Jump to content

Search the Community

Showing results for tags 'TfxSuspensionTechnology'.

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Forums

  • Inside XLADV
    • Help Desk
    • KTM 990 Bike Build
  • General
    • Staging Area
    • Ride Reports
    • Pictures and Video
    • Big Girls Don’t Cry
    • Adventure Touring
    • Racing
    • Wrenching
    • GPS
    • Gear, Farkles and Equipment
    • Beyond Starbucks
  • Big Bikes
    • Which bike should I buy?
    • Make/Model Specific
    • Big Bike Tech
  • Regional
    • United States
    • International
  • Marketplace
    • Classifieds

Products Categories

Vehicles Categories

Garages

Blogs

  • Eric Hall's Blog
  • The Great American Trek
  • Blog della Motostella
  • EarthRider's Blog
  • Ballisticexchris' Blog
  • PNWTenere's Blog
  • Nate J.'s Blog
  • Erx Blog
  • ridingfullcircle's Blog
  • One Wheel Wheatley

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

Joined

  • Start

    End


Group


AIM


MSN


Website URL


ICQ


Yahoo


Jabber


Skype


Interests

Found 15 results

  1. I put this in the review section as well but thought it might fit here to for discussion purposes. I got a lot of questions about it on Facebook after posting. TFX Suspension(130 front/142 rear) – First Look And by first look I literally mean first, at least here in the US at least. Woo hoo! Our good friend Isaac Feliu in Spain first turned me on to these shocks after he’s been so happy with them. I was always curious how he crossed those water bars in his videos so easily but now I’ve experienced it for myself. I’m honored to get the chance to test these new shocks from TFX Suspension distributed by Ted Porter’s Beemershop.com. My last set of shocks weren’t bad, but were nearing the end of their life (~35k miles) and really weren’t meeting my needs. It may not be fair to blame the shock really, because shocks are meant to be custom-built for your type of riding. When I first got the old shocks, I wasn’t as sure what my style of riding was, honestly. Admittedly, I was probably riding them out of spec (AZBDR w/loaded panniers). Because Ted Porter is such a nice guy (legendary customer service), he kindly offered to replace my previous aftermarket shocks with this new-to-him brand for me to try out. TFX has actually been around for quite a while and like many other top shock manufacturer’s is out of The Netherlands. It’s quite incestuous really. I hear there are many commonalities among the shock manufacturers and some shared technologies and cooperation. In some cases employees from one company can sometimes end up working at a competing company. Wilbers had some sort of relationship with Technoflex (early TFX), Tractive spun off from WP when WP was purchased by KTM, the founder of WP now works at Ohlins, Touratech sells Tractive shocks, TFX and Tractive have a joint venture to produce some really cool ATV shocks, and so on. That’s not to say that they’re all the same though. TFX distinguishes itself in a few key ways. First they are using the big stroke Tractive hydraulic preload adjuster which lifts 15mm as compared to most others at 10mm or less. This really helps when you have wide load variations. Although materials play a big role, other key differences are TFX’s engineering and the tuning of piston+shimstack+spring. That’s what they call their “true magic.” They also listen very carefully to what the specific needs of the rider are. Ted certainly plays a huge part in this. I’ll never forget the first time I called him. He spent 30 minutes with me explaining how the shocks work and what type of shock would probably work best for me. I’m still a novice rider, but I am at the end of that continuum that goes from the Saturday Starbuck’s rider to the extreme enduro dirt rider. Some TFX specifics: Five year warranty, fully rebuildable. Tractive 15mm stroke hydraulic preload adjuster option, 50% more lift than most other brands. The body of the shock is made from 6082-T6 alloy with type 3 hard anodizing providing high-strength and maximum heat dissipation All other parts are made from aircraft alloy 7075-t6 which is very strong The 16mm shaft is made from a very high quality 42CrMo4+QT They use aircraft alloy 7075-t6 bushings because they are very strong and light A floating piston in the reservoir separates the oil from the nitrogen All shocks have 42 adjustments in rebound damping with a wider knob than most for two finger adjustment even with a gloved hand The advanced models are 3 way type with high/low compression damping low speed compression 32 adjustments high speed compression 32 adjustments Enough of the nerd talk. I’m not a professional racer and I’m not really up on all the terminology. My feedback is going to be much more basic for the lay rider. The TFX are definitely more robust than what I had before. They are more solid and feel very planted. I rode fairly hard on them and did not bottom out once. I didn't find I was riding any faster because of that, just more confidently and safely. I didn't have to worry so much about each and every dip in the trail. I kept saying in my helmet via my Sena to Tolga behind me: "that's way easier than it used to be." When I got my first aftermarket shocks (Jan ’12) it was like going from a $20 pair of flip flops to a $100 pair of trail running shoes. These feel like $300 mid rise hiking boots. Sounds like a great start to me! I’m going to keep monitoring these over the next few months and we’ll see what kind of service, if any, they are going to require.
