Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > Supersports: SS / SuperSport / Supersport 950 > Riding position

[Red-Duc]

Im looking for feedback from all you racers and experienced riders, Ive only been riding for about years now and when cornering at reasonable speeds im ok, But when cranking the speed up im feeling very uneasy unless im leaning forewards right over the tank, Could this mean that the bike is not set up right or is this a normal thing to do??

[phil_h]

What tyres are you running and at what pressure ?

[Jools]

Well to a certain extent, getting your weight in the right place is going to help, but it depends on how extreme you have to be in getting your weight forward.

My advice would be to make sure that your tyres are in good nick and correctly inflated, then check that the pre-load, the front and rear ride heights and the compression and rebound damping are set back to standard, then follow through the various suspension set up threads to get the suspension sag adjusted to your weight.

It could be that somebody has dicked around with your bike such that it doesn't want to turn easily, setting everything back to standard will give you a good basis to work from.

If it still feels odd and you really are shifting right forward, I hope I'm not being unkind, but I would suggest that it's probably you rather than the bike and I would invest in a couple of sessions at a school like the CSS

[Red-Duc]

tyres are bridgestone battlax 020 f 32psi and r 36psi, about 2mm left on tread

as for how far forewards I would say the same as tucking down under the screen at high speeds to get out of the wind force

[phil_h]

Sounds more like the tyres are making the bike feel nervous. I've fast-road-ridden, tracked and raced a number of essesses, and they feel more like a comfortable armchair than anything else

From personal experience:
an oversize rear tyre on an ss that is half worn makes the front feel like it is going to go away from you
an overpressure 60 profile front also feel similar
a side-worn 70 profile front also feels similar
a past-its-sell-by front also feels similar (old hard rubber)

OR !
Front springing - how heavy are you compared to how soft do the springs feel ?

[ziggi]

I was told that one of the best things you could do with the SS/SL bikes is to adjust the handbars so that they are as far forward and low as possible. You can do this by slackening the bolts and pushing them away from you until they are at the maximum distance.

This has the effect of making you lean over the tank more to reach the bars. You do loose the more upright comfort and some of the turning circle but not too much.

Lots of SS/SL bikes I saw at the recent meet had the bars so far forward it was like pushing a wheel barrow.

Well worth a try. I do concure that i also feel much better leaning right over the tank when going quick in the corners and roundabouts.

[Chief R.B.]

Sitting upright is fine at normal speeds but it does restrict your body movement mid corner and also makes it harder to get feedback on what the bike is doing as most of the weight is going through the bottom of your spine which could be why it feels uncomfortable when you up the pace (IMHO!).

If you lean forward over the tank it takes some of the weight off your bum and makes it easier to shift your body around on the bike with your weight now evenly distributed between your arms and legs and you can pick up what the bike is doing more easily and adjust your position/line if necessary.

Try dropping your inside shoulder when you turn into a corner, it'll help relax your upper body and give you a better eye-line through the turn. It might feel strange because your countersteering and putting pressure through the same side but with practice i think it improves your ability to turn the bike.

Regards
Ant

[skidlids]

My early SS race bikes have :-
Bars pushed forward and set low
Rearsets set back a bit and also set higher
Shock is slightly longer
The race seat is built up to about the same height as standard although I wouldn't mind trying going a bit higher.

All this transfers more weight to the front and makes the bike feel like I want it to

[Red-Duc]

thanks for the feedback I feel alot happier now, from the sound of it I think I should start with altering the bars.

As for tyres which would you recomend, I was going to try the Pirelli diablo or possibly diablo corsa

[skidlids]

Given a choice in tyres I'd go for the Diablo Corsa 3s