Suspension

[bananaman]

What shall I do next if on track day after coming of the bend on Brands to start/finish straight on 3rd and roll on acceleration I get shaky front with all settings set on 8 I'm apparently perfect 80Kg s1KRR rider.

Changed the damper?

 

[BIKERFRENZY]

Not had a go on my bike yet but this is all very worrying when I'm 15 Stone. I hope you are all takking about the 2009 bike and not the 2012.
If I dont get the same feed back as I did from the RSV factory I'll be pissed

 

[paul1098]

Don't think you can compare Italian bike engineering to German. There is no way the S1000RR is going to be anywhere near as good as your Aprilia at doing corners & the RSV would have much better suspension. Only saving grace is that suspension has moved on so it's likely that 2012 Sachs will be better than older Ohlins.

I'm hoping the plus for German engineering is reliability & outright power can compensate for my poor cornering.

 

[bananaman]

Did the factory not come with ohlins?

 

[Hopper]

Not had a go on my bike yet but this is all very worrying when I'm 15 Stone. I hope you are all takking about the 2009 bike and not the 2012.
If I dont get the same feed back as I did from the RSV factory I'll be pissed

If you are soo worried about the S1000 not being as good as your old RSV, then why did you buy the S1000 ?

IMHO the S1000 is leagues ahead of the RSV....

I wish I had the same feed back from my S1000 as my 748 RS. It's never going to happen....

 

[babarr46]

Well i'm 14 stone & never had a problem i ride a 10 plate, when they did the 18k service they changed some shims & stuff in the forks from plastic to metal parts. They now give better feel & i have yet to bottom them out even when i get air from the humpback bridge. Unless you're a big fatty or a track god then its a case of the emperors new clothes.

 

[BIKERFRENZY]

Did the factory not come with ohlins?

Yes it did and they were great but confidence and corner speed and great brakes don't make up for 55 Bhp so she had to go

 

[Hopper]

The Ohlins stuff on your old Aprillia were made under licence. By another company and not Ohlins.

They would of been the basic R&T stuff. Probably the same spec as the Sachs 2012 S1000 suspension. Any Ohlins stuff that "comes as standard" reeds re-valving or a "race kit" to be fitted to really be any good.

You'll be fine on the stock 2012 stuff. The bike S1000 is 1 million times better than the RSV you previously had

 

[eneasz]

What shall I do next if on track day after coming of the bend on Brands to start/finish straight on 3rd and roll on acceleration I get shaky front with all settings set on 8 I'm apparently perfect 80Kg s1KRR rider.

Changed the damper?

Just this? What would you recommend?

 

[unionjack]

Stay on the inside of Clearways and miss the dip.

 

[sockets]

[size=small]I am interested in all the comments but cant help thinking that maybe the guys at BMW are not all stupid as some members perceive them to be![/size]
[/size][size=small]How can you possibly say that the front end suspension of an S1000RR is fit for the bin considering that the 2012 model has been voted SBOTY in many different circles![/size][size=small]If you're overtaken on a trackday have you considered that it may be your rider ability and not the bikes suspension/performance that is lacking? [/size][size=small]Would be interested in hearing about your engineering background and your obviously successful venture in after market suspension kits.[/size][size=small]I have dealt with the guy at MCT and he is a top bloke but he will still take your money having convinced you that your stock suspension system is pants![/size][size=small]Tommy Hill may notice the difference but I doubt if the majority of members on this forum would?[/size][size=small]
[/size][size=small]Back your theories up mate with what you know about engineering and/or your race pedigree if you have one![/size]

 

[Hopper]

Last year, I spent all year instructing for a TD company on my S1000 with stock suspension. I was on the stiffest set up on the front forks with no adjustment left to go. I managed to smash my cable tie marker through the fork seal as the forks were still too soft. Constantly bottoming out on corner entry

Stock suspension Is fine for road use, however if you run in top half of the advanced group on TD's or race, it's really not up to the job.

 

[sockets]

Fair point mate.
Have you a 2012 model? - there were some changes made to the internals.

 

[Hopper]

Iv got a 2011. The 2012 suspension is a little better, not much though.

