Rear shocks setting

I'm interested in knowing what setting some of you use for the rear shocks...and your reasoning.

I'm 5'10" and 230 lbs. Over the last 6-9 months, I've used "4" and found it a bit stiff; the bike feels like it's...searching for the road.  As of late, been trying out "3".  Now it feels "squishy" and wants to bottom-out all the time.  When the daughter is on, it's always "5".

I do hope to squeeze in one moto-camping trip this year.  For those of you who moto-camp, I'm very interested to know what settings you use as well.

As always, thanks for the replies.

As a typically overweight, aging, westerner (183cm, 85kg) with an equally no-longer-size-10 wife we found the standard shocks couldn't cope with the lumps and bumps of the roads round here so upgraded to Hagons. Setting 3 for 2 up, setting 1 for solo does the trick.
The standard shocks aren't bad, but they are soft, good for comfort but they bottom out to easily away from smooth tarmac.
The front end is fine, more-so now I've replaced the 14 year sludge that passed as fork oil. I wonder how many of us are riding around on equally antique gloop?

I use "4" on the stock shocks. Works OK for me but then my wife no longer rides or it would be new shock time. I am 240+ lbs. My Forza recently got bumped up to "5" from "4" for my fat carcass. Much better and doesn't bottom nearly as much.

Aftermarket shocks would be preferable but I don't put near as many miles on as in past years so just not necessary at this time.

steve_h80 wrote:

As a typically overweight, aging, westerner (183cm, 85kg) with an equally no-longer-size-10 wife we found the standard shocks couldn't cope with the lumps and bumps of the roads round here so upgraded to Hagons. Setting 3 for 2 up, setting 1 for solo does the trick.
The standard shocks aren't bad, but they are soft, good for comfort but they bottom out to easily away from smooth tarmac.
The front end is fine, more-so now I've replaced the 14 year sludge that passed as fork oil. I wonder how many of us are riding around on equally antique gloop?

Wow!!  14 year old fork oil?!?  Not knowing how long it had been since the previous owner changed oil, I replaced it with 10W —along with the seals— earlier this year.  Can't say as I like it as much as before.  I'll like add 15W on the next go-round.

I found riding with the rear shocks set to 3 and tyre pressures set to solo rider worked fine. When Mrs M toured with me and we we had more kit I set the shocks to 4 and upped the tyre pressures for rider and passenger. Nothing special, just the settings recommended in the Silver Wing Owner’s Handbook.

With my Forza I haven't touched the rear shock settings since I rode it home from the dealership back in late 2018. I've no idea what they're on as the settings aren't numbered, and to be honest I'm not interested in finding out or altering them as I'm happy as they are.

The ride is comfortable on all road surfaces and the weight of a fully loaded top box and Ortleib bag on the rear seat makes no difference at all.

I'd like some advice and thoughts on setting my rear shocks. My OEM ones were shot so I replaced them with YSS EcoShocks. They're called Eco because they have no rebound adjustment, only the spring pre-load. This comes in the form of a castellated ring over a threaded strut; i.e. 'infinate' this requires a relaxing of a grub screw and then use a lever bar to turn the castelled ring up or down the thread. You know the drill!

After much 'trying out' different adjustments I've kind of got a range which suits solo/pillion/weights etc. but it requires me to measure the distance from the top of the castellated nut to the top edge of the bottom spring. I find that 26mm for solo and 24mm with pillion work OK but curiosity is haunting me once again.

After some unsuccessful internet searching, my question is this: Using the increments of the OEM shocks, how much (in millimeters) does the turnkey alter the spring pre-load? I chucked out my old OEMs (they were BAD) so I can't try this measurement out for myself.

Dunno if this answers your question but IIRC adjusting YSS replacement shocks on my friends NSS 300 Forza one full turn of that castellated adjustment nut equalled 1 mm.

An active ingredient to my dilemma for sure. If I can relate that to 'one increment' of the OEM turnkey I might be on to something.