REAR SHOCK ABSORBER ADJUSTMENTS ON dt300

[sklnzl]

Hi there , has anyone tried the different settings on the dt 300 rear shock absorbers and the ride comforts of the different settings and does it also affect height of the bike ?

[de dee]

no it does not change the highth all it does is firm up the springs   , I Wt. 210 lb,s and mine is at 3 and feels good to me,.  so you have to try it your self,. at different settings

[bluesin]

I keep mine on 3 unless carrying extra weight ( ie: Pillion or heavy groceries in top case, luggage, etc. ) . , then I put it to 4 .

[Adept]

I am 100kg, and I using 3.
I used position 1 for a few month. It was terrible.  I felt like my front fork was gone. Interesting how the rear and front fork affect each other...

[mitch]

Hi.

I bought my DT300 in the new year and covered off the first 1000 or so miles on the standard shock setting (3) and found the DT handled great generally.

I wondered if I might get a more pliant ride for longer motorway journeys and for general cruising on the softer setting (2).

One day, whilst out a run, I stopped and adjusted the shocks to (2) and as soon as I set off the DT handled terribly so much so I thought I had picked up a puncture as the DT felt lower at the back and handled as though the rear tyre was deflating.

I stopped and checked the tyre - it was OK so I drove a few more miles until I could not stand it any more, found somewhere safe to stop and adjusted the shocks back to (3) all was then well.

Next day I thought I would see what the DT handled like at setting (4) but assumed that the ride would be too hard bearing in mind the difference between setting (3) and (2).

Anyway before setting off I adjusted the shocks to (4) and within a mile or so I was very pleased with the result - So much so I have not changed the setting back to (3) and I find that setting (4) is vg for cruising / motorways and for fast sporty driving on the twisties and that the DT handles better in general and yet still compliant.

I am 14 stones - Around 15 Stones /210 pounds fully suited and booted.

[kneeslider]

The adjustments on the shock is what we call preload. Preload is exactly what it means, it preloads the spring so we get a higher spring rate. But by doing so it also raises the rear, as there isn't a tiebar to maintain the ride height.

[sklnzl]

Thanks for all these feedback guys 

[kfc.android]

I'm about 185 lbs, and I set the preload to "1" at first after reviewing some user feedback on TW website.
(Adjusted to "2" if I'm carrying my better half)
To be honest, I was disappointed with the rear shock at that time.

Last Saturday, I was just randomly looking at my owner's manual and found out the default pre-load was set to "3"
so I told myself: Why don't you give it a try? It couldn't be any worse"

I set the pre-load to "3" and BOOM! The first time I felt I was handling the bike, I was also surprised how rear and front shocks are interrelated to each other.
Just one thought after being happy with "3": When would you/we need the "1" and "2" since no one (so far) has good feedback on it except for those ppl in TW?   

[kneeslider]

IIRC Settings 1 & 2 in the manual was reserved for riding on smooth roads, where i believe it would only beneficial for comfort. But I ride with some aggression, so I actually prefer the scooter to track and steer positively. I have ridden about 2000kms each on settings 3,4 & 5. 1 & 2 is to me rubbish. 3 would be the overall average. 4 is a touch into better handling and 5 is you want max response for flicking left to right.

The higher you go of course the ride gets harsher but the steering and handling somewhat increases. The DT is heavy, over 200kgs, the higher settings are required to control that weight. Again, it would be nice to actually have rebound and compression adjustments to  control that spring rate for a really refined ride.

OE spring rates always are determined by the manufacturer on what they think is the average that their customers will use the bike for. It is not what is best for the individual. 

[sklnzl]

That for sure gives you an idea of the different rear shock settings !