  2. Since we've started this project bike, the most frequent question I've been getting is "so how do you like the 990 vs the GSA?" I can tell you it's been a lot of fun! I really like what is obviously better off-road handling and the highway comfort is not as bad as I expected (my Seat Concepts seat sure helps!). While I love my GSA too, I can't say that I'm missing it that much yet. There are a few interesting surprises though that I didn't expect. For example, I thought the 990 was like 100 lbs lighter or something but the specs show the dry weight is just 32 lbs lighter! Also, the 990 has loads more travel, right? Nope. Only with the 990 (R spec suspension from Konflict) has front/rear travel of 248mm/248mm vs the GSA's 210mm/220mm! My stock 990 Adventure came with 210mm/210mm; about the same as the GSA (less in the rear). The center of gravity is also much higher and that, combined with less front end feel (suspension is so good), and you'd best be light on that front brake or you're going to low-side really damn fast! Ask me how I know! The gearing is also taller than the GSA's legendary tractor gearing, but that's easily addressed with larger rear and smaller front sprockets. Bottom line: Much better in the dirt and not as bad on the highway as expected. Pro's: Lots more off-road fun, feels more powerful, nimble, suspension doesn't bottom out (my TFX Suspension on the GSA doesn't either anymore) Con's: Really tall, taller center of gravity, taller gearing, sucks gas big time when you're on the throttle. * I should note here that this switch was due to type of riding I like most. I was looking for something not similar to the GSA but 21/18" wheels, more travel and more dirt-able. The 990 has not fallen short of my expectations, I can assure you.
  3. I saw a similar video for the Tenere 660 and since that bike isn't sold in the US and the GS/GSA is and have sold quite a few, I thought I'd do a similar video. The things I go over in this video really apply to just about any adventure bike. The key issue here for a lot of riders is what exactly do I need to do to my bike to outfit it for off-road riding? When I started out I had absolutely no clue and unfortunately wasted some time and even more money figuring all this out. I figure I can use my experience to save you money I have to say though that I honestly didn't know how much I'd enjoy riding my bike off-road when I first bought it. I figured it was just a means to an end, not an end in and of itself. However, these bikes don't exactly come dirt-ready off the showroom floor. There are some things you should do right away, some things before others given their importance and of course some things you really don't need to do. We've all seen that shiny sparkly bike at Starbucks all farkled up and you just know that thing has never seen anything more adventurous than a gutter in front of its driveway. Don't be that guy! The other thread here "Post your gear questions here" is more for the apparel side. This is the bike part of that same set of questions. I know it's long but if you're new to adventure riding or an experienced rider looking to explore more dirt, I think you'll find it helpful.
  4. I had not ridden for about a month (Baja) and was eager to test out my new TFX suspension, so I posted up this ride and only got two takers! Too bad because it was AWESOME! I also had a brand new Mitas E-09 Dakar on the back which made for some excellent traction in addition to some recent rain. Tolga got some fantastic pictures of us (Rich and I) that I hope to post very soon. Doesn't hurt having a professional photographer/videographer with you. We met at 8:45 at the Starbucks (of course) in Adelanto. Tolga rode his 640 because his rear tire on the 1190 R is worn and the new one doesn't come until tomorrow. He also realized he had no plug for his heated vest, so he was pretty cold. The coldest I saw was about 49 but it was basically low 50's. I have been hit with this sciatica and just general soreness recently so I wasn't looking to do anything that hard, but I was feeling fine once we hit the dirt and we ended up doing some really fun stuff. First trail break What turned out to be a lot of fun was just taking random trails to work our way up in a northwesterly direction up towards Kramer Junction for lunch. We went through these hills and Tolga said "let's take that trail over there up that hill." I'm like "dude that's really steep" but we made it up! Hope to have that video soon as well. We were talking to each other on our new Sena com units. I cannot believe I've gone this long without getting one of these! It was so nice being able to talk back and forth about whatever road hazard came up, where others wanted to go, when they wanted to stop, etc... After lunch at KJ, we headed up 395 and went right at a dirt trail and up to a hill top overlooking the dry lake. Then we went down to the dry lake and farted around for a bit. Found these spent rounds. Best guess is a 25mm round fired from some kind of military plane. We found about six and it looked like they were just dumped there. I bet someone found them at a nearby abandoned range and just dumped them on the lake bed because they are likely to just sink in the ground never to be found again. I found nearly identical rounds when I was a kid out near Imperial Dunes in what was Gen. Patton's old training grounds. From Tolga's phone Then over to Husky monument/memorial where a bunch of folks were there placing a new marker for a fallen friend. Tolga did some shooting for his Turkish TV series and took a few more photos. We headed over and saw the petroglyphs at Inscription Canyon and then headed out when Rich got a front flat. We got to Hinckley and pavement just as it got dark, then headed back. Rich had trailered in Adelanto and Tolga and I stopped for a soda at Oak Hills Brewery and a quick burger at Wendy's (brewery has no food). We got home at 9:15! Like I said, lots more pics and video to come. Short review of the new TFX suspension: A lot more robust than I had before. No bottoming out. Lots of confidence. Felt planted. Wasn't necessarily riding any faster as a result, just not fretting over every single dip in the trail. More on that later too.
  5. 2 reviews

