Miriam Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 The only thing about my 12GS I’m a little less than happy with is the suspension. My 127# and no pillion or heavy luggage mean I can keep it set to light for street riding, but it’s still pretty hard. I’ve begun to have a look into buying shocks, but I’m having trouble understanding which do what. I know people use them to lower their bike. I don’t want to do that! I want shocks that will be less hard but will still work well for simple off-roading and won’t change any of the steering qualities of the bike. Is such a thing possible?! Have any of you guys changed the standard shocks on your 12GS? Would you explain to me why you did it, which ones you bought and why those specific ones and what’s now different when riding and are you happy with the result? Sorry to be quite a handful again! Link to comment
David Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 Miriam, you are looking for a shock with two things: a) Different spring, for a rider of your weight. b) Adjustable compression damping. Anything with both of those things will by default come with rebound adjustment and preload adjustment, but the opposite is not necessarily true. I think this will limit you to Wilburs. WP might even make one. Before you go that route, though, have you backed off all the rear preload and dialed in very littel rebound damping? Also, try 34 lbs in the front and 35 lbs in the rear tire (not sure how that converts to your method of air pressure measurement). Link to comment
Emoto Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 The only thing about my 12GS I’m a little less than happy with is the suspension. My 127# and no pillion or heavy luggage mean I can keep it set to light for street riding, but it’s still pretty hard. I’ve begun to have a look into buying shocks, but I’m having trouble understanding which do what. I know people use them to lower their bike. I don’t want to do that! I want shocks that will be less hard but will still work well for simple off-roading and won’t change any of the steering qualities of the bike. Is such a thing possible?! Have any of you guys changed the standard shocks on your 12GS? Would you explain to me why you did it, which ones you bought and why those specific ones and what’s now different when riding and are you happy with the result? Sorry to be quite a handful again! Miriam, I put Wilbers shocks on my R1200GS. Here is a little web page about it: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/emoto1/wilbers.html To answer your questions, you can have new shocks set up to your specifications. Shocks can be made with a longer or shorter shaft, depending on what you want. Some shocks have an adjustable length shaft so that you can change how long it is yourself. My Wilbers are slightly longer than the stock shocks, so I get a little extra ride height out of them, which is good for me. So, you have the length of the shock as one variable. Then you have the "weight" of the spring, meaning how many pounds or kg does it take to compress the spring, and does that rate remain constant throughout the entire span of spring compression, or does the force needed to cmpress the spring change as the spring is compressed. If it does change, this is called a "progressive" spring. The next thing is damping - either when the shock is compressed (compression damping) or when it is extending (rebound damping). Damping uses oil flowing through passages to slow down the motion of the spring. Some shocks have separate controls for each, some have a combined control, and some only have a control for rebound damping, the latter being the most common. A good shock maker or seller will attempt to build the shock to suit the bike, your weight, and how you use the bike. They will ask you many questions, and from your answers, they will set up a shock to suit your needs. The original BMW shocks are made to suit a broad range of rider weights and riding styles. By getting a shock that is suited specifically to you and your needs, you will get a better, more controlled ride. I hope this helps. Link to comment
Miriam Posted October 21, 2005 Author Share Posted October 21, 2005 David, thanks! Emoto, wonderful explanation! It’s becoming clearer to me... I saw the Wilbers shocks advertised on the Wunderlich website where they have different types. For people under 90 kilo’s they recommend the ‘comfort’ type. Sounds good, also is expensive. I’m a little worried that changing the shocks will make putting the GS on the CS more difficult. But I’ll deal with that when the time comes. Link to comment
sjn7708 Posted October 22, 2005 Share Posted October 22, 2005 I did the Wilbers not for the suspension change but to lower the GS 2" and am completely satisfied with the ride. Worth every penny. Link to comment
Ken H. Posted October 22, 2005 Share Posted October 22, 2005 This just speculation on my part, but I'm wondering how much the shorter upper paralever arm on your lowered bike has changed the normal travel range of the OEM spring and is contributing to a harsher than normal ride? Link to comment
mrmaico Posted October 22, 2005 Share Posted October 22, 2005 How many miles do you have on your bike Miriam? I have read that it can take as much as 12,000 miles for the shocks to get broken in. Maybe they just need more miles on them. Barry Link to comment
Jim VonBaden Posted October 23, 2005 Share Posted October 23, 2005 How many miles do you have on your bike Miriam? I have read that it can take as much as 12,000 miles for the shocks to get broken in. Maybe they just need more miles on them. Barry No, on a BMW that is 12,000 miles to wear them out! Jim Link to comment
Slash5Dan Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 Miriam, I noticed an ad on the IBMWR Marketplace for a set of Ohlins shorter shocks for the R1200GS. Not sure if they'd be a good match for what you need, but you can take a look there. Text below: --Dan Category: Oilhead R- parts for sale FS: Ohlins for 1200GS New Short Units I have a set of brand new in the box Ohlins for the R1200GS. These are their BM508 and BM509 which are the short units. They will lower the bike between 3/4" and 1" per Ohlins. Price is $1269 and I will pay shipping within the USA. They will be available until early next week at which time I will return them to the supplier. If you are interested please respond to marcparnes@aol.com. Price: $1269 Location: SoCal Contact Marc Parnes at <marcparnes@aol.com> Telephone 714-842-8238 Posted Saturday, October 22, 2005 at 08:09:51 (EDT) Link to comment
Emoto Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 Miriam, I noticed an ad on the IBMWR Marketplace for a set of Ohlins shorter shocks for the R1200GS. Not sure if they'd be a good match for what you need, but you can take a look there. Text below: --Dan Category: Oilhead R- parts for sale FS: Ohlins for 1200GS New Short Units I have a set of brand new in the box Ohlins for the R1200GS. These are their BM508 and BM509 which are the short units. They will lower the bike between 3/4" and 1" per Ohlins. Price is $1269 and I will pay shipping within the USA. They will be available until early next week at which time I will return them to the supplier. If you are interested please respond to marcparnes@aol.com. Price: $1269 Location: SoCal Contact Marc Parnes at <marcparnes@aol.com> Telephone 714-842-8238 Posted Saturday, October 22, 2005 at 08:09:51 (EDT) I've dealt with Marc before. He's a good guy. Link to comment
Miriam Posted October 24, 2005 Author Share Posted October 24, 2005 Thanks. But I'm going to wait a little while before I make my choice, and when I do it will be an informed one! Link to comment
sjn7708 Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 The ride on my lowered bike is same quality as OEM shocks. I didnt see any difference, certainly not any more harsh Link to comment
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