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Shimming The Rear With A Passenger


rigger4343

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Hey guys,

I have read a little here and there where some of you have shimmed the rear shock to make the bike turn in a tad quicker. I like mine a lot more in the turns now that I have a better quality set of tires on her but I got to wondering about maybe trying to shim up the rear too.

I ride with hard bags on the bike almost all the time and I do have my passenger to consider as well. I was just curious if anyone has any input on if shimming the rear can have any negative effects while riding with a passenger? I would not imagine it would but i just thought I would ask.

Also, I see where it is mentioned here and there about doing it but are there any dedicated write ups on shimming the rear shock? I searched a little but did not run across a dedicated write up on it

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Shimming the rear will help maintain good steering geometry when you load up with a passenger. Left unchecked, you gain a lot of trail as the rear compresses which slows steering and causes some vagueness. Raising the rear mitigates these effects.

If you were to do it correctly, you'd look into a better shock with a properly sized spring for your riding and load. Proper springs will maintain better chassis composure and prevent bottoming out. It just depends how often you ride fully loaded up, because sizing things for the passenger/luggage can make solo rides unbearable. You can pick a rate in the middle to serve as a compromise, but it's just that - a compromise. Or, you could size it for your solo duty and deal with the passenger when needed. There are definite merits to each approach.

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Yea I know I cant have it perfect on both ends all the time. I did not think there would be any negative effect to trying it even with a passenger on board. Probably 90% of my riding is solo just because it is rare my gal has enough free time to get to ride with me. But I always try to accommodate her when it comes to riding because she enjoys riding with me so much.

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Set it up for your solo riding since that is what you do most and increase the preload when riding two up.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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