I bought my '01 used and it didn't come with an owners manual, so i don't know the procedure for adjusting the suspension. I weigh about 150 #'s and it really seems like the rear suspension is too stiff for my size. Any help would be appreciated.

 

here is the rule of thumb for just about any bike: rear shock preload should be 30 percent of shock travel. front shock preload should be 20 percent of shock travel.

What this means: Measure the distance of the bumpers from the ground with the shocks fully extended. get on, measure again. You'll want a drop of 3-4 inches in the rear, and a drop of 2-3 inches in the front. Adjust spring preload to accomidate this.

You will have to play with the rear compression (rezzy) and rebound speed(bottom of shock) to find out what works best for your terrain. Spring Preload will stay should stay the same anywhere though. If the rear bucks like a bronco through whoops, slow the rebound.

After setting the front preload, toe will need adjusted. Ideally, you want 1/8" toe out with rider on seat. This means tie rods should be adjsuted so that the distance between the rear of the front tires is 1/8" greater than the distance between the front - measured from lug to lug, level with the horizontal plane of the axle. Any change in front preload will effect toe, becasue toe changes as suspension travels. Toe is always set with you on the bike.

 

Very informative Hightower, thanks. How exactly do I adjust the rebound on the rear shock? It definitely bucks thru the whoops.

P.S. We should be able to make it to Badlands on Saturday! I'll PM you with more details when I get everything together.

 

There is a screw at the bottom of the shock, on the right side, accessed through a hole in the side of the swingarm. If memory serves me correctly, clockwise will slow the rebound, and counter clock will speed it up. There's about 20 clicks to the adjustment travel, and it takes several to notice a real difference. Back it off 4 or 5 clicks at a time between rides to course adjust, then fine tune between more rides. You can see the effect by merely pushing the grab bar down and watching it spring back up - as you adjust it and recheck you will see the rebound speed change.