800GS shock bolt design flaw?

[toowheels]

Originally Posted by johngil

I'm no badass. I'm a 43 year old dude with a hot wife and a 10 year old boy who barely likes me. Self employed in the worst economy since the Great Depression.
Nothing to prove and just out to ride and have a good time.
BMW under engineered this bike. Plain and simple.

I do still love her and will be sad to see her gone. That's the truth.

Not that sad, though. She has been replaced!

I can't help it...I like your summary Sounds like you have at least a couple of things going for you!

I know you're going to have a ton of fun throwing the TE630 around!! From some of your pics I'd say it's gonna be a great bike for you.

Looks like the special naked MOD parts will have a new home.

Back on topic...I'm afraid to look at all the back end susp. bits on my bike
I'm light so that helps but I don't always ride softly...

Dave

[worthydog]

where do I get the Indy Kit you speak of?

[YetiGS]

Originally Posted by worthydog

where do I get the Indy Kit you speak of?

Click the LINKY

[Indy Unlimited]

PM me for details on the Indy kit shock mount shown here:

[johngil]

Originally Posted by Indy Unlimited

PM me for details on the Indy kit shock mount shown here:

I will give another shameless plug for the Indy kit.
Without Dan's fix installed I wouldn't even consider riding my bike off road.
I wish I kept better track of things, but I think I've got 15,000 miles total and at least 6,000 off road miles with this setup.
Thanks Dan.

[Apostolos]

Originally Posted by johngil

I will give another shameless plug for the Indy kit.
Without Dan's fix installed I wouldn't even consider riding my bike off road.
I wish I kept better track of things, but I think I've got 15,000 miles total and at least 6,000 off road miles with this setup.
Thanks Dan.

Since this thread reemerged I decided (yesterday) to pull my upper shock bolt out again just to see how it looked, and thankfully, it was still straight.

I ride quite a bit off-road and probably more aggressively than what the bike was designed for.

I have a stock suspension. I weigh about 185lbs wlth all my riding gear on and my top case with contents usually weighs about 10 pounds. I keep my preload adjusted at 10 full rotations (I believe there are 20 total). I hit washboards, I get air, my bike gets thrashed around and takes the occasional dirt nap, and my shock bolt is unaffected.

When I do ride with a full-load (panniers) I take it real easy and I try to stay on the pavement.

John, I don't know if you're comfortable sharing your weight load information, but I'm wondering if there are any lightweight guys like me bending shock bolts or is it mostly the heavyweight guys who tend to carry full loads off road as well?

God Bless,
David

[johngil]

I'm heavier than the targeted rider, I'm sure. About 230 pounds. I have a bit of a belly, but I'm no sperm whale either. I have heard of several bent bolts from riders closer to the intended weight of the bike, though. One of the differences may be total dirt miles. I'm guessing my bike has around 8,000. Hard to say exactly. When I do hit the trail, it is generally for extended lengths of time.
While I don't jump, I do occasionally ride at fairly high speeds for miles and miles on some pretty shitty roads. Is that the answer? Who knows?
I don't know.
I could go out with a stock bike and bend the top and bottom bolts in a couple of hundred miles.
I'm very happy to know your hardware is still all straight.

[Apostolos]

Originally Posted by johngil

I'm heavier than the targeted rider, I'm sure. About 230 pounds.

So 230lbs (is that with your riding gear on?), long stretches of miles in the dirt... Are you loading the bike up as well (panniers, etc.)?

God bless,
David

[johngil]

I take it pretty slow when loaded up. Most of the damage has been with just little old me and a well stocked tool bag.

[Apostolos]

Originally Posted by johngil

I take it pretty slow when loaded up. Most of the damage has been with just little old me and a well stocked tool bag.

Maybe we need to encourage Indy to create a swing-arm bolt modification.

I wonder what would be next in the lineup to bend or break once those two areas are better engineered?

God Bless,
David

[johngil]

In my electrician that has ridden and owned motorcycles most of his life general opinion....

The bolt diameters are simply too small.

[trustme]

Originally Posted by johngil

In my electrician that has ridden and owned motorcycles most of his life general opinion....

The bolt diameters are simply too small.

Nope. too long & lacking support , if they were to small in diameter they would be more prone to shear.

Good guess for a sparkie though

I wish you well , you have been more patient & tried harder than most.

[Snowy]

Fitted my Ohlins rear shock a couple of days ago and found the top bolt was slightly bent.

Mind you, I've been mountain fire trail riding with my wife on the back, and doing lots of dirt roads at "mid life crisis" speeds with her and camping gear strapped on. A good 430lbs of rider/pillion/gear. Not too bad.

The bolt straightened with a couple of taps with the hammer on a flat anvil. There's a technical term for it that I'd have to ring and ask my father about, but getting a 75 year old retired machinist/metallurgist talking about bolts is about the last thing in the world I want to do to myself right now. I'd sooner do a lobotomy with an electric drill.

I have jumped the F8 a bit, bottomed out horribly a few times, and got some cool air with the wife on the back. So it isn't really a surprise.

The solution is to get a better grade of bolt, methinks. I may well weld a brace against the right side of the shock to better prevent the bending. Or make a clamp style brace to save welding the frame. I'm inventive, but lazy.

[Snowy]

That's one way of putting things.

BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I know sometimes shit just happens, but I do have some minor concern over a bent bolt with the treatment it's had. It hasn't been abused. For the type of bike it is supposed to be I'd expect it would take a fair pounding without bending or breaking.

I mean people talk about how unbreakable a DR650 is, and I broke mine heaps. So much so that by the time I got rid of everything about it that didn't work there isn't actually any DR left (some of the frame and the engine is all that is original, apart from the plastics). Are they a solid bike? Yeah, sure. But there are some things you just shouldn't do on a wanna be trail bike.

Doesn't stop me from wanting to do them.

The F800 is no trail bike. But with some Ohlins suspension and some knobbies on it that's kind of hard to remember when the blood gets hot.

First time it falls on you it comes flooding back.



Oh, and I've put 18000km on it in 6 months. Evenly spread between commuting, freeway, back roads (dirt and tar), and forest tracks. Love it. Just bought some new Andy Straps soft panniers to compliment the Ohlins. Weekends away!! Giggity Giggity.

[YetiGS]

Originally Posted by DonHS

Only room for one on that pedestal, eh Finn?

Have you seen Finn?? He's a frickin' needle. Turn him sideways and he disappears.