Welcome to the org.
I also only passed my test last year. with regards to your suspension i think it was a fellow EAR member that gave me this link
http://www.gostar-racing.com/information/motorcycle_suspension_set-up.htm it helps a bit but as many people have said the standard suspension isn't great. I did however find that the last owner of my bike had the rear preload set to its minimum and just setting it back to standard seemed to make quite a difference