1200 funny feel from front end

[cbritton]

I tested a 1200GS at Cannons test ride day yesterday. I normally ride a 04 1150GS. For the first few miles I really hated the feel from the frontend, as if the front was two high. When going around slow corners the front of the bike seemed to be loaded up (if you know what that means).
The front shock was on 2 and I would have liked to try it on the lowest position to see if it improved.
The feeling got better with speed and I guess I did adapt to it after 30 miles.

Has anyone else noticed this ??????

Apart from that it was much crisper response and a more fun ride.

Cheers, Colin.

 

[Ken H.]

The same characteristics of the 12GS that make the bike, "much crisper response and a more fun ride" is also what makes the front end feel, lighter, 'twitchier', quicker to move around. Load up, over-steer more easily in the supper slow stuff.

Certainly the 12GS requires a different riding technique than the 1150GS. More body position steering, less bar input counter steering for example.

Once you get used to it though, it's a blast for all its maneuverability!

 

[Paul Wakefield]

Colin,

A lot of the early 1200s (don't know about the later ones) really benefited from tweaking up the rear preload quite high; a mixture of that and a play with the damping can transform the handling. I found the 1200 needs more setting up than the 1150 ever did but a very worthwhile exercise.

Do a search to find various postings on this.

Paul

 

[JayGee]

Colin,

A lot of the early 1200s (don't know about the later ones) really benefited from tweaking up the rear preload quite high; a mixture of that and a play with the damping can transform the handling. I found the 1200 needs more setting up than the 1150 ever did but a very worthwhile exercise.

Do a search to find various postings on this.

Paul

Yep, wind up the pre-load, put the damping on 1/2 turn from hardest/closed and the handling is much, much better. Don't agree about needing body and less countersteer, I find it's really easy to push a bar and throw it into a corner, the handling is a real surprise for such an ungainly looking bike- far, far better than any BMW I've ever ridden before.

 

[cbritton]

Yes I did find myself leaning the 1200 over more. I bumped the front preload on my 1150 up to 2 to try it and found it an improvement but still didn't get the strange rising sensation that I got on the 12.

I think your right, perhaps it needs jacking up at the back a bit.

It felt a lot crisper than the 1150 but I'm not sure it was that much faster.

Cheers, Colin.