suspension upgrades: biggest bang for the buck?

[DimitriT]

I'm considering progressive springs for both front and rear. I'm a heavy rider (240lbs. on a relatively small bike) and I want to eliminate some of the brake dive and bounce. Is it ok to start off with the front springs and a heavier dampening oil and then upgrade the rear as finances permit.

I have no experience with this stuff so any recommendation appreciated.

[Jethro]

Progressive springs in the front are a big upgrade. Some new fork oil is also a plus- together will be about $70 and an hour of your time. Best bang for the buck up front.

Lots of guys use the progressive rear shocks and springs, and they are pretty cheap.

[DimitriT]

Thanks for the advice.

The rear shocks are stock on my bike. THey have some rust on
the top of the shock case and a little around the lower fitting weld.
I'm assuming they are just air shocks with standard springs and
the 5 preload settings. Does it pay to upgrade to the heavy duty
shocks (they sell chromed steel and aluminum) with the dampening
adjustments or can I just upgrade the springs and keep the old shocks
(after a good cleaning). I don't know if the springs can even be removed.

[J_C]

This is a good thread. I weigh about 215 and will also be doing this upgrade. My rear shocks were replaced by some aftermarket compressed air things that I have zero faith in... I too am looking into the chromed heavy duty progrssive rears