Happy with the GSA but not that happy with the rear suspension

[tanneman]

Just back from our holiday and the GSA once again did its duty well. I did notice that the rear suspension is not up to the task. Same as last time. It is all ok when with the missus alone but loaded with luggage (weighed the luggage and add about 13 kilos to each pax for clothing and we are just under max all up) the bouncy thing doesn't do so well. I guess it is time to visit the suspension guru. Local dealer referred me to Rally Raid but 2.5k front and rear or 1.5K for a rear shock. You gotta be kidding. The rear shock for some reason decided to trough a wobbly by deflating (reduce preload) on starting the bike but then adjusted again. Curious.

I guess I will be looking at a rework and progressive spring at most, hopefully just a progressive spring will fix it. Any recommendations?

It needs more power but Hilltop is booked for next weekend so will judge the result by that reliable pants dyno. If my arse can measure to the nearest micron anything I pass then I reckon it is good enough as a dynometer. More fucking power BMW!!!!

 

[CPJS]

Suspension is always a compromise, if you upgrade to carry more weight it will probably be too hard for solo use.
I don't know what luggage you have, BMW luggage can be shockingly heavy even empty. Maybe change the luggage.
The missus and I have been dieting this year and have lost 2 1/2 stone so far between us, that and traveling light has made a big difference to the rear ride height of the bike.
Making sure the weight is in the best places helps a lot as well eg. if you take a security chain don't put it in the topbox, put it in a tankbag, keep the weight forwards.
It is suprising the difference afew small changes can make.

 

[matchlessman]

My suspension is a bit harsh over cats eyes etc. But my biggest issue is the ride height. I love my GSA but I want to be able to get my feet down easily so I can hold the weight. I don't need more ground clearance than I have on my trials bike as I will never take the BMW over foot high rock steps.
I see Touratech have an ESA pair of suspension units which will lower the bike by 40mm. Not cheap, but I reckon the bikes a keeper for a few more years until I can't manage it any more so I don't mind investing now and then swapping back when I finally sell.
Anybody used the Touratech kit? Thoughts?

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[Neil W]

The rear suspension fault ie it dropping from the two up settings when loaded onto the solo setting (usually rectified when you scroll through the settings down onto solo and then back up to two up ) is a known fault , my bike just had a pair of new ESA shocks fitted at 14,000 miles and less than 3 years old.

According to the dealers mechanic it is caused by a weeping internal seal (that cannot be repaired) and it will also cause the shock to be overly harsh at other times

 

[CPJS]

My suspension is a bit harsh over cats eyes etc. But my biggest issue is the ride height. I love my GSA but I want to be able to get my feet down easily so I can hold the weight. I don't need more ground clearance than I have on my trials bike as I will never take the BMW over foot high rock steps.
I see Touratech have an ESA pair of suspension units which will lower the bike by 40mm. Not cheap, but I reckon the bikes a keeper for a few more years until I can't manage it any more so I don't mind investing now and then swapping back when I finally sell.
Anybody used the Touratech kit? Thoughts?

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If you do, don't forget to buy the lowered GSA sidestand.
It would probably be cheaper to buy a lowered GSA.

 

[Neil W]

My suspension is a bit harsh over cats eyes etc. But my biggest issue is the ride height. I love my GSA but I want to be able to get my feet down easily so I can hold the weight. I don't need more ground clearance than I have on my trials bike as I will never take the BMW over foot high rock steps.
I see Touratech have an ESA pair of suspension units which will lower the bike by 40mm. Not cheap, but I reckon the bikes a keeper for a few more years until I can't manage it any more so I don't mind investing now and then swapping back when I finally sell.
Anybody used the Touratech kit? Thoughts?

Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk

Try it with a standard GS front seat fitted (more comfortable than a GSA seat) and another tip is get hold of the front mount (the thing that you flip over to adjust seat height) from a r1200rt lc and it allows further adjustment of seat height and angle meaning it is easier to get your feet down........cheaper than new suspension

 

[matchlessman]

Try it with a standard GS front seat fitted (more comfortable than a GSA seat) and another tip is get hold of the front mount (the thing that you flip over to adjust seat height) from a r1200rt lc and it allows further adjustment of seat height and angle meaning it is easier to get your feet down........cheaper than new suspension

I currently use the lower BMW seat which is a big help, the mount sounds like a good idea. Trouble is I want the seat higher in relation to the footrest to get a decent knee bend and to lower the centre of gravity if possible.
Don't know why they build the bike with so much ground clearance, when the off road training uses standard GS's and do fairly serious off road with no grinding out issues.


