The Suspension Thread!!! BOOING

[touficzeidan]

is this the correct price for these suspension? I thought it was about $1000.


Andreani Misano Fork Cartridge Kit 105 D09 for Ducati Hypermotard 821 2014 | eBay

 

[ferdi]

is this the correct price for these suspension? I thought it was about $1000.


Andreani Misano Fork Cartridge Kit 105 D09 for Ducati Hypermotard 821 2014 | eBay

yes it is, but you have to pay customs and taxes addionally.
I do not know what you have to pay in US if you import from Europe.
Importing from US to Europe we have to pay itemprice + shippingcosts + about 3-4% customs and local tax (in my country it's 20%, Germany is 19%, ....) of the total sum of item and shipping price.

If i would buy it in Italy i would only pay exactly this price + shipping costs, no taxes, because it's within EU.

 

[RSL]

Customs in the US depends on delivery, based on my experience of buying a lot of motorcycle gear direct from European sellers.

As a side note, helmets are always duty free.

 

[zippy49]

I had zero trouble buying a set via fleabay, no tax or duties. As far as I could tell, Andreani has their act together regarding communication and delivery. UK residents pay something like 17% VAT, though.

 

[touficzeidan]

I had zero trouble buying a set via fleabay, no tax or duties. As far as I could tell, Andreani has their act together regarding communication and delivery. UK residents pay something like 17% VAT, though.

Hey,
So when you ordered it from eBay there wasn't any other fees?
How do you like the suspension?
Where did you install it and for how much?
Just curious to know if it's worth spending the money.
Thank you

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

 

[RSL]

As I mentioned above, I now have Mupo cartridges and shock on my Hyperstrada. While I won't have the bike for photos until Thursday, a PM is causing me to add this post to explain why I had everything professionally installed.

Almost as much as having good suspension is having it adjusted for the riding weight and type of riding you will be doing. There is a race suspension guy in Austin that countless guys rely on for their top track performance. He has the variety of springs and a compression/dampening tester to dial everything perfectly.

The Roehrig Shock Dyno:

With my cartridges and shock, additional springs in different weights were purchased at no cost to me. That way changes for me, or future purchasers, can easily allow for perfect settings.

LINK: On Road Off Road Cycles Suspension Page

You can see in the link the steps he employs to get everything just right. His entire set-up comes with him to the Texas race tracks for servicing bikes right there.

He is very familiar with Ohlins, Andreani, Mupo, etc... All the best Ducati options. For the Hyper he felt the Mupo option was best.

I went with the AB1 shock because of the high & low dampening adjustment:

And the full double fork cartridge set-up: LINK: Mupo Srl - Kit cartridge LCRR

 

[RSL]

On Road Off Road says that the single Mupo cartridge option is about half the cost of the double and offers 70% of the performance.

Their price for the single cartridge was $550. This is a pretty simple drop-in installation. May be sufficient for many desiring a significant improvement at a value price.

I selected the double cartridge to get both compression and dampening adjustment. I think it was right at $1,555 installed on the bike. Remember, the left fork required modification to accept a cartridge.

As for the rear shock, Mupo has four options. They say the AB3 does not give independent rebound and compression. The AB1-EVO is arguable overkill for the street. So, that leaves the 2-way adjustable AB2 for $925, or the 3-way adjustable AB1 for $995. For $70 it's well worth the difference to get the AB1.

So, for $2,655 total installed price, I will have a transformed Hyperstrada, which because of the expert set-up for my riding and weight, will arguably surpass the performance of the one-size-fits-all SP suspension, while keeping the reasonable seat height of the Hyperstrada.

Since I tend to keep motorcycles a long time, this cost will amortize well. Probably not worth it to those who trade bikes often.

 

[RSL]

The Mupo looks great on the bike. Better yet there is a solid and even feel both front and back, for the first time. Exact same compression forks and shock. Can't wait to ride the Ozarks. Here are a couple photos.

Low and high speed compression dials.

Rebound is on the top.

