Suspension...?

Just wondered if you guys could offer me some advice. I've had my sv for oodles of years now, and have noticed that when I have her loaded up for shows, rallies etc. the extra weight on the bike actually makes it a better ride for me. Makes the bike feel more grounded....not so light...I was wondering if there are specialised places I can go, or just to a garage and get this sorted out...?

And more importantly, if I have it altered to suit me without a load, will it be worse or okay with load afterwards? Cheers

[dirtydog]

is your preload set to high on the rear shock?

Probably. I've just been reading through the other posts, and it seems everyone has the opposite problem to me. I don't have the tool kit so don't have the tool to alter it...I think I'll take the bike down to a mate's shop and get him to check it out for me.

[dirtydog]

i had my pre load set to max a little while ago and it felt very skittish if that makes sense? handled better when i turned it back down again

Yes, I found the same thing: having a tailpack on the back (although not a pillion) made my bike feel nicer and more planted. Initally, I put this down to the knackered stock rear shock. I've since replaced this with a Nitron shock (the most basic one without a remote resevoir). This has significantly improved the handling and after a bit of tweaking of the combined compression/rebound damping dial almost completely eliminated the wallowing I was previously suffering. I haven't bothered to alter the ride height and nitron assured me that the spring/preload were shipped at their recommended setting to suit my weight.

Now, the effect is certainly less pronounced with the new shock, but with the new shock, I still find it seems a bit more planted with a tailpack on. Any ideas as to why this might be? Do I just prefer "heavier" more planted bikes (I do like cornering on bigger bikes than SVs)?
Is there more tweaking of the suspension (preload) that I should do to sort it?

TIA.

Clanger, what rear shock have you got on your bike and what's the mileage of it?

Tyre pressure too high?

Originally Posted by sinbad

Tyre pressure too high?

Not on mine, I usually run it 1-2PSI down from the recommended 32:36 front:rear amounts.

Originally Posted by Ceri JC

Clanger, what rear shock have you got on your bike and what's the mileage of it?

Standard rear shock, hmmm mileage...almost 22k

It was a bit skittish in the early days, so I had the fronk fork springs changed...that did the trick...and the tyre pressures are usually 32 front and 34 rear.

[Viney]

I find the SV handle better two up. It seems to like wieght.