Adjusting Rear Shock (newb question)

I was adjusting my rear shock over the weekend on my ’99 VFR. It has a fox twin clicker on it. The adjustment seems counterintuitive. When I turned the nut adjustment clockwise such that I’m loading the shock down, the bike rear gets taller. I guess I was expecting the bike rear to go down? If the shock is compressed more, how come the bike gets taller?

EDIT: Also, how do you decide what number on the oil resevoir to set to? I mean, what does 1 represent versus 6?

 

If the knob you are turning is for spring pre-load adjustment (similar to the VFR800ABS model shock), then that would make sense as you are now reducing the amount of sag by increasing the spring pre-load. That being said, your best bet would be to find the manual for the shock, so you know what each knob and default settings would be. You can always use the trial and error method, start with in the knob in the middle position and work the knob in one direction and see what it feels like, then go in the other direction and compare the differences of all three positions. That should tell you what the numbers represent i.e. 1 = less/soft, 6 = more/hard.

Here's something that might help you in the mean time: Sport Rider Suspension Tuning Guide-Dialing It In

Cheers!