BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Actually - good aftermarket suspension is something even the most cautious and conservative rider will appreciate (me!).. it gives better control and comfort than the stock suspension. It controls the bike movements better while also isolating you and the bike from bad road surfaces. It allows me to go faster and still have the control I need to be comfortable going the faster speed.

It's not that the stock suspension is awful - it's not - it's that the good and higher-priced aftermarket suspension is simply amazing to experience, and once you do - the stock stuff gets rather old rather quickly (especially the harsh response to sharp impact loads..)

OK, Which brand (Brands) can you personally vouch for. I have been lusting after a new pair (when mine get worn out) but am having a hard time convincing myself it is a worthy investment.
Mark

Personally - Ohlins and Wilbers, and probably Hyperpro (but I'm waiting for those to arrive..) All the former Ohlins/Wilbers owners who have gotten their Hpyerpros seem quite happy with them, and since I'm friends with the importer - I expect I'll be quite happy with them (and they have enough adjustments for me to tune them to exactly what I want..)

celticus wrote:

OK, Which brand (Brands) can you personally vouch for. I have been lusting after a new pair (when mine get worn out) but am having a hard time convincing myself it is a worthy investment.
Mark

I can vouch for suspension upgrades; Penske...and Racetech. My forks were rebuilt w/ racetech internals, and my rear shock was replaced with a Penske set up by Traxxion out of Atlanta for my Aprailia Falco. I checked with Traxxion yesterday...No Penskes for BMW, rumour has it the BMW Engineers wore out the Penske Techs Traxxion is checking with Elka.

mogu83 wrote:Is the suspension really that bad. I must be missing something, or maybe people are putting a lot of miles on and wearing out the shocks? I'm expecting 20,000 or more miles before replacement.

Seems like a major issue is the color of the shock spring:

I believe you can also get black. The purple will let everyone know you have aftermarket shocks (although they aren't all that visible on the Roadster..)

Ohlins/Yellow I could probably live with, but purple's not my thing.

Also I think the blue spring looks good with the black R.

Maybe it would be more economical to just paint the stock shocks with a spray (rattle) can if color is an issue.

The stock suspension is not bad, in fact it is perfectly adequate. To me motorcycling is a sport. Performance is what I am looking for. I guess it might be like saying that a $8,000 Kia sedan will do exactly what a $70,000 BMW sedan will do in terms of getting you to work and back or going for a Sunday drive. The difference is the performance. For several years, I too, felt that the stock suspension was good enough. When I experienced a higher level of performance it was hard to settle for anything less. The comment about the color of the spring was my attempt to be funny.

I think the stock rear shock is very good on the R and if you dial it in right it works very well. The front good be a bit smoother on sharp bumps but otherwise I think it's fine. No doubt aftermarket shocks are a worthwile upgrade probably more then a lot of other mods but I think the front will benefit the most. I think that that's one of the R1200R's very little bad points the lack of adjustability of the front shock.

Mr. Average wrote: The comment about the color of the spring was my attempt to be funny.

Me too --- Ok maybe with a touch of sarcasm.

Heard back fro Traxxion...Elka is not currently supporting the R1200R; adn Ohlins is taking orders for a production run in about a month. I was quoted "retail" prices totaling $1,744. I know I saw a website last week that I believe is offering some discount....so i would guess $1,650 including freight.

Maybe the way to go is a set of Hyperpro "raising rate" springs (in Black) for about $200, whenever Hyperpro decides to support the R1200R. They do support a number of BMW's including the 06 R1200RT and the R1150R.

Available for $200 plus shipping. Hyperpor USA currently out, will take 3 weeks, Black Springs should be avail.

SO.

are the R1200R shocks good enough, to just be re-sprung w/ hypers version of a progressive spring?

$200 vs $1,200 - $,1500+ hmmm

parkec wrote:Available for $200 plus shipping. Hyperpor USA currently out, will take 3 weeks, Black Springs should be avail.

SO.

are the R1200R shocks good enough, to just be re-sprung w/ hypers version of a progressive spring?

$200 vs $1,200 - $,1500+ hmmm

An interesting question...perhaps too good to be true.

