Shock Adjustment

[JiminPA]

I am looking to purchase my first BMW. Proabably going to be an RT. I have ridden and really like the R1200RT but cost is an issue. I have seen a lot of very reasonable R1150RTs that are more in my price range. The question I have is about setting the suspension. On the 1200RT I rode with the ESA set to the comfort setting most of the time as I have some lower back problems and like the cushy ride, particularly on the concrete interstate higways. Those little seams just wear on my back.

 

I haven't had a chance to ride an 1150RT and adjust the suspension. Is it possible to adjust the suspension to get a ride similar to the 1200RT with the ESA on the comfort setting with the 1150RT shocks.

 

I don't want to buy one to find out and its hard to go and start messing with someone elses Bike even if I am considering purchasing it.

 

I know softening the suspension will give up some handling, but its either that or my riding days are done.

[Don_Eilenberger]

I haven't had a chance to ride an 1150RT and adjust the suspension. Is it possible to adjust the suspension to get a ride similar to the 1200RT with the ESA on the comfort setting with the 1150RT shocks.

Not having ridden an R1200 with ESA I can't say for sure - but if you're willing to spend some $$ on aftermarket shocks for the RT I think you'd be happy with the ride quality.

 

Good handling doesn't equal harsh handling (a rather common misconception) - good handling is the result of suspension control.

 

One shock manufacturer allows for control of the suspension at both high and low speeds. High speeds are the sort of impact travel you'd see hitting the tar strips between concrete slabs on a highway. Low speed is in response to more gradual suspension movement - such as undulations in a road, or the suspension loading you experience when cornering.

 

The manufacturer is Wilbers - http://www.wilbersusa.com

 

I've been able to really dial out the sharp impacts you describe on my R1150RS with Wilbers suspension. I have some rather bad back problems - and that sort of impact becomes quite wearing on me. The Wilbers allowed me to adjust the suspension so they were not a problem.

 

DISCLAIMER: I'm good friends with Klaus - the owner of WilbersUSA, and I'm also the guy responsible for his becoming the US importer.. so take what I say with that in mind - but it's still the truth as any other Wilbers owner will tell you.

[Ken H.]

If anything the factory R1150RT suspension can be set up too soft. Many people try to get more firmness and tight control out of it, can't, and end up going aftermarket. So if cushy is your desire, nothing wrong with that, the R1150RT would be fine.

[TyTass]

+1 on 1150RT being too cushy.

 

I am 6 month owner of an 04 that started with only 2900 miles. So, it was basically like new. I can't get it quite firm enough for me - but a mod is going to have to wait.

[2wheelterry]

I have had chronic back problems for several years. I spent over half of 2005 in bed with surgery in the middle. In my experience, softening the suspension doesn’t give as much benefit as other things, such as:

 

Master Yoda’s Riding Position, here, mainly a very slight lift off the seat, especially in bumpy road conditions.

Take periodic breaks and stretch if only briefly

Stand on the pegs once in a while

Take ibuprofen when I start getting sore

Do my back stretches (provided by my Physical Therapist) at least every other day

Try to ride every week. If I don’t ride for a while, I hurt the first few times out

[boatzo]

 

DISCLAIMER: I'm good friends with Klaus - the owner of WilbersUSA, and I'm also the guy responsible for his becoming the US importer.. so take what I say with that in mind - but it's still the truth as any other Wilbers owner will tell you.

 

 

Don, I hope this doesn't start another thread? However, I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on comparison of Wilbers to Ohlins, both performance, longivity, and price.

 

Thanks,

[Don_Eilenberger]

Hmmm..

 

OK. BOTH are great shocks. Both are rebuildable, and adjustable enough that rebuilding should be a very infrequent thing (you can compensate for fluid/valving wear with the adjustable damping controls.)

 

Where Wilbers has an edge up on Ohlins is in the dual-rate adjustability of the compression damping on the higher end models. The two adjustments DO what they claim to do, and allow for very precise balancing of ride quality vs handling. The high-speed adjustment is really trick, and for me made all the difference in ride comfort without taking away from the handling qualities I wanted (which was to get rid of any feeling of "floating" - or Gummi-Kuh, AKA Rubber Cow.)

 

The floating feeling - especially in long sweeper corners is due to inadequate compression and rebound damping. The compression damping that is controlling it is the slow-speed damping - ie - controls the compression of the suspension by the cornering downforces generated though the suspension. On the Wilbers this adjustment is seperate from the sharp-impact damping, allowing you to adjust it and not change the ride comfort.

 

The Ohlins is probably the equal for eliminating the floating feeling, but doesn't offer the adjustability for high-speed compression movements - ones caused by things like tar-strips, railroad tracks - fast movements of the suspension.

