Need help finding springs for 2014 monster 796

[Speeddog]

isn't this how the they were set I before 14?

wut 

[sdelcegno]

Isn't this how the front forks were set up before 2014 bikes as well?

[MonsterHPD]

I'm out in the sticks for a couple of days (4 track days at Gotland Rinh, Sweden  ), so I cant check ... but I helped friend with his 1100EVO a few weeks ago. If memory serves, the stock springs were linear at about 9 N/mm. Just about right for anyone around 80 kg or so. Again without checking, I thonk any Öhlins spring with the right spring rate would fit, provided you make some appropriate pre-load tubes.
If this is any help as far as M796's go; no idea, really ...

[Speeddog]

Isn't this how the front forks were set up before 2014 bikes as well?

I think that nonsense started with the M696 model in '08.

Not blaming it on the 696, it's a price point issue.
Cheaper, and is does do the job, so apparently the accounting department can sleep at night.

[SDRider]

Interesting. My 796 was set up prior to delivery by my dealer who is an Ohlins tech and ex-National Champion. I'm 175# plus gear and he's 190#. The shock was ordered for me directly from Ohlins in NC based on my weight and riding style. He set the rear sag and was all prepared to tear the front end apart to get it to match, but when he rode the bike, he backed off the stock damping on the DU-737 one click and was satisfied. Both ends are definitely balanced, so maybe I got lucky.

No idea about the EVO but Skybarney visited a suspension guru in CA and was able to get his EVO working well with the stock front end. He HAD been miserable with the way his fork came from the dealer. Unless you are a lot heavier, send Skybarney a PM and ask him what the tech did and who he is. I can't recall.

Well, I had my suspension setup by the guys at Moto Forza.  Honestly, it feels pretty good now but they did say the front end was still a bit undersprung.  I'm 210 (yeah, I'm a big fatso-I'm working on it).  I'm going to go tear up the canyons in the next couple weeks so I'll have a better idea of where I'm at after that.  What little riding I have done since the suspension setup has been very positive so far.  Was just wondering what options were available for the forks for my bike... so far it doesn't seem like there is much.

The DU-737 I ordered from Ohlins is sprung for me.  The way it came it had too much preload and the bike had almost zero sag in the rear after I installed the shock, I backed it off the preload quite a bit until it felt better to me but Moto Forza dialed in a slight bit more preload in the rear from where I adjusted it and cranked on a whole bunch on the front (max'd it out).  He adjusted a couple times, measured with me on the bike a couple times and said it was a lot better but still had a bit too much sag.  He also adjusted the compression a little bit.

[Curmudgeon]

From memory, my dealer was going to play with oil quality (He uses nothing but Red Line, maybe LightWeight.) and oil level if my forks hadn't checked out OK. Since you've maxed out the preload, maybe add 20cc of 7.5W to each leg and see what that does for your sag? http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=27&pcid=18

[brad black]

increasing the oil height won't help sag, you need to add more preload with a longer or additional spacer.

i haven't had to do any 696 forks yet, i'm quite interested to know what they're like inside.

[Curmudgeon]

increasing the oil height won't help sag, you need to add more preload with a longer or additional spacer.

i haven't had to do any 696 forks yet, i'm quite interested to know what they're like inside.

Wouldn't decreasing air gap increase the effective air spring, or is it the other way around?

[brad black]

haven't you been reading my blog?  tsk tsk tsk 

http://bradthebikeboy.blogspot.com.au/

scroll down to may 27 for the most recent fork post, and there's more on the next page too.

changing the oil height really has an impact in the last 1/3 or so of travel, and can effectively limit the travel if it is too high.

[ManaloEA]

Has anyone considered upgrading from non-adjustable to adjustable Marzocchi forks?
   
http://moto.marzocchi.com/en/front-forks-shock-absorbers/road-racing-front-fork-rac-usd-43.aspx?idC=61680&idO=11232&LN=en-US

[Curmudgeon]

Where have YOU been hiding? Haven't seen you at B-in-the-B or anywhere else! Still in town?

Assuming your 696 uses the same as my 796, mine aren't bad and would probably be better with a switch to Red Line Light 5W and the level tuned. Will have Donnie do that when I get a front tire at my next service this autumn.

If MY forks worked a lot better than they do now, I'd probably feel the need for the FANCY Ohlins out back.  Did you ever switch out your stock shock and spring? Might be a better place to start? 

[ManaloEA]

Haven't skipped town, but been traveling for work... a lot. Got a lot going on with the new job, and taking classes. Hope to be back in the saddle in the new year.

Haven't gotten new springs / oil / revalve yet. I now that getting it sprung for my weight + gear + work laptop etc will go a long way. But I was weighing out the options. If I am going to drop some money on minor upgrades and get some incremental improvement, I could also consider going whole hog and getting the Ohlins and Marzocchi's.

[brad black]

i have to do the oil in a set of these forks today.  rh has a height and quantity spec, lh just a quantity.  can't see it being my finest hour accuracy wise.

[brad black]

i managed to pull these apart today without losing any oil from them.  preload tube removed from RH, wacky preload spacer/screw in bush, etc, removed from LH.  oil heights with springs in: RH 50mm, LH 65mm.

springs are different too.  they both start out about 0.6 kg/mm rate, but will sag a heap until the 11 or so really close coils per spring are bottomed, then the RH goes to 1.0 and the LH to 0.91

[Curmudgeon]

i managed to pull these apart today without losing any oil from them.  preload tube removed from RH, wacky preload spacer/screw in bush, etc, removed from LH.  oil heights with springs in: RH 50mm, LH 65mm.

springs are different too.  they both start out about 0.6 kg/mm rate, but will sag a heap until the 11 or so really close coils per spring are bottomed, then the RH goes to 1.0 and the LH to 0.91

Brad, are you referencing the stock 696 Marzocchi or the fancy one in the link above?

Can't recall the model year of ManaloEA's 696. Seem to recall the early ones had Japanese forks and later were Marzocchi. I'm assuming THAT Marzocchi is the same one on my 796?

FWIW, no complaints about the performance of mine except that I think it could be smoother with a better grade of oil (as has been my experience with many bikes). For reference I'm 175 lbs plus gear and running an Ohlins and spring on the bike which was ordered directly from Ohlins and dialed in by a well-known Ohlins tech..., so, the fork is working with that shock.

If ManaloEA's fork is the same as mine, the "cheap" Ohlins and spring I'm running might improve the performance of his fork? He's roughly the same size/weight as I. The stock Sachs shock and spring, as delivered, is set up for two-up riding and very stiff. The cheap Ohlins has a combined compression and rebound adjusting screw. My tech backed off one click after setting the sag on mine. He too was satisfied with the fork.