Pillion Set Up
 

Going to the AR with a mate on the back, wants to experience the whole biking thing. Whats the best way to set up the SV for such a big ride. Im 15 ish stone and hes 12, we're both quite tall too. I dont mind him on the back(even though the crash in January he was on the back)just that such a big distance i reckon i'll have to changed couple of bits. Whats the best for pillion set ups?

Re: Pillion Set Up
 

General recommendation is to up the rear pre-load a notch or 2. Some people say a couple of extra psi in the tyres too, but that depends on what ruber boots you have on really.

Re: Pillion Set Up
 

Where abouts do i up the preload? Haven't got my haynes available due to a house move :(

Re: Pillion Set Up
 

The ring on the rear shock (that the top of the spring rests on) that can be rotated with a C-spanner, it has 8 different settings if I remember correctly.

Re: Pillion Set Up
 

Personally I tend to put the rear up two and the front up one, but then on my lonesome I have them set very low anyway (being all of about 9 stone), and the missus on the back kinda puts our combined weight at that of one chunky bloke :D

That said, I've forgotten before and it's not made too much of a difference, I ride like a total pansy when I've got a pillion (it's one thing killing myself through stupidity, taking someone else with you is a whole different ball game) and so am not taxing the suspension really. Front end dive under braking is much more noticable with a pillion (though stiffer springs are obviously the better cure here, but more preload at least should give more available travel so it shouldn't bottom out).

Re: Pillion Set Up
 

Yer thats wat i mean, i dont ride like a nob like i do on my own, its just that i go over bumps with him on the back and somethings scrapes on the bumps. I will give the pre load a try. By the sound of it the front is adjustable too, where abouts is this? Sorry i'm an amateur when it comes to fixing the bike.

Re: Pillion Set Up
 

With me (13 st in them days) and my 11st son on board on stock suspension (curvey), I needed rear preload on max.

To adjust look at the top of the rear shock, there is a silver stepped collar. Take note of what it is on now, so you can set back for solo riding. Get the C-spanner from the tool kit and the extension bar, fit together. Hook the C-spanner into the silver collar and turn clockwise until it 'clicks' into next step. Repeat until the lugs at the top of the shock are on the highest step of the collar. All is clear when yo have a look at the shock.

Re: Pillion Set Up
 

I've been out with the better half on the back last week one evening for a couple of hours and we total a similar weight as you and your mate, but we weren't carrying any luggage. The rear shock was 1 off max on the preload and the tyres at 36psi front and 42psi rear. It felt good on the smoother tarmac from glossop to ladybower, and just about ok on the really obscure mega bumpy unlisted road we used on the way back. I just had to remember I couldn't sling the bike about quite as quickly us both on it (think it's to do with the rear of the bike being sat down further than normal slowing the steering geometry) and take it smoothly.

Re: Pillion Set Up
 

Plowsie, you won't have any preload adjustment on the front unless your bike has been uprated with K2 preload adjusters, so you've just the back to fiddle with.

Re: Pillion Set Up
 

Ahh, a curvy person may need to confirm whether (and if so, what models) had adjustable front preload. On the pointy it's just a couple of threads sticking out the top of the yoke, more rings on the thread visible = less preload.

Re: Pillion Set Up
 

Thought so and theres the confirmation from minimatt lol. Cheers for the help though guys!

Re: Pillion Set Up
 

Thanks for all the help guys. Might have a play 2nite to see how we feel.

Re: Pillion Set Up
 

Sorry for bringing my own thread back to life, but looking at the bike yesterday before it went off to get fixed with the airbox problem, the supspension is already on top setting. I've been riding it for 8 months with my suspension too hard. Could this be the answer to my leaning and cornering problems? Also riding like this for 8 months may it have affected the suspension itself?

Re: Pillion Set Up
 

You were looking at pre-load, not stiffness. I'd argue that pre-load, by the very nature of what it does, will affect stiffness a little but it's arguable as to whether it's a noticable amount.

Pre-load will denote the bikes overall geometry though, which will affect how the bike turns into a corner, and the stability in the corner should you hit any bumps etc.

Re: Pillion Set Up
 

The preload will not affect the stiffness of the suspension. The only way to make the suspension harder or softer is to change the springs.

For the 'N'th time: Preload only changes your position in the suspension's available travel under any given load. Raising the rear preload of the suspension of a modern motorbike with a rising rate suspension system will actually reduce the apparent spring rate as, for any given load, the suspension will be further extended and thus the linkage in a lower section of the rate curve.