Fork upgrade for M750 Marzocchii?

[The Clockie]

Hi Folks,

I'm new here, and had hoped to post this sooner but activation took a while! :rolleyes:

The forks on my 97/98 M750 are very choppy over rough roads, despite re-springing for my light weight. (Rear is now a new Wilbers). I'm beginning to understand that the OEM forks left a lot to be desired and are not able to be re-valved etc., and the only option is replacement of the legs.

While waiting to post here, Ducati MS Monster-section suggested early 900ss Showa forks, and I've now got a cheap pair of legs coming from California via a roundabout route which includes checked luggage from New Jersey! Hopefully they will improve matters, and should at least be fittable with Gold Valves or somesuch.

Tell me I'm on the right track, or has someone over here in Blighty got some better fork legs just waiting for a new owner?

Cheers,

Nick, Diss, Norfolk

[Stued]

Hi Nick, welcome to the UKMOC. Someone is bound to be along soon with the info you need, although I do believe the Showa's are an improvement.
I am the Norfolk rep for the site and look forward to meeting you on one of the ride outs, look out for the threads "Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum run" (guess that's quite close to you) this is being organised by Mr Gazza and "Monsters at Muckleburgh"

All the best Stu

[pompone]

900ss forks re sprung, overhauled and properly set up actually work a treat on the classic monster (at least mine do).

[Nickj]

The adjustables help, it depends what you're after really.
I find that the standard forks don't seem to work untill you get to a reasonable speed, generally that's a bit quicker than the national limit though. At low speed they feel not so nice but it all still works so I am not really inclined to change them.

They are set/configured from factory for a notional euro average rider weight which is around 80KG so 12 1/2 stone or thereabouts, add some to handle a pillion and they are very hard for light people at both ends.

[Mr Gazza]

Hello Nick and welcome aboard....Hope to see you out and about in Norfolk..:mand:

I consider myself very lucky indeed to own a 900Sie which has an Ohlins rear shock and Fully adjustable Showa forks, which I am told contain Ohlins cartriges.

I can't fault the suspension or handling.
I do feel the bumps, but it's not uncomfortable.
I have recently put the front tyre pressure up a couple of pounds as per the manual recommendation for "bumpy" raods.
(as you will know in Norfolk, B-Roads. B=Bumpy).

If anything it has made the front end a little more sensitive. I may go back to normal pressure yet.?...I'm splitting hairs though.

I think the early 900SS may have had the adjustable Showas, so maybe that's what you have coming..:mand:

My advice would be to have a chat with the very nice people at MCT at Stowmarket.

http://www.mctsuspension.co.uk/Home.html

See you around....:mand:

[slob]

Crust replaced his rear shock and got his early 900 forks racetech gold valved/sprung, he was very happy with the results

[The Clockie]

Thanks for the welcome, Chaps!

So far, so good on the prospects for my M750, then. MCT at Stowmarket already put 'the lightest fork springs ever on a Monster' in mine (I'm a lightweight!) and did what they could with the Marzocchis, but those are the forks I really want to be rid of! They appear to have stiction on the B roads (yes, Norfolks roads get worse and worse...) that isn't obvious when pumping them at rest, so my guess is that it's the damping response to high-frequency roughness that's the problem, and there are no re-valving options.

When the 900SS legs arrive in August I'll try them as they are, but will quite likely go for the Gold Valves and a setup/springs from MCT. It's a very nice bike that I like a lot, and has had a special paintjob and lashings of CF spent by a PO, plus I've improved the seat and shifted the bars closer, much as Ducati has with the very latest Monsters! I'll have to see about posting a picture....

Nick

[chris.p]

I am looking to get my Marzochi forks on the 1100 evo I have just bought sorted, been on to one company who said outright that you can not revalve them etc, you have to dump the internals totally, I will be getting in touch with a couple of other companies fir prices etc, but reactive suspension near York quoted over 1k :(

[chris.p]

I have just spoken with Richard at Maxton, the problem with Marzochi forks is that you can not re valved etc as they are pressed and sealed cartridges, he quoted a rough price of £480 plus vat to put there adjustable cartridges in, this price will include using your original fork tops ( just so long as they are adjustable for rebound and preload) but would be dearer if they had to fit there own.

[bluestoesonnose]

I've love reading stuff like this, I can't really fault the standard stuff on with the S4R or the M750. Whilst I freely admit these are the newest bikes I've ever owned I find the forks and rear shocks more than ok. I even thought that the S4R was very softly sprung and damped over the weekend then rode the new Monster and 1199 and though the same about those as well.

