Installed Wilbers Today

[Ranger]

With a little less than 24k on the bike new shocks were finally called for. I completed the installation of Wilbers shocks on the LT today. This was the most extensive work I have done on the bike thus far. It was not as difficult as I had anticipated but did take most of the day to complete. To others who are contemplating this installation I would encourage you to find a friend to help out and go ahead with it.

I didn't learn any new tidbits to offer but did benefit from a few sources of information. Besides the service manual, Steve Morley and Matt Dost shared their experiences with me, thanks alot guys! I also had a very experienced brother to help out, he even brought his own tools.

It's raining today in NE Illinois so the initial test ride was quite short (2-3 blocks down the street and then back home) but the bike did feel much stiffer immediately. I'll give it a better test next week as I am traveling to Holland, MI for the week for business and plan on taking the LT.

Thanks to the board for all the help, it was needed and much appreciated!

[dandiver]

Peter,

I've got about 21,000 on my 2002 and it seems to be riding as well as it did when new. I occasionally grind a peg on a sharp turn but that happened when new. What was it that made you decide to do the swap? By the way, I weigh around 150 and generally ride by myself.

[Ranger]

Dan,

I was noticing the front end hitting harder and harder on bumps as well as the pre-load in the rear was almost always turned all the way up. These things occured over time, but definitely changed.

I usually ride solo but occasionally two-up. With my passenger aboard bumps were real hard. I seldom carry much luggage, but I'm 6' 4" and weigh around 230 without the riding gear. I hate to think my own girth contributed to wearing my shocks down!

[BkrK12]

Dan,

I was noticing the front end hitting harder and harder on bumps as well as the pre-load in the rear was almost always turned all the way up. These things occured over time, but definitely changed.

I usually ride solo but occasionally two-up. With my passenger aboard bumps were real hard. I seldom carry much luggage, but I'm 6' 4" and weigh around 230 without the riding gear. I hate to think my own girth contributed to wearing my shocks down!
Don't feel too guilty. One of the major contributors to sag is the amount of time that passes between when BMW straps your bike down to the pallet, at the end of manufacturing, and when the dealer begins to put it together for delivery. My bike spent 18 months in the warehouse after it was built and, from the day it was brand new, it was almost impossible to get on the center stand. In very short order, any road irregularities in high speed sweepers (even on Interstates) got to be more exciting than anyone would want.

When I put on new Wilbers, which had been spec'd to stock ride height, all the problems went away. When I talked to the Service Manager at my dealer about the palletizing problem, he told me he is often concerned about the way the factory ties down the bikes, especially if they have been in the box for a long time. Might be something for people to check when they pick up their new bikes - Is the bike sitting at the correct ride height when it is unloaded.