Tyres, Brakes and Suspension » Suspension Conversion

I purchased a 2017 RS intentionally with standard rather than electronic assist suspension - why when the assisted suspension gets a good review in the main?
My decision was based around some advice I received from a suspension specialist I used to rework my Ducati Multistrada he was of the opinion that electronic suspension was very good but if you do not find a setting you are happy with then tough you are stuck with what's provided by the factory and secondly the cost of repairs or replacement is off the scale just check out U Tube for the Missenden flyer having to purchase a second hand shock to replace a 3 year old and leaking electronic version that would be £1800 from factory.

So bike purchased and running in completed and the only concern is the poor quality of the suspension, it's harsh with ineffective adjustment on rear shock and no adjustment on front forks so options to upgrade were investigated. Ohlin's will provide a rear shock and fork kit but strong money so I opted to contact Nitron UK to provide the components having done my homework reading multiple reviews of their products.

First the rear shock was chosen I opted for the NTR R2 version with a 850 spring to suit the combined weight of a 12.5 stone rider and 8 stone pillion. This version has adjustable compression and rebound damping with the added option to have a remote hydraulic spring tension adjustment or as I have opted for a manual style turn the top collar with tool provided. To fine tune handling the shock can be increased or decreased in length as required. What a revelation this shock proved to be with no more knock in the kidneys on rough roads with feed back through the set of the pants gauge being on par or better than the Ohlin's used on my Ducati. A tour of the west of Scotland was undertaken 2 up with luggage and I can only report complete satisfaction with the constant performance and feed back but this now highlighted how bad the front forks as supplied performed jarring my wrists with poor control under heavy braking and no option to adjust to suit loads - back to Nitron!!


The front fork internals were removed and replaced with a TVT NTFK25 BM03 cartridge kit. This consists of a left hand assembly that deals just with the compression requirements of the damping and a right hand assembly that deals with the rebound damping with each damping characteristic being adjustable in the normal way using a hex key. Springs were also replaced to a 9N/mm rating also with adjustment provided via a turn down or up top cap in the normal way.
Bike and handling is now utterly transformed with improved stability on the brakes and no jarring through the bars just that feeling you get with high quality suspension when the grade of the surface can be felt through the grips its uncanny the amount of feeling now provided along with the quality of the ride they have managed to engineer comfort and precision without compromise normally found in suspension set ups.

Added bonus is the rear shock is 2.5 lbs lighter than standard and along with the forks fully rebuildable and serviceable by any suspension service centre, Nitron have outlets around the world so anybody reading this should be able to contact a local specialist or go direct to Nitron UK for advice and support.

I am in no way connected with the Nitron company just a very happy customer spreading the news of a quality and affordable product.
Ady

Hi Wessie,

I did not quote cost because I know how fitting charges can vary from place to place. I would suggest a visit to the Nitron Web page for an up to date price on the shock and fork kit plus any customer might want to further upgrade the rear with remote spring adjusters and high speed damping control that will have an effect on price, my conversion was done last year but I held back on the review until I had covered 4000 miles in order to provide a meaningful report so price could have changed.
The rear shock is a simple home fit and would take a keen home mechanic around 1/2 an hour to perform as for the front forks I would suggest the forks could be removed at home and reworked by a specialist due to a range of special tools required to dismantle and rebuild etc I would expect to pay in the region of 2- 3 hrs labour (I was quoted this for Ohlins fit by a suspension specialist in south of UK) Nitron have contacts around the globe who they will direct you to for modification work also the instructions supplied with the TVT kit are of a very high standard and will enable any suspension specialist to fit and set the kit correctly.
The quality of the finish is off the scale and you can feel a difference as soon as you make an adjustment to the damping, as for spring adjustment these have proved spot on so no need to fiddle yet, but remember to quote normal operating weights when in contact with Nitron and they will supply springs to suit - no compromise here as per factory supplied originals.

Hope this response helps although not directly quoting figures, it,s not a cheap conversion but an quality upgrade to a cheap original fitment as we all know BMW want you to buy the options so my method was to avoid this route and select the basic model and use money saved to perform upgrades.

Ady

Moi Aussi.

For all the same reasons.

Only ride solo.

Went with Maxton.

Happy with the result.

Hi Wessie,

Just checked on Nitron web page and can provide the following as per their listing.
R1 rear shock being the most basic and non adjustable £438 inc Vat at 20%
R2 as I have fitted £612 inc Vat
R3 the real daddy with high speed adjustable damping primarily aimed at track day enthusiasts £696 inc Vat.
The remote hydraulic spring tension adjuster is considered an extra fitment for each shock and will add a further £210 inc Vat to the price but I have found the tool provided and the access to the spring collar perfectly suitable and an easy quick way to adjust spring if required, after a play around I reset to Nitrons setting, but the adjuster will add a little bling if that's your thing.

Fork TVT kit £900

I hope this helps with for anybody considering an upgrade to help create a budget, as I have stated I was quoted 2-3 hrs for fork kit fitting so I would suggest a call to local specialist of which there are many in UK or post DHL to Nitron in Oxford for fitting. If people prefer not to remove legs and rear shock then a ride out to specialist for fitting, Niton should be able to provide local and world specialist's during ordering process.

Ady