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2013 R1200GS head shake

I've read with great interest this issue before picking up my new 2013 GS yesterday. It's a demo with 2600 mi on the clock and comes with the Tourance Next tires. I purposefully took it out to highway speed, decreased my grip on the bars and no shake. Didn't happen when I slowed through 70 down to 50 mph either. The front tire, however, made an unholy racket between ca. 57-63 mph. I, too am curious as to why the boys (and girls) in Berlin decided to add a shimmy dampener in the '14 models.

Now where are those farkles....

Best,
Andy
 
I've read with great interest this issue before picking up my new 2013 GS yesterday. It's a demo with 2600 mi on the clock and comes with the Tourance Next tires. I purposefully took it out to highway speed, decreased my grip on the bars and no shake. Didn't happen when I slowed through 70 down to 50 mph either. The front tire, however, made an unholy racket between ca. 57-63 mph. I, too am curious as to why the boys (and girls) in Berlin decided to add a shimmy dampener in the '14 models.

Now where are those farkles....

Best,
Andy

Shimmy dampener....
what the fheck?
MOGB?

Forget the PC... there's no girls involved.
And if there are, they're women, not girls.

You own one right, a LC R1200GS?
And you've seen the U-tube of the handlebars oscillating right?
I don't own one yet.... but I tested three. They were all non-ESA. As I understand it, the stock / non ESA suspension bikes all were set in Dynamic Ride Mode. The only mode available on those demo bikes. VERY responsive throttle. That, combined with a VERY light steering front end feel made me nervous to whack the throttle open in any gear at nearly any speed. Felt we were gonna go airborne TOO easily with the front end.
Seemed like you'd need to put 200 pounds, and I don't mean Brit currency, on the rear rack of any other bike I've ever owned to make it feel as light.
That's why the shimmy dampener.

Now, we gotta go light up Syria. To save them from the President that the majority seem to like, in favor of the rebels, who it appears are mostly from out of town.
Ultimately, we have Whoppers w-cheese, Taxpayer subsidized Chevys and Coca -Cola to sell over there.
Call it the Arab Fall.

Enjoy yo ride....

My curmudgeon humor for the day.

d'milan
 
Forgive the vernacular. I fly Cessnas, and the 'shock absorber' mounted to the front wheel (which strangely is identical to those thingys on the front forks of many road bikes) are called shimmy dampeners. You know when one goes TU....the front of the plane shakes like hell on taxi. But I've yet to find a pilot that calls it a tank slapper :laugh

And yes, I've seen the YouTube video of the oscillation.

I've owned it for 24h...we'll see what the future brings!

-a.

Shimmy dampener....
what the fheck?
MOGB?

Forget the PC... there's no girls involved.
And if there are, they're women, not girls.

You own one right, a LC R1200GS?
And you've seen the U-tube of the handlebars oscillating right?
I don't own one yet.... but I tested three. They were all non-ESA. As I understand it, the stock / non ESA suspension bikes all were set in Dynamic Ride Mode. The only mode available on those demo bikes. VERY responsive throttle. That, combined with a VERY light steering front end feel made me nervous to whack the throttle open in any gear at nearly any speed. Felt we were gonna go airborne TOO easily with the front end.
Seemed like you'd need to put 200 pounds, and I don't mean Brit currency, on the rear rack of any other bike I've ever owned to make it feel as light.

Now, we gotta go light up Syria. To save them from the President that the majority seem to like, in favor of the rebels, who it appears are mostly from out of town.
Ultimately, we have Whoppers w-cheese, Taxpayer subsidized Chevys and Coca -Cola to sell over there.
Call it the Arab Fall.
So forget shimmy dampeners....

Enjoy yo ride....

My curmudgeon humor for the day.

d'milan
 
A steering damper will be standard on the 2014 models. Guess that says something about the issue.

BMW R 1200 GS.
As of model year 2014 the BMW R 1200 GS will be available with the following altered standard features and options:

The two modes "Rain" and "Road", along with ASC as standard.
New "Pro" mode with three additional riding modes "Dynamic", "Enduro" and "Enduro Pro", including harmonised ASC and ABS as an optional extra.
Dynamic ESA can now be ordered separately, independently of the riding modes.
The existing five modes are no longer available as an optional extra.
Steering damper as standard.
White-coated coil springs with the option Dynamic ESA
Altered features for the package options "Dynamic Performance", "Comfort" and "Touring".
All options can now be ordered separately except for the on-board computer Pro.
 
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