► Seats (too high, too hard, pillion...) and suspension

LarryC,

It may be worth fishing around your area for a bike outfit that specialises in tuning suspension and setting it up. You should be able to get some good honest information on what you can do and what is advisable to avoid.

Good luck with your quest, I hope you get it sorted out - and let us know how you get on.:thumb2
 
Low F800GS with passenger

Hi from Denmark,
I have read this forum for some time now, and I am serously considering byuing a F800GS. However i am quite short (170 cm.) with quite short legs.

I am considering the lowering kit http://www.touratech.com/shops/008/...=9039&osCsid=1d40e7c4165ecfb8eda03e9c3c89f518 but I also plan on riding with passenger and bags.

Does anybody have any experience with lowering the suspension? and combining this with passenger and bags?

What is your experience with the generel passenger comfort on the bike?

Thanks.

Best regards Jimmy
 
Lower seat, perhaps.....

Hiya Jimmy.

I am also short of leg and I was Lucky enough to get the place I bought my 800 to "acquire" a low seat. Worked wonders, as I can now stop at traffic lights with impunity without fear of putting the bar ends through some car drivers door skin. May I suggest you get a low seat before you go and do anything more drastic. It worked for me, but I will be completely honest with you I cant find anyone mad enough to get on the back of a bike piloted by me, and I also do not have luggage. I hope this helps but if not there will be another opinion along in a few minutes, probably, and nice to see new people coming along and reading the forums too.

Regards Mark
 
You're looking at the wrong bike, you need the F650GS. Read posts #1 and #10 on this thread.

Unless you are both thin, neither bike is particularly roomy two-up.

Both bikes have perfectly adequate power, the slight advantage of the F800GS comes in above 7000 revs, but I hardly ever go above 6000 anyway.

Tim
 
there's not a lot to shave, but

If you only want to lose a half inch you might want to consider shaving down the seat a bit. There are those "wing thingies" on the sides that, if you lost them, might equate to another half inch or so. I'm planning to get out my electric carving knife and have a go at the wings on mine. :D
 
I appreciate that lowering the forks through the headstock alters the trail angle but is this always necessarily a disaster?

I was sharing a long ferry ride with Si Pavey, Matt Hall and a bunch of other experienced rallye riders and we were discussing ideal dual purpose road/trail bikes and their suggestion for me was to get an HP2 and drop the front forks as above, plus lowering the air shock. Apparently even Kylie Maebus from the Offroad Skills group (who's tiny) has been riding an HP2.

I've also seen this suggestion on other web sites. Perhaps you should go back to the dealer and ask the technicians for a second opinion. And if they say yes, consider getting the dealer to do it so there's no arguments if everything goes pear shaped.

[But so much for listening to qualified advice about the HP2--as I already have a 1200GSA I ended up buying an F650GS twin instead.]

Tim
 
Hi Tim
Thanks for the link, it is a really good thread.
I have asked Hyperpro suspension if the lowering kit affects the load capacity.
I will post their reply as soon as I get one, that could be the decisive factor.
 
Hi Jimmy,

I'm 170cm (5' 6") tall with the lowered seat ordered direct from BMW when I bought the bike. My inside leg measurement is 73cm and I have the standard suspension setup. With luggage, a passenger and a full tank of fuel it does get lower.

My girlfriend is happy with the comfort although 2 up we normally don't do more than 200 miles (321km) at a time.

I like the height of the bike and don't have any problems riding it. Nick plumb at Touratech is about the same height as me and he's ridden the Dakar many times not to mention all manner of much taller bikes. :thumb2

3226449110_45d20caf3e.jpg
 
Hi
When I got my F800 in april 2008 I lowered the front 1" by dropping it in the steering crown,absolutly no problems at all to drive the bike,no adverse effects.
Just do it,dont take all the advices on any forums to serious,try it out yourself.

