IVOR V TWINN
Registered user
FITTING A PAIR OF RICOR INTIMINATORS TO A F650 GS (2009)
Ok, folks, this is how I did it in easy stages.
Gather together the tools, the oil, I used Silkolene Pro 2.5 WT. (a one litre pot had enough for 530ml in each leg, (those people in Belper are generous to a fault), a jack to raise the bike and stands to allow it to rest safely with the front wheel clear of the ground. The instructions that come with the valves are good but not specific to this bike so I hope this will fill in the gaps.
Work down the list and tick the jobs off as you do them.
With the bike safely on stands take off the ‘bodywork’ and the other parts in this order, (put the screws back in the captive nuts or threads as you remove them because some are different lengths.)
1/ SEAT
2/ SCREEN
3/ TOP ‘TANK’ PANEL (unplug the aux jack)
4/ INDICATOR CONNECTORS, (they unplug a few inches along the wire so can be left in position)
5/ SIDE PANELS
6/ FRONT MUDGUARD
7/ FRONT BEAK AND PLASTIC CROSS TRIM. (This is a pest to replace, check how it’s fixed as you take it out)
8/ FORK BRIDGE PIECE.
9/ ABS SENSOR
10/ BRAKE CALLIPER, (wrap this in a piece of cloth and let it hang secure it out of the way, block the front brake lever from being squeezed to prevent the calliper pistons from moving out.)
11/ FRONT WHEEL, (hold it up whilst taking out the spindle so that the ABS ‘rotor’ is not damaged)
12/ FORK LEGS, (undo the top clamp screws first, the forks slide out quite freely once the bottom screws are released.)
Now we can attend to the forks, clean them first as we do not need any dirt in side them.
Clamp the fork leg vertically in a vice with soft jaws and prise off the plastic cap. Inside there is an aluminium plug with a blind hole in the top, push this down a little with, say, the plastic handle of a screwdriver, (it may need a thump with a mallet to unstick it), what you do now is to push the plug down a little and pry the ends of the wire circlip out of it’s groove, you can then dislodge it and take it out.
Put the fork leg on the floor and slowly compress it, the plug will pop out of the top first, then the black plastic ‘spacer’ and then the spring. Put these to one side for cleaning, empty the oil from the fork and leave upside down to drain, you may wish to rinse it with a suitable cleaning fluid, mine had oxide‘debris’ from the surface of the heat treated spring.
(I cut 14mm off the length off each black plastic spacer to compensate for the Intiminator valve preloading the spring.)
Next we refer to the Ricor instructions that for us follow this pattern, I refer to one leg only, the other will be the same.
1/ EXTEND THE LEG AND POUR 500ml OF OIL INTO IT.
2/ PUSH THE LEG UP AND DOWN A LITTLE TO REMOVE ANY AIR.
3/ PLACE THE INTIMINATOR VALVE IN THE TOP OF THE FORK TUBE, (NUT END UP) AND SLIDE IT DOWN SLOWLY WITH THE FORK SPRING.
4/ PLACE THE SPACER ON TOP OF THE SPRING.
5/ ADD 30ml OF OIL.
6/ CLAMP THE TOP OF THE FORK VERTICALLY IN THE VICE, SOFT JAWS, NOT TOO TIGHT.
7/ POSITION THE ALUMINIUM PLUG, BLIND HOLE FACING UP, IN THE TOP OF THE FORK TUBE AND PRESS IT IN, IT HAS AN ‘O’ RING SO IT MAY NEED A THUMP TO START IT!
8/ PUSH THE PLUG DOWN AGAINST THE SPRING AND PUT THE WIRE CIRCLIP ENDS INTO THE SECOND GROOVE DOWN AND CLICK IT INTO THAT GROOVE.
9/ PUT THE PLASTIC CAP ON.
ASSEMBLE THE FORKS BACK ON THE BIKE IN REVERSE ORDER OF DISMANTLING, REMEMBER TO CHECK THE TORQUE SETTINGS FROM THE BMW BOOK AND AGAIN TICK OFF THE JOBS AS YOU DO THEM.
In conclusion, they do work! There can be no more severe a test than a ride on suburban Surrey roads, a ride through Warlingham and on to Woldingham would normally shake your fillings out, now you can glide down the pot holes and up the other side in style! Also, the front no longer dives to the ground at the touch of the brake, a great bike is now brilliant.
Not cheap at £176 a set plus £14 for the oil but the best mod I’ve done so far, does tend to show up the limitations of the rear suspension but I think with Viking Vinyl’s good work on the seat I can live with that.
