Riding alone vs 2-up (noobies guide to what settings to change?)

[SVonhof]

I have previously had sportbikes and my wife rode so seldom that I never made any changes to the suspension on the bike.

Now that I have a C-14 that I am getting set-up for her as well as me, she will/is riding more with me, but I still have not done any changes for our rides together vs me riding on my own.

Does anyone have a basic tutorial on what changes need to be made before going on a 2-up ride?

 

[Sport rider]

All I've ever done is stiffen the preload on the rear suspension and put 3 more pounds of air in the rear tire.

I suppose what you could do is measure the sag with you on it, then measure the sag with both of you on it and adjust your preload to match.  Rebound damping is a bit more of an art to me though, but stiffining that a bit should be positive too, I suppose.  I've never really worried about it too much as I always ride more gently with a passenger, so ride characteristics have never been an issue for me.

 

[Cap'n Bob]

It all depends on the folks involved. Everyone is different. What works for one may not work for the other. 

 

[mehush]

I too prefer a firmer suspension set-up. I cranked the rear pre-load 3 clicks firmer from the delivered settings. Seems to ride well at an easy to moderate pace with my wife on back. But it still wallows in bumpy turns when riding briskly, even solo. I still have some experimenting to do.

 

[ndmiller]

I have previously had sportbikes and my wife rode so seldom that I never made any changes to the suspension on the bike.

Now that I have a C-14 that I am getting set-up for her as well as me, she will/is riding more with me, but I still have not done any changes for our rides together vs me riding on my own.

Does anyone have a basic tutorial on what changes need to be made before going on a 2-up ride?

Actually a really good and common question for people in your exact situation.  I spent years riding solo, then VFR800 time and wife wanted to join me on an upcoming trip to the Dragon.

I had the suspension set up perfectly for me alone, aftermarket, race tech front, ohlins rear, and had 0 clue on what to do change when adding her to the bike.  I ended up bringing her and the bike to a local shop which did my suspension, measuring sag front and rear for me and marking down the settings.  Got her on the bike with me did the same thing writing down the settings.  Changing back and forth was then just a matter of switching the front and rear preload and a few clicks of rear rebound and it was from solo to 2 up or vice versa in about 5-10 minutes.  Put the info on index cards, laminate, hole punch for hanging and your good to go.

In the event, wife wanted to start riding again, I'd do the same thing.  Fly her to Portland from Dallas, while riding their solo (few day warm up).  Spend an hour with GP Suspension and get the settings.  Ride back with her on the back to test them out.

I highly recommend this course, it's inexpensive as most shops charge minimal amounts for checking sag if everything is in working order (<$50) and shouldn't take more than an hour or so including waiting.

Noah

 

[zg]

Hey Scott,  ^-^

I weigh a buck sixty and my wife is about a buck fifteen, here's what I run for settings...

just me without bags loaded = 5 clicks from soft

me and mama = add 15 clicks from soft (20 clicks total)

with bags and trunk loaded = add 5 more clicks from soft in addition to the above wether solo or with mama (10 solo, 25 with mama)