Yesterday I got my usual Cycle Gear Bike Night email saying that Dave Moss would be at the store in Santa Rosa (~100 miles north of San Francisco on Hwy 101) AND for $20.00 he would set up your suspension. What's not to like about that? So, 125 miles later, I'm in Santa Rosa and sure enough, he's there in the parking lot setting up bikes and talking to the owners about their set-up.
Y'all may recall I got my 2010 in early March and with a 30" inseam, immediately had to perform the "Max" mods... lower links, low Sargent seat, Risers (3" from Kawi Police Authority), but of course the bike was new to me, so when I rode it, it didn't feel weird cause it was new to me and I had no comparative data. I did set the rear sag/preload to 18 clicks in, so that felt okay to me, too. But, I didn't lower the front of the bike cause I felt like that was too easy to screw up. So I've been riding the bike for 5 months now with "MY" setup.
Dave also said the set up had minimal preload in the front and the damper needed adjusting, too. The rear
static sag adjustment was way off so basically I was bouncing in the corners and when I hit the brakes, all the weight went to the front.
I know a lot of you (most, probably) are way more experienced with sport type suspension, but my experience is on a V-twin, which has no set up except rear preload (five positions to choose from).
so, you will probably NOT be surprised when I tell you that the ride home was like on a completely new bike. I got in a 100 mile ride this morning (with a bit of twisties up in the Oakland hills). Again, wow! What a difference.
My take-away is this... It's very nice to be part of the forum and to learn from you guys about my bike, but there is a simple axiom that still applies... I can do simple stuff like put on Canyon cages, and reflective tape on the back; Hell, even wire up a new horn relay... but when it comes to messing with things that can go very wrong and be "incompatible with life", like suspension set-up, I think I'll pay more attention to my personal abilities and prior experience. If I don't know how it's supposed to be like, how would I know if it's right.
Here is a pic of me and my bike with Dave Moss.
