Andreanni fork cartridges F800GS

Afewbeers

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I thought I'd let owners know about the recent conversion to my son's 2013 F800GS. He uses the bike as a general run around and also for green lanes and off road riding with a longish two week tour every year. The standard forks were exceptionally soft and I found the dive under braking was quite severe. Also he managed to slightly ding a front rim recently so it seemed to me that for his use he should think about a better suspension set up.

Anyway, after various investigation we settled on the Andreanni fork cartridge conversion. Other alternatives from Ohlins and Touratech were on the very steep end of the scale and these were around £550 or so. The feedback from some US users seemed reasonably positive, likewise from some Australian users where they seem to put a much greater emphasis on suspension set ups.

Sadly we didn't take pictures of the install which is a shame as the instructions are totally inadequate. A series of around 8 photos which did not relate to a F800, nor the kit that he had. After much faffing around we discovered that the springs go the opposite way around to the BMW set ups, ie, are now positioned at the bottom of the fork. Removal of the fork legs from the bike is relatively simple but is made easier by removing the screws for the side panels to give easier access to the lower fork clamps. So wheel, calliper mudguard removal (don't forget the ABS sensor, and brake pipe clamp on the right fork) then remove each stanchion. We loosened off the top retaining nuts whilst on the bike to make life easier. Then simply undo the top bolt, drain old oil, then undo the bottom bolt holding the cartridge and remove the assembly.

As mentioned earlier fitting the Andreanni cartridge is simple and straight forward once you know how it's supposed to go. Which is: Install lower cartridge and attach retaining bolt at bottom of the fork, fill with oil, make sure air is out, check level (which is actually specified in the instructions) then put spring in, followed by longer spacer sleeve (plastic end cap against spring) then the alloy end cap for the sleeve and then fasten the top cap to the push rod. Then screw in the end cap to the top of the fork stanchion. We did the final tightening of the cap when on the bike and the forks held in their clamps.

The new fork cartridges offer preload adjustment and one leg provides compression damping adjustment, the other leg rebound adjustment. We set at defaults and have yet to fully tweak. However the initial results were a complete transformation. Much less dive, much smoother operation etc. One of those times when the upgrade completely exceeded expectations. I'd imagine it's the best £550 you could spend on an F800GS. Bear in mind that the bike is 2013 and has now covered some 32,000 miles so there would have been wear on the originals, though to me the bike had always had an overly soft front end since I first tried it at 18,000 miles. With full adjustability I'm sure most riders could find a set up which was a significant improvement on the stock versions.

Sorry we didn't video it or take pictures as in retrospect I think that would save a fair amount of grief for anyone tackling it in the future. We're waiting for the arrival of a TFX rear shock which will hopefully arrive shortly. Can't remember which version he went for but it is the one with separate reservoir offering normal preload, rebound and also fast and slow compression. No doubt we will soon find out whether his rear top mount bolt is bent or not. By the way, we have no affiliation with either company.
 
Good post, thank you. My F800GS recently purchased is a good bike but the soft front forks are very noticeable. Something to consider for the future
 
Thanks for posting, there was a brace you could buy for the rear shock mount, mine was fine I just replaced the bolt for a High Tensile one. For those that don't want fully adjustable Hyper pro progressive springs make a big difference to the Dive issue.
 
Yep, it would be interesting to be able to compare some of the different set ups, and maybe the hyper pro springs would have sufficed. Always hard to tell from internet research. I have the opposite problem with Touratech (Level 1) shocks on my R1200gs - they are not what I was expecting at all, the stock settings are ridiculously hard to the point I'm wondering if they are faulty. Spring rates look right for my weight but the damping seems to be very stiff.
 
My knowledge of bike suspension is pretty limited. I love the results when it's right, just haven't got much of a handle on how to get it there. Back in the day when I had a 916 the guys who looked after it were artists and it was completely sublime to ride. Obviously an adventure bike is more challenging due to the wider range of operating conditions but I can't help but be mildly disappointed in the standard fare.
 
My knowledge of bike suspension is pretty limited. I love the results when it's right, just haven't got much of a handle on how to get it there. Back in the day when I had a 916 the guys who looked after it were artists and it was completely sublime to ride. Obviously an adventure bike is more challenging due to the wider range of operating conditions but I can't help but be mildly disappointed in the standard fare.

I agree I think that's because what the designers specify is changed by the bean counters Certainly it's true of Yamaha which has poor oem due to keen pricing imho However vast improvements can be made by upgrading for less than the cost of a fancy exhaust for example

:beerjug:
 


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