About to buy...ESA problems anyone?

[Bruce]

Hello all,

I am new to this forum, and appreciate all the info to be found here. I have decided to buy a new GSA and am debating ESA vs no ESA. I am concerned that the additional software and moving action (raising/lowering the bike) leave room for problems on the road.

Has anyone with a 09 or late model GS/A experienced any problems (my dealer said BMW has mod'ed bikes that have had issues)? Any general advice on things to consider or questions to ask at the dealership would be welcome.

Cheers!

 

[elevensies]

Bruce, i wouldnt worry too much, bumw got caught out big time (and still are)
and tried to ensure that their little electrical gremlins have been sorted.

So if you really must have a new gs, its a chance you will have to take.

If you really want a gsa, one that wont come with these niggles, get a 1150 gsa.

No debate.

 

[wilbjr21]

Yup get a nice 1150.

Just my little joke.

 

[elevensies]

dont get the joke tho wilb?

 

[elevensies]

an i thought i had seen that bike before, its vilguys an its up for sale

or am i missing somethng here?

cheap tho

 

[red1]

Hello all,

I am new to this forum, and appreciate all the info to be found here. I have decided to buy a new GSA and am debating ESA vs no ESA. I am concerned that the additional software and moving action (raising/lowering the bike) leave room for problems on the road.

Has anyone with a 09 or late model GS/A experienced any problems (my dealer said BMW has mod'ed bikes that have had issues)? Any general advice on things to consider or questions to ask at the dealership would be welcome.

Cheers!

Had 2 years with ESA on a K1200GT. It works as it says it works. After the initial "new toy" wore off I hardly used it in 24K.

I had one fault, a snapped wire to the front unit that was fixed under warranty.

Just remember, each suspension unit costs in excess of £2,000. That's why I bought an '07 GSA without any of the "toys".

 

[LBL]

ESA

I just picked up my new GSA today, without ESA, but everything else, my 08GS i traded in again did not have ESA.

If i go two up or carry lots of luggage i turn the preload up by hand by as many notches as it needs, why have ESA that only moves to 3 positions ?

Its a personal and i prefer the ride without the extra weight and electrinic stuff, others may love it and it is a personal choice but im pretty sure if you didnt have it you wouldnt miss it.

hope this helps

 

[elevensies]

If i go two up or carry lots of luggage i turn the preload up by hand by as many notches as it needs, why have ESA that only moves to 3 positions ?

just to add my 2p worth, i think your mistaking preload with ESA

pre load, is NOT something you turn to adjust the ride height, like the ESA is, pre load is there to adjust the sag, not to raise or lower anything. It also smothes out the springiness of the shock, and to get it right you need to adjust the rebound
you also should have 1/3 of sag when loaded, either with you alone, or fully loaded

 

[JJH]

my 09 gsa with esa 3000 miles no problems JJH

 

[red1]

my 09 gsa with esa 3000 miles no problems JJH

No offence JJH, but are we getting to the stage where we consider it an achievement when our "premium priced" motorcycle has covered 3,000 miles without an electronics problem?

[Devils Advocate Mode]
When your 09 is a 6 years old, 30K model how will the secondhand market perceive an ESA bike against a non-ESA bike?

People who buy secondhand do so mainly because they can't afford new, so will the thought of expensive ESA replacements sour the market?

ESA is only 3 years old and now we have ESA2 with even more gadgetry ......

Since January I can honestly say I've not missed ESA.

 

[elefantmanshawn]

Do you really need esa?,didn't want it on mine,why bother with a daft bit of kit,same applies with the tyre thing and abs and heated grips,buy good kit,set up your motorcycle to suit your needs and keep your bike pure to form.
Seems to be that we all buy a bike but what we really want is a two wheel car.Just be sure to buy a GSA not just the GS

 

[Colban]

Just remember, each suspension unit costs in excess of £2,000.

Does this mean that come,say 30K miles when the shocks are due for replacement you have to fit OEM kit rather than Wilbers or Ohlins?.
Can the OEM kit be rebuilt?.

 

[original_concept]

Tada...

I'd rather not find out! Hence why ESA for those doing large mileage IMHO also need very deep pockets to cover replacement ESA. Plus I hazard a guess that replacing ESA with non-ESA requires a computer reset somewhere :-/

I'd love to have the ease of ESA, but the replacement cost is stupid money compared to vanilla shocks (which are expensive enough).

WP do an ESA set for non-ESA bikes in the region of £1600, I think, plus I believe WP designed ESA.

Allez, Honda France. (off topic).

 

[cocokid]

esa

My rt has esa and i hardly use it I find the ride to choppy on sport mode,tend to leave it in normal,I miss my gsa so despite the cost have ordered a new one to replace the rt, without esa, and saved £500 odd quid.

 

[Robbo1200ADV]

ESA easy to use and you notice the difference.For Day in day out riding its usefull ,if it goes wrong you wont be stranded but if you do loads of offroad it could fail I guess ,like any suspension system

 

[Phil Clarke]

I didn't want it but every bike in the UK had it and I couldn't be bothered waiting for a special build. Plus the discount I got meant it was free and then some. Time will tell how effective it will be...

 

[autogs]

my 08 gsa had a leaking rear esa unit,(4000 miles) replaced under warrenty no prob,dealer told me replacement cost about 600 quid,plus fitting,even so i find it really good esp if you press on a bit(that bit for adam a)

 

[wilbjr21]

my 08 gsa had a leaking rear esa unit,(4000 miles) replaced under warrenty no prob,dealer told me replacement cost about 600 quid,plus fitting,even so i find it really good esp if you press on a bit(that bit for adam a)

Nice to see some facts at last.

£600 - seems OK for a quality shocker in my book.

I like the ESA system and find it very useful. The settings have been arrived at by experts - and it shows.

 

[Paul Wakefield]

ESA has been around for quite a while. Certainly 4 years on the Boxers and longer if you take the Ks into account. There has of course been the odd problem reported but on the whole they appear to have been very reliable.

In November 07, WP quoted me £175 + parts and VAT to service both units when required. As it happened I changed my bike before it was necessary; in fact the shocks felt absolutely fine at 27k.

Personally I love the ESA. Stick it on comfort or Normal on the motorway and then switch to Sports on the fly in the twisties. The preload side of it gets used quite a bit as well. Necessary - of course not but effective, useful and fun? Certainly.

There was a theory doing the rounds on Advrider that the shocks might last longer because they spend more time on the correct settings. Probably rubbish but it's a thought.

 

[Andy_E]

I suspect that if there were any recurring problems with ESA as there are with FPCs and ring antennae then there'd be plenty of posts here or on Advrider or BMW Club about them.

I had sportsbikes with fully adjustable suspension and to be honest never really bothered to play with it - not my thing really. Now I tend to change settings on-the-fly quite often, I also carry a pillion frequently and there's an element of convenience. I may not be getting the ultimate performance from the suspension that I would if I was manually tweaking but tbh I doubt I'm pushing the bike anywhere near hard enough to notice.