How do you judge if the suspension's on it's way out?

mr_magicfingers

mr_magicfingers

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my '00 1150gs has done 78,000 miles now, and it looks to be on original suspension. Reading around here, people seem to be changing their shocks out well before that. The bike handles reasonably well but then I've never ridden a newer one so have no real comparison.

Rather than replacing the shocks with Ohlins or other expensive units, which is probably complete overkill for my riding, I'm looking at just having them overhauled, as that seems to come in at under £100 per shock.

Main question is how do you know when you need to replace/overhaul them. Preventative maintenance seems like a good idea and with the current mileage I'm just looking at the things that might be worth doing over the next year or so.

Cheers,

Justin.
 
mr_magicfingers said:
my '00 1150gs has done 78,000 miles now, and it looks to be on original suspension. Reading around here, people seem to be changing their shocks out well before that. The bike handles reasonably well but then I've never ridden a newer one so have no real comparison.

Rather than replacing the shocks with Ohlins or other expensive units, which is probably complete overkill for my riding, I'm looking at just having them overhauled, as that seems to come in at under £100 per shock.

Main question is how do you know when you need to replace/overhaul them. Preventative maintenance seems like a good idea and with the current mileage I'm just looking at the things that might be worth doing over the next year or so.

Cheers,

Justin.
Click to expand...

Justin,

What I've seen suspension techs do is get you to ride the bike till everything is up to operating temperature. Then stop, have someone hold the bike upright, bounce it front and rear and observe how it responds. If you know what you're looking for you can tell something about the state of things. If you don't then you probably should talk to someone who does. Either way it might be interesting to do that test yourself before and after you get the overhaul done. At 78K my guess is that won't be an entire waist of money..
 
From my limited knowledge;

1. Have a look at the shocks - any weeping from the dampers and this is a good sign that they are on the way out. In this case the bike may have sagged a little, usually at the rear, as while the spring takes most of the weight, the damper also provides some limited support.
2. Warm the oil in the shocks by going for a short ride down a few back roads, then with a mate holding the bike bounce the front or rear up and down as vigorously as you can (you should feel resistance as if the shock is trying to stop the bounce).
3. At the top of the bounce, release the bike and watch how it settles. All movement should cease within one bounce (ideally it should settle immediately). If it continues to bounce, the damper is shot as the bike is simply bouncing on the spring.
4. On the road the bike may feel vague on rough surfaces due to the damper not doing its job and allowing some uncontrolled bounce in the spring.

Still, after 78K, it is a pretty good bet they will need doing now or imminently. Treat yourself before the summer gets going.
 
Irrespective of whether they are goosed or not, changing for an aftermarket shock is not just beneficial for balls out riding.

The shocks tend to be more progressive so will feel more supple over low speed bumps making them less noticeable than on stock shocks. They should then do the same trick at the other end of the spectrum by feeling firm so to make the bike feel more nimble and planted when "pressing on".

The best place to start is by making sure all of the adjusters work correctly on your current shock (it's the rear that tends to go first and has the biggest impact on handling) and after taking a note of were they are before you start, adjust the rebound and compression to the respective ends of their adjustment and see if they make any difference.
If tey don't they're goosed, if they do, start fiddling to find the right setting for you.
 
As a rough check see how much they sag and at what speed when you take the bike off the stand.
 
On my 2001 GS there was a very pronounced loss of damping after about 10 miles of riding. That is, it would just bounce gently up and down for several 'strokes' after every little undulation. (like a bloody old '50s cadillac or something) I hadn't noticed any oil leaks but effectively they were shagged. I changed for Ohlins both ends and everything was back ship shape! Mine had done about 35k when it happened, so way less than yours, but I suppose it all depends how much loading or rough terrain the shocks have during their life?

Will
 
Think I'll arrange to take it over to Mr Steptoe and get them checked, should have thought to do that when I had it serviced. That way if it's needed I can get him to do the work.

Neil, will get in touch when my work schedule is a bit less manic.

Cheers all.

J.
 
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