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Post by gixxxis85 on Nov 11, 2016 14:32:32 GMT -6
Hey riders,
So I'm 6'3" and 230, and while I love this bike SO MUCH, and the seat design is great, the rear suspension is a bit unforgiving for a guy my size. I have yet to adjust the rear suspension, specifically because I wanted to ask if anyone on here is of a similar build and to find out what you guys did to make the ride a bit more enjoyable (for distance rides). I've found the absolute limit on my body (more specifically my backside) is about 4 hours round-trip with limited to no stops.
Any insight is appreciated!
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Post by chipwood67 on Nov 11, 2016 18:57:06 GMT -6
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Post by AshesOfAnother on Nov 12, 2016 1:26:33 GMT -6
When you do adjust your rear spring, a couple things can happen. If you have rear spools installed for a pit Jack, the left one may strike your muffler if the spring is set too soft. Just lower it one notch at a time and go for a ride. A rear spring set too soft can also cause the bike to lift the front while the spring rebounds from sudden acceleration.
You can also ease your ride with your tire pressure. I believe the max rating on the stock tires is 45 psi. See where your at and if it's not too low already, drop a psi or two. Not only will it smooth out your ride, but you will increase your wheels traction. Obviously don't go to low. I run 38 in both of my tires. The difference between 35 and 45 is very noticeable, not only in the smoothness of the ride, but your steering.
After all of this "toying" around, you may find the stock seat is fine. If not, then fit your bike with an aftermarket one. On long trips, I try and stop every hour. I find it helps keep complacency away and my ass from hurting.
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Post by gixxxis85 on Dec 2, 2016 14:27:43 GMT -6
Thanks guys! I've been on the fence about that Shad seat since early in the riding season. Like a lot of things, I'd love to be able to check it out before dropping the coin, but it's probably going to be one of those things where I'll just have to take the plunge and do it!
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Post by northernrider on Dec 3, 2016 10:23:30 GMT -6
Thanks guys! I've been on the fence about that Shad seat since early in the riding season. Like a lot of things, I'd love to be able to check it out before dropping the coin, but it's probably going to be one of those things where I'll just have to take the plunge and do it! I've got the Shad seat, and while it's better than the stock one, I find that after about an hour and a half the the foam has compressed and it feels like I'm sitting on the pan. I'ts nothing for me to go on 400-600km rides so that equates to alot of standing up on the pegs and multiple 10 minute stops. the seat foam doesn't seem to fully expand until I stop for a meal (usually over an hour for meal breaks). Oh yeah, never leave the Shad seat in the sun while you are having a meal, it gets uncomfortably hot and takes a long time to cool down. If I can't find a shady spot, I leave my gloves on the seat and then my jean jacket(It's a kevlar lined AGV jacket) over them. I'm 5'10" - 210lbs. There is a rear rack on the bike and I always carry a tail bag with warm clothes, water, first aid kit, sunscreen, bug spray, etc. that all combined probably adds 25lbs. over the back tire. I've the rear shock set to the lowest setting and the forks set on 2. |
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Post by northernrider on Dec 3, 2016 12:39:09 GMT -6
When you do adjust your rear spring, a couple things can happen. If you have rear spools installed for a pit Jack, the left one may strike your muffler if the spring is set too soft. Just lower it one notch at a time and go for a ride. A rear spring set too soft can also cause the bike to lift the front while the spring rebounds from sudden acceleration. You can also ease your ride with your tire pressure. I believe the max rating on the stock tires is 45 psi. See where your at and if it's not too low already, drop a psi or two. Not only will it smooth out your ride, but you will increase your wheels traction. Obviously don't go to low. I run 38 in both of my tires. The difference between 35 and 45 is very noticeable, not only in the smoothness of the ride, but your steering. After all of this "toying" around, you may find the stock seat is fine. If not, then fit your bike with an aftermarket one. On long trips, I try and stop every hour. I find it helps keep complacency away and my ass from hurting. If you don't mind me asking, how much do you weigh and what tires are you running? I never considered lowering the tire pressure because I was afraid on prematurely wearing flat spots on the tires and the increased flex in the sidewall making the bike feel squirrely in hard turns. I've got over 8000km on the bike now and the rear tire has a huge flat spot and the front has a noticeable flat spot as well. I can really notice the difference in my turns. It takes more effort to start the turn and then seems to jump into the turn with an increased sharpness. It caused me to slow down a bit and use more caution in the twisties by the end of the season. The only roads in my area where the surface is smooth and is twisty enough to enjoy some moderately high speed turns is only about 90km long, and takes over an hour ride on the highway to get to. I've included this road in about 25% of my trips.I estimate that only about 5% of my riding i've done aggressively, but it's a special treat for me when I get the chance to do it. Unfortunately the closest track to me is an 8 hour drive away so trackdays are not an option. For these reasons I'm thinking of getting a set of Michelin Pilot Road 4 sport touring tires for the spring. Do you have any opinions on these or other tires that might be suitible for me? Something else as well, there is no one in the area that has a ballancing machine for motorcycle tires. Is this something I should be concerned about? I know you can ballance tires manually on a stand, and if it came down to it I would buy a stand and do it myself, I don't trust anyone else to take the time and effort to do it as well as I would. The thing is, as it came from the factory the ballancing seemed great. At high speeds I never felt any wheel hop vibration and I'm a little concerned that a tire ballanced on a stand could be ballanced enough for high speeds. On my DR650 ballancing the tire was never an issue as I rarely went over 120km/h. I know this post is all over the place and I'm sorry about that, but I would apreaciate opinions or advise you or anyone else has to give. |
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Post by AshesOfAnother on Dec 3, 2016 13:07:51 GMT -6
If your tires have flattened that much, you should change them. It's not do much for the twisty roads, but for the holy shit moments the you need to react and not think about. I am 5' 10" and weigh 240 lbs. I am on the stock tires still. I moved this year and my baby has had to sit almost the entire time. I'm at around 5200 miles now. I'm lucky and a few road near me that are very bendy. I make a habit out of riding up and down them every month. Not only for fun, but to help maintain my tires shape. Balancing your tires is easily done at home. You just need a stand, a good selection of weights and above all, patience. Certain things you don't ever rush. I've always balanced and trued rims myself. changing tires is a different story. The tool takes up space and is a couple bucks. Unless your like me and own multiple bikes, it would be advantages to have that done at a vendor.
