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Suspension Setting

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Hammo

Active member
Joined
Jun 28, 2023
Messages
202
Location
Stockton on Tees
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Bike
2022 R18 Classic
Hi , Excuse my memory i think this was approached a while back , any way my R19 Classic still feels quite stiff on the ride , i,m only 67 Kilos and maybe i am not re-setting the suspension correctly , at present i only solo ride and i have set it at two turns off the stop , i would fully appreciate any advice .
 
... she is a bit stiff, I agree ... I weigh in at 115 kg (with gear) and I have it at 1 turn and it feels about right (I ride solo only) ... so 67 kg will be a challenge ... I think Puck might be on to something ;)
 
R 18 Classic here
190 lbs and I ride it with 10 turns.
me + wife (105 lbs) and I ride it with 18 turns.
 
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I have mine set cranked up to 21. I perfer the stiffer ride in the rear and i dont bottom out when my wife or one of my kids are tagging along.
 
Hi , Excuse my memory i think this was approached a while back , any way my R19 Classic still feels quite stiff on the ride , i,m only 67 Kilos and maybe i am not re-setting the suspension correctly , at present i only solo ride and i have set it at two turns off the stop , i would fully appreciate any advice .
Using the chart Carmoman_84 provided (thank you, btw!), it would seem that you want your preload at zero.

Also, after adjusting, make sure to take your bike to an unused, long parking lot and do some aggressive straight start/stop brake tests to verify there's no unusual dipping in the front, or chattering rear-end when the ABS kicks in.

Safety first when doing these adjustments. IMO, your current stiff stance is already a safety hazard. 🤷‍♂️

Mike
 
Since you said you'd appreciate any advice..... get a new rear shock.... life is to short to suffer a shock scoped to carry 210kg of people reasonably safely 5 years from now..... when one weighs 67kg...... it's never going to give you what you deserve from your R18.

I weigh 75kg (83 geared up.... rarely do I ride naked these days.... the neighbours said "no more" once I turned 60.... yes, they are agiest...)... anyway, a Wilbers shock worked for me.... their +20mm one gives 25mm more travel.

Also, when I did have the stock shock, 2 turns of "preload" did not give any preload on my bike. There was about 2 turns of mechanism slack before the spring started to be preloaded.... so 4 was the old 2.....
 
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That chart is a pretty accurate guide. I’ve not seen it before. By trial & error I ended up at (as near as dammit) the 7-8 turns mark and I do weigh 120 kg. At 67kg my dog almost weighs as much as you so backed right off or as Noelpolar says maybe aftermarket may be necessary.
 
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