Adjusting shock absorber/suspension 2004RT

[RockLives]

The manual shows the H on the right side and the S on the left. The manual says to turn the screw clockwise towards H to tighten the suspension/shocks for a hareder ride it also ajusts for weight...So why does the the H appear on the left side and the S on the right side on my bike? I looked at another 2004RT and indeed that bike was the same as mine...H on left and S on right...I want to adjsut the ride for additional weight, which way is right, the manual or the bike? Thanks

[GordonB]

Are we talking of the 'screw' at the bottom of the shock? That's for rebound dampening only. Full clockwise for 'firm' 1 turn counter clockwise for 'std', and all the way counter clockwise for 'soft'

If we're talking of the preload adjtr mounted on the right side. You turn clockwise to add preload (for adtl weight) and counter for less weight.

PM our 'Tool Man' for a great tutorial if needed.

[RockLives]

dampening screw not the knurled shock adjuster....I agree, it is just confusing for BMW to show S on the right and H on the left, on the bike itself. However the manual says H to right and shows H on right, and S on left. If you have a 2004 1150RT or 20051150RT you will see what I am posting about.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Both the screw on the bottom of the shock or the preload adjuster knob operate the same way. The big knob is for adjusting the shock preload to compensate for weight. Clockwise will provide more preload.

 

The little screw on the bottom of the shock is for rebound damping, clockwise will provide more rebound damping. Rebound damping is tied mostly to spring weight but can be adjusted a bit to compesate as the shock wears. Adjusting the preload, since it does not change spring rate, shouldn't really require adjusting the rebound damping.

[Rags]

Ed ...

 

Are the fork springs adjustable?

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Nope, and neither is the rear spring without dismantling the shock.

 

Gotta go aftermarket to get different spring rates. Best to do anyway if you are outside BMW's parameters or even if you do fit the profile. To be kind, the stock dampers serve well to hold the bike off the ground but are not really up to the task of keeping a heavy bike stable and handling well for very long. Ditto the springs that come on them. At 52K miles, the shocks on my S are trash and the rear spring has sagged so badly I have to run max preload riding solo with no luggage. To be completly fair, I weigh about 220 right now so I'm too heavy for the stock stuff anyway.

[Tool Man]

To be kind, the stock dampers serve well to hold the bike off the ground.

 

Big -E, I couldn't have said it better myself.....

 

OEM BMW suspension is the worst imaginable of the floor.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

I didn't really make myself clear in that mini-rant.

 

No springs are adjustable outside of a foundry or blacksmith shop. Spring rate is determined by diameter of the wire and number of coils and to some extent by the composition of the metal from which the spring is made. Forget the last, that has more to do with longevity of the spring than anything.

 

I'm pretty sure you are enquiring about spring preload which, I think, is only adjustable on the GS Adventure. Preload is really a different thing from rate. You can get more force to hold the bike up using preload but you don't change the rate of the spring by so doing. You only change the amount of travel available before coil bind. I'm not discounting the importance of preload in getting sag set correctly for varying loads on the bike and for maintaining ride height as a result of those loads. It is important, just not as important as having the correct spring rate to start with.

 

Mike (Tool Man) has far more experienc of suspension setup than I but, I'm pretty confident he'll agree with me on this point.

[Tool Man]

I'm pretty confident he'll agree with me on this point.

 

-E, well said

 

An easy way to understand suspension tuning without making it complicated,which it isn't, is that the spring controls motion under load (bike,rider,forces etc.) and the damping controls the rate or speed of that motion. Some folks get a little too wound up (no pun intended) in the physics of suspension tuning and need to pay more attention as to what's happening beneath them controling the bike. Don't get me wrong, you should and need to learn the mechanics (to a degree) to help understand how and what to adjust,hence your question on this post. Owners manuals are vague in explaining adjusting the suspension.

 

The H and S you see on the bottom of your OEM shock, controls the damping of the shocks motion. The book is somewhat correct in stating that this adjustment will make the ride hard or soft but I won't go into that.

 

If I read your question correctly, you need to adjust your shock to handle a heavier load. If that is what your looking for, forget the little screw on the bottom of the shock...for now. Adjust your remote spring preload adjuster for the proper ride height with said payload and adjust your damping screw accordingly there-after to control the motion of the shock.

[Rags]

I put on PIAAS under my headlight. I had to shut them down they were way out of adjustment. I also noticed that the dealer had scratched my front fender (I couldn't figure out how). I took a 1000 mi trip (slab/high speed). Goddamn those PIAAs I thought. I checked the tightening & it was as tight as it could go safely.

 

Finally, I put the two together (fender/compression) and decided the fork compression was the culprit.

 

I was trying to find a way to reduce the compression for freeway waves.

[RockLives]

Guys the Dampning indictor on my 2004RT and all others show H on the left side and S on the right side...the manual shows S on the LEFT side and H on the RIGHT side. The manual says turn clockwise towards H to make the ride harder, to the left S to make it softer...Now which is correct? The manual or the bike? All 2004 and 2005 1150RTs are in reverse to the manual. Are they somehow technically different then any other year? Is the manual wrong? or is the stamping on the bike wrong? Thanks

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Actually, the manual sounds right to me. Clockwise should increase the rebound damping and clockwise, as well, will increase the spring preload. Rotation always gets termed imprecisly. You know, you could always just turn either adjuster to its maximum setting, you pick the direction, at just see what the effects are. If you count the turns/clicks, you can always return to the original setting. The H and S sound like hard and soft but who knows? The shock is made in Japan and the bike is made in Germany and God only knows who wrote the manual, or how the drawing, specifying the location and nomenclature of the stampings, was interpreted by the guy with the hammer and stamps.

 

I'm not that far away from you, drop a PM and I'll ride over and we can both have a look and do some testing, if you wish.

[Tool Man]

Forget the manual and listen up.

 

Remember the old saying...righty tighty-lefty loosey....the same applies here. Turn your shock spring hydraulic preload adjuster clockwise for a tighter spring load. Turn the damping screw on the bottom of the shock clockwise toward the 'H' for more damping to control the spring movement.

 

Pretty much what Ed said.

 

The only time that rule doesn't apply would depend on the shock manufacture. Sometimes the spring preload adjustment is on the top, and sometimes it's on the bottom. And it doesn't take a Phd to figure out which way to go to tighten the spring.

 

I continue to shake my head wondering how and why BMW can make a decent motorcycle and they scrimp with crap suspension

 

Cheaper sport bikes now days come with more adjustments than most can tune efficiently.

[Rags]

Just a thought... Prior to assembly to bottom shaft of the front shock can probably be turned by hand. Maybe the assembler at the factory (damn those Albanians) assembled it backwards.

 

Ditto what's been said... follow the shock (not the manual). Sometimes things are changed after a manual is printed, use them a a guide.

[Paul Mihalka]

The H and the S on the dampening adjuster: If you look very closely, The H has a little arrow cast in the shock body pointing clockwise, and the S has one pointing counter-clockwise.