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Post by mrstamp80 on Dec 3, 2016 18:58:49 GMT -6
Just a thought here if you plan on going on long rides, Have you bought a pair of bicycle shorts that have the pad built in? If i know i am going on a more than 1- 1 1/2 hr ride before stopping i wear a pair of bike shorts under my riding jeans. It adds a good bit more comfort. At $40 for shorts and you can replace when you were them out, is cheaper than $300 seat.
Also instead of buying a seat, maybe cheaper to get a gel pad and have a upholstery shop do it. I thought about doing that this winter over jan-feb when i won't be using the bike.
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Post by AshesOfAnother on Dec 4, 2016 0:45:22 GMT -6
I second the gel pad. I'd brought it up before. I hope to do the same thing.
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Post by northernrider on Dec 4, 2016 14:17:58 GMT -6
If your tires have flattened that much, you should change them. It's not do much for the twisty roads, but for the holy shit moments the you need to react and not think about. I am 5' 10" and weigh 240 lbs. I am on the stock tires still. I moved this year and my baby has had to sit almost the entire time. I'm at around 5200 miles now. I'm lucky and a few road near me that are very bendy. I make a habit out of riding up and down them every month. Not only for fun, but to help maintain my tires shape. Balancing your tires is easily done at home. You just need a stand, a good selection of weights and above all, patience. Certain things you don't ever rush. I've always balanced and trued rims myself. changing tires is a different story. The tool takes up space and is a couple bucks. Unless your like me and own multiple bikes, it would be advantages to have that done at a vendor. Thanks, I apreciate the advise. Looks like next year I'll try lowering the tire pressure and increasing the preload on spring and forks.I'll be changing the tires before the start of riding season (for me that's June. if the daytime high isn't above 20*c / 68*f i don't ride). I envy you having twisties near by. I've always changed my own tires on th DR. I've got an 8" C-clamp that I use to break the bead if i'm throwing away the tire, if I'm keeping the tire I'll do it the hard way working my way back and forth on the rim with the tire irons until the bead pops. Since I'm throwing away these tires it'll be the easy way. The only concern I have is finding rim protectors that work. I did an online forum search yesterday and it seems people have issues with them poping off when using them. Scratching the paint on the DR rim was never a concern For ballancing, I'm looking into Ride-On tire sealant. I have lots of time to research this some more, but so far it really seems people are saticefied with it. |
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Post by northernrider on Dec 4, 2016 14:24:02 GMT -6
Just a thought here if you plan on going on long rides, Have you bought a pair of bicycle shorts that have the pad built in? If i know i am going on a more than 1- 1 1/2 hr ride before stopping i wear a pair of bike shorts under my riding jeans. It adds a good bit more comfort. Any preferance on brand? |
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Post by mrstamp80 on Dec 4, 2016 19:36:01 GMT -6
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Post by northernrider on Dec 5, 2016 8:43:51 GMT -6
Thanks man, They're not available at Sport Chek here so I'll have to see if any of the independents here cary them. If not, I'll have to take a chance on the size and order a pair. That's alright though, I've got 6 months to figure it out |
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Post by gixxxis85 on Dec 5, 2016 13:43:50 GMT -6
I'm actually a cyclist myself, and I had thought before about wearing my bike shorts under my pants. Don't know why I haven't done that yet....seems so simple...
Anyhow! I'll give that a go next season and see what comes of it.
Thanks!
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Post by gixxxis85 on Jun 19, 2017 8:56:05 GMT -6
I'm actually a cyclist myself, and I had thought before about wearing my bike shorts under my pants. Don't know why I haven't done that yet....seems so simple... Anyhow! I'll give that a go next season and see what comes of it. Thanks! Update: Last weekend I took a long ride with a group and decided to wear my padded cycling shorts. Made a WORLD of difference! I didn't start to get sore until the 1 1/2 hour mark of pretty much non-stop riding, which was huge for me. I'm still considering buying the removable gel pads for the seat, but for now, I'm pretty content! |
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