BMW Motorcycles

[GuiNNeSS]

eh bross...my engine oil leaking a bit leh from the filler cap...could it be the seal?

 

There's a seal at the opening, get that changed.

[GuiNNeSS]

Shall we do Friday 2100hrs meetup at Katong LC Foodcourt ?

Centralize area with enough parking and seats.

OK with all bros here ???

 

 

I am alright with that arrangement. At least someone started the ball rolling.

[NormalAspirated]

..........

Edited March 12, 2010 by NormalAspirated

[currypuff]

I would like to find out a little bit more about aftermarket shocks. Trying to convince myself to bite the bullet. Heart says "go,go" but brain says "hold back in these uncertain times".

 

Haha. Anyway, would appreciate some feedback from those who have taken the plunge.

Is the remote reservoir or piggyback really useful? How much of a difference in performance do these shocks make, compared with the plain vanilla kind? Is it difficult to set the shocks till they are 'just right', etc.

Oh, if you are willing, can you share the price you paid? As you know, bikes with Telelever suspension take a double whammy with two shocks to replace. And I think there is no point in replacing one and not the other. What kind of damage are we talking about?

[potatohead]

There's a seal at the opening, get that changed.

 

will do bro...thanks!!

[mamat]

katong fdcourt ok.do we park on the curb or ride in?

[NormalAspirated]

...........

Edited March 12, 2010 by NormalAspirated

[mamat]

I would like to find out a little bit more about aftermarket shocks. Trying to convince myself to bite the bullet. Heart says "go,go" but brain says "hold back in these uncertain times".

 

Haha. Anyway, would appreciate some feedback from those who have taken the plunge.

Is the remote reservoir or piggyback really useful? How much of a difference in performance do these shocks make, compared with the plain vanilla kind? Is it difficult to set the shocks till they are 'just right', etc.

Oh, if you are willing, can you share the price you paid? As you know, bikes with Telelever suspension take a double whammy with two shocks to replace. And I think there is no point in replacing one and not the other. What kind of damage are we talking about?

 

can't recall price quoted by Stamford motor but front and rear ohlins have different prices.$1100+ and $900+ after discount.

[GuiNNeSS]

I would like to find out a little bit more about aftermarket shocks. Trying to convince myself to bite the bullet. Heart says "go,go" but brain says "hold back in these uncertain times".

 

Haha. Anyway, would appreciate some feedback from those who have taken the plunge.

Is the remote reservoir or piggyback really useful? How much of a difference in performance do these shocks make, compared with the plain vanilla kind? Is it difficult to set the shocks till they are 'just right', etc.

Oh, if you are willing, can you share the price you paid? As you know, bikes with Telelever suspension take a double whammy with two shocks to replace. And I think there is no point in replacing one and not the other. What kind of damage are we talking about?

 

It depends on you.

 

For me, if i were to mod a bike from stock, these would be the priorities.

 

Tires

Brakes

suspension

fueling/mapping

controls like levers, bla bla bla....

exhaust

 

 

I wouldn't even change the exhaust if not for the weight reduction. Very different from local scene i would say. The first thing that comes to many would be exhaust. The louder the better, lol.

 

You can fine tune a reputable aftermarket shock much more precisely to match ur weight and usage. The respond is much better, hard to put it into words. If u have the moolah and feel there's a need to upgrade, go for it. If not, 'rebuild' the stock shocks first.

 

Dont be too concern about the beemer's telelever setup in terms of cost. The rear shock of a sports bike is often equivalent or more expensive than 2 shocks on a GS.

[GuiNNeSS]

I had already inform some of my bimmer friends.

My GSA is still in the workshop, I will be riding the HP2 Sports down.

Enjoy, I see you there.

 

Great, seeya!

[kittosoft]

old GS can join in?

[NormalAspirated]

..........

Edited March 12, 2010 by NormalAspirated

[Titus0922]

Will try bro... But i am not a "real" Beemer rider yet leh... still waiting for my class 2 license...

 

I'm not a "REAL" beemer rider too... I've only papers but not bike yet...!!!

 

But hey it's March, I can smell my bike...

[Blackie21]

I would like to find out a little bit more about aftermarket shocks. Trying to convince myself to bite the bullet. Heart says "go,go" but brain says "hold back in these uncertain times".

 

Haha. Anyway, would appreciate some feedback from those who have taken the plunge.

Is the remote reservoir or piggyback really useful? How much of a difference in performance do these shocks make, compared with the plain vanilla kind? Is it difficult to set the shocks till they are 'just right', etc.

Oh, if you are willing, can you share the price you paid? As you know, bikes with Telelever suspension take a double whammy with two shocks to replace. And I think there is no point in replacing one and not the other. What kind of damage are we talking about?