Try some 50's, 60's, 70's or 80's bikes and you'll know what poor suspension is...

[The Clockie]

I've love reading stuff like this, I can't really fault the standard stuff on with the S4R or the M750. Whilst I freely admit these are the newest bikes I've ever owned I find the forks and rear shocks more than ok. I even thought that the S4R was very softly sprung and damped over the weekend then rode the new Monster and 1199 and though the same about those as well.

Try some 50's, 60's, 70's or 80's bikes and you'll know what poor suspension is...

Maybe the roads around Plymouth are better? Quite likely, if memory serves me well.

I have a 1985 Cagiva Alazzurra, which is a Pantah set up as a tourer, and the ride is as a magic carpet compared with the M750! The forks are so compliant that I couldn't even feel a set of rumble-strips the other day, and yet the bike feels very taught to ride. It has basic Hagon twinshocks on the rear, by the way. On such surfaces, the M750 would have almost shaken my hands off the 'bars! For real-world riding as opposed to trackdays (not my thing anyway), I know what I prefer. :look:

Nick

[utopia]

Hi Nick, and welcome from another 750 owner (absolutely lovely bike..I'm hooked for life)
No doubt we'll meet at some event or other......the Fenman Classic show in August is a likely one perhaps, and is an excellent event which is well worth checking out.
My bike is a yr2000 model and has Showa non-adjustable forks instead of Marzocchis, but their performance over rough surfaces is similar to your description.
I'm afraid I have no solutions to offer though, just a little empathy with your situation.
I've put up with mine for 7yrs so far and to be honest I find, like Blues, that they are still better than most forks on the older bikes I have owned previously.
The upside of their harshness is that there is very little dive under braking, which I like, but I'm still pondering some sort of improvement.
So that's not a lot of help then, but at least I've said hello.
I'll be very interested to know how you get on with the new forks.

[Mr Gazza]

Cagiva Alazzurra....! Now there's one that I missed, so I looked up some images.

Very interesting bike. You can see shades of the later Ducati SS models and also a glimmer of a Paso in there.

Hope to catch a glimpse of it one day..:biggrin:

Forgot to post a link to our next run Nick. It's next Sunday...Be good to meet you and your 750.

http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/showthread.php?t=50065

[The Clockie]

Gazza: thanks for that. I'm afraid that, anti-social rider that I am, group rides are really not my thing. However, if the weather is nice, I might just haul up at the Flixton Aviation Museum on Sunday morning at, say, 10.30am.

Now, what do you want to see? The early naked Alazzurra, the M750, the ST4, the Sachs b805, the Suzuki VX800, the Yamaha TRI or SRX600 monoshock, the Cagiva Canyon or the Honda NTV? The Morini Dart is out of tax and the Suzy GT550 is in bits!

Nick

[Stued]

Be good to meet up with you at Flixton.

Impressive list

[Mr Gazza]

We really don't mind how you play it Nick, some don't like Museums others are not so keen on the follow m' leader runs...Be good to see you at Flixton though.

As to which I would like to see, well I think I would have to follow Marilyn Monroe's mantra. When faced with a choice of two evils she would always choose the one she hadn't tried before.. Soo it would have to be the Alazzurra as your Morini is not available...:chuckle:

[The Clockie]

And there was me thinking it'd be silly not to turn up on the Monster! Then again, you've all seen Monsters, whatever cosmetic mods they've had...

By the way, the Morini Dart is under sentence of disposal, so if you've ever fancied one of these exquisite bikes, now's your chance! It's the Cagiva-designed lovechild (the Morinisti would say bastard) between a Cagiva 125cc 2T screamer and the Morini pushrod 350cc vee, and fits together so perfectly that the motor looks better in that frame than it ever did anywhere else. Add handling that is telepathic and style by Tambourini and I wonder why I'd ever let it go, but space is a problem and The Missus is looking for some sign that I can also sell bikes as well as buy them...

Nick

[Mr Gazza]

Nick you can come on whatever you like..:chuckle:

There is already a Triumph and a Moto Guzzi coming.

Of course the more Monsters the better, but you will find with this club, that we are very easy going and interested in all sorts of bikes....That does not rule out a "naughty corner" though..:biggrin::rolleyes:

I had a Morini three and a half Sport some years ago and I loved it. It was my first Italian bike, and such a revalation....My interest is piqued..We will talk about Darts on Sunday.:biggrin: