Information on rear suspension

I have found that after my first trackday on this bike (2012 base non-ABS) that I am really in need of a rear spring that is properly sprung for my weight.

My tires held great and the suspension felt pretty decent, for stock. After a "suspension guy" in the group looked at my tires though, it is quite clear that the spring needs replacement... This is based on the "Tire Whisperers" thoughts and assessment of my rubber which was freshly mounted for this day.

Now I know that everyone's thoughts are "Swap it out for an Ohlins" or Bitubo (sp?), but for my level of riding and use (mostly street), I really do not want to put out the money on an upgrade to the whole unit. I just want a replacement spring. I have tried searching high and low for just that, but I have come up empty. I know that people here have special Google-Fu powers that I just do not seem to have and hope that you can assist.

It had been nearly a decade since I was last on a track, and that was with a 600, but I was running times that kept me mid-high level Novice. I would like to make this little tweak to keep the tires and suspension happy, the track just showed me how much I needed the spring taken care of.

You can put an Ohlins spring on there for your weight. If you want to take the next step without going to the full Ohlins TTX you can get your stock shock revalved with the Race-Tech gold valve kit and it will work much better.

You don't mention your weight, so hard to give any guidance there. But FWIW, the base spring measured out very close to 85N on an Intercomp spring rater, which makes it a step softer than the 90 that comes on the S. Both have 10N springs up front. I'm around 70 kilos +/- in my skivvies and went to an 80N Ohlins spring on the Sachs, which gives me good sag numbers with 10-12mm of preload (link on F). Damping is still not great, but putting on the correct spring for your weight is an improvement worth making, especially if you're not wanting to go for a whole new shock yet.

Good call on that one Steve B.

I am currently about 250lbs. fully geared.

Jarelj - Where would I go to get the Ohlins spring and more importantly, find a fun little calculator to figure out what I need. I tried checking out RaceTech and there calculator, but selecting my weight and my bike broke it and they want me to call.

Any source that I can hit up to find pricing and such would be quite beneficial, or even, if needed, through Ducati Omaha works.

Thanks for the help so far guys!

JArnold said:

Good call on that one Steve B.

I am currently about 250lbs. fully geared.

Jarelj - Where would I go to get the Ohlins spring and more importantly, find a fun little calculator to figure out what I need. I tried checking out RaceTech and there calculator, but selecting my weight and my bike broke it and they want me to call.

Any source that I can hit up to find pricing and such would be quite beneficial, or even, if needed, through Ducati Omaha works.

Thanks for the help so far guys!

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My recommendation would be a 100 Nm spring for your weight, Ohlins Part# 21040-34. If you were a very mild rider and/or prefer a softer setup you could go with 95 Nm 21040-31, but for aggressive riding/track days I'd stick with 100 Nm.. Any Ohlins dealer can get the springs, so if you have a local shop just hit them up with that part#. I could get you one as well, but have to ship to Canada so might be more expensive than getting it locally would be.

P.S. - Some 1.05 Kg springs for the front would be very helpful also, Ohlins Part# 08411-05.

Jarelj,

Thanks for the information and help... Now for my dumb questions which I think I have the answer to but have to confirm...

Having the Marzocchi and Sachs suspension, I can still just get Ohlins springs and they will fit without issue? I'd like to think it is all standardized in that respect, but I'd hate to be surprised.

JArnold said:

Jarelj,

Thanks for the information and help... Now for my dumb questions which I think I have the answer to but have to confirm...

Having the Marzocchi and Sachs suspension, I can still just get Ohlins springs and they will fit without issue? I'd like to think it is all standardized in that respect, but I'd hate to be surprised.

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Yes, those are the Ohlins springs that will fit your stock Marzocchi and Sach suspension.

jarelj said:

You can put an Ohlins spring on there for your weight. If you want to take the next step without going to the full Ohlins TTX you can get your stock shock revalved with the Race-Tech gold valve kit and it will work much better.

Click to expand...