Ok, folks, this is how I did it in easy stages.
Gather together the tools, the oil, I used Silkolene Pro 2.5 WT. (a one litre pot had enough for 530ml in each leg, (those people in Belper are generous to a fault), a jack to raise the bike and stands to allow it to rest safely with the front wheel clear of the ground. The instructions that come with the valves are good but not specific to this bike so I hope this will fill in the gaps.
Work down the list and tick the jobs off as you do them.
With the bike safely on stands take off the ‘bodywork’ and the other parts in this order, (put the screws back in the captive nuts or threads as you remove them because some are different lengths.)
1/ SEAT
2/ SCREEN
3/ TOP ‘TANK’ PANEL (unplug the aux jack)
4/ INDICATOR CONNECTORS, (they unplug a few inches along the wire so can be left in position)
5/ SIDE PANELS
6/ FRONT MUDGUARD
7/ FRONT BEAK AND PLASTIC CROSS TRIM. (This is a pest to replace, check how it’s fixed as you take it out)
8/ FORK BRIDGE PIECE.
9/ ABS SENSOR
10/ BRAKE CALLIPER, (wrap this in a piece of cloth and let it hang secure it out of the way, block the front brake lever from being squeezed to prevent the calliper pistons from moving out.)
11/ FRONT WHEEL, (hold it up whilst taking out the spindle so that the ABS ‘rotor’ is not damaged)
12/ FORK LEGS, (undo the top clamp screws first, the forks slide out quite freely once the bottom screws are released.)
Now we can attend to the forks, clean them first as we do not need any dirt in side them.
Clamp the fork leg vertically in a vice with soft jaws and prise off the plastic cap. Inside there is an aluminium plug with a blind hole in the top, push this down a little with, say, the plastic handle of a screwdriver, (it may need a thump with a mallet to unstick it), what you do now is to push the plug down a little and pry the ends of the wire circlip out of it’s groove, you can then dislodge it and take it out.
Put the fork leg on the floor and slowly compress it, the plug will pop out of the top first, then the black plastic ‘spacer’ and then the spring. Put these to one side for cleaning, empty the oil from the fork and leave upside down to drain, you may wish to rinse it with a suitable cleaning fluid, mine had oxide‘debris’ from the surface of the heat treated spring.
(I cut 14mm off the length off each black plastic spacer to compensate for the Intiminator valve preloading the spring.)
Next we refer to the Ricor instructions that for us follow this pattern, I refer to one leg only, the other will be the same.
1/ EXTEND THE LEG AND POUR 500ml OF OIL INTO IT.
2/ PUSH THE LEG UP AND DOWN A LITTLE TO REMOVE ANY AIR.
3/ PLACE THE INTIMINATOR VALVE IN THE TOP OF THE FORK TUBE, (NUT END UP) AND SLIDE IT DOWN SLOWLY WITH THE FORK SPRING.
4/ PLACE THE SPACER ON TOP OF THE SPRING.
5/ ADD 30ml OF OIL.
6/ CLAMP THE TOP OF THE FORK VERTICALLY IN THE VICE, SOFT JAWS, NOT TOO TIGHT.
7/ POSITION THE ALUMINIUM PLUG, BLIND HOLE FACING UP, IN THE TOP OF THE FORK TUBE AND PRESS IT IN, IT HAS AN ‘O’ RING SO IT MAY NEED A THUMP TO START IT!
8/ PUSH THE PLUG DOWN AGAINST THE SPRING AND PUT THE WIRE CIRCLIP ENDS INTO THE SECOND GROOVE DOWN AND CLICK IT INTO THAT GROOVE.
9/ PUT THE PLASTIC CAP ON.
ASSEMBLE THE FORKS BACK ON THE BIKE IN REVERSE ORDER OF DISMANTLING, REMEMBER TO CHECK THE TORQUE SETTINGS FROM THE BMW BOOK AND AGAIN TICK OFF THE JOBS AS YOU DO THEM.
In conclusion, they do work! There can be no more severe a test than a ride on suburban Surrey roads, a ride through Warlingham and on to Woldingham would normally shake your fillings out, now you can glide down the pot holes and up the other side in style! Also, the front no longer dives to the ground at the touch of the brake, a great bike is now brilliant.
Not cheap at £176 a set plus £14 for the oil but the best mod I’ve done so far, does tend to show up the limitations of the rear suspension but I think with Viking Vinyl’s good work on the seat I can live with that.
went Dutch, Yacugars front Ohlin Rear now it corners like its on rails 
