bump. Went for the first real offroad ride on my new to me R80GS. I have to do something about the front suspension. Has anyone tried alternatives to these HPN & are happy with them?
oops... What I meant to put in the title is ... Does anybody have any awesome news about this ?? Gotcha. I've just about given up. -Chadley
I had my good friend in Germany call and discuss this issue at length with HPN. He (HPN) clarified that there were no parts in stock, you cannot get them from BMW, and they did not have a vendor looking into making more of them. So, he lied. I looked into contacting Marzocchi myself, but gave up on that as they would probably want to get a contract for a run of like 500 sets or so before they would talk to you. IF anyone wants to go that route, and convinces MArzocchi to fire up the old M1 cartridge kit production line, let me know, I'll take a set. Maybe there is a way from Marzocchi USA for the contact, I'm sure they have a rep in Italy with access to the needed information and such. I also had a German BMW dealer put out a message to any BMW dealer using their internal parts system to see if they had the "sport suspension kit" in stock sitting on their shelf, as I would buy it right there. There were none. They also checked stock in Germany and western Europe with the same result. BMW has discontinued this part and has no plans to restock it ever. So, in short, from the best I can find, there is nothing available at any price for this fork. Again, I think it unfortunate that HPN would say that they are looking into it, to check back in a few weeks, then simply fall off the face of the earth. Makes me very hesitant to ever use them. Bad business practice if you ask me, misleading at the least. Shame on you HPN, is this your idea of customer service? Ok, rant over, thanks for reading, good luck on the search...
Maybe it's a good thing afterall. What did they cost? 500 Euros? And after all is said and done you're still stuck with a front wheel that weighs a metric shit ton, a front brake that is "just good enough," and just enough front travel to be acceptable when the going gets rough. If you're going to throw $700 at your front end, you could almost put some legit cartridge forks up there along with a front wheel and better brake for that money. (Used of course)
What if I want tubeless tyres, already have upgraded brakes and would find longer travel suspension too tall? Otherwise, I see your point!
I am selling a set of the HPN fork inserts in excellent condition and low mileage road use only look under items for sale cheers.
Hi, I once enquired at the German Race-Tech site (don't know if affiliated to the USA Race tech site) about cartridge inserts. They just came back now to say that they have some available now - at 700 Euro's!!!!! http://www.hh-racetech.com/portal/O.../1/ProductID/1135/Language/en-US/Default.aspx
Has anyone contacted these guys? I've just sent them a mail asking if the kit could be installed by a suspension specialist here in NZ. Can't really justify sending these forks halfway around the world and back.
Installation of the HPN units couldn't be simpler, the cartridges are pre assembled so after you have removed the existing springs and dampers the cartridge is dropped in from the top , the bottom bolt inserted and tightened, oil added and the fork top nut screwed down- all of five minutes work for pro. But these dont look like HPNs - given that they are Racetech it shouldnt be hard for them to come up with something similar to the HPN insert using their own after market inserts. The price is OTT , but if you dont want to look like a juvenile wanker with 50mm USD forks off a Jap 250 cc motocrosser there isnt a lot of choice.
wow-- I'd be looking at those if the price was remotely in my range. It would have to come down to about half that.
No response so far, maybe I shouldn't have used their website form to contact them. I am trying to justify that sort of money as well. But to put it in perspective, a decent shock costs that much as well. I've been looking at the HPN shown above on and off. I've just realized that I've fitted the same lowering pegs and the 25mm riser. It made a huge difference for me. I also like the clean look of the stock forks. I am tempted to change my bike bit by bit towards a similar look of that one. But by the time I can afford to do the expensive bits, I'll be to old to ride it properly. Mind you, while I am far from having reached the limit of the Basic in stock form, the front fork has managed to annoy me a few times. Does anyone know why HPN hasn't ditched the collector box on this bike?
They havent ditched it yet because no one has successfully created an alternative that works better. Its difficult to improve the exhaust performance. BMW did their homework in this respect.
I looked at this also, and had a few emails back and forth with them. Try this: mailing@hh-racetech.com Igor