SOHC.co.uk Forums > CB500/550

Might need to adjust the 500 rear dampers - not sure what to do?

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McCabe-Thiele (Ted):
Went out for a short ride today as the sun is out - nothing epic just 18 miles or so  to put a few extra miles on the 500 before winter sets in. I'm starting to really love the way it sounds & feels - so very different to the 400 in terms of flexibility through the gears.

When I rode it before the rebuild the front suspension was overly hard plus it made some horrible clonking noises under braking. On dismantling I found a PO of the front forks had fitted some spacers between the top of the springs and the internal top nut. I removed the makeshift spacers returning the set up to standard as the springs were still within the original limits in uncompressed length.

The ride is good on good road surfaces but there is something almost harsh about the way the bike rides over road repair strips at 40-50 mph. At the moment the rear damper spring setting is set on the lowest setting so presume that's softest (I'm 15st). Looking at the design I guess you need to rotate the adjuster with some sort of C spanner to harden the spring rate. I believe the rear shockers are standard ones.

What size tool do I need to rotate the rear damper spring to the second setting & will that improve anything or make it even worse?

Bryanj:
Just a C spanner Ted

Seabeowner:
If they are the original shocks then they may well have lost their damping. The shocks on my 550K3 seem to have absolutely no damping so you just bounce up and down. My 550F is not bad so it's a bit random.
Also the damper in the front forks is a sealed unit and I have found some are better than others. Presume there is a sealing ring that could wear particularly if it's been used with dirty oil. Later bikes have seal and parts that could be replaced separately.

Johnny4428:
Old fashioned bicycle spanner works on the shocks too Ted! Think they were for the bicycle bottom bracket crank bearing caps.

McCabe-Thiele (Ted):

--- Quote from: Johnny4428 on September 17, 2024, 08:11:28 PM ---Old fashioned bicycle spanner works on the shocks too Ted! Think they were for the bicycle bottom bracket crank bearing caps.

--- End quote ---

My brother should have one of those bottom bracket tools - the dampers seemed quite good still as I dismantled them from the spring to clean them up - they only dampened in one direction iirc.

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