K11 Owners Group

atlantaboblutz@live.com

I installed a new RAM (Realm Engineering) shock today. Looks great and it was clear my original was shot.

Here's how I set the initial settings (to be tweaked upon first significant ride) for one up.

SAG: 1": This is 21% of total suspension travel
Dampening: Notch 4 of possible 13...30% of shocks potential.

At rest, the bike sits a bit higher in the back than the front. At 21% sag, it should be on the firmer side of the soft to firm continuum based on other bikes I have set.

From other forums, notch 4 on these particular shocks appears to be plenty firm in terms of dampening when blending dampening response to choppy bumps with more rolling that normal road riding involves.

Does anyone else have experience with these shocks and do my settings make sense?

Bob.
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Thanks,
Bob
Atlanta GA

'94 K1100 LT
'76 R75/6

Jim · Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 7:27 pm Post subject:

Bob - welcome to K11OG!

You have a K bike expert near you - abreeze. Send him a pm and see if he can give you a hand with your suspension.
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Jim
1997 K1100LTSE 94,000 - still has gremlins!
1995 R100RT Classic 16,650 crashed - repaired!
1992 K75RTP 46,000

"We shall not all die, but we shall all be changed."

Beachcomber

atlantaboblutz@live.com · Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:08 am Post subject: Riding Experience Update

In way of a quick update, I took the K11 out for a ride this morning and it appears that this base set up is a good compromise for 1 up tour/commute riding. Very stable with rear tire firmly planted...but not so harsh that every expansion joint jars you. I might tweak it a bit if I plan more aggressive twisty riding. This morning's ride included "speed humps" and some corners with "washboard" bumps just to check things out. All's good.

My research started with checking out expert opinions such as exist on this forum and I appreciate those who have passion for these bikes and share their knowledge.

I will post an image of the finished install. The only thing slightly different from other postings is that I oriented the damping adjustment screw to face the front of the bike as a method to give it a tiny bit more protection from water and debris kicked up by the rear tire.

Thanks again to forum members for sharing experiences.

_________________
Thanks,
Bob
Atlanta GA

'94 K1100 LT
'76 R75/6

Beachcomber · Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:24 am Post subject:

Bob,
I have to say that in 20+ years of these shox [ variation of ] sitting UNDERNEATH Cobra and Jaguar replicas - not ONE dampener control has given up the ghost !

You will find that the dampener control is very sensitive - you can definitely notice the difference between 1 click and another.

When we did the closed circuit testing with a tame looney club racer aboard he went up to #9 position. But this was in the search for ultimate lap times.

I've never had to use more than #6 - my hooligan days are well over and #4 suits my more self preservation riding style!
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Beachcomber '93 K1100RS / '93 K1100LT and several K100's

gladstone · Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2011 7:35 pm Post subject:

Hi,

I must admit that I have mine on my LT set between 8 and 10. These settings combined with RS wheels and (in my view) it runs as well as most modern tourers/sports-tourers.

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

atlantaboblutz@live.com · Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 9:46 am Post subject: Thanks for all the advice

I did end up adjusting the spring a bit more and also increased the dampening. In short, preferring a bit firmer than the original setting.

For someone doing this fresh, my starting settings seemed like a good starting place and it is easy to tweak upward (on both spring and damper) until you get the ride feel you are looking for. I ended up preferring a bit more stiffness but someone else may choose differently.

I tried to match the responsiveness of the rear shock and front fork so they felt roughly in unison. With heavier folk oil in the tubes, my front has a bit more dampening resistance than stock. Before adjusting my rear to be more stiff than now set, I will replace the fork springs...keeping front and rear response balanced as others pointed out.

Thanks for all of the tips and advice. Have fun!
_________________
Thanks,
Bob
Atlanta GA

'94 K1100 LT
'76 R75/6

Stoked Steve · Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 7:33 pm Post subject:

Your set up sounds a lot like mine. I have heavier oil in the forks (15wt) to help overcome some tired springs. My RAM rear shock is set on 7 clicks and I'll add 3-4 clicks if riding two up.

The bike finally has a nice firm and balanced feel, but I'm sure new springs (and a lesser wt oil) would be even better, it's on the wish list...
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Steve
Virginia Beach, VA
93 K1100RS Mystic Red SOLD
12 Suzuki DL650A VStrom

hfxrzw · Mad Brick Rider Joined: 30 Jan 2009 Posts: 78

My progressive fork springs (WP) got a 15W oil specified, so changing over to progressive springs doesn't necessarily mean a reduced oil weight. But you could of course.
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Cheers, Rene

Greetings from Florida.

BMW K100 '85