BMW Sportster - Front anti-roll bar

[martinclan]

I dutifully went out and bought new mounts and drop links for the front ant-roll bar from BMW but when I came to fit it last night it seems Marlin are using something else. A quick look at the pictures on the Marlin CD confirm this - the mounts and links look nothing like the BMW ones. Does anyone know what the source of these is?

Robin Martin
martinclan(at)tiscali.co.uk

[pnutter21]

Re: BMW Sportster - Front anti-roll bar

Hi Robin,
after lenghthy correspondance with Terry at marlin, she insists that it is not necessary to fit the front or rear anti-roll bars at all, despite the pictures on the build manual. You'll notice that the roll bar mounting parts are no longer listed in the kit parts price list and the demo car doesn't have it fitted.

[martinclan]

Re: BMW Sportster - Front anti-roll bar

Hi Peter
Thanks for your reply - I will see what Terry has to say then. Its strange because on my (brand new) kit the mountings for the anti roll bar appear on both the chassis and wishbones - you would have thought they would have omitted these if the anti roll bar was no longer used - it would be fewer welds that they have to make and hence reduced cost.

Kind regards

Robin

[killundine]

Re: BMW Sportster - Front anti-roll bar

If you want to fit them you can do what I did and fabricate your own drop links. I used two mini engine steady bars (I think) that I bought for a couple of quid at Donnington and shortened (cut and shut and re-welded) them at home. The brackets for the rubbers I made by welding an extra lug on the BMW originals and then grit blasting them in my little cabinet and painting them up. Seems to work OK. Marlin didn't tell me that I didn't need them but then I didn't ask.

[jeremy]

Re: BMW Sportster - Front anti-roll bar

Did you use a E30 anti-roll bar? I obtained an E36 bar but it won't fit!

Had difficulty with the rear too - my donor is a Z3 and I am not convinced that the drop links are in quite the right locaton.

[martinclan]

Re: BMW Sportster - Front anti-roll bar

Hi Nick
So have you completed your BMW Sportster? - I would like to pick your brains on some other stuff if you have time. Perhaps you could email me on martinclan(at)tiscali.co.uk if thats OK.

Kind regards

Robin

[Patrick]

Re: BMW Sportster - Front anti-roll bar

I've tried test fitting the rear, but need to make up some brackets to hold it in place. Seems to work ok. The bar needs to be spaced away from the mounting location a bit or it gets stuck on the bracket that holds the back of the diff. Not looked at the front yet as I am waiting for ball joints. My donor was an E30 touring. I've bought new links for the rear. The front ones still look ok. I will update as I make progress.

Patrick
www.msportster.co.uk

[amalgamated users from prior forum]

Re: BMW Sportster - Front anti-roll bar

Message originally posted by: Patrick Short
I tried test fitting the front one today. Seems to work ok, but I can't be sure as I am waiting for the shocks, steering rack and ball joints. I loosed the little brackets that hold the bottom of the drop link and turn it by 90degrees which seems to work ok. I will put some pictures up on my site as soon as I have the front together and I have confirmed everything fits. I still need to make the brackets for it so I have just used the donor ones for test fitting.