1200ADV ESA - does it change the height?

[Dale]

Another ESA question .....

The way I understand ESA is that switching between Sport/normal/Comfort modes will raise or lower the suspension. However, I had a ride on one the other day and with the engine running, at standstill could not feel the bike going up and down.

I suppose I was hoping for the kind of effect you used to get from a Range Rover fitted with air suspension - have I got the wrong idea about ESA? or was I changing the wrong setting?

Being somewhat vertically challenged, I want to be able to set the suspension to a low setting for commuting and then be able to raise it for touring & when off road.

If this is not possible, then I may as well go for one with a 'regular' suspension.... or am I missing something here?

Dale

 

[wilbjr21]

Yes the ESA does change the height of the bike .............. but you have to be in the correct mode and fulfill the safety conditions.
1. Engine running
2. Bike in neutral
3. Bike stationary
4. press and hole the ESA button until the display flashes the 1 crash helmet symbol (assuming it is set for single rider)
5. Then you cycle through the options as you did with the normal/comfort/sport (you can cycle through the comfort /normal/sport while on the move).
6. When you have reached the setting you want don't press the button again and this will be the new setting.

Switching between comfort/normal/sport will not change the height - only the damping characteristic.

 

[Dale]

Thanks.

Can you actually FEEL the bike raising or lowering once you have found the setting you want? or does the new setting only kick in once on the move?

Dale

 

[Ringmaster999]

On the move as has been said the bike can only be altered for compresion and this does NOT alter the height in any way. If however you set the bike up for off road work (two settings 1 gentle gravel type roads 2 More uneven ground) then the bike does raise in height quite considerably. In fact when I had the standard seat fitted the off road settings caused me some difficulty in getting that all important foot down. The 1st setting raises the bike but again the 2nd is the most noticeable. You can see/feel the bike move but be careful as the manual recomends that if it's cold or loaded up you should dismount the bike whilst it is altering the preload. Hope this helps

 

[Deleted Member I]

The ESA from what I understand is just an electronic version of the adjuster knob. so instead of turning the adjuster yourself, you can adjust with a press of a button.

Whether you could "feel" it move depends on how sensitive your bottom is
Saying that though .. if you want to see the "range" of movement, then select to the "single helmet" setting. Stop. Then set it to the "double height mountain" setting. One is the lowest and the other highest.

BTW .. why do you need to "feel" it move?

 

[Dale]

Thanks folks. makes more sense now.

BTW .. why do you need to "feel" it move?

I had a demo for a while the other day and while fiddling with the ESA pre-load settings there was definately no difference in ride height. This made me wonder if the ESA is just a marketing trick, but from the posts above it sounds like the ESA on the demo was not working, or I didn't set it correctly.
Will pop in at the dealer again in the week and have another go.

Other than that , no need to feel it working

Dale

 

[(RIP) Nakambale]

definitely can feel it move on the off road settings, also on the one up/two up settings with luggage ( or it was the feck I am struggling to get my feet flat on the ground now moment that gave it away)

 

[SimonR]

You can deff feel the move when stationary.

When stationary and when you hold down the ESA button the suspension will eventually move over to high mountanious terrain with 3 large mountain sysmbols, when you go from 1 rider no luggage to full mountain terrain you feel the suspension raise front and rear, and opposite when you go from full off road back down to 1 rider.

On the move you get, Comfy, Norm and sport and off road settings you get
Soft, medium and hard. On full off road with soft travel you get 20mm more fork travel.

Think the settings go.
rider only,
rider with pillon
rider with 1 luggage
rider with 2 luggage
off road
full off road.

I may not be 100% percent on this but its a good idea anyway.
I tried to rag it on full off road with soft travel on the road at high speed and almost came off, the bike is all over the place and scared the hell outta me, I immediatly stopped, back to 1 rider and sport mode, sweet.

 

[sockpuppet]

Bear in mind if you stop and feel the bike "lift" it could just be the bike taking up some of the suspension sag as the pre load is wound up.

 

[Robbo1200ADV]

Yep it goes up and down at the press of a button!!

 

[SonicTheHedgehog]

The bike definitely jacks itself up on the "heavy off-road" setting - takes a good while to do it, but you can feel the rear winding up, then the front.

Most use I've got out of that setting thus far is to give the bike a bit safer a lean angle on the sidestand when parked on a hill.