 

 

the biggest improvement you can make to your ride is to upgrade the suspension. all the bikes that i have owned for more than 6 months have had their suspensions changed. i usually order them by my 3rd month of bike ownership.

for most of us, do not need any adjustments except preload.

i have wilbers on my 2 current rides, never adjusted them.

on my 2 other more recent rides, both ohlins, never had to adjust as well.

maybe i am not fussy or they were set up just right.

unless u race i reckon you do not need any of those 3-way adjustments, that's my opinion.

however, they should be serviced and maintained at regular intervals to ensure that they are functioning at their optimum levels.

[jason1202]

I'm not a "REAL" beemer rider too... I've only papers but not bike yet...!!!

 

But hey it's March, I can smell my bike...

 

hahaha! I everyday can see and touch my baby... but cant ride until April!

[kittosoft]

hahaha! I everyday can see and touch my baby... but cant ride until April!

 

i can ride it for u:cheeky:

[yem_paul]

i can ride it for u:cheeky:

 

haha kitto ... i offered him that some time back already man ...

[kittosoft]

haha kitto ... i offered him that some time back already man ...

 

ok... let me re-phrase it... Let me test the bike for u by going for a 10 000km trip up north? :cheeky:

[jason1202]

ok... let me re-phrase it... Let me test the bike for u by going for a 10 000km trip up north? :cheeky:

 

hahahha! cannot lah... i wanna break her oversea "virgin: trip leh..

[jojo124]

Shall we do Friday 2100hrs meetup at Katong LC Foodcourt ?

Centralize area with enough parking and seats.

OK with all bros here ???

 

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/Daryous/Meet%20Up/KatongFC02.jpg

 

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/Daryous/Meet%20Up/KatongFC01.jpg

 

yes bro i support you, i'll be there bro

[currypuff]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

can't recall price quoted by Stamford motor but front and rear ohlins have different prices.$1100+ and $900+ after discount.

Discount?

I think Speeding Motorcycles, or something like that, used to carry the brand a long long time ago, in a galaxy far far away. What is the situation now?

You said you were considering Wilbers. Still considering?

 

It depends on you.

For me, if i were to mod a bike from stock, these would be the priorities.

 

Tires

Brakes

suspension

fueling/mapping

controls like levers, bla bla bla....

exhaust

 

I wouldn't even change the exhaust if not for the weight reduction. Very different from local scene i would say. The first thing that comes to many would be exhaust. The louder the better, lol.

 

You can fine tune a reputable aftermarket shock much more precisely to match ur weight and usage. The respond is much better, hard to put it into words. If u have the moolah and feel there's a need to upgrade, go for it. If not, 'rebuild' the stock shocks first.

 

Dont be too concern about the beemer's telelever setup in terms of cost. The rear shock of a sports bike is often equivalent or more expensive than 2 shocks on a GS.

That is a good set of priorities, although for the first two items, I assume you mean replacing with something better, and not because it's worn. E.g., get softer compound tyres, steel braided brake hoses, etc?

 

Exhaust? Strange that you should mention because I just changed mine yesterday.

Oh man, was it hard work! After 10 years and 100k, everything has seized up and stuck tight. Prying the parts loose was a real b***h, although the steps are simple enough.

I guess an exhaust mod is so popular because it is just so visible and audible. Immediate difference. Some mods you can't even feel it (like brakes?).

 

OK, back to shocks. Every article I read says a quality aftermarket shock is the best upgrade you can make, since the OEM is usually of inferior quality and would have lost its dampening function by xxx miles (different people give different figures).

I have never ridden a bike with an aftermarket shock. There isn't any particular "feel the need to upgrade" since I mostly commute or ride on smooth roads. But going over bumps I do sense that the ride is rather harsh. Of course, the best way to feel the difference is to ride a similar bike with a properly set up aftermarket shock, then go back to my bike with the stock shock. Something like riding a Hayabusa and then a GN125 to feel what "power" is.

 

Although some overseas guys have tried rebuilding the BM shocks, I think they are not designed to be rebuildable.

It may be cheaper (by how much, you know?) but does any shop here know how to do it? I may end up being disappointed with the result, especially when comparing with someone who has Ohlins, Wilbers, etc.

Then, toss around in bed at night, cannot sleep. Next day, end up buying aftermarket anyway. You understand the feeling, right?

 

the biggest improvement you can make to your ride is to upgrade the suspension. all the bikes that i have owned for more than 6 months have had their suspensions changed. i usually order them by my 3rd month of bike ownership.

for most of us, do not need any adjustments except preload.

i have wilbers on my 2 current rides, never adjusted them.

on my 2 other more recent rides, both ohlins, never had to adjust as well.

maybe i am not fussy or they were set up just right.

unless u race i reckon you do not need any of those 3-way adjustments, that's my opinion.

however, they should be serviced and maintained at regular intervals to ensure that they are functioning at their optimum levels.

