Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 998 / 996 / 916 / 748 > Forks thru yokes.

[DC]

Im gonna ask another question here, while im getting replys.

I am thinking of dropping the forks through the yokes by a few mill. To quicken up the steering.

I have had the rear ride height set up. I have also gone to the race set up on the headstock. I found the steering to be ok but then i tried a 120/70 section tyre. I think that the steering has slowed slightly. I just want to know if you can drop the forks a bit in the yokes or if this sort of thing is a no no?

I did this thing on all my other bikes like R1 s etc and i guess im just used to that quick steering feel.

Cheers,

DC.

P.S. I dunno, always changing, never leaving things alone

bet your cars lowered with big rims on as well isnt it ???? lol

and the only yolk I drop my fork through usually has some bacon next to it ....



sorry mate, someone WILL be along with a serious answer soon ....

[DC]

Originally posted by DIBBLE
bet your cars lowered with big rims on as well isnt it ???? lol

and the only yolk I drop my fork through usually has some bacon next to it ....



sorry mate, someone WILL be along with a serious answer soon ....

How did you guess mate!!!

you live in North London mate ......

E Reg Merc 190E from Rude Mercs by any chance ..???

Or early 3 Series 325i ..????

[Shazaam!]

You’ll make things worse.

The slower steering you sense is the effect of the change in the tyre section, not from the higher front ride height. The higher 70-profile tire flexes more, reducing the severity of the loads transmitted to the wheel rim, suspension and handlebars. So the steering feels more vague with a higher profile tyre.

Your tyres are an integral part of your suspension, so when you go from a 60 to a less-stiff 70 profile, you’ll often see some benefit from increasing fork compression damping a little.

You can also increase rear ride height further. But, lowering the front ride height or raising the rear ride height are not equivalent adjustments. Lowering the front serves to lower the bike's center of gravity. Raising the rear raises the C.G.

Raising the front end raises the C.G., and a higher C.G. makes the bike go to the tire edge quicker according to Ducati race engineers.

For example, the Aprilia Mille SP was specifically designed with the capability to raise the engine in the frame to increase C.G. to improve flick-ability, and the Aprilia Mille R also has its engine higher in the frame for the same reason.

Another effect from the taller tyre is an increased rake to the forks, so you can try compensating by using the steeper steering head position. This will also give you a 6mm shorter trail but will make the bike more prone to head-shake.

[Ray]

Why not try it? if you like the effect then thats good enough.

I dropped the forks throught the yokes and softened the pre load. It felt better to me, i.e. I felt more confident/comfortable with the bike.

It's a rider preference thing, what is better/faster for one rider might not work for another. A very significant part of riding a bike is confidence, if you make a change that thoery says makes the bike go slower if it makes you more confident you may well go faster or feel more comfortable at the same speed.

In racing this happens time and time again. A new mod or new bike comes along, that is miles faster for some riders, whereas another just doesn't get on with it. They then jump on the old/unmoded bike and go faster than the new improved version.

Ray

[Shazaam!]

You make a VERY strong point, Ray.

Colin Edwards:

"Well as far as traction, there's 15 different ways of getting to the same objective. You can lift the front up a little bit, you can raise the swingarm pivot, you can sometimes even put a heavier rear spring in it, because sometimes all it needs is a little more force, pushing it into the ground, where you'd tend to soften it up, which would take a little of the force away."

"So it just depends on you. You have to make that decision and you have to understand what parts will do and once you do it enough, then you start to understand and well, you don't make any more mistakes. They are all ways of arriving at the same goal. It just depends on the rider and what he wants."

"You know, there's not one simple solution of "Hey I want it to turn better, lets lower the front." That just doesn't work, as soon as you do that, you are creating other problems. Motorcycling is the epitome of compromise, cause you're never going to have the best handling bike and the fastest trap speeds. You can have one or the other, but you'll never have both. It is either sacrifice handling for horsepower or sacrifice horsepower for handling, and then you have to decide where to stop. You look at the lap times, that's all you do, then you decide what's what.”

[Jon]

I would suggest you change your tyre to a gp208. Still with the 70 x 120 profile. I have mine on the steeper angle and I would say that it's a little on the nervouse side. I have to keep my corner speed up for fear of it dropping like a stone from under me.

[DC]

Thanks for the replys. I am in the middle of trying it out now. I know that one person is different from another.i just wanted to know if anyone else had tried it. Thats all.

I tend to set my bikes up at the front with a feel of being able to turn very quickly. I have always done this on them. I dont have a problem with a shakey front end and all that talk of tank slapping, well. I had the original TL1000s. Every person that didnt have one seemed to **** it off for the light front end that was slappy. Thing is, i dropped the forks down through the yokes and took the damper off. It was the best thing i ever did to the bike.

At the end of the day. If you want a high performing 1000cc V twin. You are gonna get a bit of front end lift.

[skidlids]

Strange things bikes, don't always behave as you expect, I raced the original TL1000SV for a couple of years with fairly good results, usually finishing between 4th and 7th place and 6th overall in the NG clubs SoT championship. And yes the slap happy standard bike was improved by dropping the front slightly and raising the rear, this also works on all the Jap IL4s that we have taken to the isle of man, Last year we ran the R6 with the Ohlins rear at Maximum length, the year before we ran Weeksy's old blade with a Ohlins set at maximum length.
Anybody noticed how hard it is to turn the front wheel from side to side when the tyre is flat, well we use the same principle by increasing the weight bias on the front end to force the tyre into the tarmac.
Strangely I dont find this works so well on my Dukes, mainly because with the standard bike you cant get enough weight on to the front without suffering excrutiating wrist ache and rear traction problem. Solution longer lighter swingarm to improve front bias and rear traction, run the bike long and raked out then steer it on the power, amazing how light the steering gets when the backend is digging in and trying to lift the front.

Best tip, set it up so that it suits your style then try to understand where the limits are and ride accordingly.