Advice please

[spookytooth]

When i got my bike i had it set up for me solo.Im a lite weight at 75 kg.The thing is my girfreind seems to think shes alowed to come for a ride too now she weighs around 60/65 kg. I find the bikes kinda floundering around a bit when i push it a bit into corners 2 up. It just a bit of a slow bounce and wobble its ok exiting corners with the power on.Anyways do i wind the spring down more or let it off a bit for the extra weight ? Thanks Paul

[FROSTY:Me]

You need MORE preload on the spring As per first thread -It would help knowing what bike you are riding

[spookytooth]

its a 04 thunderbirdsport all i really need to know is what why to wind the spring to stiffen it up titen it down or loosen it up ?i would have wound it down but have been told by a freinds auntys brother that u loosen a spring to make it harder so thats why i ask thanks

[tri boy]

Load the spring by "winding down". Try two turns of thread, if its a collar adjuster, or go up a position if its got a hydraulic adjuster.
Have you got the owners manual?

[spookytooth]

nope no manual i dont think it has any adjusters on top of the shock,but it dose have a soft hard setting at the bottom

[Robert Taylor]

You need MORE preload on the spring and same with the damping.
As per first thread -It would help knowing what bike you are riding

Irrespective of trying to be helpful it is of over-riding importance to actually get the reply right!

Adding preload is essentially correct but heck that is a dangerous statement about also adding damping because it makes too much assumption.

If there is an independent compression adjuster that may not need to be touched as adding preload may be enough, except if the bike is also super soft hydraulically. In any event there is always an optimum amount of free bleed for the suspension to cycle freely enough at low velocity shaft movements to follow the topography.

REBOUND DAMPING You DO NOT automatically add rebound damping if you have also added spring preload to account for the extra load of a passenger. Its kind of counter intuitive, more spring force will make it rebound faster and that may be applicable if its a motocross bike where you are standing on the pegs quite often and not loading the rear so much, or indeed any bike being ridden solo with the same rider. BUT when you add a passenger there is extra load over the rear of the bike making it return slower after being compressed. So why would you neccessarily add ( rebound ) damping? Sometimes you may even take a little away.

Ive said it before and Ill say it again, too much damping ( especially rebound ) is one of the biggest causes of crashes.

[BigG]

Irrespective of trying to be helpful it is of over-riding importance to actually get the reply right!

Adding preload is essentially correct but heck that is a dangerous statement about also adding damping because it makes too much assumption.

If there is an independent compression adjuster that may not need to be touched as adding preload may be enough, except if the bike is also super soft hydraulically. In any event there is always an optimum amount of free bleed for the suspension to cycle freely enough at low velocity shaft movements to follow the topography.

REBOUND DAMPING You DO NOT automatically add rebound damping if you have also added spring preload to account for the extra load of a passenger. Its kind of counter intuitive, more spring force will make it rebound faster and that may be applicable if its a motocross bike where you are standing on the pegs quite often and not loading the rear so much, or indeed any bike being ridden solo with the same rider. BUT when you add a passenger there is extra load over the rear of the bike making it return slower after being compressed. So why would you neccessarily add ( rebound ) damping? Sometimes you may even take a little away.

Ive said it before and Ill say it again, too much damping ( especially rebound ) is one of the biggest causes of crashes.

That was interesting.

[NUTBAR]

Go and see the guys at bayride, there is a guy that works there on saturdays
sorry cant rember his name, but he knows alot about seting up suspensions on bikes.

[FROSTY:Me]

Irrespective of trying to be helpful it is of over-riding importance to actually get the reply right!

Adding preload is essentially correct but heck that is a dangerous statement about also adding damping because it makes too much assumption.

Robert--refer to stickied thread in this forum asking for model etc
Its very hard to even suggest a "rough idea" of what to do when you have no idea of the bike in question let alone make an educated suggestion.
That was why my reply was short and to the point

[TLMAN]

Is it anything your MRS is doing. How much experience has she got as pillion?

[spookytooth]

thanks for the imput guys.All i really wanted to know was wind spring down or up Anything else that is not plaster related is beyond me The missus is prolly the best pillion i have ever had on a bike easy to forget she is even there.Went for a longish ride on weds and happened to look at the back tire and i think that could be a big cause of it. its worn very flat so theres a point when laying her over theres prolly less than half a mill of rubber touching.I am picing shes sliding for a sec then grabbing again,but as Broavo1 said i will prolly take it into bayride i I dont get alot of time away from work during the week except for the really nice days i bugger off for a ride

[Robert Taylor]

Robert--refer to stickied thread in this forum asking for model etc
Its very hard to even suggest a "rough idea" of what to do when you have no idea of the bike in question let alone make an educated suggestion.
That was why my reply was short and to the point

Exactly why you shouldnt have suggested adding damping, the same applies irrespective of model etc. When you are messing around with peoples safety a ''rough idea'' is just not acceptable, Ive seen too many people land on their heads because they were given a ''rough idea'' of setup......

[FROSTY:Me]

Exactly why you shouldnt have suggested adding damping, the same applies irrespective of model etc. When you are messing around with peoples safety a ''rough idea'' is just not acceptable, Ive seen too many people land on their heads because they were given a ''rough idea'' of setup......

Ill defer to a more experienced person.
I've always thought that if you double the load you'll need more spring preload. With that you'll need more damping to counteract the increased preload.
There ya go i learned something new