Hi , just to add to the debate! The old standard shock was OK for steady sedate riding but if pushed it could be , lets say a little too soft and under damped ( it had done 30k miles too)!
I have just added a new Nitron rear shock , Nitron asked for all my details, for the Type of riding I do plus weight of myself and passenger, as we do lots of two up touring with luggage !! I also like to get out on our local mountain roads alone to have a more spirited ride !
Result Nitron fitted a spring to try and meet these varied riding requirements !
Yes I think they have got it about right , I still need to experiment with the preload and damping ! But what I have learnt is not to overdo the preload but to check out the damping when two up ! I took advantage of the Nitron offer of a remote preload adjuster and have to say go for this option too! I have a standard non remote version of the Nitron shock on the old Fazer 1000 I have, its more of a fiddle to adjust this as you need the short rod of a two part screw driver to put into the holes provide for the turning of the adjuster !
All told happy with the new shock copes well with most things .The only downside is it shows up the weakness of the front suspension ! Do I now need dual rate springs to match the quality of the rear suspension ?