[Daviemcc]

What do you guys think of the 821 suspension?

I find it's a bit ropey when the road is not smooth and in Scotland that's quite often. I'm test riding the bmw s1000r tomorrow and quite looking forward to seeing what its fancy electronic suspension is like.

 

[JosephHanna]

Well.....I rode an s1000r a couple of times now. Of course everyone is different with different wants and expectations. For me I could find absolutely nothing about that bike (s1000r) that wasn't damn near perfect.

 

[Watky]

The suspension on the standard 821 hasnt got proper adjustability and is shit... for a bike this expensive it is poor form. It is one area that is really turning me off the bike

 

[ChasT]

I've just done a week in the Alps on my 821, and I kept up and/or overtook all the other eight bikes there, no problem. Wide range of sports and adventure bikes on offer.
1,500 miles is six days, with no bum ache.

 

[Watky]

If the roads are smooth the suspension is ok. If its rough roads the suspension bucks around and is far from plush.

 

[Daviemcc]

The test ride on the s1000r was great. A bit heavier to throw around I thought though although maybe it was just because I wasn't used to it. The 821 seems to flick overy effortlessly.

Could the 821 suspension be improved?
I have saw the adreani cartridge kit but I don't want to drop money on something that will make minimal difference.

 

[Deadcruiser]

When I left my M821 at the Dealer for the first inspection, the I had the chance to ride the Streetfighter for a full day, and boy am I happy to have bought the Monster. Simply no comparison. The clutch level on the SF is so hard that riding in the city is so annoying. Especially because gas response is so aggressive, you can only accelerate or break, nothing in between. And the seat starts hurting your butt from the minute you sit on it. So even if it's suspension is adjustable, there is no way to make that bike more riding friendly. So in contrast to the SF, my Monster feels like the perfect bike, especially for daily commuting and a more "defensive" style of riding, to which I stick to

 

[JosephHanna]

The test ride on the s1000r was great. A bit heavier to throw around I thought though although maybe it was just because I wasn't used to it. The 821 seems to flick overy effortlessly.

Could the 821 suspension be improved?
I have saw the adreani cartridge kit but I don't want to drop money on something that will make minimal difference.

The problem with the 821's suspension is its lack of adjustability. In and of itself it's a great suspension (at least for me). You can't have a taught, trustworthy sport oriented suspension and have it "plush" (as someone mentioned) at the same time. I recently rode a Yamaha FZ09 and loved everything about the bike except the pogo-like suspension. I could never trust what it would do and it kept me nervous and hyper vigilant the whole ride. That's no fun and what I would deem a dangerous and bad suspension.

Of course and on the other hand that's the beauty of a sophisticated electronic suspension like the s1000r in that it can be more precisely adjusted to a riders style and road conditions. I have two Monsters and I love them dearly for what they are. I not only like the Monster suspension but actually think it's pretty great (all things considered). I'd never get rid of them but I swear if Santa leaves me a big bag of cash this Christmas I'm running out to the BMW store and adding a s1000r to my garage.

 

[Watky]

Joseph, ride a street triple r with the suspension adjusted correctly it doesnt pogo and it soaks up rough roads while being plush. It doest buck around on rough roads and holds its line fine. Nor does the street triple dive under brakes.
Try accelerating the 821 out of a corner on a sub par road and see how the back end behaves, I bet it starts to buck around.
The thread starter wasnt saying he had an issue with smooth roads. He was questioning the 821 handling on rough roads.

 

[EsromRacing]

My 821 suspension is nothing short of stellar. Of course I have the adjustsble stuff the base model doesn't. Didn't require much playing around w sag and ride heights, it's very stable and drives good out of corners and crazy quick turn in, yet stable at 140mph

No complaints from me, easily a better setup than my 14' zx10 or 1198 were

 

[JosephHanna]

Joseph, ride a street triple r with the suspension adjusted correctly it doesnt pogo and it soaks up rough roads while being plush. It doest buck around on rough roads and holds its line fine. Nor does the street triple dive under brakes.
Try accelerating the 821 out of a corner on a sub par road and see how the back end behaves, I bet it starts to buck around.
The thread starter wasnt saying he had an issue with smooth roads. He was questioning the 821 handling on rough roads.

Well Watky I think when all is said and done we probably agree on more than disagree. My 1200 can be a tad "bucky" on bad roads. My 696 is a bronco. But I absolutely "trust" both suspensions. On any bike that doesn't have a fully adjustable suspension you have to learn to give and take what the bike and the road give ya and use it. My experience with the Yamaha FZ09 for example (albeit a short ride) was one where the pogo'ing was disconcerting and quite frankly one that I don't think I'd ever learn to trust. That, at least to me, is a bad suspension. If anything on a fairly powerful motorcycle induces mis-trust bad things are inevitable gonna follow. I absolutely don't feel that way about my Monster's.

One of my closest riding friends has a Street R so I know the bike fairly well. It's tall for me so I can't say I've ever flogged it really hard in an attempt to get the real feel. It being someone else's bike and all and being too tall for me to ever genuinely relax. That said you're talking about a bike with a wonderfully refined suspension that is fully adjustable to the rider and his or hers road conditions. The only fair comparison there would be the Monster 1200s which I'm positive would give the Street R a run for its money.

Now on the other hand there's that BMW s1000r

 

[multipepe]

M821's a nice bike but I prefer the bigger one, the M1200S. Ohlins does wonder everywhere.

My bike's a Multistrada 1000DS S and the legs are awesome. Flip it into a bumpy corner, no problem. Gas it hard out of apex, no problem. I used to have a Multistrada 620, great bike but bunky suspension. Sold it to get cash for the Multi I have now.

