NLS
Guest
ok thanks
(edited)
(edited)
Kevmulcock
Guest
I bought my bike of a friend who had adjusted the rear end to suit him.
I have not adjusted anything although he is probably 2 stone lighter than me. I am "happy" with the settings but then again, I have never adjusted any bikes I have owned just accepted them.
1 I am a bit worried about making a pigs ear and ruin what I consider is OK
2 I have no idea what I am changing (or why)
3 I dont really know what difference it will make (any suggestions
)
However I want to see what improvements can be made
One day I guess I might.
I have not adjusted anything although he is probably 2 stone lighter than me. I am "happy" with the settings but then again, I have never adjusted any bikes I have owned just accepted them.
1 I am a bit worried about making a pigs ear and ruin what I consider is OK
2 I have no idea what I am changing (or why)
3 I dont really know what difference it will make (any suggestions
)However I want to see what improvements can be made
One day I guess I might.
vfxmark
Registered user
It a bit like what Duke Ellington said about music... if it sounds good it is good....
...if it feels good, it's right. If you are dragging lots of things around, it might be set with too little pre-load.
If you feel every grain of sand, you might have the pre-load set a bit high...
There are lots of rules of thumb ...
one of them is that all other things being equal (which they never are) you probably want the rear pre-load set so that when you sit down on the bike, the overall ride height goes down between 3/4"and 1 1/2" ...
My personal preference has been to run the front pre-load on my R1200GS at the second-from the softest setting and the rear varied depending on whether or not the bags and rear deck are loaded. Getting back on a GS after a few years on S's I found that the bike felt better for me with the suspension set a bit softer and mushier than my S bike...
...but it really is a matter of personal preference.
Start with the book settings and mess around a bit... it is easy to adjust and it is unlikely that you can set it up poorly enough to make it un-ridable with the stock suspension components.
...if it feels good, it's right. If you are dragging lots of things around, it might be set with too little pre-load.
If you feel every grain of sand, you might have the pre-load set a bit high...
There are lots of rules of thumb ...
one of them is that all other things being equal (which they never are) you probably want the rear pre-load set so that when you sit down on the bike, the overall ride height goes down between 3/4"and 1 1/2" ...
My personal preference has been to run the front pre-load on my R1200GS at the second-from the softest setting and the rear varied depending on whether or not the bags and rear deck are loaded. Getting back on a GS after a few years on S's I found that the bike felt better for me with the suspension set a bit softer and mushier than my S bike...
...but it really is a matter of personal preference.
Start with the book settings and mess around a bit... it is easy to adjust and it is unlikely that you can set it up poorly enough to make it un-ridable with the stock suspension components.
radrod
Registered user
Is there a discrepency in the manual? Regarding the front suspension, the book says there are 9 settings. 3 is for paved roads, 5 is for gravel roads, 9 is for off road. I only see 5 settings . What gives? There is no dampening for the front suspension either, right? Just preload settings?
Are there any fork springs in the forks at all?
. What gives? There is no dampening for the front suspension either, right? Just preload settings?Are there any fork springs in the forks at all?
vfxmark
Registered user
Probably a typo in the manual... if this manual didn't have typos it would be the first english language BMW manual so blessed.
5 preload settings for the front
no rebound or compression damping adjustment for the front
fork sliders are just there to aim the front wheel... no springs.
Book says middle pre-load setting for street use but even at my 200lbs or so riding solo, I am happier with a little less front pre-load on the street
but that's just me
5 preload settings for the front
no rebound or compression damping adjustment for the front
fork sliders are just there to aim the front wheel... no springs.
Book says middle pre-load setting for street use but even at my 200lbs or so riding solo, I am happier with a little less front pre-load on the street
but that's just me
terayon
Registered user
My 2004 model has 9 settings on the front, so at some point they must have changed shocks and not the manual.
There is only one shock listed for the GS, but the GSA has a different one
There is only one shock listed for the GS, but the GSA has a different one
vfxmark
Registered user
Sorry, I was wrong (or unspecific) again...
Mine is an 06 USA model non ADV and only has the five positions on the front...
...not at all surprised that they changed the shock and didn't change the manual, but I should have looked at some earlier bikes before posting.
When riding on the road, I have never bothered changing Telelever preload on any of my bikes going from light load to heavy load (or even two up on those odd occasions when my wife would rather drink than ride) but I do take the minimal trouble to crank the rear pre-load up when heavily loaded or carrying the wife.
I suppose I could be incrementally adjusting the front constantly for the absolute ultimate best adjustment, but frankly, I couldn't be bothered...
...and since I seem to have done OK all those years where I didn't have any front end spring adjustment at all, even my obsessive compulsive nature is not overcome by my intertia.
The rear shock, on the other hand, is worth adjusting when changing load by a fair bit, if only to keep the headlight beam aimed correctly.
When you are two up and the headlight no longer aims low enough, you can EASILY adjust the beam with the little cam-over flip lever that provides a gross adjustment for the light. I usually forget it's there, but it is much easier than turning the nylon hex-knob that sets headlight angle.
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