Hey guys, I went for my first ride yesterday on a 2014 SGS I just got. The seller was a big guy who usually rode 2 up, he had the preload cranked up past the midway point, and he recommended I dial it down. I'm 215lbs fully geared up, and the bike doesn't have any mods that add extra weight, so according to the Owner's Manual, I should have it all the way down, no preload.

Every time I hit a moderate bump it felt pretty hard. At one point I was in a right curve and the road had a series of spots where it was lifted (common in winter). The result was the bike literally bounced towards the center line, and I was almost off the seat a couple times. I never had that happen before and needless to say, not happy!

From what I'm reading, adding preload is going to make the suspension even more stiff and just make things worse. True? I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do here. Throw 20 pound sandbags in the saddlebags?

NOT how I expected my first ride to go! Considering the nut I just spent to get this bike, the last thing I want to do is have to spend more on different shocks. Sigh. Any ideas?

 

Almost all shocks will need some preload, unless you weigh like 120lbs..... you weigh 215, so I feel confident in saying the "no preload" you set the shocks at, is way too light... I would suspect at that weight, for most shocks, you would be near the middle for preload adjustment, or on a shock with heavy duty springs, maybe the bottom 3rd.....

What you are feeling is probably the shocks bottoming out, because you have no preload....

In a simplified nutshell.... too much preload and your suspension will feel firm, too little preload and your suspension will bottom out, which is harsh, and be too springy in between bottoming out...

All shocks have a "stroke". That is the entire length the shock can travel. Preload is just setting your Rider Sag, so that the shock, with rider/gear on board, is at 2/3 of maximum "stroke".. You want the preload adjusted with the bike, rider, and gear, so the shock is in a point of its travel that will give 2/3 stroke for compression and 1/3 stroke for rebound...

For example, if you have a shock with max stroke of 3"... then with you sitting on the bike, and the bike loaded as you intend to ride it, the shock is compressed 1" down from max height

On a coil over shock, the springs hold up the bike and the internals of the shock control the ride quality/damping...

Many shocks only have a preload setting. They may not ride well even with the proper preload due to the quality/design/weight range of the shock...

As the cost of shocks increase, so does the quality of the design (emulsion to gas separated to gas separated with a remote reservoir) and the ability to control more than just the preload setting. Some quality shocks allow for overall damping control, and some individual rebound and compression damping control...

The above was an oversimplified explanation..... but hopefully you get the idea...

If you research "setting shock preload" along with terms like "sag", "rider sag", and "shock stroke" you will get hours of reading and a much better understanding then my post offers..

Good luck with your shock adjustment

 

hat, thanks so much for the detailed reply! I'm planning to head out for another ride today, I'm going to dial in some preload and see how it is.

 

As "hattitude" stated you're bottoming out the travel and have no absorption when experiencing bumps or in dips. Can be dangerous if in a curve or evasive maneuver. I'm really close to your weight and I set mine at 10-12 riding solo and 15 or more depending on the passenger before changing to my "Progressive" shocks.

 

Even if you get the preload dialed in better you'll still find the stock 12" shocks are nothing to write home about. There's a reason why suspension upgrades on Street and Road Glides are very popular; 2 inches of suspension travel doesn't make for a comfortable ride.

 

Yeah, this reminds me of what I went through when I got a Sportster. 🙄

 

You guys are lifesavers. I dialed it up to 7 and went out for 60 miles - night and day, it's a whole different bike. Maybe next year I'll put some 12.5" shocks on the back for a softer ride. But at least it's ridable now. Well, on to the next thing!

 

Dynamick is right. 2" of travel is not comfortable and was not for me either on my 2017 Street Glide so I bought a HD Hammock seat for it and it absorbed much of the bumps along the road. I had mine dialed at the lowest setting as well.