Front suspension 2016 R1200RS

[woosie]

I have had my R1200RS a few Months now and I’m having problems with the front suspension.
When I go over bumps in the road it feels like the forks need to be tightened up a bit as there is some sort of a small knocking feel in the handlebars, I took the bike back to the shop where I purchased it from and they test rode it and said the vibration I was feeling was due to the floating discs, that was a Month ago, but now as you brake from a slow speed and come to a stop I can feel that the front forks are quite ‘sticky’ and not as smooth as they should be.
I have looked into the paperwork and there is no evidence of a fork oil change. The bike has only done 9,000 miles in almost 10 years, just wondering if it’s overdue an oil change as it may not have been used for a long period of time ?

 

[younger06]

Floating disc explanation is bollox.

Maybe a headstock bearing??

 

[Whitey]

I’d be tempted to pull the front end apart and re-build it, servicing any items that need it along the way. Head races, wheel bearings, calipers etc.

Do it by the book and put everything back to std. New fork oil for sure, and a clean up inside if you can.

Getting everything torqued up in order can sort front end wobbles out. Hitting the curb hard with the front wheel repeatedly can throw it out of alignment too.

I’d say 9k and ten years old it’ll be ready for a refresh and it’ll feel much nicer for it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

Maybe a headstock bearing??

This is the first place I would be looking

 

[squibb34]

At 9k, I doubt the fork oil has anything to do with the problem.

Probably just needs the steering head re-torqueing. The stem nut sockets are around £20, or fabricate your own if you have the skills.

This video shows the procedure - ideally get the lazy beggars that supplied the bike to fix it & relube the top & lower head bearings while they are at it.

 

[woosie]

I will get the headstock tightened and see how that goes, hasn’t fork oil got a shelf life or is it ok seeing it’s only done 9000 miles in 10 years.
Also thanks for the advice on this.

 

[squibb34]

I will get the headstock tightened and see how that goes, hasn’t fork oil got a shelf life or is it ok seeing it’s only done 9000 miles in 10 years.
Also thanks for the advice on this.

It will be in your Rider's manual, Service section, Maintenance schedule - IIRC, BMW suggest a fork oil change every 18000 miles. At 10 Y/O it would be relevant, but I would suggest the priority is to focus on sorting out the slack head bearing issue first.

This video shows the essentials of a fork service ...........

Apart from the fresh oil, a new set of seals is recommended.

 

[Boxerboy55]

As above, I wouldn’t sweat over fork oil at low miles if there are no leaks.

I had custom Maxton shock and forks fitted at 10K miles in 2016. A few weeks ago I had the forks “serviced” by a local suspension pro. New oil and seals. All was in good condition. At 56K miles.

As a retired maintenance engineer I always go for as “Little as possible” while doing “As much as necessary”.

 

[theoneandonly]

start at the beginning

diagnosis is everything , without it you are wasting your time and money .

don't cut any fucking corners .

never assume anything ,

remove the shock
NOW you can lift the front end up and down
how does it feel ? got a problem ?
remove forks , and retest top and bottom .

pull the forks fwd and bkwd ? movement ?
turn the bars , use your little fingers

I SAID USE YOUR LITTLE FINGERS

( if something is wrong , you will feel it better )
if it all feels ok , it has to be the shock .
now put the shock back on

as you test and separate things you narrow down what is wrong.