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You need to figure out if they are bottoming out or to stiff and topping out all the time. Check the amount of sag that you have , with the bike on the jiffy stand it should be about 1" and another 1/2 to 1 " when you are on it. If that is ok then try the zip tie method to get an idea if the shock is using its travel or not. Tie a small zip tie around the damper rod and push it up against the shock body go for a normal short ride and then look at the zip tie if it's pushed down to the rubber stops the shocks are bottoming out and the springs are to soft or need more preload or the hydraulics in the shocks are shot. If its barely moved down the shaft the springs are to stiff. Also did the shocks line up correctly or are they binding?
I've been running the 940 with the soft replacement spring for about 4000 miles and they work well for me.
did you set the sag the way they tell you to? If you don't set the sag you won't get optimum performance/ride. If they are set too soft they will bottom out and if you set them to firm they will top out and both give a jarring ride.
These shocks really need to be adjusted to the rider's weight. I am 197 lbs. and I have my shocks set on the third nutch. Yes, it's a little stiff at times, but when I hit a bump it doesn't feel like my bike is not falling apart.
Ok thanks all for the suggestions. On my way home from work now I stopped a few times to adjust the shocks. As of now I'm down to the second notch from the top and wow! No more feeling like the axle is gonna pop off on every bump. Now I have to get someone to give me a hand measuring the sag.
Getting really frustrated with these 700 dollar shocks!
3 days now I've been popping my saddlebags on every trip to adjust the shocks, I've tried every setting and it still feels worse then the 12 inch stock air shocks I had. I might just stick these up for sale.
just leave your saddle bags off until you get them adjusted, no need to keep putting them off and on. what is your weight? did you set te sag yet? really not worth trying to get them adjusted until the sag is set. It is easy to do just need another set of hands to help you measure. If you are under 210 you might think about having the lighter spring installed. it is free so a no brainer if you are not a heavy weight. Hopefully you did not pay $700 for them as they are availble new thru usmotoman.com for $469 shipped.
Last edited by mtclassic; May 2, 2012 at 12:10 AM.
just leave your saddle bags off until you get them adjusted, no need to keep putting them off and on. what is your weight? did you set te sag yet? really not worth trying to get them adjusted until the sag is set. It is easy to do just need another set of hands to help you measure. If you are under 210 you might think about having the lighter spring installed. it is free so a no brainer if you are not a heavy weight. Hopefully you did not pay $700 for them as they are availble new thru usmotoman.com for $469 shipped.
Can't leave the bags off as I Carry all my stuff to and from work, I Gotta get someone to help me do this sag measurement, I don't see any sag at all when I sit on it and when I set it to the softest setting I get this terrible metal on metal clang every time I hit a hard bump. I weigh around 240-245 and I paid just under $400.00 for these used.
Can't leave the bags off as I Carry all my stuff to and from work, I Gotta get someone to help me do this sag measurement, I don't see any sag at all when I sit on it and when I set it to the softest setting I get this terrible metal on metal clang every time I hit a hard bump. I weigh around 240-245 and I paid just under $400.00 for these used.
until you set the sag you are just wasting time. at your weight you should be fine with stock springs. It actually takes measuring to set the sag as you won't see it just sitting on the bike. You need to completely unweight the bike ie stand behind the bike lift up on the rear of the bike as much as you can and have someone measure the the ground straight up to the top bolt in the shock. Then sit on the bike with all your weight and have them measure the same place from the ground straight up to your top bolt in the shock. Until you do this it is just hit or miss.
until you set the sag you are just wasting time. at your weight you should be fine with stock springs. It actually takes measuring to set the sag as you won't see it just sitting on the bike. You need to completely unweight the bike ie stand behind the bike lift up on the rear of the bike as much as you can and have someone measure the the ground straight up to the top bolt in the shock. Then sit on the bike with all your weight and have them measure the same place from the ground straight up to your top bolt in the shock. Until you do this it is just hit or miss.
Ok thanks. I'll try to grab a co worker during my break tomorrow to give me a hand. What should the sag be? 3/4 to 1 inch?
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