The Suspension Thread!!! BOOING
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Sorry, I missed your weight in your first post. I had my ankle reconstructed this week after a MTB accident, so I'm a little off my game.
At your weight in gear, those 0.83 are definitely too soft. If you're sitting on the same kit (165 mm travel), I'd think the 0.93 (sporty) or 0.88 (plush) would be the ticket for your weight. And you're spot on - 1/3 of travel for rider sag is crucial, which is about 55 mm as you say for this bike. The old school sport bike thinking works when you're dealing with a 4.7 in (120 mm) travel fork, which was pretty much every single fully faired sportbike for the better part of 20+ years. If you can get a helper to reset the sag by removing some preload, your ride quality will increase noticeably. In general terms, a heavier spring w/ less preload will ride better than a lighter spring with more preload (within reason, if picking between two or three neighboring rates).
At your weight in gear, those 0.83 are definitely too soft. If you're sitting on the same kit (165 mm travel), I'd think the 0.93 (sporty) or 0.88 (plush) would be the ticket for your weight. And you're spot on - 1/3 of travel for rider sag is crucial, which is about 55 mm as you say for this bike. The old school sport bike thinking works when you're dealing with a 4.7 in (120 mm) travel fork, which was pretty much every single fully faired sportbike for the better part of 20+ years. If you can get a helper to reset the sag by removing some preload, your ride quality will increase noticeably. In general terms, a heavier spring w/ less preload will ride better than a lighter spring with more preload (within reason, if picking between two or three neighboring rates).
An update on my 821 Strada suspension upgrade: I had the full Nitron kit fitted by my Ducati (and all other bikes!) specialist Carl Harrison. That included their fork cartridges and their R3 shock with independent damping adjustment for fast and slow compression. The front was immediately more compliant than OEM and the jitteriness that had me guessing about fueling issues was gone, allowing confirmation that my bike does indeed fuel very well with the Rapidbike Easy controller and Touring setting.
The back end was not nearly so plush and I wondered if, yet again, they had specc'd too heavy a spring for my weight. However, I found that my man had set the compression damping stiffer than Nitron had recommended so I backed off the compression damping fully and adjusted the rebound to give a nice action to a static bounce. I'm glad to say the bike now rides over rough roads pretty well, the vicious bite on the bum having been tamed. It is still what I would call a lively ride compared with other bikes, but I guess it's part of the character of the Hyper that we all relish. Having the damping adjustment separated is a real advantage, but going for the triple damping shock adjustment was probably a waste of money. Perhaps a few more miles will improve the ride further?
Nick, UK
The back end was not nearly so plush and I wondered if, yet again, they had specc'd too heavy a spring for my weight. However, I found that my man had set the compression damping stiffer than Nitron had recommended so I backed off the compression damping fully and adjusted the rebound to give a nice action to a static bounce. I'm glad to say the bike now rides over rough roads pretty well, the vicious bite on the bum having been tamed. It is still what I would call a lively ride compared with other bikes, but I guess it's part of the character of the Hyper that we all relish. Having the damping adjustment separated is a real advantage, but going for the triple damping shock adjustment was probably a waste of money. Perhaps a few more miles will improve the ride further?
Nick, UK