I got a TTX from the States, its at least 40% cheaper than in the UK or Europe, I guess by the time you put on the new spring and re-valve the price must be the same?

I looked into this a while back and gave up after some frustrations. The first problem is the Ohlins website does not list any replacement springs for the Base model or S, just front springs. While I think people are posting correct part numbers, it would be nice to verify the part numbers on an Ohlins website.
Ohlins Motorcycle Suspension Fitment Guide

Next, the website also shows no Ohlins dealers in Hawaii. My Ducati dealer recommended going to Race Tech's website but the spring calculator doesn't work for the Panigale.
RT - Digital Product Search

If someone could lead me to an official Ohlins web page that identifies the proper spring for the rider's weight as well as the best place to buy one online I would be most thankful.

Sorry, but Ohlins doesn't do a very good job of keeping their web site updated with new part numbers. And Ohlins would never put out a spring rate recommendation chart for consumers, they rely on their network of dealers to work with customers on these things. There is not always one "right answer" on spring rates, other factors come into play such as riding style and conditions. I'm 100% certain that these parts numbers are correct because we've already installed them on multiple bikes in our service department with no problem.

We have the Ohlins springs listed on our web site here, along with general guidelines on spring rates:
http://www.motospecialties.com/store.asp?store=ducatiomaha&level=type2&type=Superbike&type1=1199 Panigale&type2=Suspension

Jarel-

Thanks for the link. Do you guys give a discount to forum members? Ready to buy the spring on your link and wanted to check first.

So, if I weigh 185 all geared up, the stock spring is too much? The bike is awfully stiff...

AlohaMark said:

Jarel-

Thanks for the link. Do you guys give a discount to forum members? Ready to buy the spring on your link and wanted to check first.

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Yes, the discount code is: 1199FORUM

tcelano said:

So, if I weigh 185 all geared up, the stock spring is too much? The bike is awfully stiff...

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Well, it can be different for fast guys, depending on what tracks you ride at, but generally I'd say yes. I weigh 190 and am running the stock rate 1.0 fork springs but went down to a 85Nm spring on the back. Flat-rate linkage setting.

Yea, I'm thinking I'd have more fun with an 85 or 80 on the rear.

tcelano said:

So, if I weigh 185 all geared up, the stock spring is too much? The bike is awfully stiff...

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Just a hair.

At 200 geared up, the stock is working perfect

tcelano said:

Yea, I'm thinking I'd have more fun with an 85 or 80 on the rear.

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How's your rear tire wear on the track now? Are you getting the rough band mid-way up from the edge of the tire?

Yes, horrible. I ate one side of a K449 slick in one track day. I increased the rear comp and rebound settings to match the fast guy I was chasing, and that improved things a little.

So, let's say I have a track day Monday, and not going to be getting a new spring in by then. Should I back out some preload and restore ride height, or just leave it be till I put the spring in?

tcelano said:

Yes, horrible. I ate one side of a K449 slick in one track day. I increased the rear comp and rebound settings to match the fast guy I was chasing, and that improved things a little.

So, let's say I have a track day Monday, and not going to be getting a new spring in by then. Should I back out some preload and restore ride height, or just leave it be till I put the spring in?

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Ok, sounds like the rear is too stiff for sure then, reduce preload down to where you have just a small amount (3-5mm or so) of free sag left to let the rear end work more. Depending on where you're at now, you might need to add a little compression if it squats too much on corner exits, but don't add any more than you need. If you've lowered the rear ride height to get grip, you can probably raise it back up a tad but not too high or you'll have the same problem with tire spin. No more than 310mm eye-to-eye length on the shock is what we have found works best for tire wear, anyone who goes higher than that usually starts chewing up rears, and also if they're fast they may start shredding fronts as well because it throws too much weight up there. Balance the rebound with the front and you should be good. Then get that spring replaced when you can, and you should be able to get it set up better.

Awesome. Thanks for sharing the info!

For anyone else following along, I had to look up the difference between "Free Sag" and "Rider Sag". "Free Sag" = amount bike settles with no rider.