I've spent a few days combing through the forums, including most of the stickied thread on shocks in this forum here. After going through it all, I feel totally overwhelmed. So many options to choose from at so many price points. So many opinions on progressive/linear springs. So many questions.
Here's my situation. I just want to upgrade from the stock suspension. I got a good deal on an unused set of Progressive Suspension front fork springs, and I'm looking for some rear shocks to complement them. I want them to be chromed. My Bonnie is mostly my commuter bike. Though I occasionally do longer rides 2-up with some luggage on the rack.
From what I gathered, I'm leaning towards:
Is having spring preload set by screw adjustment (the 7614/444) rather than fixed presets (7610) all that better? Is it more difficult to get both sides set to the same preload?
If you get the more expensive shocks (like the Ohlins) that have all the adjustments on it (compression/rebound damping, adjustable length, etc), is adjusting the suspension from solo riding to 2-up significantly more complicated? Or is it pretty quick once you know all the various settings for each type of riding?
For the front forks,
Here's my situation. I just want to upgrade from the stock suspension. I got a good deal on an unused set of Progressive Suspension front fork springs, and I'm looking for some rear shocks to complement them. I want them to be chromed. My Bonnie is mostly my commuter bike. Though I occasionally do longer rides 2-up with some luggage on the rack.
From what I gathered, I'm leaning towards:
- Ikon 7610
- Ikon 7614 (7614-1602 according to the 2014 catalog on their site)
- Progressive Suspension 444 series shocks
- Ohlins? (I can't make heads or tails of their configuration system)
Is having spring preload set by screw adjustment (the 7614/444) rather than fixed presets (7610) all that better? Is it more difficult to get both sides set to the same preload?
If you get the more expensive shocks (like the Ohlins) that have all the adjustments on it (compression/rebound damping, adjustable length, etc), is adjusting the suspension from solo riding to 2-up significantly more complicated? Or is it pretty quick once you know all the various settings for each type of riding?
For the front forks,
- Is it worth it to add the Thruxton front preload adjusters?
- For the riding I do, is switching the weight of the oil in the front forks something I should consider?