Once you understand what's happening you'll be able to tailor the ride to your liking, rather than just accepting it. Will give that a shot tonight after I douse it with kroil. Take some time to experiment with preload and learn how each change affects handling. (Edited) SCHMIDTYS said: Put a wrench on the lock nut at the very forward end of the shock where the rod goes thru the frame cross member then loosen the jam nut.1) Step 2: Using supplied special tool with a 3/8 ratchet, turn adjusting plate clockwise to stiffen preload & counter-clockwise to loosen preload. Step 1: Loosen preload adjustment locknut. Adjustment range is approximately 4 full rotations. For faster rebound turn the knob counter-clockwise. NOTE: Shocks typically come set at their loosest (softest) setting.

For slower rebound, turn the knob clockwise. The performance of the shock at this setting is a good all-around setting. Turning it up a notch or two often firms up the handling, and of course any time a passenger is on board the preload needs to be adjusted upward to compensate for the added weight. Softail 12.5 Shock Softail 13.0 Shock Softail 13.5 Shock Target sag 1 Target sag 1.25 Target sag 1.75. Improper Mounting Rolled Air Spring Air Suspension Sag Adjustment. In general, most bikes are set with the preload on the low side for solo use. Proper Suspension Setup for Rear Shocks Proper Setup for Front Suspension Proper Suspension Setup when using Bung King Sliders with Legend Shocks Common Installation Errors.

If the ride height is too low, there is too much sag, the bike tends to move around on the suspension more than it should and the hard parts drag, a problem exacerbated by cruiser styling and the addition of a passenger and luggage. The bike rides near the top of its suspension travel, it's stiff, uncomfortable, and if you're vertically challenged you may have trouble reaching the ground. Basically, when ride height is overly high there is too little sag. Suffice to say that it's one of the prime ingredients in the handling stew. Turn the pre load to the highest setting it might get you by for awhile. Ride height is intertwined with sag, a subject too deep to cover here. Your springs and shocks are most likely bad cause even at the lowest setting you shouldnt be that saggy.

Setting pre load on softail shocks