[Blair]

Hi folks. I bought a 2017 Desert Sled this past September. The previous owner took great care of it, but also rode it pretty aggressively on some techy trails (he showed me his youtube channel). The bike only has 11,000km, but I was hoping to freshen up the fork and shock over the winter months to hopefully improve the suspension feel.

Just wondering if anyone on the forum has serviced the rear shock? I am mostly just interested in replacing the oil, but also replacing anything looks worn or damaged. However, according to the Haynes Manual: Parts are not available for the shock absorber itself. If it is worn or damaged, fit a new one.

This seems a little wasteful and expensive. Have any of you Desert Sled owners had your rear shock serviced?

Cheers,

Blair

 

[Max Kool]

Your best bet is find a local suspension specialist that can rebuild it I think.

 

[K1W1]

Your best bet is find a local suspension specialist that can rebuild it I think.

+1 what he said. Take it to a pro. The pro will probably tell you what we all know already anyway. It is a very basic shock that really cannot be upgraded to improve performance and a new shock will provide a much better result than any money spent on the OEM one.

 

[Blair]

Thanks guys. I went to my local Ducati dealer and even they said they don't service the shocks. I think I may have found somewhere to ship it off to not too far away (I live near Ottawa, Canada).

 

[Deano968]

A K1W1 hinted above, do the maths and make sure it's worth the effort and cost – you may not be far off buying a better after-market shock, the stock one is pretty average.

 

[Blair]

A K1W1 hinted above, do the maths and make sure it's worth the effort and cost – you may not be far off buying a better after-market shock, the stock one is pretty average.

Understood Deano. I found a shop near the Shannonville Raceway with service prices starting at around $200 CDN. If the cost is any more than that I will replace it altogether.

I know the sled is technically a street bike, but has anyone replaced their shock with something built more for riding off-road? I don't mind searching the forums for examples, but if anyone reading this has a suggestion please feel free to chime in.

Thanks all.

 

[MEMLA]

Throw it in the bin - the aluminium and steel can be recycled - and get a quality unit. While your at it piss off the front springs and get better quality and a bit of a fiddle with the valving. Cost me around $650 here in Melbourne using a modified Wilbers fork spring. Got a Nitron rear unit for just under a grand I think and the difference is chalk and cheese. The standard ones bottom out pretty quickly once you start jumping it a bit on the bush tracks which is annoying as the rest of the bike is great.

 

[K1W1]

Throw it in the bin - the aluminium and steel can be recycled - and get a quality unit. While your at it piss off the front springs and get better quality and a bit of a fiddle with the valving. Cost me around $650 here in Melbourne using a modified Wilbers fork spring. Got a Nitron rear unit for just under a grand I think and the difference is chalk and cheese. The standard ones bottom out pretty quickly once you start jumping it a bit on the bush tracks which is annoying as the rest of the bike is great.

Sounds like you have been to visit Izzy. The last time I was there he told me that they do a lot of Scramblers.

 

[MEMLA]

Yep Izzy and Adam and they do a lot of scramblers but not many DS as there are comparatively few around. Weird Kayaba size fork as well so he has to modify bits and pieces to fit. Good guys and super helpful for anybody down this way.

 

[K1W1]

Yep Izzy and Adam and they do a lot of scramblers but not many DS as there are comparatively few around. Weird Kayaba size fork as well so he has to modify bits and pieces to fit. Good guys and super helpful for anybody down this way.

I'm going to get them to sort our Full Throttle at some stage. Just waiting for the insurance to get sorted (long story, tree fell on house, house fell on motorcycles).

 

[MEMLA]

Never have big tree near house. Big wind=big insurance claim.

 

[Blair]

Throw it in the bin - the aluminium and steel can be recycled - and get a quality unit. While your at it piss off the front springs and get better quality and a bit of a fiddle with the valving. Cost me around $650 here in Melbourne using a modified Wilbers fork spring. Got a Nitron rear unit for just under a grand I think and the difference is chalk and cheese. The standard ones bottom out pretty quickly once you start jumping it a bit on the bush tracks which is annoying as the rest of the bike is great.

@MEMLA: Did you go with the R1 Nitron? Or R2?

 

[MEMLA]

The cheapest one not sure what it is. Was under a grand then the next one went to $1,400 I think and it had a separate gas canister, mine doesn't. The are really a beautiful piece of machinery and the attention to detail is awesome. Super easy to fit yourself.

 

[ADHDiy Guy]

… anybody else interested in what the previous owners YouTube channel was?

 

[Blair]

… anybody else interested in what the previous owners YouTube channel was?

https://www.youtube.com/user/Rocks2Runners

 

[ADHDiy Guy]

https://www.youtube.com/user/Rocks2Runners

Very nice! I was disappointed when I saw he got a dr650 and the Desert Sled videos stopped, he is one of the few I have seen that actually posted video of him riding more than just gravel roads.

Thanks for providing the closure I’m glad the bike landed in what sounds like a good home.

 

[MEMLA]