WTF..S-Front forks - Ducati.ms

mikess · Feb 24th, 2009, 6:30 pm

So i have an 08, HM-S. after riding a bit and feeling that its setup a little to "cruiser" style for me and not trusting the dealers i decide to check and adj my suspension. Of course all the adj are totally unequal up front. Diff preload, comp, and rebound from right to left. the rear is squatting and not in the "attack" position im used to and coming out of turns on the gas it just doesnt want to turn and wants to float to the outside.

to make a long story short. I adj. my rear preload and comp accordingly. move to the front... now I read the the owners manual to start at those settings as a base and adj from there. read-adj..re read-adj.. wait a fucking minute! where the fuck are the god damn clicks!? How the fuck dont i have clicks!? 3.5 total turns of adj? thats some bullshit? now the owners manual says the S has clicks..the standard has turns.

Was this a typo or what? is it the S that has the shit forks with adj that are a marginal guess at exactness? Am I retarded? Please someone help me out here before I go ghost ride this bike through my dealers front door.

dave2riff · Feb 24th, 2009, 6:44 pm

The compression damping adjustment at the bottom of the forks does NOT
have clicks, but it is very sensitive to changes over it's short (2 turn?) range.
There is a dot on the adjustment screw as a marker. I found mine to have
a wide range of compression damping adjustment and it was quite effective.

You can also change the rear ride height with the adjustable link to raise
the rear more to your liking and drop the forks in the triple clamps as well.
I would just use pre-load (front and rear) to set the sag.

This bike does take a bit different turning style as far as input from the
rider, and with it's geometry and wheelbase (57.8-ish) is not as abrupt
to turn in as some sportbikes. It is surprisingly nimble, though.

Monstaman · Feb 24th, 2009, 6:50 pm

Unfortunately the cartridges are shit and are exactly the same guts as the base model, all we have is the black coating.

NYSport · Feb 24th, 2009, 7:25 pm

I noticed the no clicking adjusters also. I have been told but can't verify that a click is equal to 1/4 turn. I'm not very happy with the situation either.

MongoWERA · Feb 24th, 2009, 7:36 pm

If there are no clicks then use 1/4 turns - you don't need to be exact, it's not like you're racing these things at the extreme ragged edge.

Start in the middle with all the settings. Get your sag set up correctly (not sure what it should be off the top of my head sorry), then move one setting front or rear from the midline most of the way to one end of it's travel leaving the others in the middle. Ride it, see how it feels, make some notes, put it back to midline and then move to another setting. When you change something count the number of clicks or the number of turns you make - which that component does is a moot point. If you ride the same loop or section of road back and forth and use your own words on how things feel then you'll be able to translate what you feel into what you need to do with the suspension settings to make the bike work for you.

The base settings in the book are just that, base settings for what the engineers think is the normal riding style and probably more weight than a single rider will be (unless you're me and are 2-up all by yourself).

Keep lots of notes, more information on how things feel will help you in the future and are the best way by far to get your bike to work right for you on the roads you ride.

mikess · Feb 24th, 2009, 8:01 pm

Thing is I fully understand how to set up suspension and have set up quite a few bikes from MX to SM to RR bikes for myself and my friends. Ive always had a knack for understanding what the bike is doing suspension wise. But i like my god damn clicks! To me its a more exact method of making sure everything is nice and equal. And its also mindset. If i KNOW i went 6 clicks on the left and the right. Then im confident. If i THINK I went ABOUT 1.75 turns on the left and right..then im gonna be wary. I always keep a log of what ive done with my bikes susp. and on my RR bike i even go into temp of the day. and adj. from there. It just amazes how with a 15,000 dollar bike they cant even put damn clicks on the comp and rebound, and NO lines for preload. Ive seen the dots..but its just the point. And when the owners manual even says clicks..something is fooking hokey!!! I dont know..maybe i expect too much for my money these days.. I love the bike but theres definitely some things that make me really scratch my head and say WTF were they thinking!?

MongoWERA · Feb 24th, 2009, 8:15 pm

Ha! Okay I get it now. I totally agree, clicks are easier but sometimes you just gotta deal with 1/4 turns

AXE · Feb 24th, 2009, 10:52 pm

Take a Sharpie and place a very small dot on both the adjuster screw and the shock housing at the same location. You can track your "clicks" from there. I usually start with my screws fully seated (do not tighten them), then place the dots, then back them out to get the right feel. Also, 1/8 turn changes things a lot, so 1/4 might not work.

Also, if you haven't set the sag on this bike for your weight you are pissing up a rope. I have set up a handful of bikes and this was the hardest, but I feel I have it dialed in pretty well now.

Out!

PedroHM · Feb 24th, 2009, 11:01 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikess

Am I retarded? Please someone help me out here before I go ghost ride this bike through my dealers front door.

yes you probably are.. clicks a shit house. 3 1/2 turns is plenty. I find there is a total difference in maybe 1/32 or even less of a turn.

screw compression damping, get the sag set and rebound, that will solve your arse down front up problem. adjust compression to how much feeling you want from the bike on the tarmac.

the stock rear has WAY too much rebound, front also.