I thought it must have gone tits up for a second there Schtum
Hmmm......how did that sneak in there...?
There is a 2014 in my garage as well now but that's my son's bike.
1200GSA LC ESA harsh suspension
- Thread starter Paul G (BHT)
- Start date
Hmmm......how did that sneak in there...?
There is a 2014 in my garage as well now but that's my son's bike.
Paul G - did you get this sorted in the end?
Went out on my new GSA this morning and after stopping to fill up with fuel a warning light came on with message "!ESA". This meant that the ESA had stopped working and no amount of switching it off and on would fix it. This also put the damping into some form of safe mode which gave the ride quality you have been experiencing.
Was close to my dealer and so popped in and they managed to reset the ESA and did some form of updated software download and all good - hopefully just a one off
Then did a 280 mile round trip to Wales using some very rough roads and bike performed perfectly (ESA in one person + luggage setting with damping on soft damping worked best for me).
May not be related to your problem but worth seeing if your dealer can reset the ESA and download any software updates
Went out on my new GSA this morning and after stopping to fill up with fuel a warning light came on with message "!ESA". This meant that the ESA had stopped working and no amount of switching it off and on would fix it. This also put the damping into some form of safe mode which gave the ride quality you have been experiencing.
Was close to my dealer and so popped in and they managed to reset the ESA and did some form of updated software download and all good - hopefully just a one off
Then did a 280 mile round trip to Wales using some very rough roads and bike performed perfectly (ESA in one person + luggage setting with damping on soft damping worked best for me).
May not be related to your problem but worth seeing if your dealer can reset the ESA and download any software updates
Paul G - did you get this sorted in the end?
Went out on my new GSA this morning and after stopping to fill up with fuel a warning light came on with message "!ESA". This meant that the ESA had stopped working and no amount of switching it off and on would fix it. This also put the damping into some form of safe mode which gave the ride quality you have been experiencing.
Was close to my dealer and so popped in and they managed to reset the ESA and did some form of updated software download and all good - hopefully just a one off
Then did a 280 mile round trip to Wales using some very rough roads and bike performed perfectly (ESA in one person + luggage setting with damping on soft damping worked best for me).
May not be related to your problem but worth seeing if your dealer can reset the ESA and download any software updates
I thought you only went 'Basic', why the ESA ?
Having broken my back last year requiring surgery/metal work etc - being able to adjust the suspension on the go is a big advantage for me
That said having gone on about my last "Basic" toilet GS my latest GSA is the full fat TE
Having broken my back last year requiring surgery/metal work etc - being able to adjust the suspension on the go is a big advantage for me
That said having gone on about my last "Basic" toilet GS my latest GSA is the full fat TE
Fair enough....................the Full Monty now
Paul G, did you get your harsh ride sorted? My new 2014 bike is definitely a harsher ride than my previous 2013 bike, I asked dealer to check at first service, they reloaded the program but it's still does not have as comfortable a ride as my first bike, please let me know how you get on. Ireland tour starts in the morning, so I'll have to catch up on this post later on, maybe next weekend even, but I'd still like to know if you get any success and what caused the issue.
No Paul, the issue is still there. The soft setting is certainly not what it used to be.
My bike has been completely reprogrammed but still the harshness of the soft setting is still something that is concerning me, not only from a comfort aspect but also safety.
What tyres did you have on your 2013 LC, and what do you have on your 2014 bike?
While mine was in having other work done I had use of a demo LC GSA, this rode totally different to mine. The only noticeable difference was the demo had Continental Trail Attack tyres where as mine has the Michellen Annakee 3.
The next step, I guess, would be to try the TA tyres on yours. Maybe see if the dealer is prepared to try this.
Mine came with Trail Attack fitted from new, these are one of my preferred tyres, I am going out this morning on some roads I know to be lumpy to see if I can replicate the poor ride experience I had in Yorkshire recently, I'll be back..................
Have a good ride Steve
For what's it worth mine came with Trail Attacks as well but find it hard to believe that the tyres could make that much difference.
Anyone heard from Steve since this morning.... I am going out this morning on some roads I know to be lumpy to see if I can replicate the poor ride experience I had in Yorkshire recently, I'll be back..................
