Trying to wrap my head around suspension issues

[splicer]

As the relatively new owner of a 2004 Nero Corsa I've been riding around a bit wobbly and attributing that to getting used to all the changes. But as the weeks went on and I was still going wide in corners and feeling like the bike was going to bounce out from under me, I started looking at other options.

Important information: the previous owner had the suspension set up for him, and he weighs about fifty pounds less than I do. So it makes sense that the suspension would not be dialed in for me.

First thing I did was stiffen up the steering damper, which helped a lot. Now the bike is essentially rideable. Next up: front forks.

The owners manual says that the rebound and compression damping is adjusted by clicks and that the preload is adjusted by turns. Does this mean full 360 degree rotations of the outer nuts on the Öhlins forks? That's a lot more movement than "clicks" so I want to make sure I'm not overdoing it.

My plan is to get the suspension professionally set up for me. I'm not foolish enough to try to do this myself. But my appointment is on the 17th and I'd like to set the suspension up with the stock defaults (as described in the owners manual) for the time between now and then. Does that sound like a reasonable thing to do?

It's been suggested to me that I should replace the springs in the forks with progressive springs rated for my weight. I'm about 210#, with gear call it 230# (?). Is that really likely to be necessary? Or is it just a good thing to do?

Last, something that seems counterintuitive to me: I did turn each of the preload adjustment nuts 360 degrees counterclockwise (in the direction toward "W" as opposed to "T"... what does that mean?) which I believe reduces the preload. And the ride got better, more stable, predictable, less mushy. That's the opposite of what I thought—I thought that we'd want more preload for a heavier rider.

I know I'm not going to learn this stuff overnight, and I don't have the space to attempt to do a real setup myself, but I am going to have to learn this stuff. Any insights welcomed.

Thanks!

 

[GTM®]

Steve, everything you need to know/read up on; http://www.sportrider.com/motorcycle_su ... index.html

 

[GuzziMoto]

Also, make sure there is not something wrong like wheel bearings.
My wife and I have 3 Guzzi's, an '07 Griso, an '01 V11, and a '93 Daytona. The V11 and Daytona came with steering dampers but both of them went bad, causing wobbling issues, and have been removed.
First step is to set sag front and rear. After setting sag you can use the numbers achieved to determine if your springs are an acceptable rate.
Then work on dampening changes, making one change at a time so you don't confuse your results.

Unless you have so much preload that the suspension is topped out adding or subtracting preload does not really change the spring rate. If you have aftermarket progressive springs it does change, but not with stock straight rate springs.
What it does change is the ride height which can change the ride quality by moving the suspension action into a better part of the curve or stopping the suspension from bottoming out.