Picking the right aftermarket suspension for Road riding?

Hi all,

A little advice please? Having just clocked over 52k on my '64 Gen 2. The only thing really showing it's age is the suspension. (no active stuff on this old girl) ride is getting choppy and when pushing on / exiting bends it feels a little squirmy, but not tyre squirmy (this is GP level feedback right here ) but a bit pogo-stick-esq

I'm not a track rider nor do I need huge ranges of adjustability as i ride mostly the same style and same roads 99% of the time, but i'm after a cost effective upgrade to the standard forks & complete New rear unit to smooth things out and regain the poise it had from new, that worked well for me.

I'm stuck though on who to choose based on actual rider feel / results... I'm guessing you can go full Ohlins and i presume i'll get a good set up for the beans. But i'm keen on understanding for my usage, what would give best results for my style and budget ? How different can they all be?

Looking at fork cartridge kits to start to fit the OE tubes. (Bi-turbo / Nitron / Ohlins / Ktec) that sort of thing.

Appreciate you throwing me some links.

Ta!

KRG, Kyle, on here does suspension. Worth getting his feedback.

soofsayer said:

KRG, Kyle, on here does suspension. Worth getting his feedback.

Click to expand...

Cheers!

Quality parts are going to be a winner either way. K-Tech, Bitubo, Maxton, Matris, Ohlins, Nitron etc etc.

Ohlins NIX30 Cartridges with a K-Tech 35DDS rear shock would be my combination. And picking them up 2nd hand is usually a winner, because you should, anyway, send them off to a suspension guy for a refresh and the right springs for your weight kitted up.

You could give MCT suspension in Stowmarket Suffolk a try, I have never used them but know loads do. You might find a refresh of your stock parts will perform well enough for you so wont break the bank.

Good luck.

Suspension

If you are only riding on the road I would first consider just having your front forks and shock serviced as you will feel the difference almost immediately. Most people generally overlook having their suspension serviced and in an ideal world you want to have it done at the end of every season. It also provides an excellent opportunity to fit the correct spring rates, front and rear, to suit your weight and riding style. A good suspension tuner will be able to recommend a suitable combination for you if you choose to retain the OEM suspension.

Buying aftermarket suspension is generally much more expensive but be honest with yourself... do you actually need to fit the latest Ohlins, K-Tech or Bitubo suspension or would you simply be better off just having the OEM kit serviced and resprung. This is particularly so if you rarely make use of the adjustment on offer let alone that which is available from aftermarket suspension.

If you do purchase a cartridge kit and new rear shock then you can't really go wrong with anything from the likes of Ohlins, K-Tech, Bitubo et al. What brand you buy will likely be driven by your budget and unless your riding on track at a very quick pace you are unlikely to notice the difference between them. I can only recommend Ohlins or K-Tech as those are the two brands that I have raced with over the years. I would also personally never consider mixing suspension brands as it makes little sense.

Finally, there is another cheaper option that you may wish to consider which generally compliments having your bike resprung and that's to simply purchase a Front Fork Piston Kit from the likes of K-Tech. This simply upgrades some of the fork internals giving more feel, improves ride quality and is considerably cheaper than a cartridge kit. This may be a good option for someone who rides predominantly on the road.

In summary here are your options in order of estimated cost...

Option 1
OEM Suspension Service
(Estimated Cost >?300)

Option 2
OEM Suspension Service and Aftermarket Springs
(Estimated Cost >?450)

Option 3
OEM Suspension Service, Aftermarket Front Fork Piston Kit / Springs
(Estimated Cost >?800)

Option 4
Aftermarket Front Fork Cartridge Kit / Rear Shock
(Estimated Cost >?3000)

I think the above 3k is more like 2-2.4k but anyway, as mentioned your forks and shock desperately need servicing at 50k miles.

It should be done bi-annually as a minimum. I?m considering getting mine refreshed after 1year and 3k miles (mainly on track).


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Suspension

With that sort of track mileage they will definitely need servicing. My suspension gets serviced every winter ready for the next season.

I only ride the bmw on the road as i have a seperate track bike. I love the bm but i struggled with the front end on my 2014. I opted for bitubo gas cartridges. I swapped my forks for his and it only cost me 600 quid on top. They were night and day better but did eat front tyres on the "correct" setting. I recently softened them up and feel even better and tyre eear is much better

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Ohlins or Ktech.
Either are just as good.

I used to do bitubo but I?ve stopped doing them now but ohlins and Ktech are by the far the leaders of the pack


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Suspension

Kylezx7r said:

Ohlins or Ktech.
Either are just as good.

Click to expand...

+1.

get to Maxton well priced and top quality

Thanks to all for the advice! it really helps.

I'll look first along the OE refresh line i think. Then go from there.

Thanks all!!