Looking for advice GS1200 2008

Blimey , I never realized how bad they are, I should be dead,

My gsa has now covered over 100,000 miles , I have done all of those on original tourance, I've never found them to be problem.


never said it was bad, just they wobble about. I like the fact its so manoeuvrable
tourance tyres are useless made of concrete and makes the rear bounce 3 foot of line when you tag a cats eye, fit road tyres and it doesn't move an inch off line.... its faster, smoother, quieter and safer
 
on mine a 57 plate orig 1200GS, with the original Metz Tourrance tyres I couldn't ride it between traffic at walking pace as it was all over the road.... needing 2 metres to itself, same sensation from 0 to 130

I really don't think your problem was the tyres.

Then road smart 2 very good (did 2 of them) then a Mich PS3 that went in a skip at 1000 miles as is was awful and for a reason I still don't get meant every big braking manoeuvre became 3 foot high stoppie. Then the road smart 3 came out and its the one I recco for the bike, almost normal, great grip, lasts forever, no inadvertent stoppies !!!

And did you wake up at the end? :D

never said it was bad, just they wobble about.

They don't wobble.
I had tourance too on my GS. Not an issue.
I've had some tyres that were a bit shit in wet conditions (some Bridgestone, forgot the model) but never had any tyres that came even close to make the bike unmanageable in any normal riding conditions.
 
Agree with gazza12adv and er-minio. Have had 3 sets of Tourance. Very good road tyres. No issue riding at speed or when bike cranked over. Surprisingly good given how old they are now and given they are meant to have some off-road capability
 
.........tourance tyres are useless made of concrete and makes the rear bounce 3 foot of line when you tag a cats eye........

I have always considered concrete tyres to be absolute rubbish which is why I always specify rubber ones when it is time for a replacement.

The rubber Tourances I have used for many hundreds of thousands of miles have been excellent and I recommend that you give them a go........






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the witty ones can carry on risking your life,
you have the information now, choose to do with it what you want,
 
the witty ones can carry on risking your life,
you have the information now, choose to do with it what you want,

If your bike did have a problem that made it dangerous, and it wasn't the tyres (as many have written, the Tourances are good tyres), then it was likely your bike that was the issue. In that case, you should consider who is risking their life....
 
mine wobbled about to an incredible degree - in windy conditions its almost using two lanes of a motorway once you go above 75, if you need to hold on tight coz massive head wind / high speed / small screen then its even more !!!

That sounds like a suspension issue rather than tyres...?

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk
 
Done a squillion miles on Tourance, rode like a twat for most of it.

Not one single 'moment', no issues with them. I am a mere mortal.

You must be a riding God, and I claim my five pounds. :bow
 
the witty ones can carry on risking your life,
you have the information now, choose to do with it what you want,

The very best way I can think of to avoid risking my life is to never ride your bike, if it wobbles like you claim.

Mine is just fine at all speeds up to max. (on autobahnen.)






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If your bike did have a problem that made it dangerous...

another one assuming I've said its incorrect - it was like that from new, and just like every other GS I've ridden.

I've said they move about and they are manoeuvrable, its other's words saying bad or dangerous - just because you haven't noticed they move about a lot, doesn't mean they don't do it
 
another one assuming I've said its incorrect - it was like that from new, and just like every other GS I've ridden.

I've said they move about and they are manoeuvrable, its other's words saying bad or dangerous - just because you haven't noticed they move about a lot, doesn't mean they don't do it
Not another conpiracy theory.

:blast
20 pager now.:green gri
 
There is a wonderful line attributed to Mark Twain that I find increasingly helpful as I get older: "Never Argue With a Fool, Onlookers May Not Be Able To Tell the Difference"
 
How much do you weigh?

Was there any change after you replaced upper cross brace bearing?

Did you remove forks and what was your process for refitting them?

Hi NicD I did remove forks I'll also removed front wheel on another occasion,would you have the process of fitting the forks , new bearings in the wheel didn't make a differences , I'm wondering is my shocks goosed ,when I let of the rebound and I bounce the bike I can hear a whoosh of air every time I bounce it
 
What was fork refit procedure?

NB it is not the same on these bikes as bikes with standard front suspension

Reason I ask is I had a similar handling issues a few years ago. Long story. Was fixed when I slackened front end and re-torqued in correct sequence. I'm not saying this is your issue. It's just one possibility

What do you weigh?
 
What was fork refit procedure?

NB it is not the same on these bikes as bikes with standard front suspension

Reason I ask is I had a similar handling issues a few years ago. Long story. Was fixed when I slackened front end and re-torqued in correct sequence. I'm not saying this is your issue. It's just one possibility

What do you weigh?

Hi NicD ,I'm about 76kg , I went and set the suspension to what you suggested and as a starting guide ,have to say a massive improvement, they way it was set up was all over the placed say ,your advice has given me somewhat a guide to start , but there's a suspension specialist not far from me who's agreed to set it up for me etc , other thing I might invest in is a new screen , there's a MRA screen on her but I find it is a lot less wide than standard one , but as I said there's a massive difference since I dialled in those settings
 
Glad it is better than it was.

You aren't heavy enough for the stock spring rates to be a problem, unless you ride two up and/or with heavy luggage.

There isn't a huge amount of setup required. Rear travel is 200mm and you should shoot for 30% sag. Front travel is 190mm and you aim for same sag %. Damping only on rear and you can play around with this, but approx -2.5 turns should be good.

Do bear in mind the original units may not be in the best shape any more, even if mileage low, as gas does escape over time and the oil will degrade.
 
re. saggy bottoms, I was a but muddled on sag, then found a PDF on setting up WP shock for KTM. I think someone may have covered in a recent post on this forum, but I think this adds a bit extra which is a nice check to see if the spring is the right one.

with the bike on its centre stand rear wheel fully extended. Measure straight down from a fixed point on the bike (Chassis rail or something) to the rear wheel spindle. Note reading. Push off centre stand and without rider, holding bike upright re measure.... (and if not) adjust rear shock to give 35mm sag (12% lower than our first reading) Now with all the gear and load you normally ride with, sit on the bike (upright and off the stands) and with feet off the ground, take a third measurement. If that's not around 100 to 110mm (33%) of sag then the rear spring isn't the right one for the load you've got and you need to swap it out.

Only bit of fun is at some point (I'm guessing) the sag settings must change with the amount of travel.... in which case the amount of sag should be related to a percentage of the full movement the suspension is capable of.

on dirt bikes with 300mm travel, then 100mm sag with rider is about right, on your fireblade it would be interesting... however I expect 1/3rd of its total travel would be very sensible... and in the fog of my old brain vaguely seems correct. (hence the % numbers added two paragraphs above). The front should be much the same setup.
 
Travel numbers for 2008 standard GS are above. Also in Rider Manual - Technical Data - Running Gear. Be sure to get the wheel travel, not the stroke of shock piston (as this is magnified at distance of rear wheel from shock).

Do not set up for 100mm sag, nor for 35mm static (non-rider) sag. These will leave rear end way too low and steering way too slow.

Simple summary here (including averaging sag for friction in the shock by taking multiple readings from raising rear and letting it settle vs compressing rear and letting it re-extend)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny8rcqLwIas

As long as you note where you started from and/or the adjustments you make, you can always get back to where you were.

If interested, Total Control has basics of suspension set up
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Total-Cont...total+control&qid=1564229561&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Race Tech's suspension bible has a huge amount of info
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Techs-Moto...ch+suspension&qid=1564229593&s=gateway&sr=8-1
 


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