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R1100RT Shock upgrade. One or both?


phillip914

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Rather than buying a new bike I am thinking of upgrading to the Hagon or other non OEM or Olins ($$$$) version.

Is just upgrading the front acceptable or do I really need both? Any other Brands that are suggested?

Thanks in advance

Phillip

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The best results are to do both. Both get you matched spring rates and more importantly matched damping characteristics. I would suspect you would never be able to dial in a fully supple ride by only installing a premium front shock, thus never realizing the value of the purchase. Doing just the front saves maybe half the cost of doing both shocks but maybe you'll only experience 1/4 the value of the purchase. In for the penny go for the pound!

 

I put a set of Ohlins on both front and rear and the improvement was more than subtle, it transformed my R1100RT's handling and overall ride quality. My only regret was I didn't do it sooner. The Ohlins compliance and control capabilities allowed the bike to gobble up rough roads and to stay on track in corners with the little stutter bumps and other irregularities you come across on asphalt, whereas with the OE shocks the tires would not stay fully planted and would tend to go to a wider line over the same surface.

 

You should add Wilburs to your list. The folks who have purchased them love them and report that performance is as good as Ohlins

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If you are looking for new suspension, take a look at Ted Porter's The BeemerShop, as he handles both Ohlins and Wilbers and many other brands. You can call and talk directly with him about your needs. Purchased a set of Wilbers for my 04 R1100S, firmer ride but more controlled.

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I'm with those who recommend doing both ends. As to what you should expect, better shocks, properly set up, should provide both better handling and a more comfortable ride.

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All great suggestions. In my case I replaced my 140K kms shocks with used ones from BeemerBoneyard that had much lower mileage (20K miles I think).

 

It was an immediate return to a "newer" feeling bike (of course no net improvement over OEM). But, they were super easy to swap, and only cost about $175 for both.

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Both.

 

Are you going to keep it or sell it, that is the next question.

 

If you are going to sell it in the short term, a year or so, go with Claudio's suggestion.

 

If you will be driving it for another two years or more, call Ted Porter as per 041100S. You'll be glad you did. He will ask you a bunch of questions first.

 

Ted recommended the Wilbur's for my '99 R1100S, said he has these on his own R1100S. I'm very glad I did that, too. Got another set a year later for my '00 K1200RS from Ted. He is super helpful, will talk shocks in depth for as long as you want, and doesn't matter where you bought them. Good guy, really knows bike suspensions.

 

Ted Porter's Beemer Shop

Edited by Lowndes
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I have changed both shocks on my RT, wilbers, with all the adjutments available. But once you fit them, I doubt you will do any further adjusting, because for the front one, you will have to take it off for preload.

So I would recommend swapping them both, it costs ~ 1000 eur for both, and they make them for your weight and riding style, etc.

 

Dan.

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I believe most after-market shocks have two preload adjustments for the rear shock: locking rings on the threaded shock body, and the "passenger" preload adjuster. With the latter all the way out, adjust the former so that static sag for the rear shock is to set the spring preload so that you reach desired number (usually ~30% of total travel) wearing full gear, but without any luggage. Once you have that set, use the "passenger" knob to add more preload according to need. Of course, if you have someone like Ted Porter do the work, it should already be set — as long as you are honest about your weight, which means getting on a scale in full gear, including boots and helmet.

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