Rear shock confusion

[fontana]

Bit of tech advice would be helpful chaps.
It's my 2000, R1100RS.
Was out with the Mrs yesterday and a couple of times cornering at moderate lean, the centre stand dug in.
I noticed it only on bumpy road surfaces.
A bit disconcerting as my Wife only ways about 7 stone, and we had no luggage on board.
So I looked at the rear shock and there seems to be no facility to increase spring preload.
All I can see at the bottom end is a little knurled knob with a tiny allen bolt through the middle.
It looks like it can be turned but there are no markers on it to say which way to go for hard or soft.
I suppose common sense say's clockwise to increase, but I'd rather be sure.
I've never seen a shock like it and was wondering if you guys have the same unit on your 1100S's.
I should add that my bike is a Japanese import.
Any advice gratefully received.

[Daimac]

Is it a goldy/orange coloured Ohlins?

[Britisherspy]

Looks like there is a stepped preload adjuster ring at the bottom, the piece with the rectangular holes going round it.

s-l1600.jpg (556.07 KiB) Viewed 10257 times

https://ibb.co/jFd3DF

[Jeff Highland]

That's What is on my stock '93

[fontana]

I'll take a photo of it tomorrow.

[fontana]

Looks like there is a stepped preload adjuster ring at the bottom, the piece with the rectangular holes going round it.
s-l1600.jpg
https://ibb.co/jFd3DF

Mines nothing like that.
No stepped adjuster.
I wish it were that simple

[Daimac]

This is what's on mine ..... https://store.bobsbmw.com/product/ohlin ... -2005-rear

There's a link for the manual on the page.

[fontana]

This is what's on mine ..... https://store.bobsbmw.com/product/ohlin ... -2005-rear

There's a link for the manual on the page.

Nothing as shiny as that either.
I wish

Anyway figured it out.
There's a little allen bolt on the bottom of the shock body that you turn clockwise to increase damping force.
I've turned it all the way.
Hopefully that'll work because there is no spring preload adjustment.

[slparry]

should be like this one with a remote preload adjuster if standard

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-R1100RS-2 ... 7675.l2557

[fontana]

should be like this one with a remote preload adjuster if standard

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-R1100RS-2 ... 7675.l2557

Nope it's not that one.
As I said, my bike is a Japanese import.
In the handbook there are two types of rear shock illustrated.
The one on the right is the one you suggested, but mine is the one on the left, without the remote adjuster.

photo uploading

[Jeff Highland]

It's not two different types of shock illustrated, it's two different adjustments.

The left side illustration shows the location for the rebound damping adjustment, the right side illustration shows the location of the remote preload adjustment on the right side of the bike, which works via a hydraulic hose to the top of the unit.
I have one sitting here ready to go on my early RS to replace the non remote original.
If yours is missing the remote, it may have been removed or the unit changed for aftermarket.

Anyhow, adjusting the damping is unlikely to help.

[The Teutonic Tangerine]

Looks like there is a stepped preload adjuster ring at the bottom, the piece with the rectangular holes going round it.
s-l1600.jpg
https://ibb.co/jFd3DF

You will need a "C" spanner to adjust pre-load.

[fontana]

Here's my rear shock.
There is a little cut out but that's just to allow for the damping adjuster screw.
Around the other side it's round, so nothing to grip with a C spanner.
I did wonder about that nut at the bottom and am tempted to try turning that
Any thoughts ?

image hosting 10mb limit

[The Teutonic Tangerine]

OK so looking at the photo then yes the Damping adjuster is the screw thing.
Looking at the body of the Shock there is no threading or obvious signs of how to adjust spring pre-load at this end of the damper.

the standard shock has the pre load adjusted remotely from the top but if you have no remote adjuster at the top I can't see how you could manually screw down an adjuster ring at the top as there's no room to swing a C spanner - what does the top of the shock look like with seat off.

[Jeff Highland]

I may be wrong but it looks like that nut could be a lock nut for an overall length adjustment, rather than preload.
You may need to disconnect the shock to wind down the bottom yoke after releasing the locknut.