[eye.surgeon]

I've read some about people finding the stock S Ohlins undersprung for those over say 175 lbs. I'm 6"1', 200 lbs. If it's truly optimized for a 175 lb rider, couldn't I just set the preload on my 1200 Touring S at rider+luggage? Wouldn't that compensate for it being slightly undersprung for my weight? Maybe I'm oversimplifying.

 

[Fultank]

Opinion.

At 260lbs I needed to go with the optional 100nm rear. The 85nm stock spring would easily bottom even while riding solo with settings at 2up+luggage=max pre-load. With the 100nm I now ride in solo, when riding solo, without any aforementioned bottoming of the spring. All other standard settings work equally well for me with the spring upgrade.

You, at 200lbs, may be able to customize the DES settings to suit your riding style. Ducati Multistrada 1200 My suggestion is to find if you can adjust the DES with the standard 85nm spring to meet your needs first. As you may see there is more to the Ohlins than just solo, passenger, luggage options.

Might as well go through the myriad of adjustablity of the rear settings before considering the 100nm spring. My thoughts are that with the standard rear spring, and appropriate adjustment, you should be able to achieve close to 20/20.

 

[JonnyWodd]

You can wind the preload down but you will still have to remove the shock from the bike to do that. While it is out you may as well fit the new spring for $105USD pluss labour if you can't do it yourself.
The truth of the matter is that for your weight the spring is undersprung. With that said, it only starts to show it's weekness once you start going for it on roads that ( for the use of a better word ) are CRAP!

 

[dadridesagain]

After playing around with it a LOT (eyes on the road fella!), I found that 2-up plus luggage feels right. In Touring it feels like Sport 1-up without luggage, and in Sport it's pretty stiff. I'm 6'2" @ 175# and frequently carry passengers - wife is 115# and son is 165#, handles both great, though they don't like it when I ride aggressively (go figure). Sometimes on a lazy Sunday morning it feels good to putter around in squishy Urban mode 1-up no luggage.

 

[djgarrett21]

Preloaded will have no effect on the stiffness of the suspension, all it will do is adjust the equilibrium (keep your suspension from bottoming or topping out). If you want a more sporty feel I'd play with the damping. If you are getting too much suspension travel then a new spring is the way to go.

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[djgarrett21]

You can wind the preload down but you will still have to remove the shock from the bike to do that. While it is out you may as well fit the new spring for $105USD pluss labour if you can't do it yourself.
The truth of the matter is that for your weight the spring is undersprung. With that said, it only starts to show it's weekness once you start going for it on roads that ( for the use of a better word ) are CRAP!

No need to remove anything, with the DES you can adjust the preloaded (for the shock) from the settings menu. It allows you to save the custom settings to each of the different ride modes. Same with damping as well.

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[oalvarez]

Eyesurgeon,

In sag terms you're probably on the cusp in the rear and under sprung in the front as well. Maxing out the preload might get you closer to home but it still won't be right. Have someone help you measure the sag but my feeling is that you will need to opt for the 100nm rear spring and perhaps 7.0 front fork springs to best suit your weight. One of my riding buddies is your exact weight and he just went thru this with a local tuning expert. We then called Dan Kyle of Dan Kyle Racing (an absolute authority on Ohlins products, also a distributor) who suggested the setup above. If you think the suspension is good now, wait until you have the springs changed out.

 

[eye.surgeon]

How can a bike sprung to carry rider and pillion be undersprung for a 200 lb rider alone? That would require the suspension be designed for two people both under 100 lbs.

 

[Buckeye]

How can a bike sprung to carry rider and pillion be undersprung for a 200 lb rider alone? That would require the suspension be designed for two people both under 100 lbs.

There is no logic to what they do in my mind. My 1098S Tri was so stiff in the front that it was almost impossible to get it to turn without wondering if it would stick. The chatter and skipping was awful. It was oh so stiff...why? Who knows. An Ohlins pro kit fixed it for large $$$.


I agree with your comment but still...I changed out the rear spring because I needed to. I could adjust it to be "fair" with the stock spring but then it would be awful for 2up duty...even though I don't do that much on this bike. The front doesn't require anything beyond the adjustments that I've done with the adjustment options in the programming.

If you don't do much 2up and your loads are pretty consistant, why not just mess with it for a while to see if you can get it set to suit you. As mentioned, you're right on the edge but also, you've got to consider how you ride. If you're aggressive...you'll need the spring. Relaxed...maybe not.

Since your bike is so new maybe you can get your dealer to change out the rear spring at N/C. I think a few guys have lucked on with that. Otherwise, it's about $100 for a spring plus labor.

Hmmm...maybe Ducati has a "deal" with Ohlins. :think:

 

[Lucifuhrman]

In a different thread I noted that the front end of my MTS1200 seems awfully light. At 205 lbs and probably 225-230 loaded up with gear for 1-up riding, perhaps going with the 100 Nm spring would help the front end feel more planted and less twitchy?

