XR650R how much rear shock sag?

Sounds way too soft. Sag off the bike should generally be around an inch or so, and about 1/3 of the travel when you're on the bike. Check out the mx-tech site for good guidance on setting up sag.

As for needing a spanner, haven't bought one yet. Just using a big flat blade screwdriver and hammer with the bike on a stand. Once the lockring is loose, I can turn the spring by hand easily.

Mark

Richard, you should have about 3/4" free sag (bike weight only) and 4" of sag with you on it.

You can make the bike work alot better, by setting it to the 3/4" free sag by adjusting the spring preload, but..... to get it exactly right, you will need an Eibach 10.5 kg/mm spring from White Bros.

I weight same as you, and needed stiffer front and rear springs for my BPR. Eibach is the best supplier of springs for the Big Red Pig.

I use a punch to adjust the collars, yes it dings them up, no it is not a problem....