Multistrada Skyhook Spring Replacement
Love my Multi 1260S, except the front suspension is too soft. Sachs has been using the same front spring since 2013 on the skyhook. It was too soft then, and the Multis have only gotten bigger and heavier since.
I’m 210 lbs before putting on gear, which was WAYYY too much for the stock springs. I had the preload cranked down 100% and it was still too soft. With the suspension set to hardest, I would regularly bottom the fork when hitting the brakes moderately hard. With that much brake dive, you run the risk of endoing when you do a panic stop.
A visit with Dave Moss (a modern guru if there ever was one) confirmed my suspension suspicions. Stiffer springs were the only cure.
If you’ve ever tried to work on Sachs Skyhook suspension, it’s basically impossible. Sachs doesn’t share ANY information about their setup with customers. Nada, nothing. There’s no information on the Ducati forums about anyone doing stiffer front springs that I could find.
Long story short, Race Tech eventually made me a custom spring that’s 50% stiffer. The specs were: outside dimensions 43.4mm, length 285mm and the rate’s .91 kg.
In order to install the springs, the special tools you need are a 50mm shock cap remover tool, a universal motorcycle fork spring compressor tool kit, 2x 20mm and 1x 17 cone wrenches (narrow wrenches) and some allen wrenches. The removal can be done with the bike on the center stand.
You can disconnect the skyhook suspension without taking any bodywork off. You remove the handlebars and set them on a towel on the gas tank. Loosen the top triple clamp bolts, remove the plastic cover on the skyhook wire, and unscrew the fork caps. Lift the front wheel with a 6” stool or whatever you have handy. Use the spring compressor tool kit to expose top cap nuts.
Skyhook leg is easy to change the spring out. Use the cone wrenches to loosen the fork cap, change out the springs, then reinstall the top cap. In order to get the spring in there, you need to pry open the top of the spring and wind the wire through like changing keys on a key ring.
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For the dummy leg, use the universal fork spring tool to push the spring spacer down, and loosen the fork cap with your cone wrenches and change out the spring. Putting it back together would be super easy with two people, but is possible with just one. You just gotta jam the cone wrench under the universal tool to screw the top cap back on.
Button everything up and go for a test ride. Suddenly the front end holds itself up under braking. It’s a miracle. I really don't understand all of the people saying the springs are somehow attached to a calibration for the skyhook. Look at the wires coming out of it. There's two connectors in there, ground and live. There's no way for data to go in or out, that can only monkey with the settings. I have to believe the Skyhook is reading info off the IMU to do shock valve adjustments. If you look at the new V4S, those shocks have 4 wires coming out of them, they can do live shock reading.
Love my Multi 1260S, except the front suspension is too soft. Sachs has been using the same front spring since 2013 on the skyhook. It was too soft then, and the Multis have only gotten bigger and heavier since.
I’m 210 lbs before putting on gear, which was WAYYY too much for the stock springs. I had the preload cranked down 100% and it was still too soft. With the suspension set to hardest, I would regularly bottom the fork when hitting the brakes moderately hard. With that much brake dive, you run the risk of endoing when you do a panic stop.
A visit with Dave Moss (a modern guru if there ever was one) confirmed my suspension suspicions. Stiffer springs were the only cure.
If you’ve ever tried to work on Sachs Skyhook suspension, it’s basically impossible. Sachs doesn’t share ANY information about their setup with customers. Nada, nothing. There’s no information on the Ducati forums about anyone doing stiffer front springs that I could find.
Long story short, Race Tech eventually made me a custom spring that’s 50% stiffer. The specs were: outside dimensions 43.4mm, length 285mm and the rate’s .91 kg.
In order to install the springs, the special tools you need are a 50mm shock cap remover tool, a universal motorcycle fork spring compressor tool kit, 2x 20mm and 1x 17 cone wrenches (narrow wrenches) and some allen wrenches. The removal can be done with the bike on the center stand.
You can disconnect the skyhook suspension without taking any bodywork off. You remove the handlebars and set them on a towel on the gas tank. Loosen the top triple clamp bolts, remove the plastic cover on the skyhook wire, and unscrew the fork caps. Lift the front wheel with a 6” stool or whatever you have handy. Use the spring compressor tool kit to expose top cap nuts.
Skyhook leg is easy to change the spring out. Use the cone wrenches to loosen the fork cap, change out the springs, then reinstall the top cap. In order to get the spring in there, you need to pry open the top of the spring and wind the wire through like changing keys on a key ring.
For the dummy leg, use the universal fork spring tool to push the spring spacer down, and loosen the fork cap with your cone wrenches and change out the spring. Putting it back together would be super easy with two people, but is possible with just one. You just gotta jam the cone wrench under the universal tool to screw the top cap back on.
Button everything up and go for a test ride. Suddenly the front end holds itself up under braking. It’s a miracle. I really don't understand all of the people saying the springs are somehow attached to a calibration for the skyhook. Look at the wires coming out of it. There's two connectors in there, ground and live. There's no way for data to go in or out, that can only monkey with the settings. I have to believe the Skyhook is reading info off the IMU to do shock valve adjustments. If you look at the new V4S, those shocks have 4 wires coming out of them, they can do live shock reading.
