Uprated Urban GS suspension with increase in height

Markyboy

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Just got my bike back from Brooks Suspension with an Andreani fully adjustable cartridge kit with a 40mm rise and the Nitron Adventure rear shock with a 50mm rise.

A quick thanks to Marc and David at Brooks suspension for the great work and customer service. I would recommend these guys if anyone else needs suspension work done.

By the way before anyone mentions I know the headlight cowel is missing but the bike wouldnt fit in the van with the cowel attached.
 

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They do look good with a 50mm lift. For what it’s worth I think the UGS looks better without the cowl.
 
Do you not want to ride it a bit before recommending?

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Looks great, hope it rides well, interested to hear future reports
 
The proof is in riding, tyre wear, comfort, control and enjoyment.
Looks good.
 
The proof is in riding, tyre wear, comfort, control and enjoyment.
Looks good.

Now that I've spent the money on it Ill be trying it out. Ill let you know my thoughts as we go.
 
Why didn’t you go with Nitron F&R?
Personally unless there was a very specific reason I would match them as they’ll be designed to work together.
 
Why didn’t you go with Nitron F&R?
Personally unless there was a very specific reason I would match them as they’ll be designed to work together.

Nitron do cartridge kits for the urban gs and scrambler but they dont offer any height increase hence Andreani front +40mm with the rear Nitron adventure shock +50mm.
 

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Do you not want to ride it a bit before recommending?

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Hi Stanley, I was recommending Brooks Suspension for the quality of their customer service, they did a lot of extra background work in order to help with the Nitron rear Shock which is a bespoke option currently not for sale other than on a special order and they did all the work prior to me committing to the deal. I could only drop my bike off on a sunday and they took the time to open up on a day off and everything they promised i.e. time frame and keeping me up to date was 100% spot on.

Since Ive collected my bike and ridden it I'm now also able to recommend the suspension as its set up for me.

Hope that clarifies.
 
Excellent. I've got a Wilbers +25 (adjustable up to +50 iirc) on the back of mine, and K-Tech cartridges in the front (standard length). The Wilbers has been excellent from the off, but the cartridges have been a pain to get right... Think they'll be getting pulled apart for the third time this Winter.

Have you had to extend your side stand? Mine leans a fair way over just with the slight raise at the rear.

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Have you had to extend your side stand? Mine leans a fair way over just with the slight raise at the rear.

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Hi, i did change my side stand to a wunderlich +70mm. I did look at getting my oem one extended but it was going to cost more than buying the wunderlich one so ordered it through Nippy Normans.
 
It looks right, almost like the original gs, I'd be interested to know your thoughts and evaluation of the changes made.
 
It looks right, almost like the original gs, I'd be interested to know your thoughts and evaluation of the changes made.

Hi Dean, I'm not a pro reviewer but in a nutshell I'll tell you why I made the changes.

I bought the bike on a whim during lockdown and it was delivered via courier from a bmw main dealer unseen in the flesh until it turned up. I loved the look but had never test ridden any R nine T derivative so whether I actually enjoyed riding the bike was in the lap of the gods. I took the bike out for its first run and was quite disappointed about it, I loved the style, the engine but It was the comfort that let it down. I suppose I'm not the average rider as I've got metal nuts/bolts and rods in my spine plus metalwork from sternum to shoulder so its difficult for me to get comfortable whilst riding and on that first run there seemed to be no give in the rear suspension, so every time I hit a bump in the road I'd get a sharp whack in the back. I messed about with the rear suspension for a while but got to the point where I needed to either get professional help with the suspension or sell the bike. Brooks suspension were suggested and after a chat with them decided to keep the bike and invest in a new suspension and the Andreani front and Nitron rear was fitted.

The oem seat was good but not something I would keep so I purchased a wunderlich komfort seat which is wider and 20mm thicker. So with a new suspension for my weight/use which works really well and a new wunderlich Komfort seat I can now ride the bike without any discomfort. So for 'me' the changes are substantial and its now very capable off road, the rear shock which was designed for the GSA can carry much more weight/luggage and has the flexibility to raise the rear by +70mm if needed and the front Adreani suspension is +40mm and fully changeable to suit as well.

So the full set up is right for ME however it may not be right for others.
 
If it works for you, that's what's important.
It'd be interesting to know how much (or little!) BM spend on the original suspension which seems barely fit for purpose.
 
If it works for you, that's what's important.
It'd be interesting to know how much (or little!) BM spend on the original suspension which seems barely fit for purpose.

Indeed, my Urban is a lovely thing to look at and it’s more capable of touring than some might think. But the OE suspension is woeful in comparison to my previous bikes (1150 with Hyperpro F&R, 1200 with ESA).Saying that I just want to ride the Urban and the engine / exhaust note / looks just makes me giggle.

I changed the rear shock for a +10mm Shock Factory unit which is a big improvement but there’s still the solid feeling forks. I’m on the cusp of having Andreani fork cartridges installed. Brooks are a fair trek for me so FTR in Essex look favourite. Cost installed is circa £700 set up for my weight with correct spring. While there they’ve said they will adjust the rear shock to suit also as I’m no expert there save setting the sag

It’s a big lump to spend, but I don’t need to change the exhaust (I normally do so a saving) and it’ll improve the bike more than any other mod the bike has currently
 
Indeed, my Urban is a lovely thing to look at and it’s more capable of touring than some might think. But the OE suspension is woeful in comparison to my previous bikes (1150 with Hyperpro F&R, 1200 with ESA).Saying that I just want to ride the Urban and the engine / exhaust note / looks just makes me giggle.

I changed the rear shock for a +10mm Shock Factory unit which is a big improvement but there’s still the solid feeling forks. I’m on the cusp of having Andreani fork cartridges installed. Brooks are a fair trek for me so FTR in Essex look favourite. Cost installed is circa £700 set up for my weight with correct spring. While there they’ve said they will adjust the rear shock to suit also as I’m no expert there save setting the sag

It’s a big lump to spend, but I don’t need to change the exhaust (I normally do so a saving) and it’ll improve the bike more than any other mod the bike has currently

Lets see some photos once you've had the work done and Im sure youll be happy with the end result.
 


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