[latew]

Hi I am a new Goldwing owner, have a 2008 with 21000 miles on it. The problem is when my wife who is 5' 115lbs. rides with me she complains of rough ride over things like rail road tracks. I have tried setting of 14, 20 and 25 and didn't seem to make much difference. I feel a bump but not to the extent that she describes it. ( a sudden jarring) I have had the bike a month and she has just started riding with me. Could there be something wrong with the rear suspension? Any ideas would be great. Thanks

 

[DreamWeaver]

Going up in numbers stiffens the suspension. Try the other direction.

 

[latew]

I was thinking that because she said it jarred her that it was bottoming out. But I will try the other direction maybe it will work. Thanks

 

[DreamWeaver]

Tire pressure has a lot to do with it too. I run 42 front and rear. But railroad tracks are notorious for jolts. That and slowing down are the three things that I know to lessen the pain.

 

[tfdeputydawg]

Very hard to explain and understand but, going up in "numbers" changes the preload, it does not alter the action of the shock!
Suggested by a man much wiser than I, on another forum, was to set it on 25 and leave it there.
If your wife is still experiencing "bone jarring" bumps w/ the setting on 25, you may very well have a bad shock that is allowing the suspension to bottoming out!

 

[knelson1969]

how fast are you going over these rail road tracks and such? if your doing Mach 1 step it down a notch. if you are driving responsible and things are still too ruff a new wife may be needed. OK just kidding.
If the bike checks out mechanically look into the trunk and remove everything then go for another ride with your wife to see if the cargo was jumping around in the trunk over the bumps hitting her in the back.

 

[Chopin]

I have a possible solution , at best a significant alleviation, to her issue. The problem is it will require a different type of tire on the rear that you cannot buy at a motorcycle shop.

 

[crownfire]

My wife had the same complaint. All I could figure to do is slow down. Interested to see if there is anything else I can do. Any jarring right to her back would be really bad. That is what is keeping her off the bike for now.

 

[EFINREF]

My wife had the same complaint. All I could figure to do is slow down. Interested to see if there is anything else I can do. Any jarring right to her back would be really bad. That is what is keeping her off the bike for now.

+1 on slowing down and thats with any tire

 

[joe in calif]

The passenger is sitting over the rear tire, they will feel it more than you. A few things to do, check the air in your tires, less air will give you a smoother ride but less mileage (maybe drop a few pounds of air when she is on with you) play around with the rear shock setting, and probably the best thing is slow down when you go over the tracks.
Or tell her to learn to ride and get her own bike!!

 

[budoka]

My wife says the Wing rides smoother on the higher settings. I know it handles the aggressive inputs better set up that way when I'm solo.

 

[angelmammaw]

My husband has had back surgeries, I have disc issues. We bought the Airhawk seats and that has really helped the jarring.

 

[latew]

Thanks for all the replies. There are some good ideas here and I will look into them.
Thanks again.

 

[bob2002]

Low fluid level in rear actuator on the 1800 has been a common problem, some don't start loading until 6-7 others at a higher number so you may think your at 25 but your not. If you can't do it yourself take it to the dealer to get it topped off and if you want to improve its worth getting the TRAXXION Steel Braided Line - GL1800 Preload Adjuster
http://www.traxxion.com/steelbraidedline-gl1800preloadadjuster.aspx

 

[Freighthauler]

Just a thought.

 

[Dookoo]

I'm with Chopin on this one. It is the single biggest improvement my wife has enjoyed.

 

[W1ngin1t]

I learned from my dirt bike days to stand up over such rough areas....your legs are your shocks. I know that's not the answer you are looking for....but it is the nature of the beast. Remember when you were a kid riding the bus to school you would fight for the back seat for the "fun" bumpy ride. Same principle here. Yes a car tire helps....but any pillion on any motorcycle gets the "bumpy" ride. Just slow down & warn her when possible.


