Stiff suspension
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What's your weight?...bikes are factory setup for a 170lb rider...if your over...only stiffer springs will help...if your under...throw some bricks in a tailbag...anything other than doing it properly is potentially asking for trouble in regards to rider weight...if your in the range set up your sag in the rear...Google it...back off the rebound...the cheapest solution is to just drive slower...
Im only about 135 pounds.What's your weight?...bikes are factory setup for a 170lb rider...if your over...only stiffer springs will help...if your under...throw some bricks in a tailbag...anything other than doing it properly is potentially asking for trouble in regards to rider weight...if your in the range set up your sag in the rear...Google it...back off the rebound...the cheapest solution is to just drive slower...
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Your springs are probably 2 ranges too stiff...in order to change the front you need a cartridge kit...and the rear may need a different shock all together...not exactly what you want to hear on a brand-new motorcycle but that's the reality...backing off any available preload will not give you the range of travel you need and if the rear is the only possible adjustment, your going to find the bike to be unsettling in the corners...as long as your aware of the suspensions short comings in handling; you can mitigate the issue by slowing down and letting the bike remain settled...a 40lb tailbag will make a dramatic change in terms of comfort but it's far from ideal and probably unrealistic
The good news...as you get faster...you need stiffer springs....your already setup for light speed...so you can grow into it...sorta..
unfortunately with weight you can only dial it in with new springs ... factory spec forks do not typically have the option to replace the spring...not without a cartridge kit anyway...you maybe able to swap a rear spring...you would need it's measurements and it might be available k-tech comes to mind but I have never tried sourcing the item...
The good news...as you get faster...you need stiffer springs....your already setup for light speed...so you can grow into it...sorta..
unfortunately with weight you can only dial it in with new springs ... factory spec forks do not typically have the option to replace the spring...not without a cartridge kit anyway...you maybe able to swap a rear spring...you would need it's measurements and it might be available k-tech comes to mind but I have never tried sourcing the item...
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67 Posts
Unless you have an extraordinarily low body fat %, and your height is in average proportion to your 135 lbs. weight, you might be in the category of riders that Ducati Performance is targeting with the lowering kit: Ducati Performance Bike Lowering Kit (-25mm), Monster 937, 937 Plus I don’t know what the spring rates are for the fork and shock springs, but the first thing I noticed is that the kit replaces the stock progressive spring with a standard one, so the rate is at least constant through its travel. I think it would be reasonable to assume that the lowering kit would have lower spring rates as well as spring lengths for both the forks and the shock to compensate for the lighter weights of riders with shorter inseam measurements. Part number is 96280831AA; looks like it would need to be special ordered from DP through a Ducati dealer.
The other half of the equation that could explain your harsh ride experience is that the non-adjustable compression is also set up for a 175 lbs. rider. Short of revalving the fork, you might try increasing the fork oil air gap. Again, I don’t know what the stock air gap is, but that is fairly easy to measure, and then you could try reducing it by a few millimeters at a time with a Motion Pro or other fork oil height tool.
The good news in all this, if there is any, is that Öhlins USA says they will have stock on fully adjustable fork cartridges and a fully adjustable replacement shock for the M937 in November. They already have a range of 43mm fork springs and presumably will offer some rate choices for that shock. It’ll cost you $2k, so maybe save up and get those.
I added a fully adjustable Ohlins rear shock and Andreani fully adjustable fork Cartridges up front. Had the parts installed and setup by "Fast Bike Industries" in North Carolina. I have 2019 821. I highly recommend them as well as the modifications. I suspect I am the oldest Monster rider on the forum. I'm 76.
You got me by 3 years. I'm 73 and loving my Monster.
I am 69 years old and my new 937 is the wildest thing I have put between my legs in years and I LOVE IT.
My wife rides a 796 and is even lighter than you at 103lbs (47Kg). Getting this bike to ride nicely on rough country roads (as opposed to super smooth race tracks) has been a challenge but we got there in the end.
Some of the things we have done are specific to the 696/796/1100 series of Monsters and not applicable to you, but other things should be possible.
I'll start with the "free" one first:
You may benefit from reducing the pressure in your tires, this will only help with compensating for small road-surface irregularities, but its an easy first step.
Consider this: On cars, the tire placard usually specifies higher air pressure in the rear tires when carrying heavy loads, and lower pressures when travelling light (no rear passengers etc). On bikes, the air pressure specified takes into account the combined weight of the bike and the 'designed for' weight of 175lb (80Kg) of a rider.
The air pressure in the tire provides an internal force designed to balance the external force produced by the weight of the bike+rider that is trying to deform it. If the rider weighs substantially less than the 'designed for' weight of 175lbs (80Kg) then the combined weight will be lower and less air pressure is needed to maintain the tire profile.
Noting that your about 40lbs below the rider weight the bike was set-up for, its only natural that you will need less pressure in the tires to maintain the profile (and intended response to bumps) of the tire.
We have found that reducing the tire pressures on my wife's 796 to 25PSI-Front and 29PSI-Rear has worked well. I don't suggest you go this low, but you can experiment by taking out 1 PSI at a time to see if it improves the ride.
We were able to replace the non-adjustable Showa forks on the 796 with fully adjustable Marzochi forks from an 1100evo. Unfortunately the Marzochis aren't all that adjustable either, their damper valve needles are quite 'blunt' (more like nubs than needles) and have a very on/off effect on the fluid flow. We ended replacing the valves with KTEC valves which have longer, more finely tapered needles and provide better adjustability.
We also replaced the fork springs with lighter ones and the rear shock with a Wilbers 641 that was built-to-spec by Wilbers to cater for rider weight and type of use intended (for us this is fast-touring on country roads).
Some of the things we have done are specific to the 696/796/1100 series of Monsters and not applicable to you, but other things should be possible.
I'll start with the "free" one first:
You may benefit from reducing the pressure in your tires, this will only help with compensating for small road-surface irregularities, but its an easy first step.
Consider this: On cars, the tire placard usually specifies higher air pressure in the rear tires when carrying heavy loads, and lower pressures when travelling light (no rear passengers etc). On bikes, the air pressure specified takes into account the combined weight of the bike and the 'designed for' weight of 175lb (80Kg) of a rider.
The air pressure in the tire provides an internal force designed to balance the external force produced by the weight of the bike+rider that is trying to deform it. If the rider weighs substantially less than the 'designed for' weight of 175lbs (80Kg) then the combined weight will be lower and less air pressure is needed to maintain the tire profile.
Noting that your about 40lbs below the rider weight the bike was set-up for, its only natural that you will need less pressure in the tires to maintain the profile (and intended response to bumps) of the tire.
We have found that reducing the tire pressures on my wife's 796 to 25PSI-Front and 29PSI-Rear has worked well. I don't suggest you go this low, but you can experiment by taking out 1 PSI at a time to see if it improves the ride.
We were able to replace the non-adjustable Showa forks on the 796 with fully adjustable Marzochi forks from an 1100evo. Unfortunately the Marzochis aren't all that adjustable either, their damper valve needles are quite 'blunt' (more like nubs than needles) and have a very on/off effect on the fluid flow. We ended replacing the valves with KTEC valves which have longer, more finely tapered needles and provide better adjustability.
We also replaced the fork springs with lighter ones and the rear shock with a Wilbers 641 that was built-to-spec by Wilbers to cater for rider weight and type of use intended (for us this is fast-touring on country roads).
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