Suspension: The Fifth Shock's the Charm

The 'Rights of Spring’ article in the January issue of the coveted Motorcycle Consumer News (MCN) magazine covers a legendary suspension issue on the Ducati Diavel. Short story is it took five shocks (yes, 5) and countless ‘experts’ over the course of 20,000-miles to get the bike settled down enough so that I can now simply stay seated on the bike over bumpy roads. Thanks to Ohlins USA, Motorcycle Consumer News, and suspension alchemist Kevin O’Shaughnessy. This is the agonizing story behind the technical issues that are detailed in the article. Do yourself a favor and pick up a subscription to this reader-funded magazine . MCN does not accept advertising so their articles and reviews are truly unbiased and delightfully candid. Plus, it's just good.

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At 5’2 and 105 pounds, I injured myself doing the Iron Butt SaddleSore (1,000 miles in a day) ride on my old Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle due to the width of the bike. I could only touch ground with the tips of my feet, making it tricky to back the bike up in the fine sand that is found on the Navajo Reservation where I take riders during my Nut-up Rally. I would often ride with my feet on the rear passenger pegs as I couldn't quite reach the forward controls, and lifting 7 times my weight was creating serious physical injuries that forced me to switch to a lighter, smaller bike. Enter the Ducati Diavel. I was told by my dealer it “was normal”, that I “didn’t know how to ride”, that racers were my size and "if they could ride it, so can you". Finally, I had their suspension expert explain that at 105 pounds, I was at least 50 pounds outside of the target rider-weight range for the Diavel. This meant that I was not even compressing the stock springs. Ducati told me it was “too dangerous to ride” and that I would need to buy a custom suspension. I was infuriated that I had paid full price for a production bike that was not rideable. However, I was hosting an upcoming 1,000-mile riding event and had bruises on the bottom of my feet from standing on the tiny pegs during the pre-run. I had to submit and buy a custom set-up.

The frustration mounted as the shock of choice for this bike, Ohlins, couldn’t arrive in time so I ordered the Wilbers. Here's a fun fact: in order to swap out rear shocks, the entire swingarm of the Diavel must be removed. Yes, the swingarm.

Installation went well and I was able to stand a bit less during my event, however, it was still sending me out of the apex of turns at speed. A return call to the Wilbers representative began the long string of questioning that impeded communications and haunted me for the next few years: what kind of bumps were they? were they sharp on impact or heavy on landing? was the front end unsettled in a turn? did it dive? was it harsh or was it bumpy? what about bouncy? was it soft while exiting a corner? To me, it was like I was riding a bucking rodeo horse for the full 8 seconds and then being asked to say which way the hooves were pointed when the horse was bucking . . . impossible to discern and difficult to describe. It was determined that additional shims needed to be removed. So, once again, off with the swingarm (ch-ching!) and the shock was sent back. All of this was done through the phone and FedEx due to my remote region of Moab, Utah, which meant considerable time between shocks, during which I was riding a Harley-Davidson Fat Bob. By the time the modified Wilbers came back, I had grown accustomed to the considerably heavier, slower-but-predictable Fat Bob.

Test riding the Ducati after the modified shock was installed proved how distrusting I had become of it. I found it close to impossible to take it through a corner without massive hesitations and over-corrections. It did stay on the road, tire rubber contacting pavement at all times, however on the highway it still beat me to hell and I was crushed. Out of frustration, I strapped a $5.00 couch pillow to the seat and experienced the first real ride improvement since buying the bike. This became known as the infamous Magic Red Pillow. Ducati should be ashamed. I wasn't.

The pillow worked for quite some time, but the ride was still crap and I tired of it constantly moving under me, not to mention feeling like a wet diaper in the rain. It was time to resolve the issue once and for all. I contacted Technical Sales at Ohlins to share my experiences with them and see if they could investigate solutions for me. Immediately, I was profusely reassured that the considerable investment into Ohlins would resolve my problem. I found this suspicious, as it seemed I was too far outside of the range for an off-the-shelf-solution, but their reputation and confidence finally won me over. Countless and exhaustive searches for alternative bikes always turned up empty and I was forced to admit that I had no other options. After a few months, I got over the fear of throwing good money after bad and committed to the $1,600 for the shock and install.

After another swingarm removal, the Ohlins was installed and I took it for a test ride in the rain. The bike had dropped down a few inches and immediately impressed me with a reduction of the popcorn-like ride, making it feel like a different bike. Unfortunately, a few more rides proved there were still issues. Major issues. This began the most frustrating back-and-forth with Ohlins over the next few weeks as I would get various setting suggestions for the preload, rebound and compression. All of them making a difference, but none of them making the right difference for long enough. This picture is an example of one of the questions I had on how rebound affected the ride.

Some days the ride would be smoother, giving me a false sense of security. Thinking I just needed to fiddle with the settings to get it right, I took off on a 3,000-mile solo trip through the back, twisty roads of Idaho. It was absolutely beautiful! But those 400+ mile days had me pretty beat up as the ride would change from fairly smooth to outright unrideable again. Several times, I had to re-route entirely and hit the highway instead as the bike kept bucking me around on those country roads. I was beyond disappointed, and absolutely baffled at why no one could seem to figure this out. It wasn't rocket science, it was suspension and surely it wasn't that difficult! This was the fourth set-up, thousands of dollars later, and still I couldn't just sit while riding.

Endless rough country roads.

Idaho scenery is hard to beat.

