rear shock adjustment

I was flipping through my shop manual today and read the part about adjusting the shocks. Since I've got an FXDL I can only adjust the rear shocks. I looked under the bottom cup on the shocks and noticed that they are adjusted so that the shocks are as short as possible. The manual stated that for heavier riders or two-up the shocks need to be adjusted so that the spring is more compressed and the shock is shorter. I weigh about 185-190 with boots jacket and helmet and I think the bike is supposed to come from the factory adjusted for a 180lb average rider.

I wanted to see what it was like with a different adjustment so I turned the cam so that it was one notch from the longest that the shocks could get. Then I went for a ride. I can't say that I noticed any major difference. Maybe it was a tad bouncier but I'm not even sure about that. I'm thinking of adjusting them to the full out position so that they are as long as possible. Just to see if the ride is different.

Does anybody have any experience in this area? Am I correct in assuming that when I adjust the shocks to be longer the ride height of the bike is being raised? Is it possible that I don't weigh enough to have the shocks adjusted fully out and that it might be a little less safe, or will the suspension just have more cushin for the pushin?

JJ

Making the spring shorter places more tension on the spring and makes the ride stiffer. If you ride two up and are bottoming out try making it shorter until the bike stops bottoming out. Make sure to adjust both evenly or as the manual states it may result in serious injury or death.

Originally Posted by Deuce02

Making the spring shorter places more tension on the spring and makes the ride stiffer. If you ride two up and are bottoming out try making it shorter until the bike stops bottoming out. Make sure to adjust both evenly or as the manual states it may result in serious injury or death.

I think what you are adjusting is called pre-load. It pre-loads the spring so it doesn't compress as much (pre-loaded). The bouncyness (new word) would be affected by playing with this. I do not think the ride height is changed. As Deuce02 stated it will stop you from bottoming out if you increase the pre-load.

sacfxdx

Correct. The only adjustment is for pre-load, which will vary based on the amount of weight being carried on the bike.

Thanks for the help. I tried several different setting and finally settle on one that I like.

I do think that adjusting the preload does affect the ride height though. When adjusting, the spring is being compressed or extended and the rear shock length is the variable (one of them anyway) in the seat height of the bike. So unless I'm completely confused I'm sure that when I backed off the cam on my skocks my seat height actually raised up some because I was lengthening the shocks.

Am I on crack?

JJ

The adjuster that you are turning should be traveling on a threaded path around the shock. The spring can lengthen without the inside shock changeing length. At least that is my impression. I adjusted mine once and then left it alone so I could be wrong. Of course that would be a first, NOT.

Originally Posted by sacfxdx

The adjuster that you are turning should be traveling on a threaded path around the shock. The spring can lengthen without the inside shock changeing length. At least that is my impression. I adjusted mine once and then left it alone so I could be wrong. Of course that would be a first, NOT.

I weigh about 180. What should my Super Glide be set to??

Audible

Originally Posted by Audible

I weigh about 180. What should my Super Glide be set to??

Audible

Audi, I set mine on the middle setting and like it very much. With the shocks adjusted any less firm my bike seemed to float a little in corners. With them set on a firmer setting, like it was when I bought it, I felt like I was always bottoming out or like there was no travel in the rear suspension. With them set on the middle setting I now feel the rear suspension absord the bumps instead of the spine jarring sensation that I used to have and I don't feel like I'm bouncing in the corners like it did when I had it set on a less firm setting. YMMV

JJ