[rrudytoo]

A little over a week ago I bought a 2008 1098S in very good condition and one that has been meticulously maintained. It rode quite harsh so I attempted to adjust the suspension to accommodate my weight and there is no way I can get this to work. Most of the issues come from the rear Ohlins shock which is sprung for somebody weighing at least 250 lbs. I'm no flyweight at 195 before I put my gear on and even with the spring backed all the way off I still only get 13mm sag with the compression and rebound backed all the way out. Pushing down on the bike is like pushing down on a saw horse......it damn near refuses to move! The front isn't much better. With the spring preload backed a full 12-turns out I barely get 20 - 25mm of sag. I had heard on a couple of YouTube videos about the rear shock spring being way too stiff and I have to question why?

My recourse is to remove the rear shock and send it to Ohlins to have a lighter spring installed and have them look over the rest of the shock while it's there. Once I get that back, I'll remove the forks and send them to Ohlins to have those springs replaced, change out the weeping fork seals and also get a good looking over. What irritates me is why would Ducati install a suspension dedicated to a minority of riders based on weight? This is not going to be an inexpensive endeavor and it makes an already expensive bike into a very expensive bike for no reason. Of the 15 bikes I've owned in my life I have never encountered anything like this and that includes three other Ducatis.

I have zero intention of putting this bike on a track nor will I be storming through any twisty roads so I'm looking for a reasonably compliant suspension. What have you folks experienced and how did you handle your situation?

Thank you in advance for your replies.

rrudytoo

 

[Shrek]

See if you can make a trade for a std setup with someone larger.

 

[Camp170]

Why not start with buying the proper spring for you weight? You can install that yourself. This is a good article on the numbers on the spring How to read the numbers on an Ohlins spring
I think you can find a spring for under $100usd, I’m in the situation, 175lbs with a stock spring that’s made for 240lb rider. I did think the front should be close though.

 

[rrudytoo]

Why not start with buying the proper spring for you weight? You can install that yourself. This is a good article on the numbers on the spring How to read the numbers on an Ohlins spring
I think you can find a spring for under $100usd, I’m in the situation, 175lbs with a stock spring that’s made for 240lb rider. I did think the front should be close though.

Hey Camp170,

Thank you for the link to reading the Ohlins info but it threw me for a loop. I had thought that the value to the right of the "/" was in kilograms which would make selecting a spring pretty straight forward but the article says it is in Newtons. I have two conversion charts to reference and neither has anything to do with Newtons and weight. As an Ohlins facility is about an hour up the road from me I'll just discuss things with them, shell out the big bucks and know that it is being done right.

You say you are in a similar situation. Did you replace your rear spring? There are a number of sketchy methods people have described in removing the rear shock. Did you remove your own and, if so, how did you go about it?

rrudytoo

 

[Camp170]

I recently bought a 2011 1198sp with unmodified suspension and 15k miles. I am currently adjusting the valves and replacing the belts as it had never been done. The rear spring was very preloaded at least 3/4 down on the threads and felt like a “hard tail”. When I searched that spring # and changed to a lower final # like 21040-26 I was able to find suggested rider weight and it appeared more appropriate for me. I’m sure handing yours over to Ohlins would be the ultimate solution for most ideal outcome if budget allows. As far as removing the rear shock I will just be putting jack stands under my non-folding foot pegs and removing the swing arm and shock as I’m certain it has never been apart and could use a good cleaning and regreasing. I have done that to the rear hub and the jack stands worked well and stable. I will do the same to the steering stem as this too has never had any attention. I’ll probably need to hang it from the ceiling for that operation. Where are you located? What Ohlins facility is close by?

 

[rrudytoo]

Ohlins is in Hendersonville, NC, and about an hour north of Greenville, SC, where I'm located. I went online earlier today and got a Repair Order worked up so I just need to pull the shock and send it on its way. Rather than go for the complete rebuild ($235 plus the cost of the spring) I'm just requesting an appropriate spring for my weight and to swap it out.

I have rearsets on my 1098 and the left peg is blocking the access to the lower shock bolt so I can't use your method. Rather, I'm going to use a pair of ladders with a 4" x 4" x 8' post run through them to suspend the bike using straps attached to the frame under the seat. I will try pulling the shock without removing the swingarm to avoid doing anymore than I have to. It may or may not work.....I'll find out.

 

[Camp170]

Good luck neighbor, I’m north of you in Race City aka Mooresville.

 

[rrudytoo]

Good luck neighbor, I’m north of you in Race City aka Mooresville.

My wife and I used to be up your way most every year for the Renaissance Festival in Huntersville. Covid ruined that big time!

 

[Speedy23]

9.8 Newton is the force produced by 1kg in a gravitational field of 1G (9.8 ms2)

 

[yoshiboldor]

A little over a week ago I bought a 2008 1098S in very good condition and one that has been meticulously maintained. It rode quite harsh so I attempted to adjust the suspension to accommodate my weight and there is no way I can get this to work. Most of the issues come from the rear Ohlins shock which is sprung for somebody weighing at least 250 lbs. I'm no flyweight at 195 before I put my gear on and even with the spring backed all the way off I still only get 13mm sag with the compression and rebound backed all the way out. Pushing down on the bike is like pushing down on a saw horse......it damn near refuses to move! The front isn't much better. With the spring preload backed a full 12-turns out I barely get 20 - 25mm of sag. I had heard on a couple of YouTube videos about the rear shock spring being way too stiff and I have to question why?

My recourse is to remove the rear shock and send it to Ohlins to have a lighter spring installed and have them look over the rest of the shock while it's there. Once I get that back, I'll remove the forks and send them to Ohlins to have those springs replaced, change out the weeping fork seals and also get a good looking over. What irritates me is why would Ducati install a suspension dedicated to a minority of riders based on weight? This is not going to be an inexpensive endeavor and it makes an already expensive bike into a very expensive bike for no reason. Of the 15 bikes I've owned in my life I have never encountered anything like this and that includes three other Ducatis.

I have zero intention of putting this bike on a track nor will I be storming through any twisty roads so I'm looking for a reasonably compliant suspension. What have you folks experienced and how did you handle your situation?

Thank you in advance for your replies.

rrudytoo

View attachment 173100

Jump on the race tech website and do a spring search putting all you info in. Easy