Wunderlich Suspensions Tested: Electronics Meet Precision

Track photos by pixelrace.de

The company Wunderlich is already a well-known name in the accessories sector with a focus on BMW. In recent years, however, Wunderlich has also become very intensively involved in the suspension sector in collaboration with TracTive Suspension and has developed very innovative solutions. Especially in the electronic suspension sector, they now have a solution that allows replacing the standard suspension elements with optimized ones without triggering a fault code.

This is achieved by using a solenoid valve that operates with the same connectors and current supply as the original elements. As a result, the electronics detect no difference, and any potential fault codes are suppressed. Diagnostic capabilities also remain intact, which makes servicing easier at a normal bike dealer.

Since the solenoid valve has a different design, the corresponding damping can be adjusted with the same current supply. Only the control algorithm of the suspension electronics remains pre-programmed as in the standard system. This is a point that even suspension manufacturers cannot easily change, since it would require accessing and modifying the internal suspension ECU.

But to be able to make adjustments here as well, Wunderlich takes a very pragmatic approach and equips the solenoid valve with an additional conventional damping piston with a matching shim setting, in order to be able to make optimizations in these areas too. In combination with mechanical adjusters on the reservoir, the damping can thus additionally be changed in the conventional way using an Allen key. The electronic adjustment options via the display are of course retained and can be changed while riding, just as in the standard system. In a sense, they combine the advantages of both worlds.

And why do they do this? Well, electronic suspensions, especially when using electromagnetic valves, offer a very large adjustment range that can additionally reach any desired value within just 10 milliseconds. Here, simplified, only a needle in a bore controls the damping. To achieve a damping characteristic similar to a conventional damping system, the needle must move to different positions at different compression speeds. This means a very complex control process in which compression speeds also have to be measured and taken into account. Due to the still somewhat limited experience in this area, it is not quite so easy to get a suspension optimized in all operating conditions purely through electronics. This became particularly apparent with the first fully electronic suspensions, such as on the HP4. Especially in extreme conditions like racing, limits were quickly reached that could not be easily resolved. That's why, in these areas, people mostly switched back to already well-known and proven damping systems with damping pistons and settings.

By combining both systems, Wunderlich's suspensions now bring together the advantages of each, and to demonstrate this, Wunderlich invited us to a comprehensive test ride. Four bikes of very different classes were fitted with the electronic retrofit suspensions and brought to what is arguably THE test track - the Nordschleife. A 20 km long track that winds through the Eifel region and is instantly familiar to anyone even remotely connected to motorsport. With the most varied combinations of corners, extreme gradients, blind bends, and constantly changing road surfaces, anyone turning onto the Nordschleife for the first time quickly understands why the track is also called "the Green Hell." Since it has unfortunately become almost impossible to ride for bikes recently, Wunderlich, in cooperation with the ADAC and Doc Sholl, made a test ride on the legendary track possible.

First, I was able to lap a few rounds on the S1000RR with electronic suspension, BMW's superbike. Making improvements here is no easy task, since the standard suspension already does a good job and the RR's basic geometry brings a lot of stability with it. Nevertheless, especially in extreme riding situations like hard acceleration out of deep lean angles or trail braking under maximum deceleration, there are still areas where suspensions have to meet criteria beyond everyday usability. And that's where a suspension tuner can make a difference. And in these small areas, you can indeed feel these, admittedly small, differences. As a now grey-haired ex-racer and suspension technician, I'm pleased that, in addition to the electronic adjustment, I also have mechanical adjusters available that let me make adjustments on-site. These are also noticeable - adjusting these adjusters noticeably shifts the damping range in addition to the electronic control. For example, I found the damping settings for some sections of the Nordschleife too harsh, but this was easily softened with a simple adjustment of the compression adjusters. The same of course applies to the fork. Wunderlich doesn't just offer shocks but also complete electronic closed cartridge kits that replace the internals of the standard forks and thus offer the same options as the shocks.

After the RR, I also rode the M1000R, likewise fitted with a modified suspension. This bike is not exactly the picture of calm at particularly high speeds and tends toward light headshake in the standard configuration. The suspension conversion helps somewhat to improve stability, but a riding behavior like the RR's is not to be expected due to the concept. Here, even at their best functionality, the suspensions can't conjure up a superbike. Nevertheless, the Wunderlich components help make the bike more predictable and more transparent in the extreme areas already described above.

Besides the very sporty "R" and "RR" bikes, there was also the opportunity to test the suspensions with the M1000XR, the touring-capable and comfort-oriented four-cylinder, and the boxer R 1250 GS from BMW. Here I must say, however, very large and, for every rider, noticeable differences were apparent. These bikes are fundamentally designed strongly for comfort and have a correspondingly comfort-oriented suspension setup in standard form. But if you want to ride them sportily on country roads or even a race track, you quickly get things moving even in the sportiest setting and miss the feedback needed at the limit.

In this case, the Wunderlich suspensions offer a significant improvement and turn the XR and even the GS into track-capable versions. Technical development lead Frank Hoffmann demonstrated this impressively. Thanks to his good knowledge of the Nordschleife, he set the pace on the GS in an impressive manner. With his many years of experience in the suspension field, he is significantly involved in the design of the suspensions. He also gets support from a full-blooded racer and former IDM teammate of mine - Stefan Nebel. He also impressively proved that he still knows how to move bikes quickly. So he's a very good addition and has also been part of Wunderlich's development process for many years now. For me, riding together with Stefan was like a flashback to a very good time we shared together. That's why for me it was not just a test but also a reunion with very nice people. This good atmosphere is also reflected in everyone involved. A good foundation for successful development.

Over the 2 days, Wunderlich demonstrated that they're not just capable of simple bike accessories, but have also taken a big step toward high-quality suspension components. With the main focus on BMW, Wunderlich can nevertheless also offer suspensions in various forms for many other bike brands. Regardless of the actual function, the new electronic suspensions from Wunderlich can be adapted to almost any rider's wishes, making the electronically controlled suspensions significantly more track-capable as well. When ordering, a basic setup can already be taken into account at delivery by specifying rider preference, weight, and intended use.

So another global player in the suspension sector is now at the starting blocks, and it's worth taking a closer look at Wunderlich's model list: Wunderlich Online Shop.