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Suggested or tried suspension set up


catrike16

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the 'Search' function should yield just a few previous threads on this topic to keep you reading for a while. Also there's a dedicated section for the general topic: http://fj-09.org/board/7/fj-09-suspension. Note the sticky posts for a quick primer on options.
 
5 second answer: springs absolutely at both ends and you'll no doubt quickly want to address the damping too.
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I weigh 270 lbs in gear. I have been riding 35 years, raced dirt bikes in my younger years and cannot tolerate anything less than great suspension. If you want really good suspension, you will have to get a new shock and fork inserts with heavier springs. I went with Ohlins set up and revalved by Norwest suspension.
 
Trying to get good response out of stock suspension at your weight will be a waste of time and effort. With stock suspension, springs are too weak for your weight. Start with max, or close to max preload to avoid getting excessively harsh. In the forks, increase compression damping to minimize bottoming out, but avoid getting too harsh. Then balance with rebound.
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  • 4 weeks later...
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I weight in at 230 and probably around 245ish with gear. I assumed I could adjust it to somewhere in the range because you should be able to account for a pillion.
 
I set the spring preload and rebound to max, front and rear. I went for a short ride around an empty industrial park area where there was loads of concrete in various conditions to test on. I ended up backing my rear spring preload 2 clicks and my front spring preload by 3 lines. It felt much better than the stock setup and I simply followed the instructions in the owners manual.
 
This helped. For me, it's a temporary solution until I can order some suspension work from one of our board supported vendors =) But at least it's stable in turns now, where prior it would bounce around in unsettling ways in sweepers.
 
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i love my penske rear shock. Changing the springs on it was very easy. You could go cheap and re-spring the rear but why not do it right. Front fork cartridges or pattonme's upgrades would finish it off.
 
I found that I could find a decent support with adjusting the stock but could never get a decent response. When it was loaded up and adjusted for the weight it was stiff and unyielding.
2015 Red FJ 09
2013 WR250R - little boy blue - sold
2012 DL650 V Strom - sold
2007 FZ6 - sold
1986 FJ600 - sold
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