheelies come easier, and it allowed the compression and rebound settings to work much better too.

Personally, unless you are racing this thing or balls out all the time I don't see the need for a dampner.

Theory is great.................the real world is even better!

Out!