depends on how the preload is set, you could have a soft spring with little to no preload in which case the weight of the bike would drop it 2-3 inches, then when you mount up could drop another inch or two, leaving you with very little travel and a fairly shitty acting shock......a good shock setup, the body is full of spring, not a nut cranking a light spring down 4 inches......sounds like you might want to come up a gage in springs.......fairly cheap and any good shock tech can do it for you.........