fork height

[steve of]

Hi all,can antone tell me the measurement of the fork height`s ...are they measured from the bottom or top face of the bottom yoke.the bike is a M600 Dark 2000.Many thanks Steve

[analogue_rogue]

Mine us a 98 dark and they sit flush at the top. Measured from top of yoke.

[Pedro]

Roughly speaking they sit around 5-7mm above the top yoke - the measurement in the Ducati Workshop manual is taken from the underside of the bottom yoke as it's not likely to vary like the top yoke can. Using 5-7mm is close enough

[steve of]

just measured how much of the fork sticks out of the top yoke.............35mm:eek:: i think a minor adjustment is needed...Thanks for the replys..Steve

[utopia]

Had a quick look....Ducati wk.shop manual for my Y2K 750 says (effectively) 20mm above top yoke, which is how they are now, and I don't think it's ever been changed.
Dunno about 600, but 35mm sounds too much, unless perhaps the rear has been lowered and the front dropped in sympathy...?
Unless of course, you have a non-standard top yoke..?
Or maybe a steering damper has been fitted, to calm things down..?

[Dookbob]

I have had three M600. Second hand, a 1998 and two 2001, they were all the same fork hieght, that is 20mm from top of fork to top of top yoke. I didn,t alter any of those settings and they all handled quite nicely. I am of the opinion that if you need a steering damper on a monster, then you have got something wrong, either the ass end is too high or the front is too low, or even both maybe.

[steve of]

The bike was owned by a shortish lady before myself so probably lowered to suite,will set the forks to 20mm above the top yoke,but just wondering now if the rear has been lowered......how would i tell.Thanks Steve

[utopia]

Almost any component in the rear suspension could have been changed...others will know the details better than me.
But they're low anyway, and lowering the rear doesn't come cheap, so you're probably ok.
If it still has the original shock, you could check the spring preload, as that may have been reduced. I believe that std preload is 20mm, giving a fitted (max) spring length of 165mm.
One full turn gives 1.5mm.

[Dookbob]

Almost any component in the rear suspension could have been changed...others will know the details better than me.
But they're low anyway, and lowering the rear doesn't come cheap, so you're probably ok.
If it still has the original shock, you could check the spring preload, as that may have been reduced. I believe that std preload is 20mm, giving a fitted (max) spring length of 165mm.
One full turn gives 1.5mm.

I dont think the spring preload would alter the ride hieght. messing about with the swing arm to suspension lever hoop would of course, but most common trick is to screw out the rose joints to raise the back end.

[Dukedesmo]

I dont think the spring preload would alter the ride hieght. messing about with the swing arm to suspension lever hoop would of course, but most common trick is to screw out the rose joints to raise the back end.

I'm no expert on Monster rear suspension but I don't see a way of actually lowering it without changing something major like the shock, hoop or pivot, the spring preload will only let it sag more, doesn't seem a good way of adjusting to me. As for raising it by the rose joints, I'd be wary of raising it much as there's not a huge amount of thread there.

I've not even ridden mine yet but I know the rear will be too low so I bought some raising bolts from Louigi Moto, fully screwed in they are 25mm, you could gain a little more by not screwing the rose joints in fully but I reckon a 25mm increase is a radical enough place to start.

http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/attachment.php?attachmentid=14909&d=1299676929

As for the fork height, I'll need to look into that when I build it, I am using 916 forks though so I don't know if they're the same length?

[utopia]

I dont think the spring preload would alter the ride hieght. messing about with the swing arm to suspension lever hoop would of course, but most common trick is to screw out the rose joints to raise the back end.

Now now, this is getting confusing.

To clarify....Alterations to any part of the rear suspension geometry could lower (or raise) the ride height, ie alterations to swingarm, hoop/rose joints, rocking lever thingy, or the shock itself. This is all expensive and therefore relatively unlikely to have been done, with the exception of adjusting the rose joints. However since, in the factory settings, the rose joints are screwed fully in to the hoop, there is no scope for lowering the rear by adjusting them...only raising of the rear is possible (by screwing them out a bit, or by fitting the aftermarket raising bolts), unless of course the hoop is cut shorter.

Regarding the spring preload, if this is reduced then the rear will sag lower on the spring under the weight of the rider. The former owner may have done this as a makeshift lowering strategy, though its far from the ideal method, but would still have some effect. However, my suggestion to check the preload was based around the assumption that the previous owner, being short, was also therefore relatively light in weight, and therefore may have reduced the preload accordingly, ie for weight rather than height reasons.

The best way of finding out what, if anything, has been done to the suspension components themselves, would be to ask the former owner.
However, it would be worth checking the rear preload anyway, if the former owner was on the lightweight side.

[Dookbob]

I quite agree Dukedesmo, there isn,t much spare thread left to raise the back end by screwing out the rose joints from the hoop. from an engineering aspect, the rule is that the safe minimum engaged thread is equal to the outside thread diameter, so you must leave at least 10mm of thread in the hoop. I always screw mine out to this setting which is not a great deal of an alteration, but neverthe less it is enough to quicken up the steering a bit. I would hesitate to raise the hoop any more by fitting extenders, for fear of getting into tank slapper territory.