Just curious what rate front and rear springs you use...I am setting my 1997 Ducati 916 up for the track and according to the Race Tech/ Traxxion charts the front springs should be 1.0 kg/mm and the rear an 8.15 kg/mm. (combined rider with gear weight of ~225#) However, these are the same charts that said I should be using 8.0 kg/mm front springs on my Aprilia RS 250 ...I ended up needing 9.0 kg/mm to get the appropriate sag settings! So needless to say...I am a little leary of those charts!
Anyone have a setup to share?
Hey Rob,
I don't have any experiance with the 916, but the RaceTech values have worked good for me. I went by their charts for the valving and spring rates on my old Duc 750SS forks and they were awesome.
I would guess that 1.0 front springs would be in the ballpark. I run .95 in the R6, and I'm a similar weight and my bike is probably 50+ lbs lighter than the 916.
Maybe its something with the race tech charts and little bikes. I've heard a few TZ people complain they recommend too light of springs.
-z.
Thanks Zac!
I am especially concerned with the front as the stock fork springs are supposedly 0.96ish kg/mm, yet the ones I have now are 0.95s. I read somewhere on one of the suspension web sites that with the Ducati superbikes it has been found that Lighter springs have worked better than stock! My internals have been Racetech Goldvalved...It just makes sense to me that if my Aprilia can use 0.9s that the Ducati will need more than 0.95s.
Thanks again!
QuoteThanks Zac!
I am especially concerned with the front as the stock fork springs are supposedly 0.96ish kg/mm, yet the ones I have now are 0.95s. I read somewhere on one of the suspension web sites that with the Ducati superbikes it has been found that Lighter springs have worked better than stock! My internals have been Racetech Goldvalved...It just makes sense to me that if my Aprilia can use 0.9s that the Ducati will need more than 0.95s.
Thanks again!
Yea the lighter springs might work better for street riding. You should try it as is first, espically since you are 225. The stock 916 is set up more for racing than street riding, stiff. Thats why all the mags complain when they try riding it on the street and then rave about it when they get them to the track, this is a race bike with lights. Dont forget you can add or subtract preload on the front end as well. Just go out and ride, you can chase suspension settings for years and never get anywhere. As long as its in the ballpark you will be fine.
Rob, I have the stock springs in the front of my 748r and although the front is on the soft side, I'm very happy with the way they work. BWT, I weigh 210# with gear.
I ran a 2000 748 with stock suspension front and rear. I weigh 225 with gear. I could have gone with heavier springs, but the stock showa forks and shock worked very, very good. I have used traxxion, penske, ohlins and race tech on other bikes and they were marginally better (if at all) than the stock Ducati front end.
Thanks guys!
I agree with Brian that the front end is really close to ideal , even at our weights(I'm 210 with gear). Sounds like the 8.15kg/mm on the rear would be a little soft. And if you have to wind the spring down too far to get your proper sag, the spring and subsequently the shock will not work right. On my 916 and then the 998, I used stock forks and then swapped shock springs around quite a bit on the stock mono Ohlins until I was happy with a 500lb spring from hypercoil. This may be a bit much as my riding style/speed may be different from yours. When I first started out on the 916 and I was 4 seconds slower, a 500lb would not have worked. Don't be afraid to try different springs. I know $100 a spring isn't cheap, but don't you hate wondering if you could go faster with the same effort? Also, many duc shops should have springs laying around from their racing and/or customers.
Thanks Matt. The stock fronts springs on the '97 916 that I own were like 0.96 kg/mm. After the Racetech Goldvalves I had a mechanic place years ago, the springs were changed to 0.95s according to the Racetech "spring rate finder."
The stock rear spring on my bikes stock Ohlins shock is a 6.3 kg/mm. Way softer than the proposed 8.15 that the Ohlins tech line suggested!
Yes, the way they come stock really doesn't seem balanced. The rear seems setup for a little guy and the front set up for a big guy. It does seem to work fairly well like this up to a certain point. I remember breaking the 998 in out in the rural areas of Northern Illinois and thinking the bike was ready to race, as is, judging by the feel I was getting from the nice roads out there with sweepers and tight stuff.
But the first time out at Gingerman, at real race pace, the bike was totally different(mostly the rear) and very hard to ride. Trying to keep up with guys I normally run with was exciting to say the least. I had some scary moments. So I went to a 400lb(again, sorry I don't have the conversion to kg/mm) and when I set the sag I had to wind it down too far and it was too coilbound. This just made it spin, spin, spin coming off the corners and I lost ground out of every corner, slow or fast.
It was some time later that I remembered I had a 500lb spring laying around somewhere(I move a lot) and I found it and put it on the bike. I lapped this sept. at blackhawk and the bike was way better as well as the best 4-valve rearend I ever rode. The 500lb was off a 916 shock and I distinctly remember I did not like it on the 916 and was never comfortable with it on that bike. But that was 2000 and I am a much different rider now. I guess what I got out of all of this is the right spring rate may have a lot more input variables than rider and bike weight. Testing and continuing to try new things and springs will probably be your best bet. I know this went well beyond your original question of what spring to try, but I hope it is of some help. I was so lost for so long on these ducati rears that I am just esctatic that mine works awesome now and maybe I'll dial it in even better next year.
So what spring are you leaning towards?
Well...considering that I use a 450# spring on the Ohlins shock of my Aprilia RS 250, I think your #500 sounds okay. The Ducati is a much heavier bike than the Aprilia 250 after all!
Thanks!