The calsci sight is fabulous but the rebound damping they recommend is too hard (it slows down the rebound too much) and can have negative effects on your traction.
Setting Your Sag:
For a base-line set-up you can do the following and then fine-tune from there. (You'll need some friends to help you measure since you'll be on the bike.)
- Put the bike on the center stand to get the rear wheel off the ground and extend the suspension.
- Use a measuring tape to measure from the center axle up vertically to a point on the chassis. Measure in millimeters to make doing the math easier. Record this measurement and lable it M1.
- Take the bike off the stand and have a couple of folks help hold the bike up while you get on it in riding position. Have a third friend push the rear down about an inch and let the rear come back up slowly (don't bounce it). When the suspension stops, measure from the center axle to the chasis point you measured to before. Record this measurement and lable it M2.
- With you still in the riding position get your third friend to lift up on the rear of the bike about an inch and let it settle slowly (still no bouncing). The measure again from the center axle to the chasis point. Record this measurement and lable it M3.
Do the following math:
M1 - [(M2+M3)/2]
This gives you your static spring sag. Ideally your sag should be set somewhere around 28-33% of total travel for street riding (front and rear) which translates to somewhere between 30-35 millimeters. Too much sag means you need more preload while too little sag means you need less preload. If you run out all your adjustment and still have too much sag you'll need stiffer springs. If you run out all your adjustment and have too little sag you'll need shorter or lighter springs.
You do the same thing to measure your front sag and you'll want 30-35 millimeters of sag there as well. Since the ST doesn't have front suspension adjustments you may find you need to adjust the thickness of the oil, add spacers, cut the springs (not likely), or get different springs in order to get a good sag set-up.
Doing the above will give you a base-line suspension set-up for front and rear. You can then adjust that further based on your riding style and preferences. If you're planning a track day, you might want to stiffen things up and run it in the 23-27% range (25-30mm) because you're not worried about road bumps or uneven pavement. For daily riding you might decide you want things to run a bit softer and run your sag closer to 33% (35mm). Then for twisties you might decide to run in the 27-28% range.
For greater detail on setting up suspension, Lee Parks' Total Control has an entire chapter on suspension and uses the above formula to get your base-line set-up.
Setting Your Rebound Damping
It's important to remember that the REBOUND DAMPING is NOT weight sensitive. I've adjusted over 25 ST's over the past two years teaching the Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic and, without fail, proper rebound damping has been at ~1 & 3/4 full turns to 2 full turns out from full hard on a stock shock. Any harder than that and the rebound is too slow (bounce on the rear with it set at full hard and you'll see how slow the bike rebounds - looks almost like it's sticking).
So to set your damping, set it to full hard and bounce it. You'll need a friend to help stabilize the front and hold the front brake while you stand at the back and give the suspension a good push down. When you release it just let it rise on it's own. Set at full hard it will look like the suspension is sticking as it rises up. Now set it to full soft and bounce it again. It will pogo so fast that it actually pulls the wheel off the ground and oscillates. Now, turn it back to full hard and dial it out 2 full turns. Bounce it and it will come up and settle without oscillating. If it oscillates, turn it a 1/4 turn towards hard and bounce it again. This will be darn close to "just right." Play around in 1/4 turns to get it dialed in perfectly - it should come up and just settle without looking like it's sticking and without oscillating.
Once again, we only have adjustments for the rear suspension. You can do the same measurements for sag on the front and check the damping on the front but you can't change it unless you up-grade the suspension.