Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > General Motorcycles only > '01 750 Sport - Handling

[Loz]

Hi, gang.
My 2001 750 Sport, 14000 miles, is handling a bit daggy at the moment. Slightly unstable on fast sweepies and slightly wallowy in sharper corners. Does a "rocking horse" impression at 60-70mph on a particular straight stretch of road I know, where the tarmac has regular small crests due to re-surfacing. The suspension is all original and standard; non-adjustable except for pre-load, which is at factory setting. Tyres are Bridgestone BT020s, very slightly squared off due to winter riding and regular commuting, but with tiny chicken-strips, honest! It's possible that the head bearing is slightly worn - my garage hinted at this at my last service, but chose not to replace them.
Is the slightly uninspiring handling down to: Inferior suspension? Worn out springs/fork oil/rear shock? Worn out head bearing? The fact that I recently bought a 999S that I am now passionately involved in? (To be fair, I was a little unhappy with the 750's handling before I got my 999.)
Advice would be really gratefully accepted! Thanks!

[Edited on 23-7-2004 by Loz]

[psychlist]

Hi Loz, I had a 750ss before the 998 and, like the sport, it had non-adjustable forks. The rear was adjustable for comp & rebound as well as pre-load. I found the forks far too hard as standard and, as I couldnt afford to replace them, had some much lighter fork oil fitted, but I hardly noticed the difference When it came to the rear end I just unwound the rebound by one click and wound up the preload by about a half an inch which totally tranformed the bike into a "proper handling" duke! Whether it has to be done in tandem with the fork oil change I dunno, but at least try winding up the preload mate. Of course a lot depends on your own weight and whether you carry a lillion much and I'm sure there are loads of guys who can give you adjustments to the nearest millimetre, but it really comes down to how YOU feel it's handling! Let us know how you get on.

[Glyn]

the only way to go about it IMHO is to experiment. try one adjustment at a time take it out on your fav bit of road see how it feels. work on one thing at a time, find whats best make a note of it and then try your other adjustments in the same fashion. you'll soon get an idea of whats doing what to your handeling.

slightly worn head bearing? i assume there isn't any actual movement?

also make sure your tyre pressures are correct, some of those in the fuel station forcourts are that far out that they are not worth using

it took me ages to get mine how i like it
good luck

[Loz]

Psychlist, thanks for your comments and observations. I occasionally carry a passenger, but not very often.
I will start with upping the pre-load - at 13 st, I'm not hugely heavy but it's possibly a factor. Comp (and rebound) damping adjustments will follow if required. The back end feels like it's flailing a little, so stiffening it is probably the thing to do.
Glyn, thanks too for your suggestions. Tyre pressure is always checked on my own pump, for consistency's sake. For some reason, I can always feel when I'm riding with under-inflated tyres, even if it's only a couple of psi! As for the head bearing, my garage told me at that last service that there was a suggestion of a slight notch when the bars are pointed straight-ahead, but there was no movement. I asked them whether the bearing needed replacing but they said it could wait. Trouble is, once you hear something like that, you start imagining problems there!

So, I will be doing some incremental changes on the rear suspension - if that doesn't eliminate the very slight nervousness my 750 seems to have, I'll look at the head bearings (and maybe fork oil, too).

Cheers!

[Loz]

Wow. I only upped the compression damping on the rear shock by a single click. It's a different bike! I'll make sure that the improvement isn't solely in my head, then see what another click will do.

Next thing - pre-load adjustment. I finally found a pin wrench that will fit in the tiny space you have to work in between the tank and the frame, so I'm happy.

You know, I've been riding around for months on the 750, putting up with some pretty poor handling and absolutely convinced that you cannot adjust the rear suspension. I hate getting old

[Loz]

Blimey!

Does anyone do a steering damper for a '01 750 Sport? Accelerating over bumps this morning was a fascinating experience.

[Steve M]

My 900SSie does not like squared of tyres one bit, the stabilty just disappears. Never felt the need for a steering damper though, it can get a bit lively but soon sorts itself out, even that bump on the way into Coppice at Cadwell only gives it a little shake.

[Loz]

Steve, I agree about squared tyres, my 750 is just the same. It currently has a nicely profiled pair of tyres and is otherwise behaving itself beautifully.

This morning's moments felt like tank-slappers that didn't quite happen (thank goodness), but they were all over before I could wet myself - so maybe I am over-reacting! Definitely shook its head though.


I look forward to meeting the bump into Coppice on 16 August. I suspect I'll be on the 999S though!

[Steve M]

That's how it feels to me too, like it flaps but not too bad. The 900's do have different suspension though - fully adjustable, and I've changed the rear spring for a Maxton one. A steering damper should not adversly affect it though, maybe just a bit heavier steering at slow speeds and will calm it down a bit.

[psychlist]

Maybe you're holding on too tight and/or sitting with yer backside too far back along the saddle Loz?
Try letting the bars have room to settle on their own and squash your "nuts n bolts" forward more up against the tank, puts more weight over the front wheel and completely stops those funny little squirms over rippled surfaces on corner exits which I find such a giggle! One of the problems I had with the SSie was the long comfy, yes really, saddle encouraged lots of back and forth movement.
Failing that, give it a touch more rear preload, I was amazed what a difference it made but it took lots of raising to get there!
I'm trying to get a suspension set up day with local BSB rider Francis Williamson some time very soon, come along and have a chat with him. Even if you dont take advantage of his practical skills he could give you more advice.