H2RTuner wrote:
My neighbor has two BMW Boxer twin bikes with one of those front ends, one is a single bike, the other has a side hack. The single isn't stable in aggressive turns, the feedback feels very vague and 'hunting'. The side hack bike is flat dangerous on the front end on left turns, at any speed, and he knows how to set up side hacks, he has 4 bikes with them. The other 3 have telescopic forks, NO adverse issues at all. He is thinking of removing the hack from the one BMW, and either changing the frame to hold a telescopic fork, then remount the hack, or, sell the ting and put the hack on some other bike with telescopic forks. He always tells me that about the BMW hack, he doesn't "have a death wish" when riding it.
I think the engineering and construction is top notch on this Foale project bike, and I said so earlier, but, the frame is suspect to me, and so is the basic premise of the front end. I think it is a neat engineering project, but won't end up working as well as is touted to do. In my opinion, it will make a really nice living room display bike/conversation piece/dinner table with glass top.
If you're riding a Boxer that feels vague or hunting, I would ask how old the shock is (front & rear) and has the bike ever been down? And, if you're taking the bike to it's limits, is the suspension set up for you? No one here would question my ability to go the limit; I ride a 2010 R1200R boxer that tracks as good or better than any of the other 40 some-odd bikes I've own. Althoulgh it's my daily road rider so i've never had it fully leaned at over say about 80 mph.
BTW.....having said that...BMW is doing away with the telelever and going with inverted forks. I hate to see this change if for only the reason that if I ever have to rebuild another set of forks I think I should shot myself. Just a guess but, a single shock setup like the telelever likely does have a better long term reliability level than fork tubes.