    High quality front and rear suspension for BMW Motorcycles, the 131 & 141 models include continuous preload adjustment as well as extension and high/low speed compression settings (45 clicks). They are built manually for the rider bike, height/weight and ridding style. TFX brings you the quality and capabilities you need to get the most from your bike. The TFX shocks are custom-built and are personalized to your needs and expectations. These shocks are suited for street use but also for Race track. They will give you the comfort, control, safety and durability you need and ask from your shock absorbers. Why a hose? This mono shock will be used for bikes with a lack of space. Due to the fact that the hose is flexible we can mount the reservoir in a variety of positions. We always try to find the most suitable position so that adjustments can be done easily and having the advantage of the airflow which gives extra cooling. The TFX 131-141 shock features both rebound as well High/low speed compression adjustment. Our TFX shock absorbers are based on a modular system. This means we can replace/repair each individual part. Due to this our twin bike shock has a long life and is easy to service
  6. This should apply to the GS as well and to all the oilhead models. No pics (yet) but I am happy to report no bloody knuckles. I got one minor scratch on my right middle finger. For anyone looking to change their front shock (rear is pretty easy), here's how to do it... First you want to remove your lower engine guards. This can be a challenge for some because the top fasteners tend to be hard to get to and loosen without stripping. Then you wan to remove the alternator belt cover. Why? Because it gets in the way of pulling out the shock and putting the new one in later. Next you want to remove a screw holding the front brake line on the right side of the bike. If you don't do this then you won't have slack to droop the front suspension low enough to get the shock out. It's tight in there and I found an L-shaped torx from my tool kit was the best solution. You have to somehow jack the bike up from the skid plate but with the rear still on the ground. I was able to lift it (with a friend) on top of my pannier, but a floor jack is probably ideal and safer. I also secured the bike with a strap from the middle of the handlebars to a hook firmly screwed into a beam in the roof of my garage. Then remove the top tank panel, as well as the two side panels and gas cap (four black screws). I put a rag in the tank opening so those screws holding the gas cap on don't accidentally fall in. Leave the front screws on the side plastic pieces secure; just take off the other two. These are just metal panels; it's really not that hard. Remember the longer screws go in that middle hole of the side plastic pieces. The rest should be roughly the same length. At this point you should be able to put a socket on the top bolt of the shock and take that top nut off. If you have a nifty ratcheting box-end wrench then you may be able to get away with not removing the top tank panel. It might be 15mm or 17 mm or in my case 11/16ths". Not a lot of room to work with. Keep the top bushing/spacer and remember to put it back on top of the new shock later. Remove the lower shock bolt from the right side. At this point, the shock should fall out of the top bracket and come loose from the lower mount. If it doesn't come loose from the lower mount, you can knock it back with a rubber mallet or something until it comes free. Also be sure to keep the rubber bushings and/or spacer that goes on top of the shock but below the top bracket. Then simply put the new shock in but make sure you put the top rubber washer below the bracket back on the new shock. Put the top end in first, then you can slide it forward and down into the lower shock mount. Tighten down the lower shock bolt to 30 ft/lbs/40 Nm and some blue loctite. At this point you can lower your bike back to the floor and on its center stand. Make sure the top of the shock is properly seated through the hole in the bracket. Place that other rubber washer you removed from your other shock on top and then secure with the top nut. I put a bit of blue loctite on it. Tighten down to 25 ft/lbs/34 Nm. Ah, but the shock turns when you try to tighten it! At first I tried a strap wrench but it wasn't really gripping. I finally found the crescent wrench from my tool bag (or 19mm open end wrench) would fit on the very top nut below the top bracket and prevent the shock from turning when you're tightening it. Yes, you will need the assistance of a buddy (two man job). Then you can put the alternator cover back on (not a bad time to consider changing your belt if it's been on there for more than 24K miles), as well as re-secure the front brake line on the right side. Then put your lower engine bars back on. That also can be a challenge and take two sets of hands and maybe some straps to pull the upper bars into alignment so you can attach them to the lower bars.
  7. 0 comments

    I have done almost everything with that bike. Long distance Trip? Done. Short weekend trip? Done. OffRoad? Done. Extreme Offroad? Done. RaceTrack? Done. City run? Done. And it shines on all and every aspect of motorcycling. Low fuel consumption (given it's weight and power), awesome torque, handling on pavement is just awesome, offroad handling is not that great, but once you get used to the telelever shit... it will bring you anywhere no matter what. So far, If I had to buy another motorcycle today.... i would buy exactly the same bike. :)
×
×
  • Create New...