| Author | Message | ||
     Erz |
Going to take my son on the bike tomorrow with my side bags full. Based on the owner book, looks like since I weigh about 200 and my son about 95, I should dam near crank the rear pre load knob all the way in. Does this sound about right? | ||
| Sparky |
I would add a little to the front too. Also helpful would be to increase the compression damping front and rear a little more than for just solo. And if you might be doing any canyon carving on this trip, then definitely go full max on preload and more damping when you get to the fun stuff. | ||
| L_je |
Be sure to increase you compression/rebound accordingly, like Sparky said. I bought a 22mm socket to make adjusting the front preload easier. Using the tool that comes with the tool kit just seemed to take forever, and because of that, I would seldom up my front pre-load in sync with the rear. And, without the corresponding compression/rebound adjustments, the bike may "wallow" a bit in the tight stuff, or when running over expansion joints on the interstate. Riding with the proper suspension adjustments is the difference between night and day. | ||
| Hooliken |
A 7/8 socket and a 12" extension on a 1/2 rachet worked perfect for me. Using either a 22mm or 7/8 is fine on this since there is very little resistance to turning. I set my bike up to the recommended settings for my weight and I had to back off a little on preload and compression on both ends because it made the ride very harsh. | ||
| Roadrailer |
Sounds about right. I'm 175, and my wife is a bit under 100, and I come very close to maxing out the preload on the rear. | ||
| Erz |
Am I going to have any overly dangerous handling if I adjust just the back pre load setting and don't mess with the front. I do not have a socket that fits the front at the moment. | ||
| Maximum |
No you will not. I have my bike set up by the book for my weight, and if one of my kids hop on the back for a quick ride, I don't adjust anything and the bike does fine. With that said, I don't ride as aggressive with my kids (or any passenger for that matter) on the back. If you were planning to ride more aggressively two up, then by all means set the suspension by the book for that weight. | ||
| Erz |
If I am going to go buy a socket to adjust the front pre load which is the better 22MM or 7/8? | ||
| L_je |
Buy the 22mm, and keep it under the seat; you'll never use it for anything else. Using the socket makes the front preload adjustment a no-brainer. In fact you may ask strangers to hop on the back, just so you have an excuse to adjust the front preload/compression/rebound. If you only adjust the rear preload, you'll start to notice poor handling in the tight stuff. If you don't adjust the rear preload, you'll notice even worse handling. My wife and I rode up to Barber for the AMA races. She was a bit under the weather, so she ditched the Duc, and we rode two-up on the Uly. I wrenched and screwed everything per the manual, and the ride was outstanding. The bike seemed to handle no differently with her on the back, and 10 pounds of photo gear in the topcase! On the way home, we took some twisty, albeit poorly maintained, AL county roads. We caught air going over RxR crossings, and some washed-out sections. Tossing the bike in the transitions from left to right was effortless. An absolute joy. |