 

[RSL]

Used to be that I would get on the Hyperstrada and the rear suspension would settle down into a lower level. Not anymore.

Standard height 2013 Hyperstrada, last year there was a standard height one, as I recall. I'm 6'2" and 34" inseam and I can flat foot the ground, just barely.

Now there is still some settling, but equal front and back. And not very much, if even perceptible from the seat at all.

The little devil is finally back home and anxious to go play.

 

[RSL]

OK to add a couple more photos?

Rebound adjustment on the shock.

 

[RSL]

To make is simple for me, the suspension guy said:

The High Speed Compression is for how the bike handles bumps.

The Low Speed Compression is for the bike handles. If too hard, reduce two clicks and see. If it wallows, increase two clicks and see.

 

[kuksul08]

To make is simple for me, the suspension guy said:

The High Speed Compression is for how the bike handles bumps.

The Low Speed Compression is for the bike handles. If too hard, reduce two clicks and see. If it wallows, increase two clicks and see.

Which makes it funny that the only compression adjuster on most suspension is the low-speed circuit. So people complain that the ride is harsh and turn the adjuster out, only to find that now it's harsh AND rides like ****! Low and High is really where it's at.

I've thought about dicking with my SP fork, but then when I ride it real hard it comes into its own and has never lost traction. The downside is it doesn't handle the small bumps very well.

What spring rate did you end up going with front and rear on your 'strada?

 

[RSL]

I haven't asked what he did, nor did I retrieve the original parts. May seem funny but I just count on everything being good. He will make any adjustments necessary if I return to his shop.

Kind of hectic when I picked up the bike as he was in the middle of a fork valving for a top racer. Just collected my Strada and left.

 

[astrocortex]

is there a resource for rider weights when setting the preload?

 

[RSL]

is there a resource for rider weights when setting the preload?

Maybe send Roger an email and ask about his experience with my OE rear shock. Before I decided to go ahead and get the Mupo rear shock, he dialed-in the OE Sachs shock.

[email protected]

 

[astrocortex]

Was admittedly hoping you were gonna say read the manual, with the hopes I overlooked it. Thanks for the link

 

[RSL]

The Owners Manual is one thing, probably good, but doubtful it has the information you want.

What Roger said was that in my effort to firm up the rear, by dialing up the preload, I was reducing the available wheel travel. This reduced travel caused all sorts of problems as instead of absorbing bumps the back of the bike would be thrown up in the air.

That's exactly why having the correct spring, and keeping the full wheel travel, benefits handling.

It seems that most manufacturers design their suspension around riders much smaller than me.

 

[kuksul08]

The only way adding preload would reduce travel is if you were binding the spring. I'm not sure that's even possible on the stock setup.

Fork springs are pretty straightforward - with the correct spring rate you should only need 1-3mm of preload to fine tune the sag. The shock is more complex, and sometimes you need preload to compress the inactive coils on the shock and provide a more linear rate. Not sure that even matters on the 'strada, considering it comes with a progressively wound spring! (or as ducati calls it, a "linkage") There's no linkage, is there? It's a straight shock connection from swingarm to frame.

 

[RSL]

I'll trust the advise of the top Texas race track suspension tuner.

Here is the deal: The stock suspension just didn't work for me on my favorite California backroads. It was OK on the much smoother Ozarks roads. I blame my poor rear tire life on the tire not keeping good contact with the road, which is the purpose of the coil-over shock.

I will soon be able to report my experiences with the new Mupo set-up.

 

[RSL]

First ride, looking for bad roads:

1 - Firmer - The bike rides higher. More like the SP. Should add to cornering ability.

2 - Happy balanced front and back handling rough road conditions the same.

3 - Big bumps, where asphalt is built-up to cover edges of trench steel, absorbed to well that they were irrelevant. I've seen so many cars, trucks and even the off-road racing suspension on my car offers a lot of movement up and down. On the Mupo Hyperstrada, the bike remained smooth. Wow!!!