I put the 2" drop collars on the bike and of course it rides like crap two up. I have to adjust the shocks but it seems like such a hassle to adjust shocks compared to something like a Dyna with the shocks on the side so I want to set it and forget it as best as I can.

My issue is that I'll probably be riding two up at least half the time and so how should I set my shocks? Should I adjust the preload to compensate for two up as best as possible and deal with it when riding solo? How is this going to affect the solo ride? I won't bottom out, that's for sure, but is it going to be unbearable?

 

That is what I did and have always done on all my bikes. When riding solo I have always liked a stiffer ride.

The bikes come from the factory set up for a 160 lb rider, (I am not ) LOL

I found the Softail shocks to be pretty easy to adjust, I did pick up the Shock Adjustment Spanner PN# 94448-82B which helped.

You simply back off two bolts and adjust the shocks to yoru liking and then tighten the bolts back up again.

 

The Softail has a shorter length of travel for the suspension than the typical side shocks offer.

It's why I never considered a lowering kit and went straight to the Shotgun system. Instant adjustment to the road/load as needed.

You're going to have to set it up pretty firm for two up which will mean a harsh ride solo or two up.

 

I'll be getting the shotgun eventually, but not right this second...

 

If you are not going aftermarket shocks, I would set them up just a bit stiffer than you would for your solo riding. If you are doing a 50-50 solo/2-up riding regularly, you wil always be doing a compromise. Your suspension will never be set up perfectly for either solo or 2-up. Know that going into it.

That said, folks have been setting up their suspension on a compromise for as long as there have been motor vehicles. It is not an ideal state of affairs, but unless you are willing to adjust pre-load on your rear shocks each time you switch from solo to 2-up (or visa-versa) a compromise you will have. To be fair, adjusting pre-load on the rear shock is a five minute affair, especially if you do it regularly and have the nuts/bolts lubed up and mark your shocks with a dab of paint to indicate where they should be for each setting. Probably no more than one complete turn of the shock between settings.

Joke: Make sure both you and your passenger weigh yourself regularly to ensure those settings don't need to be changed. Also note the length of your toenails as they weigh more if they need cutting. And how much you eat at lunch can be a factor too!. End joke.

Seriously, consider adjusting the suspension when you check the tire pressure. Those should be set differently too when riding solo versus riding 2-up.

 

I used bolts on my stock shocks.... Use the spanner wrench and tighten them up all the way. With them tightened up all the way your ride will actually feel softer and with less bottom outs of the shocks... Do it and you will see...

take it easy!!!

 

I recently adjusted the shocks on my Heritage. The previous owner was a very light person. I am not a very light person, and my wife and I ride together a lot. I found this detailed explanation on Softail shock adjustment and it proved to be spot on regarding the shock turns to total weight ratio. I do not have a jack, so I just drove the front of the bike onto a ramp in order to get enough room under the bike to use the wrench.



Softails's come from the factory with the lightest setting for the rear shocks (for <180lbs solo rider). However, they can handle well over 400lbs with no problems with a simple preload adjustment.

The service manual is a bit vague on how to set the preload. The procedure I use is fairly simple. Its based on the procedure from fatbillscustoms.com, but their website is gone now. It was fairly detained. I've made some tweaks to it for simplicity... Enjoy...

1) Jack the bike up so the rear tire is off the ground. The more clearance you have the easier it is. Don't forget to strap the bike down. You don't want it falling on you while your wrenching underneath it.
2) Loosen the jam nut all the way out. Its a 1-11/16" nut. If it doesn't want to loosen easily (which is often the case), soak it in some penetrating lube.
3) With a spanner wrench (HD p/n 94448-82B) turn the adjuster plate counter-clockwise (so the shock housing moves towards the front of the bike) until its up against the jam nut.
4) Then take a light colored paint pen, or a piece of duck tape, and mark the 6 o'clock position on the adjuster plate to use as a reference point when doing your adjustment. Don't worry if they're not in exactly the same position on both shocks. Thats normal.

Now your ready to adjust the shocks to your weight/load.

5) With the spanner wrench, turn the adjuster plate clockwise no more then 4 complete turns by counting how many times the mark from step 4 crosses the 6 o'clock position. 0 turns is the stiffest setting, and 4 turns is the softest setting.
6) While holding the adjuster plate in place with the spanner wrench, tighten the jam nut up against the adjuster plate by turning the nut clockwise.
6) Now repeat the exact same process on the other shock. The key is to adjust both shocks equally.

The general rule of thumb I use is:
4 turns for load <= 180 lbs
3 turns for 180lbs < load <= 235lbs
2 turns for 235lbs < load <= 300lbs
1 turn for 300lbs < load <= 375lbs
0 turns for 375 < load

Examples:
235lbs solo rider: 3 full turns
235lbs solo rider + 32lbs pack: 2.5 turns
235lbs rider + 150lbs passenger + 32lbs pack: 0.5 turns

Note: you may be tempted to skip step 1 and not jack the bike up. Resist the urge. A stock ride height with the bike on its kick-stand, you may be able to use a crowsfoot or similar to get the jam nut loose, but you will have little to no room to use the spanner wrench. So take the time to do it right and jack the bike up. It only takes a minute (including strapping the bike down).

 

Great info Jimmy!

 

I'm going to definitely do this before my next ride. I was scraping the edge of my tire on a bolt when I was bottoming out and I'm hoping I can go without that happening if I adjust the shocks. I don't really feel like taking the wheel off to trim more stuff. Maybe I'll throw the 1.5" collars on there if that doesn't work and see if it helps.

It was so much easier for the sport bike. Set it up as a general track day suspension and rarely ride with a passenger...Those were the days...

 

Ride 2 up 95% of the time, so I had mine adjusted at the 1 turn since the 1k..

I've had the front bottom out since then, but I dont remember the rear doing it since then.

Still she's not hard ridding at all IMO>




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