JMHO,
Mark

 

[Dandy Dave]

The rear shock on a wing is marginal when new, and wears out quickly. You have over 20K miles on your bike, so your shock is pretty likely trash. The wham-slam over the bumps that your wife experiences is directly related to a lack of proper damping. Your preload adjustor is probably a bit low on fluid, and you aren't getting the full preload effect. Put the bike on the center stand and run the preload to zero. Start running it up, and listen for the pitch change. (It will go from eeeeeeee to oooooooo) Release the switch, and that is where your preload starts to work.
You didn't mention how much you weigh, or how much luggage you carry but the stock rear spring is way below what is needed. I think it's a .7 or .8, and a 1.2, or perhaps a 1.1 with a 115 lb wife, is about right for this bike, unless you are very light or very heavy.

So, between a sacked out shock, not enough spring to start with and the preload adjustor not able to crank it up, your wife is going to get slammed. The reason it feels worse to her is that she is sitting directly over, even somewhat behind the shock, so everything gets amplified for her.

Now you can try tire pressures, car tires, speeds, or sprinkle pixie dust on it, but if your wife is getting beaten up back there, your shock is the culprit. Any new shock, even a trike take-off will help, but a Traxxion or a Racetech with a 1.1 or more likely 1.2 spring will solve the issue.

=Dave=
olddogmoto.com

 

[W1ngin1t]

The rear shock on a wing is marginal when new, and wears out quickly. You have over 20K miles on your bike, so your shock is pretty likely trash. The wham-slam over the bumps that your wife experiences is directly related to a lack of proper damping. Your preload adjustor is probably a bit low on fluid, and you aren't getting the full preload effect. Put the bike on the center stand and run the preload to zero. Start running it up, and listen for the pitch change. (It will go from eeeeeeee to oooooooo) Release the switch, and that is where your preload starts to work.
You didn't mention how much you weigh, or how much luggage you carry but the stock rear spring is way below what is needed. I think it's a .7 or .8, and a 1.2, or perhaps a 1.1 with a 115 lb wife, is about right for this bike, unless you are very light or very heavy.

So, between a sacked out shock, not enough spring to start with and the preload adjustor not able to crank it up, your wife is going to get slammed. The reason it feels worse to her is that she is sitting directly over, even somewhat behind the shock, so everything gets amplified for her.

Now you can try tire pressures, car tires, speeds, or sprinkle pixie dust on it, but if your wife is getting beaten up back there, your shock is the culprit. Any new shock, even a trike take-off will help, but a Traxxion or a Racetech with a 1.1 or more likely 1.2 spring will solve the issue.

=Dave=
olddogmoto.com

20k & your shock is trashed???? Really??? I have 50,000 on mine & it's fine. Please explain why it would most likely be trashed?

Thanks in advance,

Mark

 

[Dandy Dave]

Mark,
The symptoms that the OP describes are classic "bad shock" symptoms. My experience has been that the rear shock pretty much goes away at about 20K. It goes gradually, so you don't really notice it, at least until your corider starts complaining about the bumps, and asking you to warn her. I replaced my original at maybe 30K, and the difference was beyond amazing. I was flabbergasted at how much better the new shock was in the first 100 feet. I had no idea how bad mine was. The Progressive I put in was OK for a couple of years, but then my wife started in on me about the bumps again, and sure enough, that one had failed. I put a Traxxion in for my third one, and it's done well for a couple of years now.

Some of this is probably dependent on where you ride. I have lived in New England until 2 months ago, and the roads in NH and VT are MUCH rougher than the roads in Florida. (A lot more fun, too. So far, Florida roads don't seem to have any turns, hills, or bumps)
I'm sure the roads I traveled had an effect, but the shock itself is pretty underdamped and underspring off the showroom floor.
I suspect that your shock is gone, too. If you ride smooth roads, and aren't super aggressive, you might not notice it so much. The clues I use are "Can I hear my wife go "ooooff" as the bump drives her butt up through her helmet," or "does she demand that I tell her about bumps before we hit them"?
I would like to know what you think of a bike with an aftermarket shock like a Traxxion or RaceTech, or even a new Wing with under 5K miles on it. Can you feel a difference between yours and a new one?

=Dave=