A little off subject

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Sep 30, 2018
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I still have my 961SE. But I traded in my EBR1190Sx & bought a BMW R9T Pure. So now I have a British, Italian(Aprilia Tuono) & German bike!
 
Well I also have a Aprilia RSV Tuono twin which, with 130hp, is good enough for me. The EBR was just a weekend fun bike. I had a ball on it but I'm getting older, 71, & I also need something more comfortable. The Norton has become my bike nite, bike show, museum show bike. I've set it up with barbacks but it's still a long reach to the tank & the pegs are just to high for my arthritic knees. But, for what I got it for, I'll never sell it. I love it!!
I'll still be on the EBR forum & I have some extra parts to sell.
 
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Hello again Kid , Let us know how you are liking the R9T Pure . When I test drove one here I loved everything except the rear suspension. It had great power and sound and solid good handling . The freeway expansion joints were too jarring. The dealer said the rear suspension could be fixed/changed . The bike is a blank slate for you to customize . Still digging on the Norton though , slow and noisy as it may be my suspension is first rate .
 
Roger on that! I'll give you guys a rundown. I rode an R9T when they 1st came out & I was impressed! Great motor. The Pure is stripped down but still seems great. I haven't ridden it yet. Buy I did noticed in the shop that the rear spring is pretty soft. Sinks a lot under my weight(A not skinny 220lbs!!). I read that the problem is that there is a lot of unsprung weight back there with the shaft. A shock replacement might help but I can't go softer. Maybe a good suspension guy can get me in the ballpark with spring rate & damping on a good shock. But it's impossible to eliminate that unsprung weight!!
More later.
 
I had an R9T Sport. I took it to a suspension expert with the intention of re-valving / tweaking the forks and shock.

His opinion was quite damming. He said the shock was utter junk and not worth considering working on. The forks weren’t much better, but at least the basic stanchions and sliders were ok platforms.

I ended up having new cartridges and springs in the forks and an Ohlins shock in the rear. There are cheaper replacement shocks available than that though.

This TRANSFORMED the bike!

My advice would be to get the forks looked at to see what can be done, I don’t know anything about the forks on the Pure. And to junk the rear shock and replace it.

And then get pro help to set up the sag etc to suit you.

You won’t be disappointed.
 
I was THIS CLOSE to purchasing the R9T which was sitting about 10 feet from the Norton. The beemer just looked laiden with junk on it, not to mention ugly by comparison. I'm sure I'd have had less headaches with the beemer but the Norton is just seened way cooler......and much easier to clean. That said, the little Panzer is still a nice bike and I hope you enjoy it, Kid Thunder.
 
Thanks Britfan. Eddie Yeah I knew about the shock. They now have a cheaper Ohlins for it. $800 plus instead of $1100!!
Fork could be a problem. It's an old school traditional fork. Not USD. I have a Computrac guy near me who helped me set up my Aprilia Tuono. Looks like I'm in for a little cash spent!! Thanks.
 
I had an R9T Sport. I took it to a suspension expert with the intention of re-valving / tweaking the forks and shock.

His opinion was quite damming. He said the shock was utter junk and not worth considering working on. The forks weren’t much better, but at least the basic stanchions and sliders were ok platforms.

I ended up having new cartridges and springs in the forks and an Ohlins shock in the rear. There are cheaper replacement shocks available than that though.

This TRANSFORMED the bike!

My advice would be to get the forks looked at to see what can be done, I don’t know anything about the forks on the Pure. And to junk the rear shock and replace it.
And then get pro help to set up the sag etc to suit you.
You won’t be disappointed.
BMW got the suspension wrong since the R900RS so no change there. But they did sell if you looked deeply into the spare parts book a kit to upgrade it, so, I don't know if it's available as the spare parts guys if they do one for this model.
 
His opinion was quite damming. He said the shock was utter junk and not worth considering working on. The forks weren’t much better, but at least the basic stanchions and sliders were ok platforms.

I think BMW use Sachs for their front suspension internals, they are Sachs on the S1000RR and that is recommended to be ditched at the first opportunity. I used the discarded internals for a S1000RR to upgrade a BSA OIF front suspension but they were heavily modified.
 
I think BMW use Sachs for their front suspension internals, they are Sachs on the S1000RR and that is recommended to be ditched at the first opportunity. I used the discarded internals for a S1000RR to upgrade a BSA OIF front suspension but they were heavily modified.
All suspension is built to a budget and for a wide range of weights,as a twenty five stone man once said sitting on a Victory ‘suspension seems a tad soft’..
Even Ohlins,
It is way too firm for a 961 & has to be backed right off,
Best to see an expert as mistakes can be made.
 
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