Shuriken
Well-Known Member
Which adjusts which? Does the dial on the top of the shock adjust damping and the bottom piece adjust pre-load?
Help Support VMAX Forum:
thingthatisdone
Member
that is correct
naughtyG
Well-Known Member
indeedy
kozy
Well-Known Member
What is the difference between damping and preload?? I've never understood that.
Preload is how much you preload the springs in addition to the weight of the bike. Damping is how fast the suspension compresses (compression damping) or uncompresses (rebound damping).
kozy
Well-Known Member
So....theoretically.....if a 200 lb. man and a 110lb. woman were to ride on a Vmax.....theoretically, mind you......what would be the ideal settings for the most comfortable ride???
naughtyG
Well-Known Member
Just to add to that - the more you preload your suspension the harder it'll get. So less comfortable, but sportier handling.
Also, you usually use higher preload settings when riding 2-up, so that your suspension doesn't bottom out as easily with the added weight.
Damping is really important. If you took damping out, you would bounce up and down uncontrollably. The perfect example is a car with 'dead shock absorbers' - the shocks on a car are usually the dampers, as the car is mounted on springs. So with dead absorbers (dampers), if you bounce the car it'll keep on bouncing for quite a while. With new absorbers (dampers), it should go down, bounce back up, and stop - properly damped.
The same is true on a bike - higher damping values reduce the bounce and make for a stiffer ride - again something you want when riding fast. You don't want to damp too much though, as if you go too far it won't bounce back enough to keep the wheel on the road after hitting a bump.
Also, you usually use higher preload settings when riding 2-up, so that your suspension doesn't bottom out as easily with the added weight.
Damping is really important. If you took damping out, you would bounce up and down uncontrollably. The perfect example is a car with 'dead shock absorbers' - the shocks on a car are usually the dampers, as the car is mounted on springs. So with dead absorbers (dampers), if you bounce the car it'll keep on bouncing for quite a while. With new absorbers (dampers), it should go down, bounce back up, and stop - properly damped.
The same is true on a bike - higher damping values reduce the bounce and make for a stiffer ride - again something you want when riding fast. You don't want to damp too much though, as if you go too far it won't bounce back enough to keep the wheel on the road after hitting a bump.
naughtyG
Well-Known Member
That's just the thing - do you want good handling, or comfort, as it's kind of one at the expense of the other..
Two up (300lb+) your preload should be in the higher settings - 4 or 5.
Damping I would leave in the middle - on 3.
You manual gives you good guidelines too for setting these up. In the end, nothing beats experimenting, so dial in a settings and go ride. Then try another, ride again and see if you felt an improvement or not. You should settle on the best settings easily that way
unk:
The manual says that preload and damping need to be set to the same number to maintain stability. I have never tried using different settings to test.
naughtyG
Well-Known Member
U sure about that Mark? I know you MUST use the same numbers on left and right shocks to maintain stability, but have never heard anything about preload and damping having to be the same. :ummm:
Attachments
Mine pretty much is set to max preload all the time and I vary the dampening with load (or style of riding). Dragstrip is maxed out settings all the way around. Trips with me and the lady are maxed out everything (with luggage). Otherwise for just daily riding it's 1-2.
Sean
Sean
Naughty, yep. Look on page 2-26...it's a page or two before the pic you included.
WARNING:
Always adjust read shock absorber preload and damping to the same setting. Uneven adjustment can cause poor handling andloss of stability.
WARNING:
Always adjust read shock absorber preload and damping to the same setting. Uneven adjustment can cause poor handling andloss of stability.
naughtyG
Well-Known Member
i agree, that warning is implied that each shock setting should match the opposite side shock. Not that the settings on each should should numerically match on that shock.
Sean
Sean
richwrench
Well-Known Member
I can easily see the damping number on the top of the shock, but I don't see any numbers on the bottom. How do I tell where my preload is set ?
naughtyG
Well-Known Member
There's supposed to be little lines on the bottom stem showing you the settings - see the attached pic of the manual.
I found there is one easy way to tell - as you adjust it, you can see the spring getting more or less compressed, and the adjuster ring moving up or down.
If it's getting more compressed, you're going toward the higher preload settings.
From memory, clockwise goes lower and anti-clockwise goes higher, but I could be wrong LOL..
Attachments
richwrench
Well-Known Member
Maybe if I cleaned my shocks once in a while I would have seen that - :biglaugh: - thanks - rich
Interesting. My manual is VMX12C (N-H_
Shuriken
Well-Known Member
Well, I'm going to fiddle with the damping and preload. I think the wrong settings can contribute to speed wobbling.... For example, the lack of damping at 90 plus and it feels like you're just riding on 4 springs? ....
MaxRyan
Active Member
My rear springs only have the numbers 1-4 on the top, the bike is an 85 are they aftermarket ?
Similar threads