 

[bananaman]

I am interested in all the comments but cant help thinking that maybe the guys at BMW are not all stupid as some members perceive them to be!
How can you possibly say that the front end suspension of an S1000RR is fit for the bin considering that the 2012 model has been voted SBOTY in many different circles!If you're overtaken on a trackday have you considered that it may be your rider ability and not the bikes suspension/performance that is lacking? Would be interested in hearing about your engineering background and your obviously successful venture in after market suspension kits.I have dealt with the guy at MCT and he is a top bloke but he will still take your money having convinced you that your stock suspension system is pants!Tommy Hill may notice the difference but I doubt if the majority of members on this forum would?
Back your theories up mate with what you know about engineering and/or your race pedigree if you have one!

I agree with most of yr statement, bmw spent millions designing a product which i have to say is exceptional on an average road with an average rider in average weather. Even on a track with an averge rider at average speeds, cornering, braking etc. If we were like the Tommy Hills and co we would be racing at top level with top equipment which would be a hell of a lot more expensive than we have, hence a 'run of the mill cost effective' suspension fitted for a road bike. Personally, i do and intend to do more track days and have learnt enough to know that i need a little more input into my suspension to enable ME to feel more comfortable now i'm pushing harder and understand whats happening. I havnt got thousands to spend and indeed dont believe i warrent that sort of cost but do know i need something. A lot of riders (me included) dont know enough about suspension and rely on 'professionals' through word of mouth/feedback to guide us.
Its thanks to people like Hopper that we can call on their experience and guidance.

 

[unionjack]

Sockets I had my forks and shock done by MCT and he didn't slate the standard suspension at all. In fact I was very happy with it as it was but I was finding its limits in the fast group. Road bikes always come compromised to try and suit all situations and still meet budgets and the BM is no different. The number one problem on the forks is a bleed hole in the emulators which will constantly bypass the damping. Its a safety feature to limit the amount of damping that can be applied. The oil is fairly low grade as well and foams up to readily. Apart from this the units are very good but I instantly felt the difference in the forks especially (there wasn't much changed on the shock more of a service really). The bike now holds a line on fast sweepers and are far more controlled on the brakes. However if you don't do trackdays the stock stuff is still excellent but it would benefit from regular servicing.

 

[BUZZ]

2010/2011 front suspension is too soft my old 10 bike and my 11 bike would bottom out the forks even getting the sag done and adjusting everything on them they still bottom out ,when i get the funds ill be getting some k tech internals to sort them,the back shock is pretty good but it could do with a shim change and a re valve to get it better

 

[fatbob]

yeah 2011 here as well , same issue.
To balance out your discussion socket , where people say the suspension is good enough for the average rider , you could question every mod you put on your bike with the same " We're not good enough to notice the difference " arguement.
e:g: The S1000RR wheels are already quite light weight , so mere mortals wouldnt tell the difference if you put carbon ones on.....this is incorrect , you can tell the difference....
A pal of mine , recently changed his sussies on a beemer and gained 3 seconds a lap at cadwell!!!
is he an engineer....nope
a racer......nope
is he faster with his new bits on his bike........most certainly

 

[baz]

yeah 2011 here as well , same issue.
To balance out your discussion socket , where people say the suspension is good enough for the average rider , you could question every mod you put on your bike with the same " We're not good enough to notice the difference " arguement.
e:g: The S1000RR wheels are already quite light weight , so mere mortals wouldnt tell the difference if you put carbon ones on.....this is incorrect , you can tell the difference....
A pal of mine , recently changed his sussies on a beemer and gained 3 seconds a lap at cadwell!!!
is he an engineer....nope
a racer......nope
is he faster with his new bits on his bike........most certainly

This is the whole point.Regardless of speed,it's how we feel.The better we feel-the more confidence we have.

How come we go quicker as the tyres warm up,or we change to a grippier set?.We must be feeling something.It's the same with the suspension.

I still maintain it's better to spend money on getting track miles/training before lashing out on suspension etc.

 

[BIKERFRENZY]

The difference I found going from my ohlins equiped RSV2 to the Jap bikes and the 09 S1K was that my bike gave me feedback with every little bump in the track and gave me confidence in the front to hold its line and brake late into the corner if I had to. With the others the front felt numb like there was a few mm of free play in the fork. I had a go on 09 a track day demonstrator in the fast group at Siverstone when it first came out and although it was quick it felt like my superblackbird with 25k on it. I'm waiting to see what the 2012 bike is like and I hope it will be as good as my RSV..I will let you know