When I first got my GS I thought the ride was a tad harsh. If I put it on soft damping, the bike wallowed in the corners but still seemed to crash it's way over ripples and uneven surfaces.
So I lowered the tyre pressures from the convential 36 / 42 to about 34 / 40. It instantly made a difference and now had a slightly softer spring over the poor surfaces. It allowed me to firm up the ESA and keep a really tight feel to the chasis, but now float over the rough stuff at the same time.
I am convinced (although I've never had a chat with any of the big tyre guru techno types ...) that the adventure tyres that are made for these sorts of bikes probably have either stiffer sidewalls or a heavier carcass or something along those lines.
For me, dropping the pressure has given me the perfect spring in the tyre, coupled with a good suspension set up and I constantly run them at 34 / 40
So I lowered the tyre pressures from the convential 36 / 42 to about 34 / 40. It instantly made a difference and now had a slightly softer spring over the poor surfaces. It allowed me to firm up the ESA and keep a really tight feel to the chasis, but now float over the rough stuff at the same time.
I am convinced (although I've never had a chat with any of the big tyre guru techno types ...) that the adventure tyres that are made for these sorts of bikes probably have either stiffer sidewalls or a heavier carcass or something along those lines.
For me, dropping the pressure has given me the perfect spring in the tyre, coupled with a good suspension set up and I constantly run them at 34 / 40
Anyone heard from Steve since this morning
Ah yes........the ride, nothing to report really the bike behaved well, I used a variety of road types and different surfaces many of them rippled and potholed with no ill effect, ESA was initially set to rider plus luggage which is as I left it after the Yorkshire weekend, in this setting the ride was a little harsh but not unduly so, re-setting the ESA to rider only mode and switching between soft and normal depending on the surface I couldn't replicate the poor ride experience
Thanks Giles..... I lowered the tyre pressures from the convential 36 / 42 to about 34 / 40. It instantly made a difference and now had a slightly softer spring over the poor surfaces....
For me, dropping the pressure has given me the perfect spring in the tyre, coupled with a good suspension set up and I constantly run them at 34 / 40
I'm currently trying 2.4/2.7bar 35/39psi so will try dropping a lb off the front and adding one to the rear to see if that helps.
don't think that its the tyres .
perhaps "demand" that a new set of ESA shocks be put on the bike and the suspension recalibrated. If it feels the same as your original ones , you pay. If it feels different , then its warranty work.
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perhaps "demand" that a new set of ESA shocks be put on the bike and the suspension recalibrated. If it feels the same as your original ones , you pay. If it feels different , then its warranty work.
.
I would certainly try Gile's suggestion, not least as it's easy and free. Tyre walls on modern tyres are very hard / stiff.
If it makes no difference, at least you'll have excluded that possibility. If it improves things, you'll have found a cure. Finding the cure does not necessarily mean that your ESA was not working correctly; all it's done is introduce a fix. Equally, the ESA may well have been working perfectly well, you just didn't like the results it was giving along certain roads.
Suspension is a very personal thing, not least as everyone rides bikes differently and expects different things of it. The great thing is that it's easy to fiddle with and is easy to undo the changes / return to standard.
If it makes no difference, at least you'll have excluded that possibility. If it improves things, you'll have found a cure. Finding the cure does not necessarily mean that your ESA was not working correctly; all it's done is introduce a fix. Equally, the ESA may well have been working perfectly well, you just didn't like the results it was giving along certain roads.
Suspension is a very personal thing, not least as everyone rides bikes differently and expects different things of it. The great thing is that it's easy to fiddle with and is easy to undo the changes / return to standard.
Ah yes........the ride, nothing to report really the bike behaved well, I used a variety of road types and different surfaces many of them rippled and potholed with no ill effect, ESA was initially set to rider plus luggage which is as I left it after the Yorkshire weekend, in this setting the ride was a little harsh but not unduly so, re-setting the ESA to rider only mode and switching between soft and normal depending on the surface I couldn't replicate the poor ride experience
It's obviously those dodgy Yorkshire roads.
All those years of horses and carts, and cobbled roads under the Tarmac, cause havoc with modern motorcycle suspension.
