Hello all Hope you are all well. Ive recently purchased an 848 and i love it. I weigh nothing, so the suspension needs some serious softening up and i need a steering Damper to tame the front end. Ive checked out the market - Ohlins, LSL, Hyper Pro, Bitubo and of course the OEM Damper. Ive viewed various threads about this but im struggling to really nail down what i should get. i dont want to Spend £500 on an Ohlins if a £250 LSL or even an OEM will suit my needs. I dont intend on doing trackdays on this bike so tons of adjustability is not essential, but, i do ride hard on the roads so i do need something that does a good job. The bike is a bit sketchy over the bumps, not helped by the super hard suspension which i will be addressing. I need a damper that will do a good job but is not excessive for my needs. General opinions are that the OEM is good for nothing, but do i really need Ohlins. Will the LSL do a decent job? are Bitubo/hyperpro signifficantly better (Or Worse) than LSL. Any advice/Exerience you can share will be greatly appreciated. Oh, im in the UK and the roads are just terrible. Many Thanks Mike
I think any of the brands mentioned will do the job, however, the chassis itself is well known for being pretty stable and if anything quite slow to steer and handle. My suggestion would be to make sure the geometry is standard before spending money on a damper, as it sounds like yours isn't. My 848 Evo was pretty stock, and yeah they are stiff, but I was also advised to fit a 1098 adjustable rear ride height rod and LOWER the rear of the bike, taking some weight off the front, it sounded totally wrong but it worked, somehow the front felt better, and I didn't notice any tankslappers. As I said, get the geometry spot on, then I'd go with an OEM if you can fit one, it will be enough. The stock 848 doesn't have a frame mount for the damper though so I assume you have a 848 Evo? If you have a standard 848 then I'd get an LSL or Ohlins. The 848 as a standard bike actually has a tendency to overload the front tyre, so if anything that makes it even more physical to ride.
Cheers Phil, The bike does need a good setup, especially for Road use, I find the bike easy to turn and very flickable, but i'm comparing it to the 1998 CBR600 i had prior. It may just be that i need to get used to the difference but bumps, especially at lean are upsetting it a lot more than they did on the CBR. Like i say, I weigh nothing so my weight barely sags the bike so the bike skips and front end goes very light with me on it. Its just the 848 so any Damper i get would need the appropriate bracket for fitting. The LSL on paper seems ok, a bit of adjustability but not as fine tuned as the Ohlins. As long as the LSL works and isnt an Amazon special.
It sounds like you want a steering damper to tame the front end - the front end that's so hard it's kicking the bars around. I'd get the suspension set up correctly for your weight first and you'll probably find that you won't need the damper. Sounds like the first stop is springs to match your weight.
Totally agree, correct springs then set up, maybe later a damper if needed. Of all my track bikes, younger and older, the 848 Evo gives the most feedback to me on track, so yeah, lots of bar movement into and out of turns, but that is what it is meant to do. As you can see I have an Ohlins, set at five clicks and tbh, I rarely change it.
the Ohlins will work well, once set up you are unlikely to mess with it much. Be careful comparing the bike to the CBR though, I mean a 1998 is a steely yeah? the suspension is in different leagues. I don't want to patronise so please don't take it as that but for sure in the last 5-7 years the standard set ups for bikes are unbelievably firm and 'full of feedback' compared to what they were. The R1 for example is as firm as anything I've ridden, you get loads of feeback but you have to be used to the bars moving a lot, partly why a lot of bikes now are going to electronic suspension and electronic steering dampers that weight up when you are at speed and hard on throttle. Anyway I digress, I think you'll get a decent set up with perhaps a few hundred spent on softer springs at both ends and some decent oil, you may not even need the damper then
If you do decide you need a damper, I have a Ducati Performance (FG Gubellini) one that I could be persuaded to part with. Comes with the carbon fibre surround with the cut out needed.
For sure the suspension setup is my priority, Theres no question it is too hard for my weight, I don't think i will be able to soften it enough with the current springs so i will need to change them out, or eat more Sunday dinners!
For sure, im not comparing it directly, but the difference is something i need to get a little used to. I know a suspension guy so i will get it softened up but i think new springs will be needed due to the amount of adjustment it needs.
I am 95 kgs fully suited and use 10s for the track. Probably a tad too hard for road use, but a rough guide.
