Front end problems

[1198freak]

I am looking into buying a used Hyper 1100, and have done some research. I see a common complaint about lack of front end feel during cornering, and over bumpy roads. I hear this problem has been fixed with the 2010 Evo SP with the new Marzocchi forks, but what have you guys done with the earlier '09 and '08 bikes to remedy the issue? If you drop in some 25 MM Ohlins cartridges does it solve the problem? So far this and the small oil cooler have been the only issues that I have heard about with these bikes.

[Chouch]

Front end is an issue for sure, on both standard and S model from '07 to '09.

It's actually pretty scary when you meet a bump or a crack in the middle of a curve. It usually kicks me out of my trajectory, leading me sometimes into weird situation.

The best solution is a 25mm cartidges. Few shop make kits.
Ducshop is selling a Ohlins kit for 1450$ and got top notch feedback
Racetech is also selling a 25mm kit, with excellent reviews for 1299$. (I think you can add up to 10mm of fork travel with the racetech kit)

Few other company such as Maxton also do kits, for way cheaper but I dont think we have any feedback yet (soon tho)
There's also an italien company making a 25mm kit, dont recall the name...


Or, if you got the cash, Ohlins and Andreani are selling a 46mm fork with clamps for 2300€ (but you cant adjust preload on that one...)
Or, last solution, EVO SP fork legs are 1600$ ... each


Maybe we should start a group by with Ducshop

[AZ_Scott]

I simply adjusted the damping and preload on my '08 S where I like them, which helped a lot, but the biggest difference was changing to Dunlop Q2's. I really don't have a problem with it now, and I'm certainly not going to spend 10% of the entire cost of the bike on a fork valve kit!

[freezer16801]

gp suspensions is also making a drop in cart. replacement for around $1000.

If are over 180 lbs., I would do what I did. I bought replacement springs from racetech for $169 and changed the fluid viscocity to 5 weight from 7.5 and set the fluid level to 114 mm.s This improved things dramatically. The forks are not as good as a good set of revalved forks, but they are as good as you can get without changing the internals for much less money.

Even though the cartridges are sealed and non-serviceable. The forks are easy to work on. They do not require a spring compressor to take apart. It is harder to take the forks off of the bike than it is to change the springs and set the fluid level. I'd recommend getting a decent motion pro or traxxion fluid level guage to do the work.

The fluid level and viscocity is a big issue with the lack of front end feel because the fork is over dampened and undersprung (.68kgs).

I also had the shock revalved, dynoed, and resprung by traxxion for around $300.

Last year, I couldn't keep up with my normal riding friends on our best mountain road. Just this last weekend, I stayed on their back wheel all day. That is even with a 70 horsepower disadvantage.

[Abarth]

I went with other springs and different oil. Also made a big difference and is not that expensive, 250 euro's.



More pics -> Click

[sandbar]

Originally Posted by Chouch

...................pretty scary when you meet a bump or a crack in the middle of a curve. It usually kicks me out of my trajectory, leading me sometimes into weird situation.

There's also an italien company making a 25mm kit, dont recall the name...

You may be referring to Gubellini - they make a cartridge kit for the 08/09 bikes fitted with the Marzocchi forks. In the UK they would be £480 for the complete set.

We are UK distributors for Gubellini and have just started working on a Hyper 1100S front end to see whether we can get it to where we want it to be. I suspect that our aims are different to most on here, because we are not aiming for track performance but more comfort. Specifically to avoid the situation that 'Chouch' describes above. There are plenty of roads around here in the middle of England that can be very painful on the Hyper.

My query is about spring rates. Most seem to feel that the OE springs are too soft, but I have read about others who think that they are oversprung - which would tie in with the ludicrous overspringing that appears to be OE on quite a few new Ducatis (848s and some new Monsters spring to mind). Gubellini feel that the OE springs are OK and just change the cartridge, adjusters and fork oil grade (to 5 wt.).

Presumably people have changed to heavier springs because the sag (static or rider) with the OE springs appears to be too great. But these bikes have 165mm (circa 6.5") of front travel, so surely you would not expect the sag to be the same as (say) an 848 which, after measuring one in the workshop yesterday, appears to have only approximately 2.5" of front travel.

By using stronger springs, are you trying to run only in the top portion of the fork travel?

With the refurbed forks fitted yesterday, our bike is sitting in the workshop, waiting suitable weather to try setting up, with static sag of 24mm and rider sag (with me on board - fat old git!!) of 48mm. We are going to start with that and see where we get to.

sandbar

[Decreasing Dave]

Sandbar,

Just to clarify, we, on this side of the pond, are pro-rating the rider sag for the added front travel and calculating our springs from there.

In other words, our sag goals are the same, or at least close, to what the bike in your shop has currently. The sag for the rear of the bike is targeted at a more "normal" 30mm +/-.

Dave

[freezer16801]

another thing to consider with the forks in the stock configuration is that no one is achieving full travel because of a too small of an air gap. Also the stock springs are progressively sprung. Most people are switching to straigh rate springs. The ride isn't so bad at the upper end of travel. Once the forks start to compress, things get stiff in a hurry.

I went with a heavier spring because I weigh 215 lbs. naked on the bathroom scale. So a .68 spring will not cut it. It took all of the preload added for me to get to 50 mm.s

[sandbar]

Originally Posted by sandbar

................. waiting suitable weather to try setting up, with static sag of 24mm and rider sag (with me on board - fat old git!!) of 48mm.

So far so good! 8 clicks in on the compression and 1 turn on rebound and the jarring from square edged bumps, change of surface and potholes has gone. I didn't change the preload.

The only issue is that it only used 130mm of the available travel. So I probably don't need a harder spring, but a more linear one!

Now to get somebody who knows what they are talking about to give it a go!!

sandbar

[Decreasing Dave]

You stated that the forks are refurbed, but how did you refurb them?? Maybe I just missed it when I went back over the post.

Dave