r850r supermoto

Comfy Old Boots

Comfy Old Boots

Well-known member
UKGSer Subscriber
Joined
Apr 9, 2007
Messages
12,483
Reaction score
1,787
Location
Dublin
:)Ok, so I don't have one but it's something I've been throwing arround for a while now. I've got a 1999 model r850r. Rides well with a sweet engine. It's also far too low for me.

I've been thinking for a while about the following - please bear with all the questions, options and variables but I've been going a bit barmy trying to figure out what to do and if to do anything at all! I do need to change the shocks on the r850r though.

In theory, it's perfectly possible (if financially impractible) to turn an r850r into an r850gs just by swapping parts. I'm not interested in turning the r into a gs but I am interested in the slightly taller ride height. I'm also worried about the effects on the bike if I do so. I'd appreciate it if anyone with any experience of any of the following could comment please.

MODIFICATION LIST


1 Torque arm. The standard torque arm on the r(385mm ) is longer than the gs (365mm ). Changing this will raise the ride height but what will it do to the handling? From what i've read it shortens the wheel base and will make the bike turn more tightly.

2 R1100/850GS SHOCKS. These would take the seat height up from 800mm to 840mm. What effect will this have on the handling? If was to consider putting the shocks on, would I need the shorter Gs torque arm. What would be the difference in handling be between the two torque arms with Gs shocks?

3 I've also read it mentioned that front fork sliders could be changed to 1100/850gs ones. Would they be necessary with the gs shocks? Will they work with r850r wheels?

4 Wheels. The wheels on the 850r are
Travel Front/Rear 120 / 135 mm (4.72 / 5.31 in)
Wheels Die cast aluminium wheels
Wheel Rims, Front 3.50 x 17
Wheel Rims, Rear 5.00 x 17
Tyres, Front 120 / 70-ZR 17
Tyres, Rear 170 / 60-ZR 17

and the gs are

Spring Travel Front/Rear 190 / 200 mm (7.48 x 7.87 in)
Wheel Rims, Front BMW cross spoke wheels 2.50 x 19 MT H2
Wheel Rims, Rear BMW cross spoke wheels 4.00 x 17 MT H2
Tyres, Front 110 / 80 R 19 59 H
Tyres, Rear 150 / 70 R 17 69 H
Brakes, Front Dual disc brake 305 mm

The wheels obviously make a hugh difference. The r's front seems to be wider but shorter than the gs and the rear on the r is wider but the same height as the Gs - (I think!)

So, there it is! The nonsense that's been spinning round my head since I sold the Gsa. I'm seriously thinking of fitting the forks and torque arm to start but really want feedback from anyone who can offer constructive suggestions and pitfalls. Last thing I want to do is make the bike unstable at high speed for example.

Anyway, grab a cup of tea and let me know what you think. Especially if you have any experience of the above. My aim is to spend as little as possible but don't want to spend until I've a bit more feedback. Anyway, if nothing else, it's something a little different on the board:)

Looking forward to any comments:thumb
 
Smelly Old Boots said:
:)
MODIFICATION LIST

1 Torque arm. The standard torque arm on the r(385mm ) is longer than the gs (365mm ). Changing this will raise the ride height but what will it do to the handling? From what i've read it shortens the wheel base and will make the bike turn more tightly.
This is a very low cost but effective mod. Put on the "definite" pile. You can go even shorter but it means paying out for low production volume bling so, unless you can get something that's a bargain, spend the wonga on something more cost effective

2 R1100/850GS SHOCKS. These would take the seat height up from 800mm to 840mm. What effect will this have on the handling? If was to consider putting the shocks on, would I need the shorter Gs torque arm. What would be the difference in handling be between the two torque arms with Gs shocks?
Do you need greater ride-height? It would cetainly be interesting, but I think it will handle better with STD shocks. A set of 1100GS shocks should be quite cheap to buy & play with, though, so I'd be prepared to give it a try.

3 I've also read it mentioned that front fork sliders could be changed to 1100/850gs ones. Would they be necessary with the gs shocks? Will they work with r850r wheels?
Not necessary. The shocks would fit with the original sliders & you get to retain the fork bridge/front mudguard combination that better suits the 17" front wheel. Lots of GS's converted to 17" front wheels look wrong because the original mudguard doesn't suit

4 Wheels. The wheels on the 850r are
Travel Front/Rear 120 / 135 mm (4.72 / 5.31 in)
Wheels Die cast aluminium wheels
Wheel Rims, Front 3.50 x 17
Wheel Rims, Rear 5.00 x 17 Are you sure? I believe these would have been 18" 3-spokes in 1999, but they could have changed at some time in the bike's past
Tyres, Front 120 / 70-ZR 17
Tyres, Rear 170 / 60-ZR 17 As above, with 160/60-18 tyre

and the gs are

Spring Travel Front/Rear 190 / 200 mm (7.48 x 7.87 in)
Wheel Rims, Front BMW cross spoke wheels 2.50 x 19 MT H2
Wheel Rims, Rear BMW cross spoke wheels 4.00 x 17 MT H2
Tyres, Front 110 / 80 R 19 59 H
Tyres, Rear 150 / 70 R 17 69 H
Brakes, Front Dual disc brake 305 mm
Unless you expect to need to go off-road & need dual purpose tyres, stick to the 17" alloys & fit sticky rubber
Click to expand...

HTH,
Paul
 
Thanks lads. I'll consider it doable and get back. Time to start looking for parts.

Suspension is.old and pitted and its time for more than springs. Second hand obviously! I'll stick a gs torque arm on first and see what that does.
 
This is going ahead. Shocks located and a torque arm will be purchased today in motor works.
 
Took the front shock off. Bushes in awful condition. Project r850gr on hold until I get new ones. Fingers crossed next weekend I'll have a report!
 
