Hi,

I am relatively new to this forum but glad to join.

I own an 2009 1700 VMAX which I love and have been riding bikes for some 32 years now. Unfortunately I have a problem with the VMAX, the rear suspension is extremely stiff to the extent that the riding is very unpleasant. To give you an idea, it is stiffer than a BMW S1000RR. I have adjusted the two controls at each side of the bike from fully released to fully compressed (four positions in total) but over-all the stiffness remains. I do not know whether this is how the bike is meant to be, though I can’t believe it. While this is a heavy motorcycle, other motorcycles (such as the BMW K1600GT) is much softer. The swing arm seems to move freely and there is no evidence of mechanical failure.

have you heard of this before? what can I do? Are you aware of an after market replacement suspension for the VMAX? Would you recommend someone who can repair this around greater London?

Thank you

Not heard of the suspension being to stiff, at least not being able to adjust it to individual preferences. When I got my 2010, both the front and rear where way to soft for me. I ended tightening almost completely to the stiff side, maybe 3 or 4 back.

Have you lightened up the spring preload? I think you are adjusting the compression and the rebound. Start with the spring and set everything to the suggested setup from the manual.

There are 3 adjustments, The large knob on the left side is the spring pre-load.. The rear spring is quite stiff, you should set the pre-load to the minimum setting and start from there. You will have to increase the rebound and compression settings for the bike or it will feel a little "sloppy".

I have the pre-load set just a little off the minimum setting and have the other adjustments cranked up pretty high.

Hi Gage, I'm from West Bromwich in the West Midlands, glad to hear from another UK Max rider. Yes I agree that the rear suspension can feel a bit stiff compared to other bikes. Certain roads around Wales I could not seem to ride as fast on my Max as I could on my Honda X11 but messing around with the suspension settings and tyre pressures as improved the ride quality no end. Bob (Badger 1670) is nearer to London then me, he had similar issues with his suspension but like me he's sorted it now but like yox185 says have you adjusted the preload, mine was on the hardest setting when I first had my bike...Happy adjusting..

Hi Gage. I'm from Basingstoke so not too far away. I found the sag on the rear needed a bit less preload for my weight, about 14 stone. Then I increased the damping a bit on both compression and rebound. I am thinking about changing out the shock for a Wilbers 641 over the winter. I will let you know how it goes.

So when you adjust the rear suspension, do you need to do the front also??? proportionately??

Gage wrote:
There are 3 control nobs, 2 on the right and one on the left. The one on the bottom left is for rebound damping, while the upper left is spring preload and the one on the right is for compression dampening. If you are finding the suspension hard turn down the preload and compresion dampening, taking note where you started from so you can return the original settings should you need too and only go a couple of clicks at a time until it feels good.

vmaxmercer

P.S. Oh and welcome to the site!

docrok wrote:
Not necessarily, if you ride aggressive most tend to have the front a little stiffer to improve feeback through the bars and better feel while corning hard but it all in what you find handles the best for you.

vmaxmercer

Can anyone comment on what the general set-up is for a 200 pound rider?
I heard the rear you make firm turned all the way in, then back off 3 clicks on both adjusters.