Although the rear shock is ok for most riding I found it doesn't cope well with square bumps very well. It is VERY harsh. Has anyone discovered an aftermarket shock that works better. Even on the roads when you hit potholes ( of which we have many) the back is not compliant fast enough. Front is surprisingly good though but I am getting the bike ready for a long dirt ride to Alice Springs for the Ulysses club AGM next year via dirt roads and would l toi make sure both ends handle it well so more rigourous testing will be warranted.
The rear will always be a bit less plush on sharp edges than the front, for two reasons. One is that the 17" rear has a shallower approach angle to edge, which will reduce the necessary response speed of the suspension. The second is that the combination of swingarm, sprocket, chain, larger wheel and tire result in more unsprung mass. I have not found the Terra to be particularly harsh on sharp edges myself, although the larger wheel size does help a bit. In fact, the only 500cc+ bike I have ridden with better compliance was a 950 Adventure with SuperPlush modified suspension. I also run my rear tire at about 25 lbs most of the time. Tire pressure will make a huge difference in the compliance over small stutter bumps like freshly graded dirt has. I would recommend trying to take a few pounds of pressure out and see what the effect is. You will have to balance handling and tire life vs. ride quality.
+1 The first time I took the Terra out I didn't even mess with the air pressure and the dealership had it pretty high. Needless to say I was disappointed with the rear suspension. I usually run 20-25psi and its a lot better.
I lowered my air pressures to 18 front and 20 rear. Rides comfortably but I need more air to avoid a pinch flat up front.
The air pressure will help but I have the Strada and it runs the road "orientated" metzelers at present. Metzeler road tyres traditional use higher pressures for optimum usually 2 to 4 psi higher than most other brands. That's why my BMW has the alarms set at such ridiculous pressures and is one of the reasons I am selling it, just one though. I am pretty good with suspension from years of racing and shock swapping and while the rear shock in not aweful ( eg DRZ400 Suzuki) it isn't great. I am turning the Strada into more of an adventure bike ( still with the 19"front) and I will be able to run lower pressures when I change tyres. BUT as I will be doing a fair bit of dirt road touring the shock's shortcomings will become even more apparent. I don't know if the Terra has a softer damped or better pressure chamber ( i am pretty sure they are both DE Carbon style single tubes) and that accounts for it. Still the std shock IS a pretty cheap production item. maybe I can get it revalved anyway . I am pretty sure Tekniks do a revalving for the TR and I have dealt with them for years so I will give them a call. This post was mainly to see if anyone had good bad experiences with any aftermarket ones they had tried.