If you insist on keeping the M821, by all means, upgrade the suspension, it's worth it. Shop on ebay or elsewhere, you'll find them.

 

[Dwezil]

Hi All. I am new to Ducati with my white 821. I brought it having ridden the 1200 (not S) and for me the better road bike is the 821, but the 1200 suspenders are better. After 1200 miles it has softened up a bit, but rough roads are very tiring. I am used to spending long periods on bikes so it's been a bit of a shock to find I can not ride the Monster for too long purely because of this. An earlier response to the thread suggested that giving it a handful means it will buck around - and it certainly does unless the TC is on a healthy setting. But I did buy it looking for something different and certainly got it! Just wish I had some adjustment up front. To make the point, I set out for a days' riding on Friday from Sussex to Norfolk, got twenty miles and then turned around and went on my FZ1 Fazer. My advice to the thread-starter is drop the front tyre pressure by 2 psi and up the rear standard ride height by 1.5 turns - it improves stability no end. You will get a bit less jitter from the front end's over sprung forks too.

 

[Ntv69]

I messaged Ohlins Asia on facebook, and they say they are currently developing a rear shock for the 821 and they say will be avalable for sale in 2 to 3 months.

 

[Daviemcc]

I messaged Ohlins Asia on facebook, and they say they are currently developing a rear shock for the 821 and they say will be avalable for sale in 2 to 3 months.

I would buy that in a heart beat.

 

[Deadcruiser]

Great News indeed

 

[kralle]

I have the 821 Stripe, with adjustable suspension.
I haven't touched it yet - still less than 300km - so waiting a bit until I get the full feel of it.

besides the fact that it's adjustable; what else is the difference, and does anyone have experiences that it's worth the extra money I put into it (which really was more because of the stripe and the small windshield)

Cheers

 

[JosephHanna]

I have the 821 Stripe, with adjustable suspension.
I haven't touched it yet - still less than 300km - so waiting a bit until I get the full feel of it.

besides the fact that it's adjustable; what else is the difference, and does anyone have experiences that it's worth the extra money I put into it (which really was more because of the stripe and the small windshield)

Cheers

For me an adjustable suspension is worth way more than a stripe and windshield although I don't think the front forks on your bike are Ohlins. It's a Titanic over-simplification but there is a "range" in which a suspension system performs at its best. A heavier rider (who perhaps rides particularly hard or on rough roads) might in fact push a non adjustable suspension past its prime merely by sitting on the bike. Conversely a light rider might not have enough weight to compress the system into a sweet spot while riding.

How the bike reacts and how stable the bike is depends entirely on its suspension. For me (particularly for the canyon riding I do) and much like tires, a rider simply must trust both of these elements. That of course not to say a suspension can't be good with it being adjustable but a good non adjustable suspension becomes great when it can be tailored to the specific rider.

Do yourself a massive favor and attend a suspension clinic where someone from Ducati can properly set your suspension. I don't know where you are in the scheme of the world but we have these clinic's all over SoCal. We had one recently at a Ducati dealership put on by a local suspension expert. They had over 250 people sigh up. I dunno if he got through them all or not but it does highlight how biblically important taking advantage of your adjustable suspension is and what an advantage it is your bike has that ability.

 

[kralle]

For me an adjustable suspension is worth way more than a stripe and windshield although I don't think the front forks on your bike are Ohlins. It's a Titanic over-simplification but there is a "range" in which a suspension system performs at its best. A heavier rider (who perhaps rides particularly hard or on rough roads) might in fact push a non adjustable suspension past its prime merely by sitting on the bike. Conversely a light rider might not have enough weight to compress the system into a sweet spot while riding.

How the bike reacts and how stable the bike is depends entirely on its suspension. For me (particularly for the canyon riding I do) and much like tires, a rider simply must trust both of these elements. That of course not to say a suspension can't be good with it being adjustable but a good non adjustable suspension becomes great when it can be tailored to the specific rider.

Do yourself a massive favor and attend a suspension clinic where someone from Ducati can properly set your suspension. I don't know where you are in the scheme of the world but we have these clinic's all over SoCal. We had one recently at a Ducati dealership put on by a local suspension expert. They had over 250 people sigh up. I dunno if he got through them all or not but it does highlight how biblically important taking advantage of your adjustable suspension is and what an advantage it is your bike has that ability.

I live in Denmark, but my repair shop is a Ducati one, which happens to specialise in suspensions and performance part!

My luck

 

[RDT]

For me an adjustable suspension is worth way more than a stripe and windshield although I don't think the front forks on your bike are Ohlins. It's a Titanic over-simplification but there is a "range" in which a suspension system performs at its best. A heavier rider (who perhaps rides particularly hard or on rough roads) might in fact push a non adjustable suspension past its prime merely by sitting on the bike. Conversely a light rider might not have enough weight to compress the system into a sweet spot while riding.

How the bike reacts and how stable the bike is depends entirely on its suspension. For me (particularly for the canyon riding I do) and much like tires, a rider simply must trust both of these elements. That of course not to say a suspension can't be good with it being adjustable but a good non adjustable suspension becomes great when it can be tailored to the specific rider.

Do yourself a massive favor and attend a suspension clinic where someone from Ducati can properly set your suspension. I don't know where you are in the scheme of the world but we have these clinic's all over SoCal. We had one recently at a Ducati dealership put on by a local suspension expert. They had over 250 people sigh up. I dunno if he got through them all or not but it does highlight how biblically important taking advantage of your adjustable suspension is and what an advantage it is your bike has that ability.

This... setting up sag properly will make a huge difference.