[sgpatter]

For those of you who have had more time at the shows and the dealership, do you know the failure modes of the electronically adjustable suspension?

Examples of what I mean:

If the system fails does it stay in its last setting/mode or does it default to some other setting?

If it does fail, can the suspension be adjusted manually? For that matter, can the preset modes (touring, sport, etc) be tweaked front and rear to the rider's tastes?

Can the electronics be overridden entirely but be available for manual adjustment?

Is there a failure mode where the front and rear suspension go to different modes (the front is set to enduro, the rear sport, for instance)?

An Ohlins suspension is nice but, except for the enhanced ride quality, it's wasted money for me as I just don't have the skills to make use of it. The electronically adjustable suspension is intriguing though.

 

[oalvarez]

For those of you who have had more time at the shows and the dealership, do you know the failure modes of the electronically adjustable suspension?

Examples of what I mean:


If it does fail, can the suspension be adjusted manually? For that matter, can the preset modes (touring, sport, etc) be tweaked front and rear to the rider's tastes?

Can the electronics be overridden entirely but be available for manual adjustment?

yes.

an Ohlins suspension is nice but, except for the enhanced ride quality, it's wasted money for me as I just don't have the skills to make use of it. The electronically adjustable suspension is intriguing though.

it's not the skills per se, but the roads you ride on. if you ride on altering road conditions, straights versus curvy, or with different passenger/luggage loads (most of the time), then it's a great feature to have. the ESA on my GS offers a felt difference, and all indications are that the Ducati version will be more user friendly (read adjustable) than that found on the BMW. it all depends on how you intend on using your motorcycle and the roads on which you will primarily ride upon. if off-road was an afterthought, and if i only rode solo, and on asphalt, i'd prefer a non-ESA system every day of the week.

take care

 

[wcieslik]

oalvarez, how do you adjust the rear pre load manually ? i dont see any knob or screw ...

 

[miloVanMultistrada]

If the system fails does it stay in its last setting/mode or does it default to some other setting?

If it fails, it stays in the current mode.

If it does fail, can the suspension be adjusted manually?

No, it can't be easily adjusted manually if the electronic adjustment is not working.

For that matter, can the preset modes (touring, sport, etc) be tweaked front and rear to the rider's tastes?

Yes, completely. You can alter each mode and tailor the rear preload, rebound and compression + front compression and reboound to your tastes. Each of the 4 modes has 4 settings within it (rider only, rider + bags, 2 up, 2 up + bags) so there are up to 16 possible memory settings that can all be configured.

Can the electronics be overridden entirely but be available for manual adjustment?

Don't even know what you're asking here... you can't adjust the electronic suspension manually (i.e. using allen keys and spanners).

Is there a failure mode where the front and rear suspension go to different modes (the front is set to enduro, the rear sport, for instance)?

Not sure, I think if one of the adjustments fails, it reverts everything else back to the mode it was in. But I can't find any confirmation of this.

An Ohlins suspension is nice but, except for the enhanced ride quality, it's wasted money for me as I just don't have the skills to make use of it. The electronically adjustable suspension is intriguing though.

You might think that, but one of the things that I have been impressed with on Ohlins equipped bikes is how you can have a sporty setup that also gives decent ride quality. Often with cheaper suspension you have to choose one or the other. The other great thing about Ohlins is that they are rebuildable - you can get parts replaced or tailored to your taste by Ohlins specialists. Something that is again often not an option with some cheaper shocks and forks.

 

[Biker_911]

I'm not a racer or track day kind of guy either, however, the Ohlins suspension on my Sport is pure heaven. I haven't ridden the standard model, so I can't comment on the differences but I changed out the shock on my Tuono from the standard Sachs to the Ohlins and could instantly tell the difference. The full integration of the suspension, motor, DTC and Antilock on the S models was worth it for me. I've put over 1500 miles on my S in the first month......can't say enough nice things about this bike.

 

[TimOz]

Milo is totally correct but I would add that my understanding is that if the electronic suspension fails for some reason i.e the damping adjustor will not turn as instructed, the system will know this a alert the rider to the failure. The most likely cause binding causing a stepper motor to stop. I think it will then just stop where it is. This means that the suspension will be in the current setting and stay there. There will be no "return" to another mode.

I am not sure what this question means:

Is there a failure mode where the front and rear suspension go to different modes (the front is set to enduro, the rear sport, for instance)?

I assume the OP is concerned about the rideability of the bike in the event of a failure??? Don't be. There are a few reports of failed suspension on the S models. Owners just rode the bike to a dealer and the entire component (rear shock or fork leg) is replaced under warranty.

It is worth asking the question what will happen after warranty.

 

[wcieslik]

well... yes, i did ride to the shop. thecshop ordered a whole new rear shock. i continued to ride bike wirh no suspension adjustment for nearly two months untill the new shock arrived and was installed. right now i am riding the bike, with a new shock, des that does work, but gives me error message and warning light whenever I make suspension changes. eg change modes or preload settings. I am waiting for the shop to find time to 'try' the new firmware. no idea when thatvwill be. judjing from another recent post, the des issue is more common than expected. Whilst my bike is not unrideable, its a big "irk" knowing that if i change the setup, i'll end up with the engine check light on until i switch off and on again ...

 

[Flog]

wcleslik
I have had a suspension error message which was addressed by the latest ECU upgrade. Apparently the upgrade contains a software upgrade from Ohlins which sorted it out. My agents advice is that there is/was nothing wrong with the shock etc but was a software problem. Since doing that a couple of weeks ago all is good!