 

[7an]

I'm a little bigger than you and went for stiffer springs front and rear. It's like night and day. I would scrape pegs before (especially when my son was on the back) and it's not an issue now. I used to run 2-up + luggage all the time before and now I can use the settings the way they were meant. The ride is more plush and contact with the road is better. When I buy my next Multi I'm not even going to take it home before spring upgrades; Ducati shouldn't ship them to the US in the current stock form.

 

[Buckeye]

In a different thread I noted that the front end of my MTS1200 seems awfully light. At 205 lbs and probably 225-230 loaded up with gear for 1-up riding, perhaps going with the 100 Nm spring would help the front end feel more planted and less twitchy?

Probably. It's hard to comment on your description because if the rear is soft, it really makes the bike a little "less" twitchy because it extends the fork angle as the back "sags" or is compressed. Just cruising, it could make it a bit slower to handle...less twitchy. But...conversley, the proper rear set up will raise the back of the bike to the proper angle and make it feel more precise in steering...even though the steering will be a bit quicker. Not to confuse things but a soft rear also may bottom out the suspension and all kinds of ill-handling maladies can occur then.

If you ride aggressively with your weight, you definitely need to go to the 100# spring. But, one other point...there is no steering damper on this bike which with the power and torque that it has, results in some head shake in some circumstances. I'd call that twitchy too. As a matter of fact, after I changed to stiffer rear spring...I don't notice that "shake" happening as much any more. I'm sure the stiffer spring has helped that issue to some degree.:think:

 

[jduke]

You need to take the bike to a suspension shop. You'll need to replace the stock springs with ones more suited to your weight.
Typically if you can set the sag in the 35% range without the rider, but can't with the rider that means the spring isn't right.
Preload is the term to adjust the springs to reach the proper sag.
Most factory suspensions are set for a 175 pound rider.

 

[expatbrit]

I've read some about people finding the stock S Ohlins undersprung for those over say 175 lbs. I'm 6"1', 200 lbs. If it's truly optimized for a 175 lb rider, couldn't I just set the preload on my 1200 Touring S at rider+luggage? Wouldn't that compensate for it being slightly undersprung for my weight? Maybe I'm oversimplifying.

I'm right in the same boat at 190 without gear. I've got the preload ... fairly high, and the thing is decent. I've been debating the spring upgrades for months now, so I'm definitely following the discussions in this thread with interest.

 

[Lucifuhrman]

Anyone know how many hours shops have booked for rear spring install? Also, any idea on how many hours to install new springs up front at the same time?

 

[oalvarez]

How can a bike sprung to carry rider and pillion be undersprung for a 200 lb rider alone? That would require the suspension be designed for two people both under 100 lbs.

Who said the bike was properly sprung to carry rider and pillion? :think:

Check the sag (the right way) and let us know what your findings are. If you're around 200lbs (as you said earlier) then I can almost promise you (and the others) that stiffer springs will be in order. Or do nothing, max out the preload and compression front and rear, and enjoy the (shtty) ride.

 

[oalvarez]

Anyone know how many hours shops have booked for rear spring install? Also, any idea on how many hours to install new springs up front at the same time?

Rear is 1-2 hours, front another hour/hour plus me thinks.

 

[Fultank]

Flat Rate.

Anyone know how many hours shops have booked for rear spring install? Also, any idea on how many hours to install new springs up front at the same time?

2 hours for the rear.

Parts & Labor mine was done for just less than $250 with a $49 so called Ohlins discount included. So the spring, with the discount, was less than $50.

 

[kope999R]

the essentials are:

all depends if you change a lot between alone and 2UP + luggage.
I f you ride alone putting 2+ luggage will take care of even 220 pound riders..
but it will not take on a heavier rider ( 200 ) + pillion and luggage..

definitly not a heavier rider, medium pillion and a lot of luggage...

if you do change a lot: change to heavier springs. Rear and front...
the diving under braking and general wallowing will decrease...

you'll be able to ride under 1 rider as standard.. with all other options still left to use..

this will give you an even better bike..

Did a trip with 220 kg's ( 400 pounds) of riders and luggage over the mountains in switzerland and France.. it does wobble on faster curves ( 130KPH+) but not that it becomes unmanagable...I also put the bike to 2+L /Sport to go on the track... steady as a rock..

I'm am changin to heavier now.. just to give me more scope...

grtz

Koen

 

[jduke]

I hope this doesn't come across as anything but how its intended, to correct some misinformation I've seen posted.
Preload is used to get a specific sag setting. Whether one person, two, with luggage, soft ride, firm ride, etc. Sag is not a guessing game, it is a specific measurement then preload setting. Its not perfect but a compromise to get the bikes suspension to work for you and not against you. You could and should have different settings depending on passenger, luggage, highway, curves, etc. That's why a rear pre load adjuster is popular. Wife riding today? X number of turns, riding across the state with gear? X number of turns. Ready to ride the curves? X number of turns. Like changing belts, you need to check your sag on a regular basis. If anything is out, you'll know it.
If you can't get the proper sag, you need to find a suspension shop and get their help.
Again, I hope this is received as intended, helpful information. I'm not a suspension expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I do try to read up on anything that might make me a better rider.

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