Bouncy ride

[vennie]

Hi folks a question about suspension I think. I have not long bought a 2010 RT. Very impressed with handling in all conditions so far and been riding it as much as poss in all weather. Very stable bike slow handling superb. Only issue I have with it is that the ride is rather bouncy esp on the A and B roads. I have tried all modes from comfort to sport with least bounciness in sport. I fluctuate between 90-92 kg and have the bike set to one helmet on the esa. Sometimes it can be bad enough to impact throttle control which can be exciting especially in the corners.

Any one able to shed any light on the issue. Tires are new set at 36f and 42r. Pirelli’s. Thanks in advance

[David.]

The recommended tyre pressures for one-up are front 32 psi and rear 36 psi, try reducing the tyre pressures.

90 - 92 kg is above the 50 - 82.5 kg BMW guidelines for a solo rider, try the ESA preload on one-up with luggage. I know that isn't going to affect the damping but worth a go.

[Steve398]

An obvious point, but have you inspected the shocks to see if there’s any misting or leaks and what mileage has the bike done?
I’m certainly not an authority on pre-2014 RT’s but you may find that the 13 year old shocks need attention.

[vennie]

So to update had a look at shock and no leakage that I can see. But not sure there is movement on changing the setting between comfort. Normal and sport.
Changed to rider plus luggage and lowered tyre pressure to 32/36. What a difference. Horrid. Back end was all soft and wobbly in the turns. Bike was very solid and sure footed with the higher tyre pressures. It was just not right to the point that I dropped it whilst trying to walk it backwards to its parking spot at home.
So tyre pressure is going back up. And depending on how it rides maybe back to just rider only. It was so steady and stable at previous settings. Just hope I can put it back to where it was. I will keep the bounce in preference to how it behaved today.

[David.]

Not sure there is movement on changing the setting between Comfort, Normal and Sport.

I had the same feeling on my 2012 Camhead, got a BMW dealer to check it. What they did was to select the different damping settings and press down/bounce the rear of the bike (not sat on it). Although minimal changes, the damping/rebound could be seen to be different.

[vennie]

Yes I tried to see the changes as I scrolled through the three settings. There may have been some change but very small, found it hard to be certain. While riding bike feels different especially if going from sport to comfort mode. In any case will put tyre pressures back up and keep on riding. Lol.
Recently saw a YouTube clip about a German chap that had done 300.000 km on his rt and reported suspension had stuck on sport mode was very expensive to replace so left it be and hopes to do another 300k km on the bike. Good enough for me too.

[David.]

BMW don't have much faith in their suspension, the front and rear shock absorber units are only covered up to 30,000 miles under warranty.

[Doctor T]

Being a fat git i set my suspension to rider plus luggage on the normal setting or on the twisties i change to sport. On single rider pressures, 32/36 I find the rear gives better grip but at 32psi the steering is heavy. 36/36 seems to give a better ride. Fully loaded on motorway work i change to comfort, single rider plus luggage and tyres to 36/42.

[Steve398]

The shocks, I believe can be reconditioned. I had replacement units from Lucas at T-tech suspension in Croydon
https://ttechsuspension.com/index.php/price-list/

[Doctor T]

The shocks, I believe can be reconditioned. I had replacement units from Lucas at T-tech suspension in Croydon
https://ttechsuspension.com/index.php/price-list/

£145 +Vat is a lot cheaper than a basic replacement shock

[vennie]

Back to 36. 42 on single rider. Bike feels so stable and planted. Sport for the twisties and normal for every thing else. Comfort is to soft and tenuous. Might get the shock refurbished in time. But for now that’s it. Thanks everyone

[Ed Harley]

Any of you ladies/gentlemen who use single person tyre pressures of 32/36 do you feel that it would increase tyre wear or bring any other negative aspects?

I 'thought' that the correct pressures would be 36/42 and was surprised to see that for single person it actually is above mentioned 32/36.

This is for camhead.

[Doctor T]

I've started to use solo pressures since fitting the Angle GTs. Steering is slightly heavier but only just. As for wear, I've only covered 1000 miles since fitting. With the Roadtec 01 tyres, i did find riding solo with 36/42 after using them for 5000 miles that when turning into corners the front would give a dropping-in feel. Not sure if this was down to a heavier bike but on my Tiger 1050 this never happened.