Desert Sled suspension settings.

44406 Views 72 Replies 13 Participants Last post by Javerhammar, 16 d ago

mAttitude

Discussion Starter · Jul 1, 2017 (Edited)

Hi all.

Has anyone else tweaked their suspension settings?

OK I have not had the DS long and not that many miles but straight off I have found the front forks really hard and not compliant or confidence inspiring at all.

So after two days riding I thought that it was time to read the manual and start to play with the adjustable suspension...

Firstly, I am no expert.
The rear is pretty soft, not too much sag but nicely sprung and damped so I have left it alone for now. No "chicken strips" on the rear tyre so it must be doing its job ok. I was surprised to see this when I looked at the rear with so few miles on the clock and me taking it easy.

The front.... Every bump, pot hole, drain cover was a torture. The roads around Surrey are sh1te so I can't avoid every little imperfection. It was actually a big reason for choosing this bike.
There was negligible sag on the front so I started by turning the front preload off a half turn which equals half a mm of preload, I will probably try another half turn in time. I think that it has helped but not a huge difference. Little steps work best...
I softened the compression two clicks and the rebound by one click during today's ride. Overall these changes have made a huge difference, it doesn't feel like riding a piece of 2 by 4 with no front springs anymore.
Anyway, it's great to be able to adjust it. For the record I weigh about 90kg (198 lb).

Oh, nearly forgot, I love this bike, great fun and a little bit of character. I must take some photos too but I just keep riding it.....

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61 - 73 of 73 Posts

Pmedina

· #61 · Jun 26, 2019

eduardoaranda88 said:
Hi, i have the manual stock for road it's 8 on preload 8 on rebound and 7 in compression. I notice this noise. It's normal?

It's a brand new 2019 desert sled with no mods and just 1,600 km just on road driving.

Please help

Enviado desde mi ANE-LX3 mediante Tapatalk

Normal

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eduardoaranda88

· #62 · Jul 25, 2019

Finally I have my desert sled 2019 suspension settings right
I'm 1.75 and weight 75kg.
Front fork :
Compression :10 clicks out
Dampening : 6 clicks out
Preload: 8 full turns from fully uncompressed.

Rear shock:

Dampening : 1 turn from soft
Preload: 19 mm from base to spring.

I tested in tarmac and gravel and it behaves beautiful. You can fast corner, dragg knee and also fells smooth off road. The bumps seems less bumpy and you can control it better at high speeds.

I recommend to do this settings after the suspension has break down a little after 1,500 km or so.

I gather a lot of information from experts including the book total control from Lee Parks and mechanics from 3 different dealerships and 2 professional riders.

The sag was rear 62 mm, front 72. 33% from both front and rear.

If you're weight is more say 90kg. Without equipment or you're riding two up you can add 3 turns from front preload and 3 mm from rear shock. For going more heavy in off road give half a turn on rear shock dampening and 2 clicks out from front dampening.

Try it out and let my know if you like it more than stock.

Enviado desde mi PAR-LX9 mediante Tapatalk

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punica

· #63 · Nov 28, 2019

Hey there,
i got my DS yesterday (brand new 2018 model) and hated the setup the bike came with.
I drove the first 50km at around 5°C and the bike had 4km at delivery. I think thats why it was way too hard in the Dampening.

My Setup i'm happy with for now ( at 75kg):

Front fork :
Compression :10 clicks out
Dampening : 8 clicks out
Preload: 7 full turns from fully uncompressed. (around 30% from full travel)

Rear shock:
Dampening : 1,5 turns from fully closed
Preload: 3cm static SAG + 3,5cm with Driver (around 32,5% from full travel)

I noticed the static SAG front and rear is really high, it should be around 5-10% , it is more like 15% now.
Maybe a linear spring could change that.

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OldMan

· #64 · Nov 29, 2019

Punica would you be so kind as to tell us the pre load measurement from the thread top to the spring top on the rear shock (the same measurement they use in the manual) I too hate the initial sett up and have a new 2018 bike.

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punica

· #65 · Nov 29, 2019 (Edited)

Hey OldMan, no problem, i‘m not home for the weekend, but will grab the caliper as soon as i can.

But i would recommend you to measure your personal SAG, with the weight you travel with, to get the best results.
Here is a good video that explains how to do it :

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punica

· #66 · Dec 1, 2019

OldMan said:
Punica would you be so kind as to tell us the pre load measurement from the thread top to the spring top on the rear shock (the same measurement they use in the manual) I too hate the initial sett up and have a new 2018 bike.

Exactly 20mm

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OldMan

· #67 · Dec 1, 2019

Thanks so much Punica! I have not adjusted mine yet because I cannot undo the lock nut. Ducati only give you one spanner and it is made out of cheese so have ordered a couple of proper C spanners. Thanks for your help...Happy Riding.

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punica

· #68 · Dec 1, 2019

My pleasure.
To undo the lock nut you have to completely unload the shock. Simply pull the bike over the side stand while standing on the left side of the bike. Maybe with the help of a second person for the first time. A better /longer C spanner can help but you have to use a lot more force than necessary. If the nuts are welded together by time and dirt you can use a piece of wood or plastic and a hammer to overcome the friction. But please unload the spring first.

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OldMan

· #69 · Dec 2, 2019

Thanks Punica, all understood. Will post my settings as soon as the spanners arrive.

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OldMan

· #70 · Dec 22, 2019

OK so C spanners finally arrived and I have started playing with the suspension.
Once I am happy I will post the results but first thing to notice is that the static sag is
way too high. Rear is ok at 7% but the front is 20%. This was with the recommended
Off Road settings from the manual.

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punica

· #71 · Dec 22, 2019

Hey oldman, are you sure you measured it the right way on the front?
you Have to take an average length after one time compressing and one time decompressing it.
because of the higher friction in the Front suspension it doesn’t stops at the same point.
And the length of the inner chrome tube is not the complete length of your suspension.(200mm)
The fork stops around 2cm before the tube ends.
if this is all correct you need to preload the spring so much that you have a good compromise between static and dynamic sag.

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OldMan

· #72 · Dec 22, 2019

Yes I did measure pumped down then released and then lifted and released but to get the unloaded measurement all I could do was just lift the bike off the ground. I took 200 mm as the travel both front and back because that is what I thought it was specified as. I did not try to compress to bottom out the suspension...don't think I am that athletic!

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Javerhammar

· #73 · 16 d ago

Resurrecting an old thread.
Measured the static sag of my DS -21 today.
It was about 30% with recommended settings, race was another 30%. = 60% total race sag.

With the pretension all the way in the static sag was about 15% and race total 35%

I believe that a new set of springs would be my best option. But also looking at cartridges complete witch springs.

Anyone with experience of the Andreani EVO (misano) and Rally?

I'm looking for a plush and relatively controlled ride.

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