I've placed an order for Wilbers front and rear, with black instead of blue springs (assuming these are available).

Would've contemplated Ohlins (had 'em on K1100LT), but I'm told that the wait is long in Oz (3-4 months) - and that, even then, supply is uncertain. There is not much else available here with any service back-up.

Very specific question for those who've fitted Wilbers: does it cure the choppy ride at the front? I was unhappy about how harshly the OEM shock responded to low speed bumps (eg 1" sharp drops where the new bitumen is laid over the old; expansion seams in concrete roads - etc). That was my worst gripe from my test rides. The importer says YES - and since I generally trust his judgement, I've taken the plunge. But I'd like to know!

Caroanbill: Fellow Aussie here. Where did you order your Wilbers from?

Ta, Nick

Does no one have the ESA option?

Klink wrote:Caroanbill: Fellow Aussie here. Where did you order your Wilbers from?

Ta, Nick

From Andy and Rob at Motohansa, cnr Clyde & South in Rydalmere. Had to go there to pick up a mate's old 75/5 tank and ... well ... deposit paid.
http://www.motohansa.com.au/suspension.htm (but the link to specific models only brings up a truncated version of the Wunderlich catalogue).

I've got quite a bit of Wunderlich gear from Motohansa over the years, and the service is always good. They also looked after my 1985 R80 mono very nicely (it was 17 years old when I sold it). You probably know they took over Don Wilson's business several years ago, and moved it from Greenacre to Rydalmere a while ago.

Andy hasn't confirmed a delivery date yet, or whether he can get the black springs I want. U guess I'll know in a few days once he gets it sorted.

I will have the shocks fitted at Procycle (Hornsby) as part of pre-delivery, when my bike finally gets here. Procycle don't carry Wilbers so it's all been very amicable. Rick Frankford is great to deal with - I'm an old Procycle / Tom Byrne customer from St Peters, but I followed Rick to Hornsby for this deal.

Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 12:49 am Post subject:

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Does no one have the ESA option?

I've got the ESA but am not changing the shocks. I love the ESA option. It truly makes it an all around bike. I've got 3k miles on my bike in less than 3 months. I've done all day affairs cruising, hard core and commuting. I love it, even with the stock shocks and the ESA.

Caroanbill wrote:

Klink wrote: Andy hasn't confirmed a delivery date yet, or whether he can get the black springs I want. U guess I'll know in a few days once he gets it sorted.

I will have the shocks fitted at Procycle (Hornsby) as part of pre-delivery, when my bike finally gets here. Procycle don't carry Wilbers so it's all been very amicable. Rick Frankford is great to deal with - I'm an old Procycle / Tom Byrne customer from St Peters, but I followed Rick to Hornsby for this deal.

Yeah, I'm a big Procycles fan. They had a bit of a wobble when they were bought a year or so ago, but they've come good again.

I'd be very interested in hearing what you think when you get them.

What weights and riding style did you specify?

Klink wrote:Yeah, I'm a big Procycles fan. They had a bit of a wobble when they were bought a year or so ago, but they've come good again.

I'd be very interested in hearing what you think when you get them.

What weights and riding style did you specify?

Haven't got that far yet - either Andy will set the shock for me at Motohansa, or Rick will get Procycle's suspension guy to do it (I'm told he's the bizniz). Andy tells me the shocks come from Wilbers set about middle of everything ... I'm 72kg and 173cm, so it'll likely be a big high and heavy for me. I'll want it set for touring riding - quite supple on low-speed damping on crap Sydney roads and a bit stiffer on high-speed damping for backroad bumps. Since I'll still mostly use my F650CS about town, the R1200R bias will be for soaking up awful backroad bumps at almost-legal speed (like the Wollombi road) and reasonable open road stability ... it certainly won't be set for high-speed cornerning at the expense of ride comfort.

I'll certainly get Procycles to set sag for me once they're on the bike - just coz I understand the principle doesn't mean I can do it easily, and I'd just as soon have a pro do it first time.

Klaus called me today to tell me my Hyperpro shocks had been shipped. I should have them next week and installed.. will update on how they work out and any installation got'chas when I get them...

I sorta can't wait..

Don,

Your spring report is going to be verrrrrrrry interesting,