Lowering F700GS

[JimStone]

The local BMW dealer doesn’t know how to swap the shock spring. Does anyone have any advice? This is an ESA shock, by the way.

Thanks!

[JimStone]

After getting the shock off the bike, I had planned to have my local service station use their Macpherson strut compressor to do the spring swap. However it didn’t fit their machine. I tried a local motorcycle dealer, then a cycle suspension specialist, then a BMW dealer. Nobody seemed interested or capable of doing the swap.

So, bought a tool online.

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However, the cast is lugs on this tool were too big to fit between the coils of the spring. No good.

Then I bought another spring online.

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Again, no good. This one was designed to smaller, dual shock bikes.

So i got one specifically for monoshock motorcycles:

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This one actually worked. This process of trying different tools took almost a month, by the way.

So, then i needed to find out how to get the spring off the shock.
It’s not obvious. Most shocks seem to have some type of release mechanism at the bottom of the shock. Not so on this bike. It has a preload adjuster at the top of the shock. The preload adjuster needs to be pushed downward, exposing a wire clip in a groove and that retains the adjuster and the spring below it. After removing the wire from the groove, the adjuster can be lifted off the shock. Then the compression tool can be loosened, releasing the spring. Be sure to take note of the various rings and spacers on the shock, so that you can put them back the same way.

The retaining groove is actually in a chrome ring which can slide down the shock body when you reassemble everything. I found that it helps to wrap some tape around the shock body to keep the chrome ring in place. Otherwise you won’t be able to get the retaining wire in place.


For what it’s worth, Ted Porter (Ted Porter’s Beemer Shop) will do the spring swap for $30 plus shipping. Believe me, that is much easier than trying to do it yourself.

The bike is now back together, and seems to work just fine. I just need to figure out what to do with those left over screws.

Thanks for your help Omega Man and Ted Porter.

[Omega Man]

Great job.
I hope the results are what you needed.
Thanks for posting the results.

BTW, I did find the “slugs” I cut out to shorten the center stand if it would help you.

OM

[JimStone]

Omega Man,

On my bike, I didn’t need to do anything with the side stand. With this Hyperpro spring, the bike sits at a “normal” height when unloaded. The soft part of the spring compresses when you sit on the bike. It seems to work pretty well.

[JimStone]

Omega Man,

I haven’t tried the center stand yet since installing the new spring. I expect it to be about the same as before, which was a bit too high anyway.

[Omega Man]

Omega Man,

On my bike, I didn’t need to do anything with the side stand. With this Hyperpro spring, the bike sits at a “normal” height when unloaded. The soft part of the spring compresses when you sit on the bike. It seems to work pretty well.

Sounds better than the way mine worked out.

Omega Man,

I haven’t tried the center stand yet since installing the new spring. I expect it to be about the same as before, which was a bit too high anyway.

If you need any info on the way I did the "calculation" or how I shortened it, Just let me know. Happy to help.

Gary

[akbeemer]

What are you doing with the front forks?

[JimStone]

AKBeemer,

I had previously swapped out the fork springs with Wilbers progressive springs. I got both the front and rear springs from Ted Porter’s Beemer Shop.

[akbeemer]

Okay, I was going to offer to swap the forks off my lowered F700GS.