 

[Flog]

It is worth asking the question what will happen after warranty.

Tim I think we will all be very much alone after the warranty runs out. It's a risk given the complexity of the electronics but hopefully they will be stable and reliable in the long run! Fingers crossed!!

 

[wcieslik]

wcleslik
I have had a suspension error message which was addressed by the latest ECU upgrade. Apparently the upgrade contains a software upgrade from Ohlins which sorted it out. My agents advice is that there is/was nothing wrong with the shock etc but was a software problem. Since doing that a couple of weeks ago all is good!

Cheers Flog,
My initial issue really was the shock (or servos) as there was no movement, just a loud grinding noise if changing modes etc, accompanied by the error message and the EOBD light.

The new shock works like a bought one , and up untill this morning, a DES error and the EOBD light still came on if making changes.

This morning, armed with the workshop manual and the vague 'procudure' for re-calibrating the rear shock servos, I went to re-create the issue, and couldn't. It's all working fine this morning !

BTW, the shop tells me that my bike is one of 4 they have had to make this warranty repair on, so far !! So this fault is not rare ...

Now if only I could find the cause of the coolant leak at start up ....

 

[MTS Quacker]

To help you understand how the DES works, all Ducati did was replace the traditional screw adjusters on the suspension with stepper motors so the computer would be able to tell where/how the suspension is adjusted. Each step is equal to a traditional click.

The hydraulic preload on the rear is the same thing. It's just an Ohlins TTX shock with a stepper motor in place of the knob.

It's a set and go system. Errors would only be related to the stepper motor count not being correct to the anticipated change. Just like if you took a screwdriver to a screw, it will retain it's last setting should the CPU fail.

 

[mollycbr123]

DES error

Finally had my first glitch on the bike, and of course it waited until I'm 200 miles from home to happen, while I'm on my way to Marlinton, WVa for a Multistrada rally there. I was showing off the modes to someone at a biker bar that my traveling partner and I had stopped in to this evening, and I noticed that I didn't hear the DES servos run when I switched from one mode to another. Some sort of DES error message flashed in the circular window on the dash, and then disappeared. I tried switching modes several times, and a few times the motors would run, but instead of being a steady 'whirring', it seemed as if they were cutting off and on. Now there is no error message, and nothing happens to the suspension when I switch modes.

I was hoping not to have to take the bike to the dealer, who is over 2 hrs from my house, until the 15k service was due, but it looks like that won't be the case.

I know others have had DES malfunctions. What did they turn out to be and how were they fixed?

Thanks!

 

[w0mb2t]

Finally had my first glitch on the bike, and of course it waited until I'm 200 miles from home to happen, while I'm on my way to Marlinton, WVa for a Multistrada rally there. I was showing off the modes to someone at a biker bar that my traveling partner and I had stopped in to this evening, and I noticed that I didn't hear the DES servos run when I switched from one mode to another. Some sort of DES error message flashed in the circular window on the dash, and then disappeared. I tried switching modes several times, and a few times the motors would run, but instead of being a steady 'whirring', it seemed as if they were cutting off and on. Now there is no error message, and nothing happens to the suspension when I switch modes.

I was hoping not to have to take the bike to the dealer, who is over 2 hrs from my house, until the 15k service was due, but it looks like that won't be the case.


I know others have had DES malfunctions. What did they turn out to be and how were they fixed?

Thanks!

cant give you an answer but rather recount my experience. in the past few months the DES error code has appeared intermittantly on my dash. basically the frist time it appeared was doing something similiar to what you did ( adjust it several times at once ) I suppose it simply gets "tired" . turning the bike off and on again and giving it a rest seemed to fix the problem. I hadnt seen the error code for a little while so at the dealer early this week i tried to replicate ... to do so i had to change the settings several times before error code came up . it since has disappeared again. i have reported to dealer so they will look at next time i am in ( its not a massive issue - more a curiosity for me at this time )

 

[mollycbr123]

cant give you an answer but rather recount my experience. in the past few months the DES error code has appeared intermittantly on my dash. basically the frist time it appeared was doing something similiar to what you did ( adjust it several times at once ) I suppose it simply gets "tired" . turning the bike off and on again and giving it a rest seemed to fix the problem. I hadnt seen the error code for a little while so at the dealer early this week i tried to replicate ... to do so i had to change the settings several times before error code came up . it since has disappeared again. i have reported to dealer so they will look at next time i am in ( its not a massive issue - more a curiosity for me at this time )

Thanks w0mb2t. Does your suspension still adjust when you switch the modes? I don't get any kind of error code, and the icons in the circular window change as they are supposed to, but there is no sound or movement to the suspension. I'm assuming the bike is still in Sport, rider with luggage, as that is what it was in when things stopped working. No real problem on the trip, but I do use Urban and love the softer suspension settings around town at home. Hope it's a simple fix.

 

[w0mb2t]

Thanks w0mb2t. Does your suspension still adjust when you switch the modes? I don't get any kind of error code, and the icons in the circular window change as they are supposed to, but there is no sound or movement to the suspension. I'm assuming the bike is still in Sport, rider with luggage, as that is what it was in when things stopped working. No real problem on the trip, but I do use Urban and love the softer suspension settings around town at home. Hope it's a simple fix.

sounds like you are also having the intermittant error code like me. as far as my butt can tell, the suspension does work on mine when there is no error message. i have no idea whether it is a software glitch or indeed an error with the actual motors that do the adjusting. bike is fine right now so i'll get them to have a look at next time.