Preload Adjustment.....Warranty ?

brianv

brianv

Joined
Mar 31, 2012
Messages
5
Location
Toledo, Ohio
Bike
2007 ST1300
Hello I have been reading and trying to get my suspension in order. I feel my bike is not set-up properly for my weight and amount of luggage i carry..
History...Have put about 2500 miles on this season.
My preload adjuster does not start to show resistance till the twelfth click...yes 12 ! I know the oil is low. When i purchased I purchased a 2 year Honda care extended warranty. Does anyone have any experience with them covering shocks ?
I am a small guy 5'9" weighing in at about 165#. When I crank the preload the bike becomes very loose, except when I had it loaded down with luggage for a long weekend trip.
Can I just unload the preload and leave it ? It seems to be more planted when it is in the lower position or heavily loaded.
Looking for some advise...and eating to gain weight is not the option :D
Thanks
Brian
 
Look at Mellow's included link, then go to message post #8 by Igofar. I used Igofar's method two weeks ago; took about an hour (first time l tried this). A huge improvement, and it was straight forward and simple. I/he used hydraulic jack fluid. A quart is much more than you will need.
 
Mellow...thats just what I was looking for.
soontobeone.....awesome add-on.
I do have a couple of quick questions cause you just did this.
All I have to do is top the fluid off reconnect the fitting and i am done ?
Do I need to work adjuster in then out and fill again ? this just seems to easy.
Brian
 
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I second the fix above...I did mine and it made a world of difference. It would take you longer to ride to the dealer and explain the problem than just doing it yourself.
 
Done....Just got back in from taking care of this.
Awesome....Thanks to everyone !
Plan on starting the preload at STD and see how it does.
nhdiesel what differences did you experience ?
 
A more planted feel, especially when 2-up. Without all the adjustment, your preload ends up being too low, essentially the same as having too short of a spring. Higher preload is kind of like having a firmer spring- you can handle heavier loads. I'm a big guy, so I really noticed it; add my wife, and the poor bike was really setting low & soft when 2-up.
 
Using Igofar's method, he had me do several things; three times empty the preload adjuster, each time screwing the adjuster to MAX, then back out to MIN. Refill with fluid each time; you're sort of flushing the adjuster. The last time, fill the adjuster, and reinstall, hooking up the fluid line. Adjust the adjuster to MAX (this refills the fluid line), then adjust to MIN., then remove the adjuster (again), undo the fluid line, refill the adjuster, reconnect the fluid line, then reinstall the adjuster. Once it is reinstalled, adjust the preload from the MIN setting clockwise 4 clicks (two full turns. The factory pre-set is 7 turns from MIN.) You should have a very firm knob at this point.

The next thing he had me do was to readjust the shock absorber Soft-Hard setting. On the right side of the bike, down toward the bottom of the shock absorber, on the swing arm there is a hole that you're going to be putting a screw driver through to readjust the hard-soft setting. Looking inside of the swing arm, and on the mounting base of the shock absorber there is a slotted screw (it's much easier to see with a flashlight). The slotted screw has a stamped punch mark on it, and directly opposite it, on the frame is another stamped punch mark. The factory setting is one full turn counter-clockwise from the HARD setting.

Turn the adjusting screw clockwise until it LIGHTLY seats at the full Hard position. Note where the punch mark on the screw is. This is your reference point for adjusting the screw. Now, turn the screw CCW (counterclockwise) 1 1/2 turns toward Soft.

This will make your ride more compliant and less jittery.

I'm traveling for work, now, and doing this from memory, so l may have missed something. But that is what l can recall. If this sounds confusing, leave a message and when l get home l can email the Step-by-Step instructions and some pictures. Alternatively, you can PM Igofar, describe what you need and he can email the instructions.
 
Springs are often described as "soft" or "hard" when a more technical description describes the spring in terms of it's "spring rate". The latter is how much weight is required to compress an unloaded free spring a certain distance. A 1.2 kg/mm spring will compress 1 mm when 1.2 kilogram is placed on it and 10 mm when 12 kilograms are placed on it. A softer spring is .86 kg/mm where .86 kg will compress the spring 1 mm and 8.6 kg will compress the spring 10 mm.

What preload does is increase the amount of weight required to initially compress the spring but it does not change the spring rate thereafter. The spring does not become "harder" or stiffer. With a rear shock this is handy to set the ride height were we want it when loaded with the usual weight of rider and gear. If we add a passenger we increase preload to keep the ride height where we want it despite the extra load above a solo rider weight. Beyond the initial compression when rider and passenger sit on the bike, the same ratio of 1.2 kg/mm describes the spring rate.

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?109391-ST1300-Video-Setting-rear-shock-rebound-adj
 
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****UPDATE*******
How the hell can $5.00 in hydraulic oil and about 30minutes of my time make such a big difference.
I drained and filled my pre-load oil and have it set for 7 clicks in.
With this repair done, my bike is very stable and planted is an understatement.
This feels like a new bike. I am truly amazed.
Thanks to everyone for your posts and info.....PRICELESS
 
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