K11 Owners Group

[rgscomp]

No pictures I'm afraid, but just a write up on fitting them to a 1997 K1100LT.

As a start, I always remove the fork legs rather than try to dismantle on the bike. I find it easier to deal with the loose fork leg, despite the extra hassle of removing the additional bits.
I also had new upper and lower fork bushes along with the supplied oil seals. I also have the BMW tool for compressing the spring to remove the collets.

1) Support bike with trolley jack under engine block. Remove brake calipers, wheel, both halves of front mudguard and the fork bridge. I had a real problem with the ABS sensor being corroded in (110000miles in all weathers) so had to unplug cable under tank in the end.

2) Slacken upper and lower fork yoke clamp bolts and remove fork legs.

3) Grip lightly in vice (I padded the jaws with cloth) and undo the fork top nut. At this point I realised I should have loosened it while still on bike

4) Remove drain plug and drain oil from fork leg. Pump fork leg to get as much out as possible.

5) Clamp slider in vice using the caliper mount lug and undo damper rod securing bolt in bottom of fork slider. I use my feet to just hold the bottom of the fork slider and then a sharp vertical tug on the fork stanchion will separate fork stanchion/damper assembly from the slider.

6) I use the BMW tool to compress the spring to release the two collets, then remove the tool. Rescue the two collets, the retaining ring and the plastic spacer. Withdraw the damper unit, spring and the spring locating sleeve from bottom of fork stanchion.

7 ) Remove dust cover, circlip (have fun with that one), oil seal, thin dished spacer and the bush from the fork slider.

I cleaned the slider and the other fork parts with degreaser before starting the assembly.

8 ) Fit the locating sleeve onto new spring, locate on damper unit and insert into fork stanchion from the bottom. This locates against the internal retaining circlip which is about and inch or so down from the top of the stanchion.

At this point it all starts to deviate a bit from the manual.....

The new RAM spring is longer than the original, and so the BMW tool no longer fits as per the diagrams and as it has before with the OEM springs.

So with the fork stanchion upside down resting on a piece of wood, I had to compress the spring with the BMW tool in place until I could tighten the clamp bolt to secure it in position.

The BMW tool has a big plastic knob on the threaded rod used to compress the spring so it gave a good place to lean on.

Once all secure, compress the spring until the retaining ring and collets can be fitted.

NOTE: the plastic spacer is discarded as not required with the RAM springs.

9) Fit new slider and stanchion bushes and lube with clean fork oil.

10) Refit assembled stanchion into fork slider. I used a soft mallet to gently tap the forks together.
Insert damper securing bolt (I have reused the O ring seal on this bolt several times with no leaks).

11) Insert dished spacer, new oil seal, circlip and the dust cover.

And thats pretty much it, fill with oil (400cc per leg) and reassemble front end.

I've replaced pitted fork stanchions before on this bike, so was pretty comfortable with the job anyway and to be honest the only issues I had were the longer spring meaning the BMW tool doesn't fit the same and I had to lightly file the inner edges of the new springs where the cutting to length had left a slight burr so they wouldn't fit over the damper rod.

I must emphasise this wasn't a problem with the spring ID, just a slight burring from the cutting action.
I've passed this on to Beachcomber and so RAM are aware of this.

Overall, the springs look great and are a straight swap for the OEM ones.
Sadly, I haven't been on the bike much since fitting the springs, just up and down the road to check everything felt OK.

They have certainly firmed up the front with much less dive on the brakes, but without any feeling of the front being "solid" if you know what I mean. Fork action seems smoother too from a personal perspective. My guess would be the higher rate spring is overcoming any stiction in the fork action.

I tend to ride a bit aggressively (even though I have an LT) and seldom carry a pillion. I looking forward to my next trip from Newcastle to Edinburgh so get a real feel for the improvements from the springs and the RAM shock.