BMW 2-valve Boxer fork damping system Cartridge system
A motorcycle fork consists of two tubes that slide into each other, a spring and a damper. The spring compensates for road unevenness, while the damping ensures that the spring does not vibrate uncontrollably. This was the case in the past and is still the case today.
The forks of our two-valves have improved over the model years, but one thing has always remained the same: There was never any damping that really worked. The fork damping on the old boxer models consists of a kind of small sheet metal tube with two small holes through which the fork oil is driven. That was it.
The 2-valves have rich suspension travel, which is a good feature. However, the lack of damping causes a lot of movement in the suspensions. The cardan is generally held solely responsible for the up and down rocking, which is where the name "rubber cow" comes from. In fact, the fork, with its up and down movement caused by a lack of compression and rebound damping, is at least as responsible.
So we at SE Concept have designed a fork damping system, known in the trade as a fork cartridge, and manufacture it for the old BMW 2V boxers. The goal was not to build racing motorcycles out of the old treasures, but to improve the handling for the normal street rider, to increase the riding safety and to provide more comfort.
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BMW R45 R65 Twinshock or other models not listed: The installation of our cartridge system is also possible on these models, but you have to take a small detour. We recommend to shorten the forks of the 2-valve engines a little bit. For more information click here.
One can adapt the damping system in the context of a fork shortening. The upper closure is different for these forks, if we shorten the fork with us we can cut the appropriate threads or grooves in the frame to fit. In this case, the price for the shortening is added, for the change there is no additional cost.
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The cartridge systems have compression damping in the left spar and rebound damping in the right spar. The internal 20mm damper pistons are equipped with so-called shim valves and a needle valve for bypass, a technique that is still used in today's vehicles.
All our systems can be adjusted from the outside. This means that rebound damping, compression damping and spring preload can be adjusted to suit individual needs. But don't worry, the systems come preset, it's all about the revolutionary improved damping in the first place. If it does happen that a customer wants to change something, we supply setting recommendations for "softer" or "harder". The setting change takes less than 10 seconds, but if you have any questions, please feel free to call us.
The installation can be done in any workshop and takes about 2 hours. Special tools are not required. The systems are delivered completely pre-assembled with springs and the appropriate fork oil.
Externally, the conversion can be recognized by the noble fork caps, which also house the adjusters for damping and spring preload. A 14mm wrench for the spring preload, a small slotted screwdriver for the compression and rebound.