Wah, you must have a lot of "moolah", as Enjoy calls it.

 

Anyway, thanks for sharing. That's what I want to hear. With all the adjustments offered by the top end shocks, do mere (lesser?) mortals like me really need them? More specifically, will I bother to always tinker with it when riding with different loads, etc? Since in Singapore, the ride is seldom more than half an hour.

This is a factor as all these fine adjustment capabilities add significantly to the already hefty price tag.

Any reason for switching from Wilbers to Ohlins?

 

As far as I can tell, Ohlins is the most popular brand here for higher end bikes, no doubt due to their prestige and reputation for quality. I think their distinctive gold colors help too. Everbody likes gold, right?

 

But prestige comes at a price. $2000++ as quoted by mamat is quite a lot of moolah. And I believe it's not even their top end range. Their top end can cost $2500 per shock if I remember correctly.

I also read that their rubber seals can go quite early. Other than the brand, how much of a difference is their quality with other manufacturers?

Edited March 5, 2010 by currypuff

[currypuff]

I did a quick check on the Wilbers website.

 

Type 630/640 (front/rear)

449 Euros each

(can't tell other info since it's in German)

 

Got a quotation from YSS

VZ362/MZ506 (front/rear)

349 Euros each (incl. 19% VAT)

 

Everybody knows Wilbers but has anyone heard of YSS?

Apparently, they are a close copy of Wilbers, but made in Thailand.

Seems to be popular among small bikes and has a distributor here (Chong Aik).

 

Below is a quote from them:

 

Thanks for the interest in our Products.

 

Some explanations:

 

1) We have also for BMW our MX serie (with reservoir on Hose / 3 step adjustment or Low-Highspeed)

2) Our rear shock has a 50 mm piston (Wilbers 46 mm) and a 16 mm piston rod (Wilbers 14 mm)

3) Front shock is now VZ362-320-TRL-01 (36 mm Piston with 12 mm pistonrod) (before it was 30 mm)

4) extra options are possible. Hydraulic preload adjustment

5) We build also individual specs. o.a. length , driver weight for spring etc.

 

Our price's from Germany and Holland are for the Emulsion (Z) shock Front and back the same:

Both € 349,- inkl. 19 % VAT.

 

Other than price, does the thicker pistons and rods make any practical difference?

[Blackie21]

go to mtechnik and get the wilbers mate. forget ohlins, flipping expensive imho, and got problems, check out the advriders website...loads of people *****ing and moaning abt them.

i put on my wilbers on my guzzi for 2.5 years now, never take care of them and functioning fine.

 

its just deciding what/where you want to spend your hard earned cash on. i am average joe like you lot as well, with a passion for biking.

 

on why wilbers, i think they offer good value for money. ohlins has the pedigree and heritage but do we need that? if you have shite loads of cash, by all means splurge on them but for me, i think wilbers are more than up to it. btw, i am in no way connected to m-tech or even use them on a regular basis ( i just have a friend that i go to), i am sharing my experience with the good product. hmmmm, that reminds me,i need to check if my springs are here for my front end........

[currypuff]

Careful, Mr Ultraman. I'm sure there are lots of die-hard Ohlins fans out there too. Wouldn't want to start a Ohlins-Wilbers war of words now, would we?

 

To be frank, I am thinking more about Wilbers too, because of good comments about them, and also because Ohlins is priced beyond my reach. I also worry the gorgeous gold would attract unwanted attention.

 

But even Wilbers, although cheaper, is by no means cheap. Of course, I have no intention of replacing the inferior OEM with another inferior, cheapo product.

That is why I am trying to find out more about the brand Y.S.S. From reviews, the quality is good, "especially when considering its price".

Hmmm, whether that is a great compliment is open to debate.

 

If memory serves me right, one way they cut cost is to use a steel shaft instead of an aluminium (?) one like in the more expensive brands. That is fine with me as long as quality and how long they last is not compromised.

Why do they emphasize so much about their shocks being thicker? Does thicker = tougher and more durable?

 

Wilbers quality I can trust, and it is a safe buy. But, if I can get something as good for less cash, why not? I am not in a desperate rush to replace the shocks, so plan to do more research before taking the plunge to avoid being penny wise but pound foolish.

 

Thanks for your input, Blackie, and it was great meeting some of the folks of this forum tonight. Cheers.

Edited March 5, 2010 by currypuff

[yem_paul]

and it was great meeting some of the folks of this forum tonight. Cheers.

 

Yeap .. nice meeting with lots of stories and infos shared. Thanks John for initiating this.