Suspension / tyres?

Bob Southgate said:
And there are head bearings too.

Bob

Yeah - 5204RS - but they don't take any vertical load, so wouldn't cause the 'sticky' feeling which causes the wandering at low speed. Still not sure about the tyre, though.....
 
Bob Southgate said:
And there are head bearings too.

Bob

Indeed there are, but my BMW dealer assures me that they have a different function to traditional 'Headrace bearings'. Or something.

Still, the bike goes into the main dealer tomorrow morning, and I am going to get this sorted. I am. I am I am I am.
 
Re: Re: Oh boy......oh boy!

DavidHolmes said:
At last, a tyre expert :) Great - I was sorely tempted by the Bridgestones but the committee on this board suggested to me that they would not serve so well as the Metzlers.

So, bearing in mind that 8 (ish) sets of Tourances used over 2 1/2 years and 60k miles have exeeded all my needs (and abilities), on and off road (except for the Belgian meet, when I used TKC 80's), are the Bridgestones as good as Tourances used to be?

What mileage do you get from them? How do they handle 3k upright motorway comuting before seeing a corner? Do they square off, or noticably cup? And when they see a corner, how 'fast' do they turn in at; 90,60,30 & 5mph. Do they 'flop' below 20? At what speed does countersteering become a reality? When run under inflated (off road pressures) on the road, how fast and how long can you go before they deform/crack/blister? How do they handle fully laden two up with luggage (plus 50kg over and above) on loose gravel? In sub zero temperatures? What is your puncture to mile ratio? What are they like, 3/4 worn, in the rain filtering in London: How badly are they affected by white lines? Overbanding? Potholes? Bricks? And what, if any, little vibration/ocsillation quirks do they have?

And having only ever run at BMW (OE) stated pressures, what would I run the Bridgestones at? (We are talking BT 020's, or is there another Bridgestone option?)

And the Dunlops, D607's? What are they like, as per above?


I thought this was Jamie's thread....where are you mate?

As for me being a Bridgestone 'expert' all I can say is that when I ordered my new 1150 it arrived with Bridgestones fitted. The experts in this vase would be B*W themselves. Handling wise, on the last Peak Ride out (the Kin Fast one) the tyres worked perfectly especially as my partner was pillion for the day. So far the tyres have performed perfectly (this'll be my 12th new bike in 6 years) when compared to other tyre types/makes. They don't appear to cup or flatten off after long straightish runs but then I've never ridden 3000 miles on the motorway in one go; and as for countersteer you are on your own because I tend to use that technique all the while (like most bikers) once I'm above 15-20 mph...unless of course you want to lay the bike down....not good!
Tyre pressures are as B*W state in the owners handbook, however the handling on these tyres at two up pressures riding solo is (for me at least) unaffected....just as good. Bricks, I try to look far enough in front to avoid those types of situations, pothole to if I can. I'm expecting 8,000miles from the rear and about the same from the front...(ooh are you). Like most bikes on any type of tyre whan in loose gravel you are in the lap of the Great God of BALANCE who will decree where you fall of or cack your pants at an almost lost it there moment. Speed ,weight , approach, two up or solo, raining, tired all factors that affect the loose gravel equation. Off road they will be about the same as the Tourances ....next to useless in/on anything but dry trails, wet and muddy then forget it the GS is too heavy and the tyres clog up too quickly unless you fit knobblies of course al la Adventure.

Pay me to buy Dunlop 607's and I'll let you know...ps I won't tell Bridgestone if you don't......

By the way the tyres are Bridgestone Trailwings .....ah shock horror....but they are a dammed sight better than Tourances! ;) ;)
 
Re: Re: Re: Oh boy......oh boy!

The Mechanic said:
I thought this was Jamie's thread....where are you mate?

... all I can say is that when I ordered my new 1150 it arrived with Bridgestones fitted....

