K11 Owners Group

mnb · Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 6:45 pm Post subject: Suspension upgrade Part 2

About 6 weeks back, I had a new Wilbers installed on the LT. I'd also ordered fork springs, but since there is some pitting on my fork tubes, new tubes were ordered as well. I went with Wilbers tubes since they cost half what a new set from BMW would cost. Since I've got gaitors on the bike now, pitting should be a thing of the past.

The shock made a big difference in the bike's handling, however, I do still have the wobble when riding hard in turns. I'm thinking I might need to kick up the rebound damping a tad, but since the wobble is a bit side to side, I thought the forks might have something to do with it. We'll see after their rebuild.

The tubes came in and I just got off the phone with The Beemershop. She goes in for surgery on the 21st. They'll probably have her for a couple days since the list of work is piling up:

install new fork tubes
replace bobbins on rotors
install new fork springs
replace worn rubber handlebar bushings with aluminum bushings (no more wobble)
replace BT45 tires (front and rear both worn after 4.5k miles) with Pirelli Speed Demons
60k service

So the suspension upgrade will finally be complete.

The Pirellis will wear out in no time. I had a pair on about 8 years back. I expect 3k out of em. But their profile is very good and I seem to recall they handled well. Time to refresh my memory. I liked the BT45s, but the front should have lasted longer and worn more evenly. I typically get 4k out of any make of tire on my LT. Yes, I ride it very hard. In my earlier, more mellow days, 9k out of a set was the norm. Those were much more affordable days...
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M N B
1997 BMW K1100LT ABS Special Edition
2003 Husqvarna TE610e
2007 Harley Davidson Road King
2009 BMW F800GS
2011 Husqvarna TE310
2014 Ducati Multistrada Pikes Peak MNB Edition

owrstrich · Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 7:44 pm Post subject:

thats wonderful mnb...

im gonna call ted porter on the 22nd and tell him to install that turbo kit and nitrous system while he is doing the scheduled work...

surprise... evil... he he he...

... j... o...
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yeeeeeehaaaaaaa...

Joebama · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 12 Location: Huntsville, AL

gladstone · Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 11:07 am Post subject:

Hi there,

Best thing I did to my LT was fit a R1100RT rear wheel (4.5 inch rim) and put decent radial tyres on it - Bridgestone 020 rear and 021 front on the standard wheel.

Transformed the bike to a rock solid ride - especially removing the high-speed weave in corners.

Cheers

Haig
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1993 K1100LT (x2!)
1998 R1100R - gone
1994 R1100GS - gone
1990 K100RS 16V - gone

Mystic Red · Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 11:39 am Post subject:

Off the grid · Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 3:23 pm Post subject:

Finishing my suspension was a huge upgrade and a long assed project.

It is particularly important for us big guys or those who ride 2-up.

I went from full stock and ply tires to:

Front
Race Tech .95kg springs and a Pilot Road 2 tire

Rear
Custom sprung Works shock and Avon ST tire

What a huge difference. The bike it still a tiny bit wobbly at speed in long, looping turns, but I think that is a bike thing and not a suspension thing now.
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Bane of your existence since July 2006
2007 Triumph Tiger ABS. "Sabertooth"
2009 Husqvarna TE610. "The dirty Italian mistress"

mnb · Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 3:26 pm Post subject:

Off the grid · Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 3:29 pm Post subject:

I've got about 750 miles on the set since I put them on Sept 17th and they both look new still.

The front actually looks like it has thinner tread than the rear, the Azaro ST has the deepest tread profile I have ever seen in a tire and a very deep "V" shape.

See this thread:

http://www.k11og.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5419
_________________
Bane of your existence since July 2006
2007 Triumph Tiger ABS. "Sabertooth"
2009 Husqvarna TE610. "The dirty Italian mistress"

mnb · Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 9:53 pm Post subject: Picked the bike up today

I dropped the bike off on Tuesday morning and picked it up this morning.

This is what I had done:

New fork tubes (too much pitting before the gaitors were installed)

New fork springs Wilbers

New rotor bobbins. The rotors had tons of side to side movement. Not anymore. Rotors are still in great shape. Probably have another 60k of life left. Then I'll toss EBCs on it probably.

New tires of a new type. Michelin Pilot Road 2 Front and Avon Azaro Rear. The Avon Storm also fits the front, but most here seem to think the PR2 is great so I gave it a try. So far: me likey!

The rubber bushings in the handlebar mount have been replaced with aluminum bushings. There is NO extraneous movement in the bars now. The Zumo vibrates a bit at idle now where it didn't before. Other than that, I don't notice a difference other than it's easier to move the thing around in parking lots and carports.