Right. I had a day off yesterday. The plan was to fit it all in the morning and ride for the afternoon. It didn't work out that way.

Once I had gotten new bushes for the front shock (old ones perished), I installed the front shock. No problem there. Bike leaning a bit hard on the side stand but otherwise fine. Took it for a spin and found the new shock (although too long when paired with the original rear shock) a big improvement on the original.

Buoyed by false confidence, I proceeded to remove the rear wheel and finally the old rear shock. I then attempted to install the 1100 gs shock I'd received from a member here (refurb done in AES)

First thing I noticed was the lack of a mounting point for the remote preload. The second thing was the fact the inner cavity that holds the shock is a different shape. This meant in practice, I had to install the shock back to front. The banjo securing the hose for the preload was fouling the inside of the shock cavity and I figured it would be possible to adjust rebound from the rear of the shock - unlike an 1150, which has a different shape and bolt setup.

At this point, I thought of post 2 in this thread. Anyone considering doing this might do well to do so too!

Then came time to attach the lower part of the shock. Curses, the shock was 2 mm to long. With the bevel box at it's furthest down angle, it was still too long. I tried everything I could think of. Still can't understand why the shock was too long. Perhaps it ended up longer than it should be after the refurb? That does not seem likely though. In the end, I used the rubber coated handle of a large adjustable spanner to lever between the shock and the final drive housing. The bolt reluctantly went in... Getting it out later was more difficult.

Now here's the bit that killed me. Putting the rear wheel on. Bear in mind, I've the original centre stand on the bike. I'll cut to the chase. Without a longer centre stand, it's not possible to get the rear wheel on. There isn't enough clearance between the final drive and the ground to get the wheel on!

With the shorter torque arm on the bike the final drive is at a different angle to my original and puts the bike a little higher up. So, then I replaced it with the original torque arm and low and behold, there still wasn't enough room to fit the rear wheel.

I realised at this point, that I was going to have to use a high curb somewhere or get a car jack to raise the rear of the bike. Decided to do neither. If I was to use a car jack , I felt it was going to be really dangerous and unstable while working on the bike. If I raised it as high as it would need, it wouldn't be supported by the centre stand and would in effect be supported by only the car jack and front wheel!

I then was about to pack up my tools and reinstall the original shock and drive somewhere with a big enough curb. That way I could keep the bike stable and still have enough ground clearance to fit the wheel!!!

By this stage it was nearly five o'clock and I'd had enough. Even if I got the rear wheel on, the stands that I have will be pretty much useless and lets face it, if you can't park the bike, it's a bit awkward!!!

So, after all that, I'm back on the original (bottoming out) suspension with shorter torque arm. This is in itself an improvement but I've a half decent set of gs shocks itching to go on the bike!

Does anyone know if a gs centre stand would be long enough to solve my problem? Looks to me like the bike is going to be a bit higher up than a r1100gs due to the wheel sizes?
5cfbff0e-d322-cb22.jpg


5cfbff0e-d354-c7a5.jpg
 
I’ve got a Rockster running GS bodywork and running gear which I’ve had for the last 3 years. Currently running GS Ohlins shocks, GS side and centre stands and R1100S torsion bar. GS suspension gives much better ground clearance but the geometry is very front heavy. Excellent road holding for fast A and B roads but a little too front heavy for the rougher stuff. Normally run 17” wheels with road rubber but if required the GS 19” front wheel will just fit – although not without a mudguard on TKC80’s.

It’s too late for you (and I) now, but I wouldn’t recommend this route to anyone. Too time consuming and too expensive. Far better off trading a Rockster, 850/1100/1150R for a proper GS IMHO YMMV.
 
I like the s torque arm on it with standard shocks. Thanks for the post Dralf. I'll do a proper before and after picture to show the difference. I'll be back but will I buy that 1100 gs In Cork?
 
Bear in mind that the difference in diameter between front GS and cast wheels from other models will mean you'll need a GSA front shock to maintain steering geometry and ride height... (only discovered that myself a couple of days ago)
 
CPL said:
Bear in mind that the difference in diameter between front GS and cast wheels from other models will mean you'll need a GSA front shock to maintain steering geometry and ride height... (only discovered that myself a couple of days ago)
Click to expand...

Hi there CPL. Well I've just taken all the bits off and put the bike back to standard. As mentioned previously and indeed by yourself, the steering geometry is a bit off and a bit front heavy.

Anyway, i've decided to put the shocks I bought up for sale and just ride the r850r as it was originally. Despite it being a failure, I'm glad I tried. It's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all:augie

On the positive side, all the details are in this thread for anyone considering doing this. As mentioned in post 2, too much faffing arround. You'd be better just buying a GS:D

Thanks for entertaining the idea though. Ride safe and rock on:aidan
 
Finally, i didn't do a before and after picture. I regret that. Not much to see really. It was just a little higher up:cool:

The shocks are up for sale and I'm saving for another Gs. The things one does for interest and fun eh:blast I had fun though :D
 
Updaye. My r850r should have been supplied with the shorter torque arm. Works brilliantly. Just makes it a bit better. Turns, leans and bumbles along more smoothly. Nice mod. I'd recommend it to all 850r owners and it's easy to fit. My gaitor ripped though.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Damaged front disc R850R: please advise
Replies
17
Views
331
signo26
Buying advice: R850R (UK)
2
Replies
30
Views
905
bim3330
  • Locked
Wanted KTM Supermoto Wheels
Replies
3
Views
194
Miserable Git
r850r front brake problem
2
Replies
21
Views
1,346
motormount
ernie90
Wanted 250cc+ 4-stroke supermoto/off-road/enduro (Cheshire)
Replies
0
Views
258
ernie90
ernie90


Back
Top Bottom