..... and as for countersteer you are on your own because I tend to use that technique all the while (like most bikers) once I'm above 15-20 mph...unless of course you want to lay the bike down....not good!

Bricks, I try to look far enough in front to avoid those types of situations, pothole to if I can.

By the way the tyres are Bridgestone Trailwings .....ah shock horror....but they are a dammed sight better than Tourances! ;) ;)

How old is your GS? I saw a couple of new ones in the dealer recently and they had the Trailwings on. Which interests me, as all the ones I had seen previously had Tourances as OE.

Countersteering over 15-20 is what I would expect. Currently having to fight the bike to countersteer below 35-40.

Bricks: Do you ride in London? - Where I work its less a case of looking ahead, more a case of looking left, right, and up, if you are to predict where the sodding things are going to land

A set of oversize Kings would be better than my current Tourances.;)

As to the rest, was kinda meant as some kinda Social Comment/irony kinda thing.
Kinda difficult to pull off using this medium ... as I have just proved :(
 
Re: Re: Re: Oh boy......oh boy!

The Mechanic said:
I thought this was Jamie's thread....where are you mate?


My, I have started something haven't I?

Basically this is it:

Slow speed and cold = kakish

Spring = fine

bearings = I know I know, I keep checking, they're still fine.

Basically, if any of the above at fault, I would laying somewhere, risking infection from MRSA, being fed food by workers from the black economy, and having bits of Derbyshire dry stone wall picked out of my arse/arms/legs etc.

To some up - when this lot are worn, I will not be replacing with the same.

Thanks for your input fellows, I'm returning to the relative gentility of the "Should we nuke the ragheads?" thread.

Jamie;)
 
To David Holmes...irony

No I mean exactly the opposite, last time I rode in London I was on my beloved old Transalp when I worked for City and Guilds. Most of the time it was not bricks or druggies in the roads but poxy courier cyclists and twats on scooters diving for gaps I'd already started to fill up..that was during the week. Weekend wise on a Sunday for a visit to the London Eye with my partner as pillion aboard our Aprilia Mille when not weaving in and out in and out in and ou..... of dense traffic (pre- charging days) I was having to bunny hop over bloody great pot holes. (The GS does far better at potholing than the Mille.)

My cousins hubby is a Highways manager, he has orders to only fill potholes when there is a collection close together as it works out cheaper....I nearly decked him when he told me this alrming fact...he works in and around Croydon area.

BUT ITS NOT JUST LONDON THAT HAS CRAP ROAD MAINTENANCE IT APPEARS TO BE EVERY WHERE IN EVERY COUNTY.....TIME FOR BLAIR TO PISS OFF AND LET SOME ONE ELSE HAVE A GO AT COCKING THE COUNTRY RIGHT UP!

I'm really alright thanks, I've calmed down a bit now and your irony is appreciated

1150 GS is 2003 model...last of the good ones! Oh and non ABS.
Tyres are Bridgestone Trailwing 101 and they feel nice and grippy.
 
Mechanic:- Not sure I understand your last post. Not sure you understood what I meant by irony. Was more meant as a comment on the state of this board rather than the roads....Hope it is enough to say it was meant humoursly/slightly tongue in cheek rather than otherwise.

As to my tyre situation, yesterday went as follows:
9am Bike into dealers. Full 60k service, plus (1st MOT) - no problems. Mechanic rides bike. Pronounces front end worse than could be explained by tyre alone. Even a Tourance (His words).
Bike into workshop. Forks/frame jigged, (or laser aligned or whatever they do), bearings/ball joint etc checked.
At 4pm I get a call. They have run out of ideas. They want to replace the tyre. Enduro 4 on, hey presto. Bike is perfect.

And this was a brand new Tourance (manufactured in 04) and infinitely better than the one that was put on before it.

The service manager recommended the Enduro 4's (although recommends the rear Tourance if mileage is an issue) but stated that he had been pleasantly surprised by the new Trailwings.
 


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