Valves were checked. All were within spec, although at the high end.

Major service interval, so all kinds of stuff was checked, lubed, flushed, replaced, etc.

So since I was rolling out of there at 10:30 with practically a new bike, I decided to take the long way home.

Right off I noticed the front brakes SUCKED. I pumped them and tried some braking from about 30 or so and it got slightly better. I pulled over and wiped down the rotors. They were fairly clean, but not entirely. That seems to have helped. Within a few blocks I was back to one finger stoppie level power again. Ok, it would probably take my whole hand to do a stoppie on that bike, but I can easily do hard braking with one finger.

With that worry out of the way, I tanked up and headed towards some fun roads in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I knew I wouldn't be having TOO much fun, the tires weren't even scrubbed yet. But I was really looking forward to seeing the difference with the new tires and suspension. I could tell before I got out of town how much more solid the bike felt.

Wow. No... SHAM Wow! Those things are made in Germany and they know how to engineer things right! That's for sure. What a difference. Sections of horrible pavement are still bumpy and stuff, but not nearly as annoying or painful or scary to ride. It just goes over them, moving me up and down a bit. No biggie. I could almost hear the bike sighing, "How bout some more gas? We're getting bored here!"

On some of the less twisty roads, I started off at a moderately sedate pace, starting off more around 50 and getting it up to 70 in a couple spots. I'm still, even after the 50 mile ride, getting used to the new feel, the new tires and the brake feel, which although good, seems different.

I meandered down a pretty twisty goat trail at a moderate pace, more interested in carving curves than setting speed records. Again, there are some rough spots, but it handled them so well, I can't remember where they were, they were forgotten as quickly as I passed over them. I got on to what we call the backside of Highway 9 (which is a windy 2 lane road) and opened it up some more. The feel is so precise now. Although I held back some in every corner, it handled everything with complete ease. The profile on the new tires seems pretty even. No resistance to heavy leaning, but not eager to up and fall over on you, either.

So I rode up and then down the frontside of 9 into Saratoga and then headed to work. Just shy of 50 miles on the tires so far. Almost feels like a new bike...

Something tells me I won't be getting any housework done this weekend!
_________________
M N B
1997 BMW K1100LT ABS Special Edition
2003 Husqvarna TE610e
2007 Harley Davidson Road King
2009 BMW F800GS
2011 Husqvarna TE310
2014 Ducati Multistrada Pikes Peak MNB Edition

Off the grid · Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 10:00 pm Post subject:

Nice write up, pretty much summed up how I felt.
_________________
Bane of your existence since July 2006
2007 Triumph Tiger ABS. "Sabertooth"
2009 Husqvarna TE610. "The dirty Italian mistress"

PHIL1601UK · Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 9:04 am Post subject:

Very similar setup to mine mnb, wilbers 95kg progressive fork springs, wilbers rear shock, Michelin Pilot Road 2 Front and Avon Azaro Rear (thanks to Martin Ellis (K11 Martin) for the recommendation), and s/s braided brake hoses. A new bike indeed! 3500 miles in Europe including the Pyrenees and Alps, we didn't hang about and the tyres are now 4000mls old and looking as good as new. A slight front wheel wobble at 95 but I'm working on it.
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1996 Aspen Silver K1100LTSE - acquired 23/03/07

owrstrich · Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 9:21 am Post subject:

thats wonderful mnb... its good to hear about positive wrenching experiences...

so you scored that motobrick new and are the origional owner... and now its like new or better than new...

it amazing how a few little changes can such a big difference...

roll on...

j o
_________________
yeeeeeehaaaaaaa...

mnb · Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 11:18 pm Post subject:

I played cameraman for a gal's last ride today. She's got parkinson's and has to give up riding. Sad

So I'd shoot ahead and get off the bike and catch them coming through a turn, take some shots, gear up, catch up, and repeat it all over again. It was kinda fun.

At one point, a friend stopped to chat for a min. He rides an 08 CBR600R. We start carving the turns on the backside of highway 9 and I'm going fairly good, but with headroom. I'm not leaning off at all but keeping up a strong pace. My friend said I was nearly dragging the saddle bags... Laughing

The bike felt like it was on rails. I'm totally lovin this new setup. Thanks for the recommendation on the PR2 for the front, guys.
_________________
M N B
1997 BMW K1100LT ABS Special Edition
2003 Husqvarna TE610e
2007 Harley Davidson Road King
2009 BMW F800GS
2011 Husqvarna TE310
2014 Ducati Multistrada Pikes Peak MNB Edition