I drove the bike for 5 months (20000km) all over Europe like this before I took it to Wilbers in Germany and had the lowering altered with a new shock absorber and shorter springs up front.

fishburger
ps
Be sure to tighten the bolts to the right momentum.
use the "blue" colored Locktight to keep the bolts from coming loose.
cheers
fishburger
 
fishburger said:
I drove the bike for 5 months (20000km) all over Europe like this before I took it to Wilbers in Germany and had the lowering altered with a new shock absorber and shorter springs up front.

fishburger
fishburger
Click to expand...

@fishburger

Did you get at complete lowering kit by wilbers with both front at rear springs?
How much did that lower the bike?
What is your experience with lowering the suspension, do you drive with passenger and bags?

Thanks
Jimmy
 
To be honest lowering by 1/2 inch isnt my worry.

My worry was you getting the mallet out and giving it a smack when you obviously didnt know 100% how to do the job.
If you still interested in lowering your forks basically you need to take the pressure off the front end some how (easiest done with centre stand and large girlfriend...). Otherwise when you undo the pinch bolts on both forks the forks will both slide all the way up through the jokes and possibly cause damage (to you or the bike).

It is a simple job IF you know how.

PS To be honest your local dealer should be able to help out in 30min and save you some headache if your not sure how to do it.
 
Again the advice is much appreciated. While I am not a BMW motorcycle mechanic I have restored some Porsches, a few pre 60 Type I VWs. (Working on classic cars is my hobby.) The mallet I used is a 4 once Snap-on pure rubber mallet. Pretty common to use a rubber mallet in many mechanical procedures. The bike was lifted on my motorcycle lift at the time I was working on it, so pressure on the front wheel was not the issue. To be honest I am not that very impressed with my dealer's service so that is why I posted the query. I have a buddy who races Hondas and his advice was leave the triple clamps/forks alone ...that is my plan....I will live with the bike's seat height.:beer:
 
I have just talked to Hyperpro Denmark.
The kit includes progressive front springs and a progressive rear spring.
the front spring only lowers the bike 40 mm, but by dropping the forks 10 mm, you get the promised height reduction of 50 mm.

The kit does not affect the load capacity of the bike, it is stille possible to drive with passanger and bags.

I think this is an interesting kit for us who wants to reach the ground safely on the 800.

What do you guys think?
 
Swap a low seat for a normal one?

Just thought I'd ask, in case somebody's bought a low seat bike that would rather have the normal seat :) I'm only short and while the standard height bike is manageable, I would prefer the small seat, just for peace of mind. If anyone wants to do swapsies, just leave a reply and we can sort it out somehow.

Failing that, does anybody know how much they are to buy from BMW? Thanks :)
 
Grib if you dont get what you want I can get you the name and number of a guy in Nottingham that modifys seats ie gel pads, lowering, recovering etc.

I've seen one of his seats and his work is second to none, quite impressive.

An option to throw into the pot just in case :)
 
I have a low seat, came with the bike as the original owner bought it with the low seat, the next owner needed a regular seat so when I bought it, I ended up with both. And....the dealer lost the original low seat so gave me a brand new one off one in the shop.
if you want it, I'm sure we can come to an 'arrangement'. I'm in Dublin though so the postage would be hefty enough.
P.M if you want to discuss.
 
Tengiz99 said:
I have a low seat, came with the bike as the original owner bought it with the low seat, the next owner needed a regular seat so when I bought it, I ended up with both. And....the dealer lost the original low seat so gave me a brand new one off one in the shop.
if you want it, I'm sure we can come to an 'arrangement'. I'm in Dublin though so the postage would be hefty enough.
P.M if you want to discuss.
Click to expand...

I don't think I can do PMs as I'm not a subscriber yet...either that or I'm just failing miserably to find them on here. I can send you an email, or vice-versa :) I'm [email protected]

Duchess...thanks, I'll give you a shout if I can't sort another one out :)
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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