When riding recently my bike has been bottoming out, with a tail chop on the duc the license plate sits directly above the rear tire and after a ride my license plate is rolled up under my seat like a tube of toothpaste.

I am a noob when it comes to duc maintenance, or any motorcycle maintenance for that matter. I have changed the oil on her and that's about it. Do I need to change the preload? How do I do that? Need a new spring with higher weight? What is the stock weight? What should I get (I'm 6'5" 215 lbs.)?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


My bike: '06 s2r 1000

I don't think you are "bottoming out"  Sounds like your plate just needs to have a little more angle to it. Try bending it up a bit more.  It's common for the rear wheel to catch the plate if you don't have it angled high enough with a tail chop.

Here is a picture of how it should be angled.

Yes, you need a stiffer spring.

An 11.6 kg/mm spring would be about right.

Quote from: Rnordy229 on September 24, 2008, 09:41:48 AM
I am a noob when it comes to duc maintenance, or any motorcycle maintenance for that matter. I have changed the oil on her and that's about it. Do I need to change the preload? How do I do that? Need a new spring with higher weight? What is the stock weight? What should I get (I'm 6'5" 215 lbs.)?

Listen to the dogg.

And just as and FYI Ducs come from the factory sprung for skinny Italians, so around a 170 pound rider.  Adjustments are often needed for the heavyweights of America.

Thanks for the help guys...

The only thing with bending the license plate that high is that I fear I may get pulled over for it not being visible. It's a flashy enough of a bike already, I don't need to attract more attention. Have you been pulled over for it? Or is that a non-issue?



After talking to a buddy of mine I figured out that if I adjust the preload so that the spring is tighter it wouldn't bottom out. At first the top nut on the preload was 11 threads away from the top; i made some adjustments and is now 14 threads away from the top. I went on a short ride with the new settings and I could feel the difference. Even before the ride, my rider sag was substantially lower. The corners felt smooth and I could easily hold my line, though I could feel a difference in the rear compression.

I did not adjust the front preloads after adjusting the rear; so I could now be more angled forward. Is there a problem with how my bike is set up now?


Thanks for all the help again.

Folks have been pulled over for plate angle issues- but some with even mroe angled plates don't.  it seems a bit luck of the draw.  But like anything, the closer you push to the edge of the envelope, the greater a chance for something to go wrong (like a ticket in this case)

Someone just posted a very in-depth walk through on suspension set up in the Tech section.  I won't clain to be a suspension expert, but I do know you don't want your front and rear to be out of whack from each other. 

Quote from: yuu on September 24, 2008, 12:42:53 PM
Listen to the dogg.

And just as and FYI Ducs come from the factory sprung for skinny Italians, so around a 170 pound rider.  Adjustments are often needed for the heavyweights of America.

if that were only true.

145lbs. Ive bottomed out 2-3 times. its 50%spring 50% shitty shock.



aside from a stiffer spring (which you defintely need), you may decide to mount it at such an angle so that if the tire were to touch it, it wouldnt crunch it. Mine isnt loose, but i have rubber washers that allow it to shift around. my tire hits the plate from time to time ( i can see tire marks on it) but since hte tire springs foward, all the plate does is skip over it.

Quote from: Speeddog on September 24, 2008, 10:49:45 AM
Yes, you need a stiffer spring.

An 11.6 kg/mm spring would be about right.

For my weight is this the right spring? Why do I need a stiffer one, is the stock one not sufficient for my weight?

Quote from: Rnordy229 on September 24, 2008, 09:07:18 PM

For my weight is this the right spring? Why do I need a stiffer one, is the stock one not sufficient for my weight?

IMO, that's the right spring for you, as the stock one isn't sufficient for your weight.

Quote from: yuu on September 24, 2008, 07:58:22 PM
Folks have been pulled over for plate angle issues- but some with even mroe angled plates don't.  it seems a bit luck of the draw.  But like anything, the closer you push to the edge of the envelope, the greater a chance for something to go wrong (like a ticket in this case)

The way it worked for me was that I got pulled over for speeding and while at the curb, the bike came under scrutiny.  That's when my plate got pointed out as being too steep angled.  Another thing was the lic plate light.  Had to be there.  I have an 05 S2R.  I'm 6' 195.  I had the same rolled plate prob from going over train tracks after I did the tail chop.  I increased the ride height by lengthening the dog bone, set the sag up a bit by screwing down the Sachs compression spring and damped the rebound an extra turn.  It works for me.

Quote from: Speeddog on September 24, 2008, 09:17:28 PM
IMO, that's the right spring for you, as the stock one isn't sufficient for your weight.

Alright, thanks Speeddog. What's a good site to order a new spring from?

You can get the springs and adapter collars from RaceTech.
Collars need a bit of work to make them fit properly.

Or, I can get the spring and collars for ya, and it'll all be ready to swap right on.

Quote from: Speeddog on September 25, 2008, 11:15:41 AM
You can get the springs and adapter collars from RaceTech.
Collars need a bit of work to make them fit properly.

Or, I can get the spring and collars for ya, and it'll all be ready to swap right on.

Thanks for the offer Speeddog, I may have to take you up on that when I decided to change it. The weather is just starting to turn here in Oregon to rain every other day so I think I will wait a while to pick this up as I will not do much riding. While browsing the RaceTech website I noticed they had quite a few different 11.6kg models. What is the difference between these?

Thanks!

The differences are diameter, for sure, and length too.

Quote from: Rnordy229 on September 25, 2008, 11:57:56 AM
Thanks for the off Speeddog, I may have to take you up on that when I decided to change it. The weather is just starting to turn here in Oregon to rain every other day so I think I will wait a while to pick this up as I will not do much riding. While browsing the RaceTech website I noticed they had quite a few different 11.6kg models. What is the difference between these?

Thanks!

Oregon? Have you posted up in the NorthWest board in the Local Clubs section? The majority of us on there are located in Oregon.