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[matchlessman]

If you do, don't forget to buy the lowered GSA sidestand.
It would probably be cheaper to buy a lowered GSA.

Might be fairly cost neutral, but I can buy the suspension as consumables 'on the quiet', whereas a new bike would lead to bleeding ears, possibly divorce. The 'can never have too many pairs of shoes/handbags apparently doesn't apply to bikes'.

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[jags]

If you do, don't forget to buy the lowered GSA sidestand.
It would probably be cheaper to buy a lowered GSA.

why noy buy a gs in the first place?

 

[tanneman]

Suspension is always a compromise, if you upgrade to carry more weight it will probably be too hard for solo use.
I don't know what luggage you have, BMW luggage can be shockingly heavy even empty. Maybe change the luggage.
The missus and I have been dieting this year and have lost 2 1/2 stone so far between us, that and traveling light has made a big difference to the rear ride height of the bike.
Making sure the weight is in the best places helps a lot as well eg. if you take a security chain don't put it in the topbox, put it in a tankbag, keep the weight forwards.
It is suprising the difference afew small changes can make.

The GSA panniers weighs 5.66kg and 5.77kg for rh and lh respectively. No top box but do take roll bag and tank bag. Clothed I judge to be about 110kg, missus 65kg, weighed the packed panniers and collectively near enough 25kg, roll bag 5.5kg and 1.5kg for the tank bag. 207kg loaded plus GSA full of oil and fuel. Near the 220 payload for the bike and 480kg with 90% fuel. Add just over 2kg for the camelback.

Tool roll and compressor goes in the bottom of the small pannier with the lighter but easy to access bits (waterproofs, warm jackets, high vis) in the bag. The big pannier holds the frequently used items like clothing and toiletries and the roll bag a pair of shoes and flipflops for the 2 of us with other bits and bobs that we don't need all the time. Heavier items to the front and bottom of the pannier.

A few things I need not bother to take next time, extra merino wool layer, one pair of socks and waterproof casual jacket as the BMW waterproof jacket can act as a casual wear item. I can do with 10 kilos less and the missus probably 1 or 2. On the return there are some extra weight from presents and what nots but not significant enough to influence the suspension over what it already is.

The Col de Cayolle and Col de Turini really tested the rear suspension and it was there that the lack of preload was most notable.

The rear suspension fault ie it dropping from the two up settings when loaded onto the solo setting (usually rectified when you scroll through the settings down onto solo and then back up to two up ) is a known fault , my bike just had a pair of new ESA shocks fitted at 14,000 miles and less than 3 years old.

According to the dealers mechanic it is caused by a weeping internal seal (that cannot be repaired) and it will also cause the shock to be overly harsh at other times

Thanks for that info. Will have a word with the dealer. Also noticed the lh front fork leaking after the undulating roads. Same as last year on the shitty Italian roads but then it was the rh. There is a little tool to reseat the seal but I made my own out of a milk bottle plastic. Perfect for the job.

 

[matchlessman]

why noy buy a gs in the first place?

Good point. When I took it out for a test ride I really didn't want to give it back. Dealer had to prise my hands off it.... million times better than the 2004 GS I traded in.

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[jags]

Good point. When I took it out for a test ride I really didn't want to give it back. Dealer had to prise my hands off it.... million times better than the 2004 GS I traded in.

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fair enough, it's what floats your boat that matters.

 

[tanneman]

Made the call to Revs Racing the Wilbers agents and spoke to Mick. To adjust the shock to your requirements it would involve replacing the spring and valves with Wilbers units to suit you. You can take the shock off and send it in together with the details they will need to calculate the spring and valving. This would be circa £600 incl VAT and the same for the front. Much better to swallow than the 1.5K for the rear from Rally Raid. I will need to get it done before we go away next year.

I have contacted Rally Raid as they are local to me so I'm awaiting the reply.