Damping for a Kinder Ride

[Surf Concours]

For a more “soft” ride how would the bottom rear shock screw adjustment be? More Damping (clockwise) or Less Damping (counterclockwise)?
I only weigh 150# and never ride 2 up or with much luggage.)
Thanks for any insights.

Kevin

[maxtog]

Are you talking about preload or dampening?  Remember too, the rear is only 1/2 the suspension.

The rear preload is a knob on the left side.  Turning it clockwise will increase the preload which will make the suspension lower and harder.  By default, it is set for a 150lb rider (not counting riding gear), which is 13 clicks counterclockwise from fully seated.

The rear dampening is an adjuster screw on the rear of the rear shock.  It, too, is set from the factory for 150 pounds, at 1 1/4 turns out.  Clockwise increases the dampening.

Then there is the front...  (also set by the factory for 150 pound rider).  You can find all this in the owner's manual, starting on page 225.

[just gone]

For a more “soft” ride how would the bottom rear shock screw adjustment be? More Damping (clockwise) or Less Damping (counterclockwise)?

I'll admit that suspension is not my strong point, but since the only adjustment is rebound dampening with the screw you are referring to, I don't think you'll notice much difference
in the initial shock of a bump either way you turn it.  The pre-load and certainly rear tire air pressure should have more of an effect on softness than rebound dampening IMO...but like I
said, not only is suspension not my strong point but I'm also wrong ..a lot.

Hopefully, while max' tries to figure out what you're asking, and I make ill informed guesses to the answer, a real suspension guru will come along and give you the answer you seek. Good luck.

[katata1100]

You weigh 150? That might be a first for a c14. Funny thing , the bike comes with the suspension set
for a rider weighing 150. Get the manual a find the original settings .

[maxtog]

You weigh 150? That might be a first for a c14. Funny thing , the bike comes with the suspension set
for a rider weighing 150.

Um.... I also weigh 150.

[maxtog]

Hopefully, while max' tries to figure out what you're asking, and I make ill informed guesses to the answer, a real suspension guru will come along and give you the answer you seek. Good luck.

I kinda assumed he meant preload even though he said damping [dampening] (hence, my first sentence in the reply).  But I am very much NOT a suspension expert, so my only advice is "know what you are changing before you change it!"

[jsa]

In spite of what the Owners Manual says, the C14 suspension is actually set up for two 150 lb riders.  The suspension has excess compression damping on both ends and if 150  lb rider wants a plush ride than both ends of the suspension need to be revalved and the front springs need to be replaced. 

I replaced the shock with a Penske and installed ZX-14 forks with 1.0 kg springs to soften the ride and I weigh 225 lbs.

FYI the preload adjustment is a ride height adjustment and a back door way to have consistent steering geometry with different rider weights.  It does not make the ride softer or firmer, nor does it change the portion of the spring actually used when riding.

To answer the question that was originally asked, you would turn the shock damping screw counter-clockwise to decrease damping.  That screw actually changes both rebound and compression damping but not in the same proportions.  The problem is that if you turn the screw too much trying to reduce compression damping you will run out of rebound damping and that creates more problems than it solves.  The only real solution is an aftermarket shock with independent adjustments.

I don’t know what year C14 you own but one of my friends traded in his ‘09 for a ‘15, which was the year Kawasaki changed the shock.  He felt the ride was much harsher on his new bike, especially the rear end, and solved most of the problem by installing ZX-14 forks and a OEM shock that came off a 2010.  He weighs about 210.  The difference in the shocks performance appears to be compression damping since sag tests with different weights indicated the spring rates were the same.

[mikeyw64]

WARNINGMode=Humorous Pedant

Isn't that one rider & a pillion passenger or is there a version of the bike with dual controls

In spite of what the Owners Manual says, the C14 suspension is actually set up for two 150 lb riders.  The suspension has excess compression damping on both ends and if 150  lb rider wants a plush ride than both ends of the suspension need to be revalved and the front springs need to be replaced. 

I replaced the shock with a Penske and installed ZX-14 forks with 1.0 kg springs to soften the ride and I weigh 225 lbs.

FYI the preload adjustment is a ride height adjustment and a back door way to have consistent steering geometry with different rider weights.  It does not make the ride softer or firmer, nor does it change the portion of the spring actually used when riding.

To answer the question that was originally asked, you would turn the shock damping counter-clockwise to decrease damping.  That screw actually changes both rebound and compression damping but not in the same proportions.  The problem is that if you turn the screw too much trying to reduce compression damping you will run out of rebound damping and that creates more problems than it solves.  The only real solution is an aftermarket shock with independent adjustments.

[Tree]

OK Kevin.  As you have probably realized from the replies to your post that there are as many theories and methods associated with suspension setups as there are flavors of ice cream.  Everyone has their favorite.   

I must say that I am not as experienced as 99.999% of the riders on this forum and my experience with the Concours has come at a price ($$$).  As far as suspension adjustment is concerned I will offer my perspective and you can take or leave it as you please.

I have also traveled down this suspension adjustment path.  I found that it can be as simple or complicated as I wanted to make it.  I suggest that you do the research in the forums, ask the questions that come to mind, and get familiar with your current setup and work with what you have first.  Please don't start making drastic changes or replacing components until you have taken some time to tweak your current setup.  Then you will have to spend some time riding to get a true feel for what you have changed to see if it made any difference at all.  It will take time is what I'm getting at.  You just might find that lowering the resistance in the rear spring is all that you really need but I urge you to do the research so you understand what the effect will be before you tweak.  I had fun learning more than I wanted to know but in the end I was very happy with the stock offering and didn't need to replace anything.  If you are a more aggressive rider you might find that you will want to change-out forks/springs but that decision is still down the road - so to speak.