Much to my incredible disappointment, I had to admit that the Ohlins had failed at resolving my problem. They sent me to their European Bike Expert, who tried to teach me the internal workings of a shock, and why what I thought was wrong was not what was wrong. Attempts for me to muster interest were difficult as my patience had run out. I didn’t care. I just wanted the damn thing fixed. I did every single suggestion he made, exactly as he told to do it. The ride was only getting worse. At one point, he was on speaker phone while I was under my bike performing an entire suspension set-up the day before an important ride over Million Dollar Highway. Known as one of the ‘most dangerous roads in the world’, I was at my wit's end by the time I made the 250-mile ride to the foot of the highway. My feet hurt from having to stand and my body was exhausted from the poor ergonomics of being upright on a Ducati. I had to cancel Million Dollar Highway and ended up on a very challenging phone call with Ohlins that set me two hours behind schedule. To add insult to injury, getting the bike home became an issue as my clutch ended up needing to be bled in a roadside repair, multiple times, in the heat. There's nothing like having to ride through a city without a clutch, or overheating in gear while trying to bleed your clutch while on the road. I was ready to sell the bike out of sheer disgust.

ohlins roadside clutch bleeding

High maintenance super model bike.

Once back on the road, the suspension kept me from riding at any respectable speed, and many patience-testing moments arose like being passed on a hill by 18-wheelers....while riding a Ducati.

Weeks went by before I heard from Ohlins. Their next step was to send me yet another shock. This one was going to be radically modified not only for my weight from the inside out with preload, rebound, and compression but for the suspension limitations of the Diavel itself taken into consideration into the build (technical details of the build are in MCN's January article, Rights of Spring). Ohlins sent me this new shock at no charge, and agreed to cover the install fees of the technician of my choice. I started to feel that finally my issue was being taken seriously. I had just crossed paths with David Hilgendorf, editor of Motorcycle Consumer News (MCN). I am a huge fan of MCN, so David and I had a lot to talk about as we evaluated the industry benefits and failings. In this conversation, my frustrations about the limited options for a light rider came up, and before he heard much about my suspension issue, he immediately introduced me to his DownTime column writer, Kevin O’Shaughnessy. Kevin did R&D for Race Tech for a decade, is the current curriculum director for Motorcycle Mechanics Institute (MMI), the technical writer for MCN, and has a suspension business where he enjoys resolving difficult cases like mine. I was confident he could do the install and get my setting right, and check if there were any mechanical issues on the bike causing for my issues. This was my guy. Next thing I know, I am making the 800-mile round trip to put my fate into Kevin’s hands.

Kevin is that rare technician who allows the customer to hover around as he works, pretending to be useful. I was not useful, but I was good at hovering as he explained with patience things I never knew I wanted to know. This was a great distraction from the nerves in the pit of my stomach as I prepared for yet another letdown. I was struggling to accept the fact that if this didn’t work, I’d have to drop a considerable amount of horsepower, which would change how effective I could be on my riding events. I feared I’d be back to square one on any new bike, which would need lowering modifications and most likely a suspension sprung to my weight. Basically, starting all over again. Hour after agonizing hour, I tried to remember to breathe until it was time to test ride it. Instantly, I knew things had changed in a massive way. Kevin had me ride a loop for the next few hours as he gained my feedback and made suspension adjustments. The next few days were spent riding, adjusting, and taking notes from Kevin to then go ride, adjust, and take more notes from Kevin and do all over again. There is a process to testing suspension settings, and it is very time consuming.

Hovering over his shoulder.

Kevin making micro adjustments.

20,000 bone-jarring miles and five shocks later, I am finally experiencing a rideable motorcycle. The difference is unreal. No, it is not perfect, but it is the perfect compromise considering my weight and the structure of this motorcycle. I am finally able to simply sit on my bike while riding. No more hovering my bum over the seat, no more weight on the pegs in the apex of turns anticipating a bump to interrupt my line, no more demands for my full attention on scanning the road for bumps, and no more bucking me out of the saddle to slam me back down. Some of my daily routes now feel repaved, the ride is that improved. Ohlins accepted ‘my problem’ as ‘their problem’ and treated it as such, not stopping until they had it resolved and made a satisfied customer. Very few companies retain that level of integrity in their products, especially when it costs them money. Kevin explains it this way: any upgrade in suspension is so superior to stock that experts in the field can get a false sense of security that they truly understand the mechanism until someone comes along that is so far outside of the box that no off-the-shelf product will suffice. Case in point, a 105 pound rider who is 50-80 pounds outside of the target rider weight range. It takes someone with the specific understanding of each internal mechanism, and how those mechanisms affect each other, to accurately diagnose and solve the problem.

I explain it this way: Everyone’s an expert...until you need one.

Let's face it, the majority of our riding lives is spent riding on crappy roads through beautiful scenery. Instead of upgrading your bike, consider a suspension upgrade. Check out Ohlins and get yourself an expert like Kevin to properly install and set up for your exact specifications. It might save you considerable money in the end, and give you the ride of your life.

----------------------- -Kevin’s suspension services start at only $60 - he can be reached at (480) 251-6110 korsuspension@gmail.com

Kevin O’Shaughnessy has serviced and revalved most brands; including Ohlins, Bitubo, Sachs, Marzocchi, WP, Penske, Elka, Showa and KYB for OEM, aftermarket and factory race packages since 1994. His first Ohlins revalve was at the Laguna Seca Raceway 250 MOTOGP in 1994. Since, he has serviced hundreds of Ohlins and thousands of other brands over the past 20 years. He’s worked on dirt and street, including cruiser and touring, and suspension R&D during his 10 years working with Paul Thede at Race Tech. He has also performed R&D and tech-engineering at Polaris/Victory. He is the curriculum developer and trainer for motorcycle and marine (Harley-Davidson, BMW, KTM, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda, and Yamaha) at Motorcycle Mechanics Institute and Marine Mechanics Institute. Kevin also writes for the coveted Motorcycle Consumer News magazine helping readers solve their technical mechanical issues.