05 R1200RT suspension

[Tina]

Has anyone had any problems? Of course, after learning that the turn s/b to the right to stiffen it up rather than the left towards the 'H', I still can't find a good position. My bike will be called yoyo pretty soon. I weigh 155lbs. and have the adjustment under the seat set at standard. The side screw I have set 1/2 turn past half.

Any help or suggestions welcome.

Tina

[ben1364]

Tina,

How many miles on the bike? At 8000 miles, mine is A OK.

[duckbubbles]

Hi, Tina-

 

From what you are describing, (yo-yo) I would think that you don't have enough rebound damping. That is the screw on the bottom of the shock. Ride the bike on a bumpy road and try to feel what the rear is doing. If it is bouncing and not stabilizing in the next oscillation the rebound needs to be increased by turning it clockwise. Finding a proper setting is a trial and error process of getting the spring preload and damping to work together. More preload means more damping and vice-versa. With your weight, you may have the spring preload too stiff. I have found with myself, that I definitely know when things are too soft, figuring out what is too stiff is another matter.

 

Frank

[MoroCycler]

I had the same problem, I tryed the hardest damping adjustment possible and the bike was still like a big Grand Marquis while turning.

So I then realised that BMW mantains a "good" price on the bike by using a basically "good" set of shocks, nothing outstanding as the rest of the bike.

Another thing is that it is not easy to have a "full span" bike that can be handled as a sport bike and a soft and comfortable touring one.

So my only solution was, to buy a rear Ohlins shock.

Now I have a bike!

 

But then, the front is showing up, I need to buy the front shock too.

 

My recommendation is change both shocks, that´s the best thing you can do, you will feel like if you bought another bike, trust me.

 

MoroCycler

[beemerfan]

I agree with Frank. Sounds like you need a lot more rebound dampening. The exact amount is dependent on your riding style and the types of roads you ride the most.

 

I weigh 195 lbs and I do a lot of brisk backcountry riding on secondary roads. I had to run the dampening screw in almost all the way to get an adequate response from the rear shock (I think it's cracked about 1/3-1/2 turn). Preload's around the middle. This setup works pretty good for one-up and no bags. It's a little boggy when I add loaded saddlebags or a passenger, but extra preload clears most of that up when I take the time to adjust it.

 

The ultimate solution is a well-tuned set of aftermarket shocks. However, I'm a tightwad, so I won't do that until the stock units fail. Gives me something to look forward to.

[Tina]

Thanks for all your help. It seems like I need to just keep working at it AND working at finding a money tree for after market Ohlins!!!! I'll keep you posted.

Tina