Rear Shock Bottoming out 1984 Royale.

[cabreco]

Went on a 50 mile ride with the wife today. I set the front at 7lbs (I have progressives) and 42 in the rear. On the highway, which was pretty bumpy, it felt like the rear shock was bottoming out. I have the damper set normally at position 3.

 

Now the bags are on but basically empty. The wife & I weigh a total of 345 Lbs and I had a 1/2 a tank of gas. The system is holding pressure & not leaking.

On flat ground I don't feel an issue only when I hit bumps & not massive potholes either.

 

So is this a normal feel?

Even though the shock has air could it be worn out?

The bike oly has 15K miles

[raybear71]

Awhile back I asked about rear air pressure and was told by several members to run at about 70psi, I am 350lbs and have never bottomed out the shock.

[cabreco]

Awhile back I asked about rear air pressure and was told by several members to run at about 70psi, I am 350lbs and have never bottomed out the shock.

 

REALLY??? That would explain it. I was going by the owners manual numbers. So I guess fully loaded bags for a road trip I just max it out!

[raybear71]

You may want to talk to other members with the class air system, my bike is a standard and must be adjusted manually. I do remember someone also mentioning that the class system only adjusts when the key is in the accessory position. If that is true you would wait for it to adjust and then turn the key to on and start the bike.

[Snaggletooth]

Yep, ya need to kick it up a few pounds. I'm 275 solo and if I let it down to 42 I'm feeling it.

 

Most the time I'm solo with gear, cooler and tool kit and gas topped off I run it at 65 to 70 lbs and the damper at 2.

 

Feels pretty good there for me.

 

Try the higher pressure in the rear and try the lower damper setting to find a smoother ride. 3 & 4 can feel kind of stiff to me.

 

Mike

[Dano]

With Progressives in the front, you only need 2-3 lbs of air pressure up there, 7 may make the front end a little tight going thru the curves and catching some bumps. I never ran any pressure in my 84 with Progressives. Very reboundable and able to handle most anything.....

[Mel]

With Progressives in the front, you only need 2-3 lbs of air pressure up there, 7 may make the front end a little tight going thru the curves and catching some bumps. I never ran any pressure in my 84 with Progressives. Very reboundable and able to handle most anything.....

 

 

It's been a while, but I do remember that when I installed the Progressives in the front that when I experimented with the front air pressure I wound up at 0 to 2 psi. The Progressive mechanical advantage over the stock springs virtually eliminates the need for air assist. I also disconnected the anti dive. Never had a peoblem with the front bottoming after the Progressives were installed. For the rear, try increasing the psi, it may be just that simple.

[cabreco]

It's been a while, but I do remember that when I installed the Progressives in the front that when I experimented with the front air pressure I wound up at 0 to 2 psi. The Progressive mechanical advantage over the stock springs virtually eliminates the need for air assist. I also disconnected the anti dive. Never had a peoblem with the front bottoming after the Progressives were installed. For the rear, try increasing the psi, it may be just that simple.

 

The class won't let the fronts go less than 5 psi. I'm going to have to crack the line. I am planning on disconnecting the antidives now because I installed progressives, but mainly to inprove braking.

 

I set the rear to damper setting 2 and 70 psi lets see how that feels!

[Snaggletooth]

If you have the bike on the center stand with the front wheel off the ground that front reading will probably show lower than 5 lbs.

 

It's always going to show some reading with the bike on the ground. You can't remove all the pressure from something that is always under pressure.

 

I wouldn't worry about cracking the lines myself.

 

 

Mike

Edited July 23, 2012 by Snaggletooth

[cabreco]

Took her out for solo ride at 3 psi / 70 psi with setting 2 damper, the bottoming issue is gone & it's a nice smooth ride. I was able to drop 2 lbs in front by putting her up on the center stand.

 

Question: how much of a difference would I feel if I dropped the front to 0 psi. Compared to my Honda 750 the Venture feels stiffer.

[Snaggletooth]

As far as I can say the only way you will get a "0" reading on the front display is to cap off the line to the forks and the fitting on the air collar itself.

 

Without doing that there will always be some air in the line and subject to compression causing a reading.

 

Even given doing that, with the line capped off, even a touch of the control button would result in a pressure reading just from the air in the line. The only way to avoid that is to create a vent in that line to eliminate possible pressure build up.

 

With that as a choice. I'd rather not have any chance of that line being subject to contanimation in case the time comes to want to add air to the front. I'd leave the line as is and live with the couple pounds showing on the display.

 

Again, my

 

And the manual states to adjust the air pressure with the bike on the center stand and no weight on the bike. You know as soon as the bike hits the ground the pressure displays are going to go up.

 

But glad you found a smooth spot to ride. I tried several different sets of pressures and damper setting with different loads and road condtions over time. You'll find your sweet spot with some trial and error.

 

Some times you have to forget about the book and go by your butt.

 

That said ..... wasn't the book written about 30 years ago before everything was available in "SUPER SIZES"?

 

Somedays I add a lil air pressure after lunch. (to the bike)

 

Ride safe

 

Mike