If you don't have a owner's manual, I would go online and get a shop manual, it's cheap money it will be on your computer, and it may help you with some of your needs! I hope your compressor is not running all the time, or a lot, it should really only run if you make a change to the setting, or if there is a weight change, like someone gets on with you or you put something on board with you! As far as the soft, hard part, you adjust the setting for the kind of ride you like it may be in the middle somewhere, but once you got it adjusted you will probably never have to touch it again! The system will maintain a preset ride height automatically; you add weight or take weight off and the compressor will run or dump air out! Do you know where your coolant bottle, and dip stick is on your bike?