Passenger riding and suspension

[flyboy]

My wife and I are planing a trip on my Kat this weekend. I read a few posts about adjusting the rear suspension when riding with a passenger, but I never found a definitive answer if I should be doing anything with the suspension.

I'm 195 lbs, my wife is 150, and the Katana is 2002 750. We tried sitting on it today and it felt like there was still plenty of play in the suspension (I couldn't get it to bottom out by bouncing in my seat, but that means very little when stationary).

Should I even be looking into adjusting the suspension?

[Kreylyn]

My wife and I are planing a trip on my Kat this weekend. I read a few posts about adjusting the rear suspension when riding with a passenger, but I never found a definitive answer if I should be doing anything with the suspension.

I'm 195 lbs, my wife is 150, and the Katana is 2002 750. We tried sitting on it today and it felt like there was still plenty of play in the suspension (I couldn't get it to bottom out by bouncing in my seat, but that means very little when stationary).

Should I even be looking into adjusting the suspension?

Yes, definitely.

At the least, adjust the rear sag for the added weight.

http://www.racetech.com/articles/SuspensionAndSprings.htm

You may want to consider in the future having a proper suspension rebuild and set up for your actual weights. The difference between the stock suspension, and a Tmod build suspension is unbelievable. It really makes the bike feel and handle like a whole new bike.

Krey

[flyboy]

Man!

That rear suspension adjustment was helluva task. I maxed the spring preload out and it's now within a spec for solo ride. I guess that's as good as it gets

[Kreylyn]

Man!

That rear suspension adjustment was helluva task. I maxed the spring preload out and it's now within a spec for solo ride. I guess that's as good as it gets

Yep, I would suggest you have it rebuilt along with the forks.

I can't explain how much of a difference it makes.

Krey

[bucket_hat_jojo]

can someone elaborate on this? I've rode with passengers without touching anything, with no problems even when hitting bumps.

[Kreylyn]

can someone elaborate on this? I've rode with passengers without touching anything, with no problems even when hitting bumps.

If your riding straight flat roads, or mostly light curves, or slow on the curves, your not really going to compress the suspension enough to hit hard parts. That said, stock springs are soft, so when your riding 2 up or with a heavier rider, you will generally feel the suspension is very soft.

A soft suspension means the bike is going to move a lot up and down when your riding along. Hitting bumps or depressions will make the bike move up and down at the least when you go over them.

A proper suspension should keep the bike from moving around like that, and take the bumps and depressions with little push or drop on the bike.

There are a variety of issues that can arise from a worn or poorly setup suspension. Most of them are not preventative reasons from riding a bike, so ... most people ride them with poor suspensions and learn to deal with the issues. The saying is.. "The best you've ridden is the best you know." If you don't know that the bike can and will handle better, your not going to really understand the reason we suggest all Kats be upgraded. It's a huge difference if you ever get a chance to ride on one that has been upgraded.

Krey