Triumphrat

GrayMitchell

Hey guys, What do you think is the best setting for the stock rear shocks on the T100? When I bought it the setting was in the middle. Any opinions?

-Gray

kliff

Whatever is comfortable to the rider. The Bonnie rear shocks only adjust pre-load, usually used to compensate for rider weight.
I weigh 270, and use the 3rd from lightest setting, for normal riding, and the stiffest position for spiritted riding.

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kliff

http://ironcurtainmc.proboards101.com/index.cgi

FattRat

Hate to break it to you, but softest is best......
UNLESS or until you upgrade the fluid and/or spring in your tubes up front.

I used to weigh 255 pounds and ran my rear shock in it's hardest setting because I rode hard & fast. My bike jumped all over the place, never staying glued to the ground. When I was advised to set the rear shock on it's softest setting because "...those tubes up front have ZERO damping!?!?!", well, the bike took to the canyon carving MUCH better.

If a guy is heavier than the 255 I used to be, sure..... bump the rear shock preload up a notch or two, but don't play RickyRoadRacer on the tight stuff!

Everybody should AT THE VERY LEAST upgrade the fluid in their front end.

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- 'Rider' -

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pabonne

interesting. I automatically set my rear shocks to the stiffest setting but honestly... I can't say I noticed any improvement in the overall handling. My rear tire definitely hops around a bit. Maybe I'll switch to the softest setting for a while and get a feel for the two extremes.

So just changing the oil in the forks can improve the damping?

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2003 790 (black, not Black) KARK'd, K&N Cones, Staintunes, 130/42 jets, 2.5 turns out, BC Superbars, CRG LS mirrors, Generic Rubber, 16t

Why? Too many H-D's.

SCbonneville

The best setting for the stock shocks is "in the trash can"... Sorry for the harsh humor.. but the stock suspension sucks!

A good set of shocks (I'm really sold on the Progressive 440 series shocks) and dual rate fork springs with a fresh fill of fork oil set to the proper level will make a world of difference in handling and comfort... Some of the best money you'll spend on the Bonnie....

vertwrks

I have to say I am plannin my next upgrade to be my rear shocks but I found the softest setting best for hard riding. Two up I run it next to softest. I felt the ride was too harsh unless it was set at the softest setting. I only weigh 145 though. Progressives up front helped the front end a good bit.

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04 Bonneville w/904 kit, 1mm over valves, ported, ARK'd, Bub's, HSR 42's, F3 forks, kyb rear shox, F3 clip ons, Brembo M/C, 6 pot caliper, 17" Excel's, this & that

Silverado57

Interesting post.
On the Speedmaster I set it to the highest notch for 2-up riding. (Total rider/passenger weight of about 350 lbs.)

I had gotten lazy about resetting it to the third notch and I've been leaving it on the higest notch. I'm glad I read this because the back end did feel a bit jumpy when riding solo. I'll be sure to reset it.
Thanks guys!

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Kevin
Luceo Non Uro
NJ USA

setts

The spring does the work. Pre-load is the tension in the spring that allows the spring to follow the road when you ride over a dip for example. The damping controls the behaviour of the spring in both in compression and rebound. The best advice with non-adjustable suspension (like the Bonnie) is to see what works best for you. But generally: First you need to determine your correct spring rate - generally your weight determines this. (Most modem bikes seem to use a 75-80kg as the mean rider weight) If you buy custom springs from a reputable supplier you can be pretty sure they'll get this right. Then you need to set the sag by adjusting the pre-load. There are base lines for this and it's pretty simple to do. Then you need the correct damping fluid and correctly set compression and rebound damping. This depends largely on what feels right to you. Fully adjustable suspension will allow you to tune your suspension. It takes time, but if you do some reading it's not too difficult. The key is to own fully adjustable suspension. Unfortunately neither the Bonnie nor the Thrux really have this. Adjustable pre-load has limited functionality but its better than nothing. If you really want a safe handling bike you need to bin the stock suspension, both front and rear and replace it with custom spring suspension that is adjustable for pre-load and compression and rebound damping. Sorry but that's the truth!