Adjustment of Shocks

[CaptonZap]

Lol, I think I'll just go out there and turn some stuff and go for a ride. Thanks for the guide though.

Now that's the spirit! CZ

[Schming]

You should...

Increase rear suspension preload is burn rubber; less preload is wheelies. Other than that it's just about ride. Some guys upgrade to aftermarket rear shocks. You will see the prelod steps on the outside of those rear shocks.

...also check the dampening dials on top of the rear shocks.

Make sure they are set the same on both shocks and not in between the numbers as that will give you, automatically, the stiffest ride.

I recommend starting at 3 and go up towards 4 for a stiffer ride and the opposite way, down towards 1 for a softer ride.

I ,when my '80G was together, riding solo, usually set the dial at 3 and changed to 4 when riding 2 up. YMMV HTH

[DGXSER]

Ian, softer = more bouncy, less direct impact to you. Stiffer = closer to beign a hard tail. The lower the numbers on your rear shock pre-loads, the softer the ride.

If yours are like the 81 Specials, at the bottom of the shock, there is a preload for the springs. You have to turn it along its steps. Think of it liek this, the step that is closest to the bottom of the shock is the highest preload or stiffest ride. Furthest form the bottom is softest ride.

I eventually bought a set of XJ air shocks for the back.

[skids]

Looks like he has a 79F. No dial on rear shocks. It will just have the setting crown (dont know what it is called) for preload that is set with a spanner wrench, if I remember correctly.

[mikubuilder]

you're correct, and I think more pre-load means stiffer ride(squeezing the spring gives it less travel)

[IanDMacDonald]

I'm one from the top. I guess I'll go all the way up and see if it softens up the ride (even though as described before, it's just a height adjustment). We'll see what happens. I'm 5'10", 160 lbs. Maybe I need to be consuming more fast food to get this bike under control, lol.

[ManagerMike]

Hating the ride quality I had when mine was new (to me), I emptied the forks and replaced the fluid with Dexron VI atf. As I discovered one fork was effectively empty at the outset of this endevour, this was a great improvement.
The preload for the rear shocks on my 78 were also set at the second from the highest, I dropped them down one setting and realized a notable improvement in ride quality. (By the way, dropping the preload does not require special tools, a large set of slip joint pliers will get the job done, but the spanner wrench is basically essential to go back up in preload setting without causing visible damage to the chrome.)
Eventually I dropped the preload on the fork springs and the rear shocks to their lowest settings and am very pleased with the outcome. The fellow I got the bike from was somewhere on the other side of 300 lbs., whereas I am a svelte 180 and almost never ride 2up.