Shock upgrade for 250 pound guy

[FastLaneKen]

I have been reading in the forum that the Busa and many other bikes are setup for lighter riders.

Any suggestions for upgrading the shocks for guys like me that weight about 250 pounds?

Now that I have 3,000+ miles on this baby I can feel the shocks are a little soft and I am sure it sits a bit lower with me on it. I am more like two-up on a bike

Then I was thinking of taking the bike to Lee's Cycle in town (San Diego)for some performance tuning of the suspension. Any suggestions would be helpful

 

[Jza]

Hey Ken,

Im a "large lad" too.... you played with preload settings at all? I've not tinkered at all yet but think that might be a good starting point?

Jza

 

[semi]

i sent my forks to Gixerhp and had him install new Race Tech springs, valves, and seals that were set up for my weight (down to 270 at the moment and ride two-up some of the time)...he got me a great deal and it is absolutely worth every penny!!! my biggest concern now is i find myself out-riding the ability of the rear end and have almost wiped out a couple times...guess i'll have to check into upgrading the rear shock next

 

[Wag]

Definitely do the front AND the rear. You'll be glad you did!

--Wag--

 

[tourbus]

im 270 and the rear shock had enough adjustment in it to achieve proper sag setting's however the front forks do not, i need heavier springs in the front of mine to do it right, but its close so i probably wont mess with it.

 

[busaziggy]

I weigh in at about 200lbs with gear on. I had my dealer set my sag for me a while back. His comments were that the rear shock was well within the spec BUT my front springs were too soft. He did what he could. The bike feels real solid BUT small pavement irregularities rattle my teeth.

I plan to see Dave Hodges at GP Suspension in Oregon City Oregon (Portland area)so he can work his magic. He transformed my last bike a 2002 Kawasaki ZRX1200.

Getting the suspension right is a way better performance improvement over more horsepower in my opinion.

 

[FastLaneKen]

Thanks guys

When I attended a riding clinic down here in San Diego we did many things including heavy panic stops with full brakes and using the engine downshifting. He noticed that my front end was going down pretty far during these sessions. He even suggested to sit more upright and farther back on the bike when going down hill in the twisties to help with this.

Sooooo I really do not want my front end to wash out due to my weight or the back end to float due to soft settings. I will play with the preload as suggested for now then go to Lees Cycle

Thanks guys