- Set your suspension for how you actually ride. Rider sag should be measured with your normal load, including luggage and pillion if that’s how you use the bike.
- Tyre pressures can transform handling. A small pressure change often makes more difference on gravel than adjusting suspension clickers.
- If sag, pressures and damping are right but the bike still feels harsh or unstable, it may be time for a professional suspension revalve.
Most adventure bikes leave the showroom set up for a lightweight rider on smooth European roads. Leroy from Darkart Motosport explains how to dial in your suspension for New Zealand’s chipseal, gravel and touring loads.
Adventure bikes are the most sold, least sorted bikes on the road. Straight from the dealer, they’re set up for a 70kg European rider on smooth tarmac. Add NZ chipseal, gravel, luggage, and a pillion, and it’s no wonder they either feel vague, wallow, or harsh.
The good news: 60% of ADV complaints get fixed with 30 minutes and no money. You just need to set it for how you actually ride. Here’s what to do:
“Adventure bikes are the most sold, least sorted bikes on the road.”
Start With Sag — But Do It Loaded
On a sportsbike you set sag solo. On an ADV, you need to set it for your worst-case load. That’s you, your gear, and the pillion if you ride 2-up often.
Quick method
1. Gear up, put the bike on level ground, and get a mate to hold it upright.
2. Measure from the rear axle to a fixed point on the subframe. That’s your “bike-only” measurement.
3. Sit on the bike in your normal riding position. Get the same mate to take the measurement again.
4. The difference is your rider sag. For most ADVs you want 35-45mm at the rear. Front should be 30-40mm.
If you can’t get there with preload, the springs are wrong. Don’t keep cranking preload — it kills travel and makes the bike harsh.
Tyre Pressure Matters More on Gravel
Factory pressures are for road and a light load. Run 36/42 psi on gravel, and you’ll bounce off every rock and get zero traction.
For mixed riding in NZ
- Road only, solo: Stick close to factory.
- Mixed road/gravel, solo: Drop to 30/32 psi front/rear.
- 2-up + luggage: 32/36 psi. Don’t go lower unless you’re actually off-road.
Check them cold, and check them often. A 4psi drop on a loaded ADV changes the handling more than 2 clicks of damping.
Damping: Slow It Down for Control
ADVs come soft and under-damped from the factory. That’s why they wallow in corners and pack down on corrugations.
Start here
- Rebound: Turn it in 2-3 clicks from standard. You want the bike to come back up controlled, not spring back and pogo.
- Compression: Leave it standard to start. If the front dives hard under brakes, add 1-2 clicks. If it feels harsh on small bumps, back it off 1 click.
One change at a time. If you touch everything at once you won’t know what helped.
“A 4psi change in tyre pressure can affect handling more than two clicks of damping.”
The Gravel Test
Find a quiet gravel road. Ride it at 40-60km/h and feel what the bike does.
- Steering feels vague, front washes: Front end too soft or too much rebound. Add preload or rebound damping.
- Rear kicks and deflects: Rear rebound too fast. Slow it down.
- Bars shake under brakes: Front compression too soft or tyre pressure too high.
ADV suspension should feel calm and planted, not nervous.
When Clickers Aren’t Enough
If you’ve set sag, pressures, and damping and the bike still feels harsh on small bumps, dives under brakes, or can’t carry a pillion without falling apart — you’ve hit the limit of stock valving.
Factory ADV suspension is built to a price. The shim stacks are generic and are designed to fit a vast variety of people. That’s when a revalve makes the biggest difference you’ll feel for the money.
Bottom Line
Your Africa Twin, Tiger, or Ténéré didn’t get bad overnight. It just left the factory set for someone else’s roads and weight.
Get the basics right first. If it still feels wrong, the suspension will need to be looked at by a specialist and set up for you, based on how you actually load the bike.
If you need help with your suspension, get in touch with the experts at Darkart Motosport or call them on 021 203 2563.
