suspension.... and given the state of the roads and likely continued deterioration its definitely not great...that said it hasn't stopped me enjoying the bike has anyone done any rear suspension upgrades yet and if so what?? thinking of taking it to Kais and just having the stock suspension set up for me and see if that helps, failing that Ohlins rear may be needed
With out being rude how much do you weigh! Rear spring is meant for a 9stn Italian I think so God knows how they sell them to the yanks I'm 11.5 atm and had to wind the rear pre load up but riding 2 up G/f is about 9stn I have to wind the preload right up ! Lots of ppl say soften the rear trust me DON'T. The rear spring bottoms out and that's what causes the jarring over bumps! I've swapped my rear spring for a ollins unit for some touring 2up with luggage but not had much time with this weather to set it up yet I have been reliably informed that ollins are going to release a replacment unit soon !!!!
An Ohlins rear unit transforms the handling but the stock Sachs unit can be made to work. The owners manual has a page of suggested settings that are more real world as a base setting. However, the Sachs unit will always lift your arse out of the seat on a harsh bump. Andy
Just did a Ducati Track day at Donnington Circuit on my XDiavel. There were some Ohlins technicians there from P&H motorcycles and they were adjusting suspension on all different types of Ducati's for £59. So I got them to have a look at my bike mid way though the session. I have always found the front too soft and vague plus the rear too stiff and harsh, especially over poor surfaces. Making sure the tyre pressures are correct helps, but I do think Ducati could have put in a better rear shock, at least for the S version. On the front they changed: 1) Preload moved the standard setting from 5 to 7 (range of 10) 2) Low speed compression moved the standard setting from 8 to 12 (range of 18) 3) Rebound moved the standard setting from 8 to 10 (range of 18) On the rear they changed: 1) Preload moved the standard setting from 5 to 10 (not sure what the range is) 2) Rebound moved the standard setting from 4 to 2 (range of 12) 3) Adjusted the sag to fit me/my weight Overall impressions after the afternoon on the track and a 220 mile ride home is that it is much improved. Still not perfect, but better. The bike tracks better and is less loose at the front, the whole bike seems to sit better and rides smoother. I got more to the edge of my tyres after they had made the adjustments. On the way home, I hit a massive pot hole and it still jarred my back, but then it was a big hole and most bikes would have suffered. As I say its still not perfect but a big improvement if you are keeping the standard Sachs.
