BMW G650XChallenge FRONT SUSPENSION

I just read through the whole thread again, and it makes a little more sense each time I read it.

When you guys machine the OEM axle clamps to fit the Shiver compression adjuster, does this machining include internal threading? It appears that the Shiver compression thing is threaded in with an o-ring.

My suspension guy took the axle clamp off the shivers, which were machined properly by the factory, and my xchallenge axle clamps to a machinist he works with on a regular bases. The machinist used the shiver clamps as an example, and made the Xchallenge clamps look just like them.

Then my suspenison guy put it all back together again, and it is wonderful.

I still have my shiver clamps in the shop, you want me to take some pics and post them?

I don't necessarily need pictures, just to know if they are threaded inside or not.

No such threading needed to add to the axle clamps. The compression valve is actually threaded into the cartridge fork tube that sits inside the fork slider tubes. Kind of hard to explain, but it all makes sense once you actually see a fork disassembled for the first time.

YouTube fork seal change videos, check them out.

That makes sense I think. The reason I ask is because I have a lathe and I could easily bore them out, but threading is more difficult for me.

Now who has some shivers they want to sell?

Hey guys I thought I would share what I did to improve the feel of these forks by a lot and it only cost me $18. I changed the oil in each fork leg to Motul 5wt oil with 70mm oil height. I also decreased the preload spacers from 45mm to 31mm which allowed the fork to sag the proper 25%. I weigh about 175lbs with gear and was only getting 18-19% sag. I think this made most of the difference I am feeling. It sits more into its travel and the wheel stays on the ground more over dips and bumps.

In stock form, the fork springs have 19mm of preload. After talking with some suspension guys, they told me that the ideal range is around 3-5mm of preload. By reducing the spacer 14mm, I now have around 5mm of preload. I had been looking into a new fork, but getting the sag right really makes a big difference.

I hope this helps someone.

I have 43mm WP forks on my XC that are a lot better than stock but I am shore the is more stiction in them now than the used to be so I have been thinking of giving them a service . If I do I would like to put some of them super smooth SKF seals in them . Do SKF do them in 43mm or is it just the 48mm ? If they do make them does anyone know a good place in the UK to buy them from ?
One other thing .I would like to fit 1 of these shock boot / sock things to the rear shock ( hyper pro ) and was woundering what is a good 1 to buy.
thanks kito

Seal Savers is a popular brand.

Make sure your axle is torqued properly so there is no side load possibly binding the fork and also make sure the lower fork clamp is torqued to spec because it can ovalize the tube and cause binding at the upper end of travel.

If you are getting stiction it could be down to worn bushes. Mine were really sticky until I replaced the bushes. If you don't know when the bushes were last done it might be worth getting a set sent through rather than replacing seals and oil to find the problem is still there.

good point about the bushes .I had not give that so much though as the forks were mint when fitted about 6-7000 miles ago . so I need to find some good bushes and some SKF seals . but were, I only seem to see the allballs for sale

SKF seals

does anyone have the part numbers for shiver 45 forks?



thank you

http://www.skf.com/portal/skf/home/products?contentId=879358 info and catalog.
http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/261095430109?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&adtype=pla seals on e bay, don't know about sizes but they ought to

I posted this in the main g650x ch thread and maybe that was the wrong area. I am throwing on a set of WP 48mm on my bike and was curios what springs would be a good starting point on the bike. I weight 185lbs, so about 200lbs geared up or so.

.48 or .50 should get you in the ballpark, if you have a heavy tankbag or fairing etc then .52.

Thanks!

Had an X-C, sold it, and just bought another one yesterday. I rode it some 65 miles today. The majority of the ride was chop, rocks, and wash outs on the trail. Now I remember why I sold the bike. OK, I love the motor. That's why I got another one. It feels like a big bike after spending the last 2 years on a WR250R. I had no recollection of the "big bike feel" This thing really beat me up! Priority Real Suspension.

I intend to keep the stock triple clamps.

Has anyone adapted the WP legs with a working ABS? If yes, details please.

The Shivers appear to be the easy way. I'm finding 45MM Shivers on eBay. I want to be clear.

If the lower clamp area is 58MM, this can be be turned down to 57MM. Just pay attention and do not over torque the legs, for fear of deforming the tubes. Is that the recommendation? I will try and avoid the 58MM units

I read one post that led me to believe there are two possible thread sizes on the axle clamps. How can I tell them apart? I expect to part out my stock axle clamps to keep my ABS, and axle...

Internals from any 45mm Shivers can be transplanted? I gather this is a second tier choice due to the lower spec alloys, steel, and hard coatings used on the stock wonder Bimmer parts.

If any one has a compatible set of Shivers legs, PM me.

Yeah, I did bite the bullet last week and started the transplant process through Jim @ Cycle Improvements, and will get you more details in the next couple of weeks, as the work progresses. I also attempted first to get the Marzocchi 45 Shivers, as it seemed to be an easier transplant, IF... you get lucky with the 57mm upper tube, rather than 58. There were 2 issues for me: the dude that sells a few (4 sold/5 available) Marzocchi 45 on eBay never came back with the measurements (even after my 3rd request... pretty unsettling), but then, the WP I found through the shop above appear to have a little more advanced internal capabilities, and likely worth the increased complication in transplant (see comment #324 about WP 43 specifics). And, yeah, I know the ABS will complicate things even more, but it seems worth it, at this time...

Hope you found a better eBay seller than me...

Cheers,
Al

Take a look at the TT ABS mount for the 650GS used with their WP4357 kit and also the GS650 YZ conversion thread, you will find the information you need there. I have some of the info online in 650GS conversion documents here http://www.f650gs.crossroadz.com.au/ForkUpgrades.html Pic of the mount is at the bottom

The TT kit is no longer available and TT wont sell bits out of kits even when there available but the bracket needed is not that complex

Thanks, Wayne, that's much appreciated. I guess you've done that WP4357 conversion already... was it worth the trouble, or you think Shiver 45 could get one in the same place cheaper and simpler ?

For the XC, I will leave that to owners who have converted to comment on, in general though the stock KTM valving was not the best with excessive dive and harshness over small bumps, Zerodog has a thread here on sorting that out for the 640 Adv and his set up has been used as a baseline for people to sort out 650GS and other machines valving, some of that info is in the docs from the link I posted earlier. In there you will also find full part No lists for all the WP forks used on KTM and other info you may find useful

I found recently the airhead guys were using the spreadsheets and info in their conversions which surprised me but good to see it was useful to them