Suspension

shugie

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I would be interested to learn what those 1200 owners who previously had 1150s make of the ride quality of the 1200.

Is it better than the stock 1150, or not?
Is it better than the 1150 with Ohlins fitted, or not?

Shug the currently skint
 
Its better than my 1150 with Ohlins fitted. :eek:

This might come out a bit garbled but I will try to explain why.

Firstly, to get the 1150 to turn quickly you have to run the rear suspension quite firm, sometimes very firm. With the 12, it turns on a sixpence, so you can run the suspension softer and it gives a more comfortable ride, but requires less input. This doesnt mean you can run them really soft, cos if you do you will be dragging everything on the ground. Its firm for a 12, but softer than an 1150 to do the same thing. In the twisty bits with the 1150, I found that I had been heaving on the bars quite a bit. Once I had dialed my brain into riding the 12, no heaving, infact it upsets the handling if you do heave on the bars.

Because the rear of my 1150 was quite firm, riding hard over undulating roads (lot of them up here, especially the back roads we ride on), the front would lift off quite regularly. Not high, just enough to know the wheel isnt on the ground. With the longer wheelbase on the 12 I can take some crests, where I knew the wheel would lift on the 1150 even with a closed throttle, faster and it stays put. Having said that, the downside is because the 12 is so much lighter one has to be very careful with the throttle when attacking said undulations aggressively, cos the bloody thing will lift right off the ground if one is not paying attention.

Like the 1150, the 12 will go just where you want. Nothing will knock it off line so it has the re-assurance of the 1150 characteristic, but once mastered, it is sooo much easier to ride. The plus point over the 1150 is it is much easier to change line, simply because it is lighter and has quicker steering.

The biggest pain in the arse was waiting for the suspension to bed in. It was like riding an ironing board, till the suspension settled. It was twitchy at high speed when pitching it into a corner, but that may have been me overridding it, dont know. But, When Metal Man got his new 12, the suspension was OK, quite pliant and run in. Maybe it was cos mine was one of the first batch.. who knows.

The one thing that needs to be said is that this is like riding a completely new bike. Yes its a Boxer twin, but its not like an 1150, its different, and it may not be everyones cup of tea. It took me about three weeks to figure it out and change my riding style. I adored the 1150, what a brilliant bike! But now that I have got used to the 12, I absolutely love this thing. Its a complete hoot. :D
 
Still, won't the 12 be even better with Ohlins? It took a while for the front to loosen up and now it's pretty good. But not as good as I might like. The front still feels like it needs less compression and more compliance, with preload just one notch up from the bottom. But the rear is rather good with the preload dialed up. My previous bike, an R1100S, had Ohlins and they were truely AWSOME!. Can't say the same for the rest of the bike.
 
It would be reasonable to say yes, it would be better with Ohlins. The standard shocks are mass produced items which are built to a cost. They are also a compromise, having to cater for all shapes and sizes of rider and all riding styles, both on and sometimes off road. Actually, when you think about it, the GS is truly an all round bike capable of all kinds of things. For the shocks to be able to cope with almost all of this in a satisfactory manner is quite a credit to the designers.
Anyhoo, the Ohlins, or WP or any other "posh" shock will give the added benefits of having full adjustment on both bump and rebound damping. In theory this would give the rider the opportunity to set the bike up for their own riding style.

However, setting them up is a whole different ball game. Been there, done that, got the tee shirt and the video is on order :D
 
Talking of 'posh' shocks who do you think makes the standard 1200 units?

A clue, the companies initials are W and P:)
 
Hi Wraithrider, Fair dues, they may have WP on them...but they arent posh,"posh shocks" are multi adjustable, bump and rebound. They are also rebuildable so they can be reshimmed, I'm afraid ours are not.... pretty good, but not the ball ache-ing "which bit do I fiddle with now kind :D
 
Panzer Patrol said:
Hi Wraithrider, Fair dues, they may have WP on them...but they arent posh,"posh shocks" are multi adjustable, bump and rebound. They are also rebuildable so they can be reshimmed, I'm afraid ours are not.... pretty good, but not the ball ache-ing "which bit do I fiddle with now kind :D

Yeah acknowledged but hopefully the spec, build quality and performance will prove up to the job with the WP credentials.

I'll let you know when I get mine in three weeks time!!:D :D
 
Standard shocks are certainly up to the job....so far :P I'm certainly not going to be buying any posh ones in the foreseeable future. Best of luck with the new bike... your gonna love it :D
 
The front is very harsh initially. I wound mine back as far as it would go (it was only 3 notches off softest anyway). After a thousand miles or so it had loosened up and I wound it on to two notches of softest. I also wound up the rear somewhat as I'm 14.5 stone (eek! all muscle though :D ) and as a result the front feels much less flighty.

Generally, it is very very impressive. I'd be v.interested to see what it is like with Ohlins.
 


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