No mistake, it just illustrates how much suspension setup and tuning is much more "art" than "science". The engineers set up the stock spring rates for a mystical rider under mystical riding conditions and for the bike to feel a certain way in testing, demo rides, and even sitting on in the showroom. But an individual rider under specific riding conditions may always prefer something else. In general there's a range of spring rates that will work for a particular rider weight, which keeps the suspension in the range of travel, but it's a very wide range of acceptable rates, there is not one right answer. So if you see the guidelines and you're 75 lbs. off from the spring rate that is on the bike, there's a good chance you'd like it better if you had a rate that was closer. The recommendations that we list are almost exclusively going to be track day/racing recommendations that we've determined through setup and tuning at the track and/or gotten from Ohlins, Mupo or other suspension companies from race teams. Once you're talking about street riding, it all becomes much less precise and important since road conditions can be so varied compared to track conditions. I do understand that everyone wants there to be one right answer: I weigh this much, I should run this spring rate. But that's not how it really works, the best approach is to make sure you're at least in the ballpark and then just ride the bike. If you find shortcomings of the suspension setup for the type of riding your doing, such as too much brake dive, wallowing in corners, rides stiff as a board, squatting and running wide on acceleration, etc., then it's time to look at changing something.
