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It's pretty even. 

Yeah, they're great! 

I've ridden the shit out of the 009 rear. 5 of em in all. I average about 4500 miles each. That's a lot for me. 

I've been thinking about suspension setup recently and wanted to make a couple minor adjustments to my shock. I found this article about tire wear patterns and how they read.  My stock tire was an exact match for "Rebound too Fast" after 5500 miles on the edge tread grooves.  The center tread was gone, so it's not like I didn't get the full life of the tire. On the FJ-09 rear shock we have preload and rebound adjustment only.  I could be wrong, but I want to think that increasing preload stiffens the spring and helps push the tire back out harder after suspension compression, so less rebound is needed.
I had my stock screw at the standard 1.5 turns out (right in the middle).  My preload was set to two clicks below maximum hardness.  Last night, I changed rebound to 2 turns from max to ease it up.  I also changed preload to 3 clicks from maximum hardness.  I didn't notice any appreciable difference in a commute ride, but I haven't pushed it in any way.
I suppose my questions is:  How does rebound and preload interact and do they affect each other? 

Couple comments, purely intended to help ...... 
Forget looking at tire wear to set the suspension.  Tire wear WILL give you some guide about tire pressures, but not sag, rebound or compression damping.  
 
Adjusting preload has ZERO affect on stiffening or softening the spring.  All it does is raise or lower that end of the motorcycle.  It's important to get preload/sag correct as having the bike ride in the correct part of the suspension (roughly 1/3 of available travel), as well as having the correct front to rear height relationship is very important to handling.  However it doesn't make the springs 'stiffer', not one little bit.  Set the front and rear sag correctly, by static measurement in the workshop.  How to do it is well documented in numerous articles you'll find on the internet.  Once measured and set, don't touch it again.
 
So to your question "how does rebound and pre-load interact?  Simple answer, they don't interact at all.  As previously explained the sole purpose of preload is to set the static position of the motorcycle in the suspension travel.  Rebound is to control the rate of return of the compressed spring after it encounters a bump (or anything else that causes the spring to compress e.g. rear squat, front braking, cornering forces).  
 
So in practical terms, set sag by measuring and adjusting it in the workshop.  Set rebound damping on the road to get an appropriate balance between firming it up to remove any wallow in the corners on smooth roads, yet at the same time be fast enough to give an acceptable and compliant ride over rough roads.  It will always be a balance between these two competing objectives that only the individual rider can determine.  
 
Good luck, and if anything needs clarification don't hesitate.
 
P.S. and if your're scratching your head trying to figure why screwing up the preload doesn't stiffen the spring, consider your humble bathroom scale.  Does sticking a block of wood under the scale increase what the scale says you weigh (determined by how much the spring inside the scales compresses) or just increase your height when you're standing on the scales???  The preload adjuster is in principal no more than that block of wood.  Screwing up the preload adjuster just pushes against one end of the spring, bike just goes up, amount spring compressed remains unaffected (solely determined by the weight of motorcycle and rider it is supporting).
 
 

I like it, but don't see paying $200 for a piece of plastic. Now if it was carbon fiber, that would be a different story!!

This is an excellent resource. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their experiences!

Was your bike part of the clutch recall? If so, I wonder if something coming loose inside.

any updates? should i be taking in my 15 FJ?

...asking your dealer not an option? If your VIN is on the hit list.... could be as simple as that, no?

So, reading through the posts, it sounds like in a slow speed get off or tip over, the Givi crash bars will still allow a bit of damage to the engine, but the H&B, SW Motec and Higdonion keep the engine and plastics from hitting the ground? 
I'm trying to figure out what combo of sliders, bar ends and crash bars I should strap on to try and minimize damage to the bike when (and not if) I drop it at a pull out. I like the look of the bike pretty clean, so I'm trying to avoid a full Mad Max.

Good write up. I cracked the pan on a speed bump yesterday. I will be replacing oil pan as soon as it arrives. A couple of questions. Will the exhaust rotate if you use the center stand? Did you use a new pan gasket? Is gasket sealer required?

It looks like your oil drain plug is at the front of the pan. Is that a new style oil pan?

they work.  

Kinda. They did a lousy job of protecting your engine case.