R1100GS - Problem with my rear suspenders?

Rich C

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Gentlemen,

I have a 96 1100 with a mere 11K on the clock.. It sat for 10 yrs not doing anything.. I've had it approx a year now and have always felt the rear suspension is harsh and not at all soft and floaty as GS's can be and certainly as my 1150's were if you set the suspension up like that.

I think Ive read somewhere that the rear shocks on the 1100 / 1150 were prone to seizing somewhat and I m wondering if mine doesn't have all its travel. The damping adjuster seems to work ok. The rear preload adjuster seems to add preload if you go harder than the std red dot position but if you try and take it softer than that the 'knob goes all floppy' and has no tension in it. Does anyone know if this is normal?
 
The preload knob is probably seized..hence it doesn't do anything when turned..heard it's quite common for them to do that..mine was ok but then started leaking so fitted a Hagon..ok shock but a bit of a pain to adjust the preload as mine doesn't have the remote preload adjuster..
 
Ok. Can this be un-seized does anyone know?

Whilst the OE suspension was not as good as posh aftermarket I was hoping that only 11k miles would mean it was at least still serviceable. Tough call to spend such a high proportion of a bikes value on willbers or ohlins... Given I use the bike two up with luggage as well as solo I'm going to need the remote preload adjuster...
 
Ok. Can this be un-seized does anyone know?

Whilst the OE suspension was not as good as posh aftermarket I was hoping that only 11k miles would mean it was at least still serviceable. Tough call to spend such a high proportion of a bikes value on willbers or ohlins... Given I use the bike two up with luggage as well as solo I'm going to need the remote preload adjuster...

Yes, tough from a 'proportion of value' perspective, but probably not from a 'years of use' perspective. I have a '97 1100GS with only 24k miles and like yours it's not had a lot of regular use - a few hundred miles over the last 5 years. As a result, things have seized or deteriorated due to lack of use. I'm having some stuff fixed now and I'm probably going to have to stump up for some suspension sooner rather than later - I can 'live with' mine, but probably a job for next year before we take it to Spain 2-up. I reckon that with a bit of TLC, there's another hundred thou miles in mine without too many dramas, and probably another hundred thou after that. Cost of suspension over 200k miles isn't so bad*... IIRC, when I saw Vern the weekend before last, his 1100 had done 400k...

*I'm not expecting 200k out of my next suspension, but I intend to wear it out rather than it fail due to lack of use. If you buy it and don't use it, yes it's expensive. If you buy it and get a lot out of it, it's 'value for money'. :thumb2
 
You raise a good point about cost over many years of ownership... and I do intend to keep this... so I shall have a ponder... my suspension is actually better two up than solo!
 
Ok. Can this be un-seized does anyone know?

Whilst the OE suspension was not as good as posh aftermarket I was hoping that only 11k miles would mean it was at least still serviceable. Tough call to spend such a high proportion of a bikes value on willbers or ohlins... Given I use the bike two up with luggage as well as solo I'm going to need the remote preload adjuster...

There's no need to get wilbers or ohlins plenty of other makes ..YSS do a pair of shocks for about £700 and are rebuildable..as are Hagon don't fall into if it's cheap it's shite mentality..ohlins n wilbers will need rebuilt as well tho probably alot more to get done
 
Ok. Can this be un-seized does anyone know?

Whilst the OE suspension was not as good as posh aftermarket I was hoping that only 11k miles would mean it was at least still serviceable. Tough call to spend such a high proportion of a bikes value on willbers or ohlins... Given I use the bike two up with luggage as well as solo I'm going to need the remote preload adjuster...

You could try and remove the the preload knob ..its only held in by a small screw then you could try and see if you could turn the adjuster with a pair of vise grips ..or remove it ..jus undo the banjo bolt and try n.move the adjuster in a vise ..
 
Send it to Denz0 on here does great work and very reasonable . I had front and back OEM shocks rebuilt and they are great
 
I am restoring an 1100 GS at the moment and I read the GS The Complete Story by Phil West, a very good read. In each upgrade or new model they always improve the suspension so I was wondering if maybe the 1200 GS shocks fit an 1100 or maybe even a 1150 shock to fit? I have seen 1200 shocks for reasonable money albeit they are still used. Any one upgraded there shocks to the newer model shocks?
 
Gsrick
Talk to Denz0 on here he was able to modify a 1200 front shock for my 1150
 
I have an oem shock with the preload adjuster. pm if interested.
 
You could try and remove the the preload knob ..its only held in by a small screw then you could try and see if you could turn the adjuster with a pair of vise grips ..or remove it ..jus undo the banjo bolt and try n.move the adjuster in a vise ..

It’s been a while since I did this on my 1150 but I sure a metric spanner fitted rather than having to use any sort of vice/mole grip.
 
I had a brief go at removing the little screw but it's tight and it just felt like the screw head was going to chew up so I gave up that point..time was not on my side...
 


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