Rear shock adjustment

instantsquid · 14 May 09, 08:59 PM

Hi,

I've had my HM1100 (non-S) a couple of weeks now and I desperately need to increase the rear preload. Trouble is, I can't find a C-spanner that will fit the rear shock. I've got several kicking around at home, but none of them are close to fitting.

So, to anyone who has a C-spanner that fits the standard HM1100 rear shock - where did you get it???

Thanks in advance,
Ian.

antonye · 14 May 09, 09:54 PM

What's wrong with a hammer and screwdriver like everyone else uses?

instantsquid · 17 May 09, 12:02 PM

I take it nobody has adjusted their rear preload then?

Ian.

antonye · 17 May 09, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by instantsquid

I take it nobody has adjusted their rear preload then?

Ian.

Yes, I did mine.

But as I said, what's wrong with a hammer and a screwdriver?

instantsquid · 17 May 09, 07:33 PM

I'd prefer not to wreck the adjusting and locking rings. Right tool for the job, and all that.

Ian.

antonye · 18 May 09, 01:46 PM

Depends how hard you hit it!

If you go carefully, you won't mark the ring at all. If you want to be really anal about it, just use a soft wooden dowel or an aluminium bar instead.

As long as your adjusting rings aren't corroded in place, they should move pretty freely.

Jockser · 18 May 09, 02:00 PM

If anyone finds a c-spanner to fit, I'll have one as well.

My Hyper S shock is one of the metal locking ring, plastic adjuster ring type (clever design that is!!)
And tw*ting it does tend to make a mess of the plastic......I've tried.

antonye · 18 May 09, 03:31 PM

Meh. Maybe I'm just a big fairy with the hammer then as mine was fine

Karlr · 19 May 09, 05:26 PM

I have a C spanner...from demon tweaks...adjustable...however..after about half an hour or so of ****ing about with it I resorted to a big hammer and a wooden drift

Hypergez · 24 May 09, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Karlr

I have a C spanner...from demon tweaks...adjustable...however..after about half an hour or so of ****ing about with it I resorted to a big hammer and a wooden drift

Hello all, new member and hyper owner from Austalia.
As Karl said, I too have a c spanner that fits but ended up using a rubber mallet and a wooden dowl. No damage at all to lock nut or ring.

Northumbrian · 15 Jun 09, 07:06 AM

For those with a used Hm, it may be worth checking the pre-load, I decided to set up the static sag on my HM, doing it I got a bit of a shock ( no pun intended).
When getting the bike raised so the rear wheel has of the floor ( max suspension elongation) I find there was no spring pre load, in fact the spring had approx 5mm gap between spring top and preload collars. eeeeek!!!!
basicaly, every time I was airborne or very hard on the front brakes the rear spring was loose.
I`m guessing, Ducati put a slightly heavier spring in to cope with "Joe average" plus the odd pillion, onto this the previous owner must have backed off the pre load to suit his /her weight not realizing the effect.
So I have now since wound up the preload to 20mm(fully extended) and its sweet !
Oh, and come on peeps use "C" spanners please !

Hypergez · 15 Jun 09, 03:53 PM

Not to go too off topic but up front, I've had to wind in full preload to get 22mm static sag(bike only, no rider). It's better but the front still feels odd to me. It wants to stand up mid corner over the slightest bump.
Seems the fork springs are too soft. I spoke to the dealer but was told 'that's what ducati puts in there, so it must be right'.
Anyone happy to post there sag settings, sorry, I've searched but could not find anything.

Karlr · 16 Jun 09, 09:21 PM

Ok...my rear sag (static) was set from factory at 5mm. James at set up engineering (now sadly deceased) told me it should be around 10 to 15mm mine is around 12 mm.

The front is set at around 28mm. (static sag) James also said there was no point in setting rider sag in particular unless you were going to change springs for your weight.

Anyway... here's a simple guide Motorcycle Suspension Set-up

You need to remember though that HM forks have greater overall travel than sports bikes so static sag will be in a greater range. There are some good posts on ducati.ms on this. Alternatively you could take it to a suspension specialist. I intend to do this with mine in the winter. Ah yes....also...you need to make sure your tyres are pretty newish and correctly inflated before you start fiddling..

Cheers Karl

Karlr · 16 Jun 09, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hypergez

Not to go too off topic but up front, I've had to wind in full preload to get 22mm static sag(bike only, no rider). It's better but the front still feels odd to me. It wants to stand up mid corner over the slightest bump.
Seems the fork springs are too soft. I spoke to the dealer but was told 'that's what ducati puts in there, so it must be right'.
Anyone happy to post there sag settings, sorry, I've searched but could not find anything.

Its probably too stiff at the front...back it off a llttle at a time

instantsquid · 16 Jun 09, 09:47 PM

Well I finally got my bike up off the ground so I could measure the sag at the back. Static sag was a whopping 0mm!!! Yep! No sag at all, and with my 16 stone on board, sag was 5mm.
This is a new bike, so that's how the dealer supplied it to me - needless to say I will be having words...

I've now backed off the preload somewhat and have loaded sag of around 35mm. It still feels less than perfect to me, but at least I'm heading in the right direction. Got a track day coming up, so hope to be able to dial things in a little better then.

Ian.