My brother recently bought an 07 KLX. I went to look at it and it is in almost pristine condition. (2500 miles on the odometer). It was really quite high in the rear end and he was having a hell of a time straddling it. I had a look at the preload on the shock and the nuts were cranked all the way down. Iwas pretty surprised by this, and backed the spring off till there was about an inch of threads above the nuts on the shock body. This lowered the bike well enough for him.
My question is: Why would anybody crank the preload to the limit? I didn't have time to check the rebound and compression settings.
Would this be done to mask a problem with the shock? Or perhaps the previous owner was a "wide body".

 

Probably for a heavier rider.

 

"Wide Body".
Cranking the preload that much would exacerbate shock problems.

Ride on
Brewster

 

No doubt. Is the 07 sprung softer than the 09? The bike seems very bouncy. Especially the rear.

 

what's the comp and rebound set at?

 

I didn't get a chance to check those settings unfortunately. I will try to get my bro to check and let you know. That may tell the story.

 

http://www.planetklx.org/techtips/suspension.html

 

You need to have a platform to work from and the stock settings are not a bad place to start from. Set up the rear Static Sag & Rider Sag first. Then set up the Comp & Rebound to the stock settings. This will give you a good starting point. I've just tuned mine and had great success.

 

Careful use of a screwdriver or punch and a hammer works (careful to let nothing contact threads). The tool you linked to may not work, I don't think there is enough room for it to hook and then move the ring. Put some marks (with a felt marker) on the adjuster ring, the lock ring and the shock body to keep track of adjustments.

 

Some people understand suspension and some think they do it sounds like your brothers bike was owned by the latter.