BMW F800GS Motorcycle Suspension
We see a lot of BMW 800GS's with good reason, they are very popular and very capable motorcycles. There are two basic versions: up to 2012 and 2013-2018. The difference is the forks; the early version runs Marzocchi, the late model has WP forks.
There is a common complaint in bending the top shock mounting bolt. It's caused when the shock goes to a solid height, bottoming completely. The solution is not a stiffer spring. You either need the shock setting changed so it suits what you are doing, jumping the bike, or replace the shock with a piggyback or remote reservoir type. A non-reservoir shock will not fix the problem.
BMW F800GS Forks
F800 GS Forks - 2013 onwards - WP Forks
BMW switched to a WP suspension fork for 2013. While it's a good move, as the damping internals can now be re-valved, there are no external adjustments. If you can live without adjusters, we can get the stock suspension forks working well. Stock springs are 0.54kg/mm, suitable for riders up to 110kg riders, but more rates are available in our 19-130 Series Fork Springs.
One of the most popular modifications is a comprehensive re-valve of the stock WP cartridges, addressing complaints ranging from excessive softness to harshness, with results verified on a suspension dynamometer.
F800 GS Forks - Up To 2012 - Marzocchi Forks
The forks are the bugbear of the BMW F800 motorcycle. The stock forks are very soft - A later version had an adjustable rebound, but they are unchanged internally, either spring rate or dampening. While it is possible to disassemble most suspension forks and make changes through re-valving, the Marzocchi forks have steel cartridge tubes peened over at the ends, making them unmodifiable.
However, installing stiffer fork springs and using heavier-grade oil can be an affordable improvement over the stock setup. Although it is not a perfect solution, it is still an upgrade. The stock springs for these forks are rated at 0.48kg/mm, but alternative rates ranging from 0.44 to 0.85kg/mm are available in our 19-145 Series Fork Springs.
- Marzocchi Shiver Conversion - Since Marzocchi went bust in 2015, the parts are too hard to get and old to make this conversion viable. We used to take a set of Marzocchi Shiver MX or Offroad Forks with compression and rebound adjustment and graft them into the GS fork. It also required complete re-valving and machining of the axle feet for the compression adjuster and lacked an external spring preload adjuster. The Andreani Cartridge Kit is almost as good and much easier and cheaper, and it's what we'd recommend instead.
- Bitubo BMW Marzocchi Fork Cartridge Kit - This is a drop-in kit, including springs. They only stand up to a little off-road use. There is an ADVRider thread about them. We can service and modify the Bitubo units to make them more reliable. Bitubo didn't do much durability testing.
- Andreani Drop-in Cartridge Kit for Marzocchi Forks - Compression one leg, rebound the other, and with adjustable spring preload. Well-made and comes with spring.
8 In Stock
HiCalibre Fork Springs 38.1 x 510 KTM EXC 43mm WP
Proudly made in the USA(SKU: 19-130)
From
$245.00
24 In Stock
HiCalibre Fork Springs 40.2 x 462 Common Fitment S
Proudly made in the USA(SKU: 19-145)
From
$245.00
BMW F800GS Shock
Moving on to the rear shock, all F800GS models utilise the same Sachs suspension rear shock. However, it is notorious for bending its top mounting bolts when bottoming out at solid height. While alloy braces, such as those sold by MSC/Rallymoto/Adventure Moto, can help, some instances of bent bolts have still been reported even with the mount in place. To prevent this issue, it is crucial to ensure the shock's damping and spring rate are appropriately set for the rider, avoiding bottoming out altogether.
The stock shock absorber can be modified with excellent results, transforming it into a rebuildable unit that can be serviced more quickly in future. Although lacking damping adjustability, the shock can be correctly tuned with a single suspension setting. Our dyno tuning checks that we get optimal compression and rebound performance every time.
If you really must have clickers and all the bells and whistles, we also offer a range of Yacugar and TFX replacement coilover dampers.
In Stock
Shock Revalve & Service - Non-Rebuildable Shocks
For Non-Rebuildable Shock Absorbers(SKU: 13-014-06)
$654.50
1 In Stock
HiCalibre Shock Spring 57 x 210 Common Fitment Yam
Proudly made in the USA(SKU: 20-048)
From
$245.00
