I've owned many bikes, but have never tinkered with the suspension settings for the fear of screwing things up. However----I would like to know what settings work best for you guys out there who weigh 200lbs. If more performance can be gotten than from the factory set-up, then I'm up for trying it. And if I ride a 120lb passenger, what changes should I make to the settings for best handling in the curves?

 

There is not cut and dry answer to your questions. There are very many variable, opinions, experience, and other factors that contribute to suspension for the individual and the bike. I'd recommend you conduct a search, on this site or the web, for Suspension set ups. Educate yourself with the fundamentals, then inquiry for specifics.

I know I didn't offer much help, but it's important to read and educate yourself first. No one will be able to provide you with a black and white answer. OR at least that has been my experience.

Good Luck!

 

Well, to start with, your gonna need heavier fork springs. Then you need to set the sag front and rear. Once you get done with that, you'll want to test drive it and see how it feels. This will be the compression adjustment. For technical twisties and rough roads, you'll probably want to make the dampening quicker, so that it returns to neutral quicker so it will ready for the next bump/turn/road variation quicker!
(rather than the forks being half way down for the next turn)

Probably a good idea to have someone do your springs and the initial adjustment, record what they did, then tweek it in for you. Shouldn't be too much - maybe $120 for the springs and an hour's labor. Ohlins, Racetech, Traxxion all have them for your specific body weight.

 

Thorsome:

How long have you had the bike? Have you taken the bike to the places you will be riding, with and without your passenger? BEFORE you make any adjustments on the bike, do a test ride without a passenger. Feel how the bike responds to the curves and irregularities on the roads. Determine what the problem is FIRST, then decide what you need to do to fix the problem. This is really the best way to approach it because suspension settings are extrememly rider-dependent. What may work for one rider, will not necessarily work for the next rider.