[sdsting]

Last week I started a thread on dragging the footpegs and got some great feedback. I have a followup question for you guys; how do you have your suspention set up? My bike came with the rear shock spring set to the #4 setting I believe (1-10 with 10 being the stiffest setting). When I ride with my wife on the back I can feel it give out, needing to be set to a stiffer setting. Ok forget about that, I want to know how it should be set when I’m riding alone and pushing it hard (I’m 170lbs). The shop manual says that a butt-load of things have to be dissmantaled before you can get to this adjustment. What setting are you footpeg-dragging guys at? 2nd Question: have you done anything to the pressure in the front forks as well? I can tell you first hand how important these adjustments are because 25yrs ago I took a brand new Ninja 600 up to Willow Springs Raceway and the rear shock was set too soft from the factory and it collapsed/gave out in turn 8 @ 130mph. I slid out fine but the bike cartwheeled end-over-end and was scrap metal after that. Anyway before I dive in hard with the Stryker how do you guys have your bike set up? best regards, Terry

 

[74novaguy]

Im 175lbs 6' tall running stock setup. I can grind the whole peg without a problem on either side and could go further.

 

[Visionary]

My big ass is pushing 300 and I have my rear shock set at 7 because my wife is a big girl also, the setting of 4 was way to soft solo. I would say if you set it around 5 or 6 it would be ok for solo and 2 up, I don't think you want to make the adjustment everytime you go from just you to you and your wife so find a happy medium. The bike should have came with the adjustment tool. You can get it in behind the tire and just use a short bar or long screw driver in the handle to get the leverage needed to make the adjustment without tearing anything apart. As for the front I haven't had any problems there.

 

[adsbitoriented]

Interesting because I have almost the same question, but not about grinding the pegs. I just do that while turning.

I didn't know what the bike was set at factory, and I asked the guy, being my first owned ride about what it should be at. He told me just to ride it for a while and figure it out from there. Quite frankly I read alot and knew as a 250lb guy it should probably be at least set for someone of 300ish. Well, the only time I thought of it again was when I bottomed out from hitting some big dips at high speed without compensating for them... This ended up basically with my ass getting spanked. However, it wasn't until I put the Cobra upper guard on that I noticed I was doing it more often that I thought. No ass spanking, but there was quite the metalic 'clang' from hitting the belt drive wheel that you didn't here with the plastic factory shield when the darn wheel bottomed out to low from the down stroke... Just hitting the wheel annoyed me more than anything else because the drive is your life!

Welp That pretty much means I have to move it probably about two notches, but since I heard the sound one week... I myself have gotten alot better about appreciating some certain road surfaces. I'm sure that comes into play as well, because I haven't done it in three weeks since then.

 

[sdsting]

My big ass is pushing 300 and I have my rear shock set at 7 because my wife is a big girl also, the setting of 4 was way to soft solo. I would say if you set it around 5 or 6 it would be ok for solo and 2 up, I don't think you want to make the adjustment everytime you go from just you to you and your wife so find a happy medium. The bike should have came with the adjustment tool. You can get it in behind the tire and just use a short bar or long screw driver in the handle to get the leverage needed to make the adjustment without tearing anything apart. As for the front I haven't had any problems there.

Thank you for all the replies.
Visionary… how did you adjust the rear spring tension so easily? The shop manual says you have to remove the battery & everything below it, something like 1.5hrs if I remember right… is it wrong? In other words I would like to make the adjustment to +5 or +6 but I’m trying to figure out how much of the bike I need to dismantle. How easy was it for you? regards, Terry

 

[mavros1413]

My big ass is pushing 300 and I have my rear shock set at 7 because my wife is a big girl also, the setting of 4 was way to soft solo. I would say if you set it around 5 or 6 it would be ok for solo and 2 up, I don't think you want to make the adjustment everytime you go from just you to you and your wife so find a happy medium. The bike should have came with the adjustment tool. You can get it in behind the tire and just use a short bar or long screw driver in the handle to get the leverage needed to make the adjustment without tearing anything apart. As for the front I haven't had any problems there.

Thank you for all the replies.
Visionary… how did you adjust the rear spring tension so easily? The shop manual says you have to remove the battery & everything below it, something like 1.5hrs if I remember right… is it wrong? In other words I would like to make the adjustment to +5 or +6 but I’m trying to figure out how much of the bike I need to dismantle. How easy was it for you? regards, Terry

Hey...he said it before on his comment "You can get it in behind the tire and just use a short bar or long screw driver in the handle to get the leverage needed to make the adjustment without tearing anything apart."

 

[Visionary]

My big ass is pushing 300 and I have my rear shock set at 7 because my wife is a big girl also, the setting of 4 was way to soft solo. I would say if you set it around 5 or 6 it would be ok for solo and 2 up, I don't think you want to make the adjustment everytime you go from just you to you and your wife so find a happy medium. The bike should have came with the adjustment tool. You can get it in behind the tire and just use a short bar or long screw driver in the handle to get the leverage needed to make the adjustment without tearing anything apart. As for the front I haven't had any problems there.

