I'm not very happy with the front forks of my 2006 S2R1000. They have to much friction so they stick, the front end never return to the same level. When coating the fork legs in a bit of oil the friction seems to be redused for a short period of time until the oil coating is gone. Does this point to the external dust caps (exposed rubber "things") being too tight/low quality? I have not done any measures but I believe the ride-hight where the front end will level is at least +/- 1 inch.
Bumpy roads=front end feels OK.
Track=bike wiggles and does not hold a line very well. Oversteer-understeer randomly.
Level roads, highway, high speed=front end feels solid like the forks where made from 2x4" wood beams.
Is this a common problem with these forks? Will a rebuild fix the problem or is the overall quality of these forks not worth the price of a rebuild? Can i pry out the dustcaps and safely ride without them for some time, then get some new high quality forks when worn out?
Welcome to the board.
Your forks may not be aligned in the triples properly. If your bike is under warranty and no work has been done to the front end a trip to the dealer is in order.
Quote from: howie on August 18, 2008, 05:48:37 AM
Welcome to the board.
Your forks may not be aligned in the triples properly.
Thanks, I forgot to mention. They where not correctly aligned as delivered from Ducati, having them aligned was the first thing I did. This didn't help with the friction.
Hmmm, kinda sounds like too much oil or something got damaged in transit.
Quote from: hypurone on August 18, 2008, 06:38:50 AM
Hmmm, kinda sounds like too much oil or something got damaged in transit.
Thanks. But why would coating the legs in oil make them slide better for a period of time? I believe the forks are straight, they are properly aligned in the clamps, they are torqued correctly and the front wheel is mounted as described in the shop manual. I have no reason to believe the front axle being out of spec. I believe the oil coating as applied will only reach the outer rubber dust seal and will not affect any other parts in the forks. Are these forks known to be of low quality? The Showa forks of my '97 748 had no friction compared to the Showas on my S2R 1K.
Quote from: colin748916 on August 18, 2008, 07:16:31 AM
Thanks. But why would coating the legs in oil make them slide better for a period of time? I believe the forks are straight, they are properly aligned in the clamps, they are torqued correctly and the front wheel is mounted as described in the shop manual. I have no reason to believe the front axle being out of spec. I believe the oil coating as applied will only reach the outer rubber dust seal and will not affect any other parts in the forks. Are these forks known to be of low quality? The Showa forks of my '97 748 had no friction compared to the Showas on my S2R 1K.
It shoudn't be hard to convince the dealer (after they experience what you are) that the dust seals should be replaced as a starting point and go from there. It is just hard to believe that the dust deals are the culprit, they are supposed to have less friction than the oil seals as they are only for solid matter (dirt, dust) I just gotta a feeling that what you are spraying is making it past them down to the oil seals and making the difference. But there is always the possibilty. You just have to get the dealer to start somewhere and if it was me I would want them BOTH replaced...
If the forks end up still giving you a problem you can always buy some ohlins and give the defective ones to me ;D
The forks are not up to Ohlins quality, but they certainly are not low quality and should not be doing what they are. Also, if you need to tell the shop how to fix your bike your bike is in the wrong shop. I also agree the dust seals are not the problem.
If your basis for claiming the forks are aligned properly is the dealer says so, well they may or may not be. An easy check is get the front of the bike off the ground. The axle should be able to slide between the forks. While the bike is up in the air and the wheel is off you can make sure the sliders are not bent with a dial indicator. If all checks out good so far, then exploratory surgery is needed since the problem would be internal, ie. a bushing or something fell apart.
If the bike is under warranty and they can't find the problem, insist on new forks, claiming you feel this is a safety issue. If necessary, contact DNA in writing.
It's *possible* that the triples are machined incorrectly.
I haven't seen that, but it can happen.
Something may be wrong inside one or both of the fork legs.
Axle could be bent.
Step one alignment:
Loosen all of the pinch bolts on the upper triple, the ones that clamp the legs and the one that clamps the stem.
Loosen the axle pinch bolts on the side opposite the axle nut.
Grab the front brake, and vigorously push the forks through as much travel as you can.
Retighten all pinch bolts, and see if the forks run more freely.
Step two alignment:
Remove the front wheel, and check that the axle can slide relatively easily through both fork lowers, this will tell you if one fork is higher than the other.
Adjust the position of one fork leg to get 'em to match up.
The on-road performance of the forks could be due to the damping adjustment.
It's the shitty forks. Mine are the same way even after being "rebulit"
Quote from: red baron on August 19, 2008, 09:06:14 PM
It's the shitty forks. Mine are the same way even after being "rebulit"
what do you mean by "rebuilt" my forks work great after being repaired and respring + revalved.
QuoteThey have to much friction so they stick, the front end never return to the same level. When coating the fork legs in a bit of oil the friction seems to be redused for a short period of time until the oil coating is gone.
Curious to know how you came to the conclusion that they do indeed have "too much friction so they stick"?? Have your ridden other S2R1000s that felt different? Have you gotten them adjusted?
Hi Colin.
No forks should be as bad as that, regardless of bike make. I have a S2R800 and have also ridden a 1000,no stiction issues in either.
If the forks were out of alignment from the start, that might indicate some damage during transit/delievery.
As per hypurone's comments I'd be taking it up with the dealer.
Good luck
Madalf.
Maybe the problems started because of the initial misalignment. If that's the case you should be able to get DNA to fix the problem for you at no charge.
Forks need to be aligned at the axle, ignore the top lines. In addition, it's possible that they are twisted between the upper & lower triples, loosen the bottom clamps, bounce up & down, then retighten.