 

Fit and finish - a tie. Both are quality products - recognizeable as soon as you pick one up and look at it.

 

Cost - close, but I think Wilbers has a slight edge.

 

Warranty - in the US - Wilbers has a 5 year warranty if purchased through Klaus. Dunno what Ohlins has, but I don't believe it's longer than 1 year.

 

If Wilbers wasn't available in the US, I'd be riding on Ohlins (I used to.. and almost every other brand of aftermarket shock at one time or another..) - but that was my motivation for getting Klaus to be the importer, I wanted to try Wilbers and I wasn't disappointed.

[boatzo]

Thanks Don, that is very informative.

[Don_Eilenberger]

I have had chronic back problems for several years. I spent over half of 2005 in bed with surgery in the middle. In my experience, softening the suspension doesn’t give as much benefit as other things, such as:

 

Master Yoda’s Riding Position, here, mainly a very slight lift off the seat, especially in bumpy road conditions.

Take periodic breaks and stretch if only briefly

Stand on the pegs once in a while

Take ibuprofen when I start getting sore

Do my back stretches (provided by my Physical Therapist) at least every other day

Try to ride every week. If I don’t ride for a while, I hurt the first few times out

All of those are true - if your problem is a back related one. Although I have a bad back (degenerative disk disease) I find riding makes it better - especially the RS sort of riding position (which takes weight off your back at the same time as it stretches your back.. RT position is a killer for me.. but I digress..)

 

I also am not advocating "softening the suspension" - I'm suggesting lessening sharp impacts, which is really quite a bit different - it's increasing the suspensions ability to absorb the sharp impact without passing it on to the rider.

 

In my experience, problems that are helped by improving the ride quality are arthritis in the hip and hot-spot-pain in the butt. Both of these conditions are greatly aggravated by sharp impacts up through the seat. Good suspension, compliant suspension really helps (as does in my case - the FreedomAir air-ride seat cushion.)

 

I also try to avoid over-dosing on Ibuprofen since it's known to have some bad effects on the liver.

 

I actually found that if my back starts giving me pain - a ride will usually help a great deal. When I was going to PT for back pain last year - it became obvious why when I thought about the back and joint stretching exercises I was doing. I stretch the same parts of my back and my hip joints when I ride.

[Big D]

Don: thanks for the info. I bought a pair of Wilburs at the Vermont rally and it sure made a difference on the handling of my 2002 1150RT. Actually, Klaus roomed in the room cluster at the college with our Tampa crew( two of us ended up ordering Wilburs there). I have done the basic adjustments to the shocks( I bought the model with all the adjustments) but was wondering if there is anywhere with info that goes more in depth on adjusting the Wilburs. The RT had about 40K on it when I installed the Wilburs. With the new suspension it feels like the bike is taking the corners on a rail even under acceleration. it is a blast. thanks for any help.

 

D

[Paul De]

While I agree that the stock RT suspension can be made to have a "boaty" ride (think of riding in a '70s Lincoln Continental) they still fall well short in their handling of sharp jolting type bump like when expansion joints on two cement slabs are not flush without becoming sloppy. Really only premium shocks give you the level of control so the ride can be super plush without becoming boaty. Don's connection to the Wilburs didn't affect the truth he shares. He's right on point.

 

For the record, I purchased Ohlins for my '99 1100RT last year. Initially, I thought I was insane for plunking down $1200 for shocks because the stock units "weren't that bad". After the fact I wondered why I waited for 36K miles to do this mod. It is one of the highest value modifications you can do to an RT. In retrospect I might have went with the Wilburs for the added adjustability had I been more familiar with Wilburs at the time. I am completely happy with the Ohlins, but I tend toward being a suspension tweak geek so the more knobs the better. Wilburs offers all the knobs for the RT while Ohlins is more pragmatic about how many knobs you acually need to get excellent control of a touring bike. Regardless of whether you buy Bitubo, Ohlins, Wilburs, or Works they all outshine the stock suspension performance on an 1150 RT and are rebuildable. Do a search here and you’ll find numerous threads that will deep dive on each offering beyond what Don shared.

 

Even if you are not interested in becoming a suspension tweak geek, or even a bit phobic about twisting knobs, budget money for premium shocks if you buy the 1150. Folks here will be more than happy to guide you through the nuances of suspension nirvana. Or, it seems every community has some guy who knows his stuff and will set up your suspension to your preference for what should be a nominal fee. Once the premium shocks are tuned to your preferences you pretty much only have to mess with the spring preload knob to deal with the load you are carrying, with maybe a click or two more rebound (slow speed) damping to control any boaty or pogo effect at the rear if you are carrying a maximum load. Your back will love you for it.