Thank you for all the replies.
Visionary… how did you adjust the rear spring tension so easily? The shop manual says you have to remove the battery & everything below it, something like 1.5hrs if I remember right… is it wrong? In other words I would like to make the adjustment to +5 or +6 but I’m trying to figure out how much of the bike I need to dismantle. How easy was it for you? regards, Terry

On the right side of the bike is a black plastic cover with a push button clip in it, push the button in and remove the cover to give yourself a better line of sight on the adjuster, I can't remember but I may have removed the painted cover as well. Take the adjuster wrench and go between the tire and the frame, put a long screw driver or a ratchet extension in the end of the wrench. Push toward the tire to raise it to a higher setting. It may get stuck half way between settings due to the amount of room, just remove the wrench and move it again so you can continue with your turn. It takes about 15-20 minutes...

 

[sdsting]

Thank you Visionary that was very helpful. Regards, Terry

 

[mr.groove]

Last week I started a thread on dragging the footpegs and got some great feedback. I have a followup question for you guys; how do you have your suspention set up? My bike came with the rear shock spring set to the #4 setting I believe (1-10 with 10 being the stiffest setting). When I ride with my wife on the back I can feel it give out, needing to be set to a stiffer setting. Ok forget about that, I want to know how it should be set when I’m riding alone and pushing it hard (I’m 170lbs). The shop manual says that a butt-load of things have to be dissmantaled before you can get to this adjustment. What setting are you footpeg-dragging guys at? 2nd Question: have you done anything to the pressure in the front forks as well? I can tell you first hand how important these adjustments are because 25yrs ago I took a brand new Ninja 600 up to Willow Springs Raceway and the rear shock was set too soft from the factory and it collapsed/gave out in turn 8 @ 130mph. I slid out fine but the bike cartwheeled end-over-end and was scrap metal after that. Anyway before I dive in hard with the Stryker how do you guys have your bike set up? best regards, Terry

Hey man ... you are probably done by now, but for the next people that find the thread ...
I just did my spring tension adjustment. Piece of cake!
Under the seat:

1 - Pull the plastic tray/tools out;
2. Disconnect battery;
3. You want to pull out the battery tray . . .
a - two connectors on the left that just slide out of it - free them up;
b - remove the right side cover to access 1 allen screw that holds the reservoir to the battery tray;
c - two push clips that come out very easily from behind the wheel;
d - 5 screws that hold the battery tray in place;
e - battery tray is free.

At this point the adjustment is totally accessible. I would recommend you to adjust, lay things back without tightening everything, test it, re-adjust if necessary and then put everything together again.

It sounds like a lot of work, but it is not. Everything is straightforward, and very easy.
I took my time and I got it done in 40 minutes.

I hope this helps.

Cheers!

185 lb, 6' tall, I soften mine for comfort . . . I hit a few potholes on the highway that felt like they were re-arranging my internal organs!!

 

[Kelownafornia]

Hey man ... you are probably done by now, but for the next people that find the thread ...
I just did my spring tension adjustment. Piece of cake!
Under the seat:

1 - Pull the plastic tray/tools out;
2. Disconnect battery;
3. You want to pull out the battery tray . . .
a - two connectors on the left that just slide out of it - free them up;
b - remove the right side cover to access 1 allen screw that holds the reservoir to the battery tray;
c - two push clips that come out very easily from behind the wheel;
d - 5 screws that hold the battery tray in place;
e - battery tray is free.

At this point the adjustment is totally accessible. I would recommend you to adjust, lay things back without tightening everything, test it, re-adjust if necessary and then put everything together again.

It sounds like a lot of work, but it is not. Everything is straightforward, and very easy.
I took my time and I got it done in 40 minutes.

I hope this helps.

Cheers!

185 lb, 6' tall, I soften mine for comfort . . . I hit a few potholes on the highway that felt like they were re-arranging my internal organs!!

What setting did you end up sticking with?

 

[Hotsocket]

Wow. Old thread.

I am 240, ride solo exclusively, and tend toward the aggressive side. I have mine set at 8 or 9 and am quite happy with it. I run a larger diameter 240 tire and have 1 3/8 dropped rear so the higher setting was a necessity.

 

[mr.groove]

What setting did you end up sticking with?

Sorry, bro . . . never saw this question before! My bad!

I have put the setting back then to 3, I believe.

But now all is different with the mods hehehe . . .

I lowered it 1", put a 250 Avon Cobra, and I think that back then, with the bike being very new, things were harder.

I have it now set at 7, to make sure I don't bottom out the 250.

As for the pegs . . . I probably left 1/4 of them on the roads! hehehehehe

Peace!