Sound from the shocks on.

[TxVMax]

Ok newbie to the Vmax here need some help . My bike is an 05. The other day I had to take a friend home and rode 2up. I started to hear some weird sound like the shocks were hitting/ bottoming . Every time there was a small dip in the road I heard this grunt like rubbing sound like the tire was touching something. I immediately pulled over and set the rear to the hard setting but the front still made that sound. I noticed that the front mud guard had scratches on the black colored plastic area like it may have touched the radiator?
The previous owner was much shorter and had lowered the front end which he reset to regular height before I took the bike. Could he have done something to mess with the firmness/ setting of the front shocks ?

Also one more thing generally when the bike is cold like a morning start after running with the choke on I have noticed the bike do something weird when I ride it at slow speed. It makes a hissing sound like a misfire , it sounds like when you are filling air in a tire and detach the hose from the valve like the sound of compressed air (hissssssssst) from under the faux tank ???
Am I being paranoid or is this normal at startup ?

Bike being new to me I just don't wanna try anything crazy and mess it up even more.
Any info or advice on this would be appreciated
Thanks

 

[MR_NST]

i cant comment on the suspension, but the choke hissing noise... normal...

peace,
evan...

 

[TxVMax]

i cant comment on the suspension, but the choke hissing noise... normal...

peace,
evan...

Thanks that's a relief to hear that.

 

[naughtyG]

If the PO lowered the bike it's possible he put shorter parts (spacers) in the front forks - even shorter springs are a possibility but unlikely. Then when riding a lowered bike two-up it's easy to bottom out, especially if the front forks still have the OEM springs (which are too soft) and no or not enough air.
You can preload the front by pumping (use a bicycle pump - not comnpressed air) about 5 to 8 PSI into each valve on the fork tops.

Down the line you may want to undo the top nuts on the forks, and check out the length of the spacers in there (they're just PVC tubes sitting on top of the springs. It's also highly advisable to replace the springs with something better, a great (and quite inexpensive) example being Progressive springs.

And as Evan said, a bit of hissing and odd sputter and whatnot while running on choke is normal.

 

[TxVMax]

If the PO lowered the bike it's possible he put shorter parts (spacers) in the front forks - even shorter springs are a possibility but unlikely. Then when riding a lowered bike two-up it's easy to bottom out, especially if the front forks still have the OEM springs (which are too soft) and no or not enough air.
You can preload the front by pumping (use a bicycle pump - not comnpressed air) about 5 to 8 PSI into each valve on the fork tops.

Down the line you may want to undo the top nuts on the forks, and check out the length of the spacers in there (they're just PVC tubes sitting on top of the springs. It's also highly advisable to replace the springs with something better, a great (and quite inexpensive) example being Progressive springs.

And as Evan said, a bit of hissing and odd sputter and whatnot while running on choke is normal.

I'll check that out , thanks for the info. I appreciate it very much.