Minor Winter Project - installing suspension worth 1/3 of the bike

[Papa_Complex]

Originally Posted by Amber Lamps

and are you both the same weight? Did you attempt to adjust his preload? Are you sure that the weight bias is the "same" between these bikes? Do the bikes weigh the same period? Did BMW really have the same intended market segment/intended rider type as Kawasaki? Were the tires the same? Same diameter/type forks? How about low/high speed compression settings? I think that you're comparing Granny Smith the Red Delicious here...

My friend and I are within 10 pounds of the same weight. I made no attempt at adjusting the BMW, as this was a quick run. The Kawasaki has no adjustment possible on the forks, in stock form, nor does the BMW. Both bikes have damper rod forks. The BMW has 43mm forks. The Kawasaki has 41mm forks. The BMW is listed as 412 pounds and the Kawasaki is 442, dry (bikez.com). The BMW was in stock form, but adjusted as best my ex-amateur racer friend could manage. He had his bike modified with a set of F800S bars. I swapped my stock bars for a set of Renthal low and wide dirtbike bars. This makes the upper body ergos virtually identical, between the two bikes.

My friend had suggested the swap because the ER was on his short list when he bought the BMW. He had never owned a BMW before, so curiosity played a part in his final choice of bike. As I was also considering the F800 series of bikes, when I was making my choice earlier this year, that would tend to make me think that they are aimed largely at the same market segment / rider type. The fact that both are middle-weight parallel twins may have something to do with it.

While I liked the brakes on the BMW, I found the front end dive to be unacceptable. My friend agrees and is debating the expense of sending the forks off to Traxxion.

Just for the hell of it, pics of the F800ST and my ER6n.