r6 rear shock update.

[Fitz]

I've an R6 rear calliper and, what I believe is, an R6 shock fitted to my 3tj hybrid. Reading through this thread has made me realize why the rear is a little skittish. I think it may be set way too stiff. I've never checked the pressure and don't know what the correct setting is for road use.

I've also got it fitted with sintered pads in the rear which are brilliant on smooth tarmac but can easily lock up the rear end on any surface that's less than perfect with just a tad too much pressure on the pedal.
Would lessening the shock pressure give the bike a bit more rear braking stability?
Fitz

[White2505]

Fitz, what colour spring is fitted to the shock?

[Evilchicken0]

Yes - but.

Suspension should work both front and back if one is to firm then the other end will suffer too. If you have the original red spring then you should take the compression damping right down. That should give a more "supple" feel

[White2505]

Even with everything backed right off I found the red spring was WAY to hard for road riding IMHO.

if it's the original r6 spring it needs a spring change. easy to do though. Biggest ball ache is having to buy spring compressors if you don't own any.

[Fitz]

It's a yellow spring on the shocker. I'm not sure even entirely sure if it is an R6 one. It has the gas canister mounted horizontally at the top of the shock but no stickers on it for id. Whoever originally put this hybrid together put a lot of effort into the mechanical side of things so it wouldn't surprise me in the least if it was an R6 shock.

I'm going to try and lower the height of the rear and adjust the pressure of the shock. What would be a normal PSi for spirited road use on an R6 shock?

[White2505]

I may be barking up the wrong tree but I'm not sure changing anything inside the shock will make a difference as the skittish behaviour is almost certainly down to the spring rate of the rear shock not the damping.

Not sure what the spring rate is on the yellow spring.
The normal red spring r6 shock is about 545lb
the original 3tj spring is about 325lb
I fitted an aftermarket 375lb spring at the rear and put 15wt oil in the front forks instead of 10wt.
couldn't be happier with the changes the bike handles lovely now.

[Evilchicken0]

could be the combination of soft forks and hard shock.
Get somebody to help you hold the bike then push down on the front of the saddle. The back / front should rise at the same time.