R1100gs rear shock advice

[pieter.oneill]

Hi lads, after a bit of info i have on my r1100gs a wilbers rear shock came with the bike works great cracking piece of kit.....however, it has not got remote preload and due to the position of the rings on the shock at the top you can not adjust the preload without removing the shock. Its set with a fair bit of preload added so when i have my panniers on it rides well, but when there off its obviously riding a lot harder. Are there any shock options....hold the ohlins comments back for at least 3 responces haha. Im thinking any shocks off any other models tgat fit? Or any used aftermarket ones to look out for? An yes finally ohlins sugestions, i love ohlins but this is my winter hack which i revel in the fact i only paid £1400 plus ive other bikes for touring so may just have to live with it,be a lot easier if my wilber shock was knackered but its not. Couple pictures for reference

 

[Neil W]

Is it not possible to get the Wilber shock serviced and fitted with a hydraulic preload adjuster at the same time ?

 

[pieter.oneill]

Is it not possible to get the Wilber shock serviced and fitted with a hydraulic preload adjuster at the same time ?

Well i never gave that a thought at all to be honest, that would be the best option i did not know they coukd add them on, i will look into it cheers for that

 

[Wrigsby1]

Well i never gave that a thought at all to be honest, that would be the best option i did not know they coukd add them on, i will look into it cheers for that

Also my experience is as BM design bikes with luggage they always ride better with the luggage on... I commute with mine + panniers and always really have on my BMs but obviously in really tight filtering etc they can get in the way but so can the rest on the GS...

 

[pieter.oneill]

Also my experience is as BM design bikes with luggage they always ride better with the luggage on... I commute with mine + panniers and always really have on my BMs but obviously in really tight filtering etc they can get in the way but so can the rest on the GS...

Cheers Wrigsby, i actually like the panniers on mine but there sort of retro fitted so they are bolted on with 4 bolts per side so not a simple click on and off like a normal set up, there solid though, i would leave them on myself but in the garage it just takes up tones of space im going to email wilbers uk service branch later and see if they can do anything with my shock, or if any one has any recommendations of companies that do alterations to existing shocks im open to contacting them. cheers

 

[pieter.oneill]

Hey Neil good call on the addition of a remote pre loader, i been in touch with wilbers uk distributer and servicer mct suspension, well turns out that they can do that while servicing the shock but by the time i add in all the delivery and service cost and the pre loader is £285 alone im basically up to about £500.00.... question is do i look out for a used or reconditioned ohlins that already has a remote pre loader or just go with this option....Hummmm. Luckily im in no rush so i can mull it over.

 

[Neil W]

Hey Neil good call on the addition of a remote pre loader, i been in touch with wilbers uk distributer and servicer mct suspension, well turns out that they can do that while servicing the shock but by the time i add in all the delivery and service cost and the pre loader is £285 alone im basically up to about £500.00.... question is do i look out for a used or reconditioned ohlins that already has a remote pre loader or just go with this option....Hummmm. Luckily im in no rush so i can mull it over.

Quite expensive , I think I only paid £230 to get my rear Maxton serviced and that included a new damper rod and an uprated spring

 

[pieter.oneill]

Yeah without the remote ore loader thats about what it would be, i do like my wilber shock to be fair it seems a good quality piece of kit it holds the road well id technically get more out of it if i could adjust it between laden and unladen states. But if a ohnlins came up for sale for say 350 used but in good condition might as well save some cash, ill mull it over build some pennys up i dont plan on selling her as shes a winter hack so not the prettiest but also makes her the most relaxing to ride as it does not really mater if i drop her, which i did the other day on the drive

 

[Wrigsby1]

Look at new shock prices with or without remote pre load... That's about the going rate... Plus used shock requiring any sort of rebuild, of which they often tell you you need, will set you about the same...
I paid for a set of YSS shocks and the rear was about the price of your rebuild... And ironically I haven't touched the remote rebound yet in 18 months riding and approx 15k...

 

[pieter.oneill]

Cheers Wrigsby, id done the same had a gander, wilbers are a good shock so i think im going to go with the service and alteration as at least i know its working at its best ability then as although it works fine ive no idea when it was installed or how many miles it has on it, plus ones done its good for the next 40k id imagine. I think you get used to changing riding styles when you dont adjust the pre load, i put my panniers on and gear for camping and it does lighten the front end which i compensate for but i would rather just crank it up a bit and get the geometry right as a well dialed in bike makes a big difference, when i used to ride track years ago i found the dark art of suspension set up very interesting, there was a company at one of the track days that would set up your suspension, and i was shocked how different the bike felt once he had made some what seemed like minor alterations between sessions.

 

[KMD]

I think that’s the right way to go. Even if you were to find an Ohlins at £350 it would almost certainly need a service, and that is £250 straight away. That takes you back to the cost of your Wilbers. I’ve had Ohlins fitted on all my bikes for years and I think they are the best, but my current 1150Gs came with Wilbers. I was expecting them to be inferior and maybe they are, but the point at which that shows is above my ability and riding style, so I’ve felt no need to change them.

 

[Wrigsby1]

Yep it can be a darker art, especially on certain fussy bikes... 11GSs have always been a good compromise to me and I've mainly set the preload but adjusted the damping for loads of conditions... Lots of people set their suspension harder as they think that's right but I always set up for as soft as possible, usually cos the roads are a bit shite and it's the annoying jarring bits you are trying to sort out...
Telelever/paralever has always been a great compromise and as I've ridden far more well used high milers than crispy new I've ridden more miles with some form of compromise...
Reading the tangles that people get into while trying to sort suspension and having ridden some shocking set ups it shows that you can end up disappearing up yer own arse if you get too technical for road riding...
Also the cash they throw at it as well...
BMW and Honda have always offered the best compromises on standard set ups and some multi adjustable bikes I've had have just been a fiddle to get right for our "selection of road conditions"...
Good luck and a rebuild of what you have sounds best...

 

[Comfy Old Boots]

I've had a few sets of wilbers. Good shocks. As others have suggested, get it serviced and have them fit a remote preload at the same time. You will also have the peace of mind that your shock is in tip top condition.

As for setting up the bike for all road conditions, that's like looking for unicorn horns!

 

[pieter.oneill]

Yeah i prefer to ride with a softer set up and want the wheel to follow the contours of the very interesting shape roads in this country hence why i want to get the pre load adjustment remotely as at the minute its set for weight of me and gear which is fine with the panniers on but when they are off i feel everything as it requires more weight to compress the spring but i think having thought on it and the advice from many of the posts ive received in response (most appreciated by the way) is that yes im quite happy with going down the line of a full service and pre load adjuster added, £500 is not the end of the world for a bike i enjoy and ride a lot i think because i have an Rt as well which i just press a button to alter my preload settings and damping rate electronically having no ability on the gs just bugs me. Cheers all ill give you an update when done they said 3-4 weeks to get the pre load adjuster in from wilbers Germany anyway so will be a couple months till sorted.

 

[pieter.oneill]

So my serviced and altered wilbers shock came back to me today MCT suspension chap called darren cracking quick turn around once they had the pre load adjuster from germany. I thought the shock was damping well, though i could not feel much due to the high preload anyway he confirmed it was fecked but after a full service should do me well for many years best get it back on the bike....its almost worth as much as i paid for the old girl