Anyone fitted WP Suspension on a 1200GS?

[Eunuch]

I've had a good dig around and see lots of varying views on what suspension and what gains, if any, people have seen by upgrading because they want better or replacing because its shagged. I've only done 16K miles on my 2006 GS and though the suspension is OK I'm looking for a bit more and have settled on replacing it with WP Spin Rear (with remote hydraulic preload) and the standard Emulsion unit on the front, coming in at a whopping £1068.95 incl postage. Ouch.

What I wanted to ask has anyone got this combo and do they find it a real improvement over stock? I guess I'm a standard rider at 12 stone who likes the more 'spirited' one-up side of biking but takes SMWBO now and again touring/pub run, etc. I know WP will set these up to my weight and riding specifications but I'd really appreciate feedback from others who have changed to WP. I have a friend who has these units and he seems to ride on rails - he's gifted and I know that counts for a lot.

Appreciate any feedback.

 

[Thunder]

Ouch is the word!

Never had WP but have run both Ohlins and Wilbers on a 1200 GS, for quality, performance and value for money (particularly in light of the discounts available through the group buys on the site) the Wilbers are hard to beat.

At the end of the day it's a personal decision of course.

 

[Slowdown]

Yep - I'm running that combo on mine. I'm no riding god, but couldn't cope with the OE shocks 'performance' someone posted what Maxton found wrong with the OE shicks on here - and that's what I found.

The WP units make a big difference - the rear doesn't squat on acceleration and the front doesn't skip on bumpy surfaces. Lifting the front wheel is more 'predictable' too without the bars heading towards a tank slapper when you give it a bit of right hand.

And I paid nowhere near that amount - they should be <£800 (perhaps I bargain hard?) for a Spin with remote pre-load rear and an emulsion front plus fitting. Although fitting them is very easy.


Very recommended!

 

[Eunuch]

Its a bigger ouch than I thought .. that's £1055 + VAT + £13.95P&P = £1253.57 !!!

Thunder, did you get the Spin rear with the remote hydraulic adjuster and the straight Emulsion front? They are quoting £700+VAT for the rear and £355+VAT for the front. A grand I maybe could stomach, but £1253 and then have to pay someone to fit them is a bit rich.

 

[Funners]

if you don't wanna pay that sort of money....then you'll get Wilbers units for around £900 all singing and dancing rear...(remote pre-load, high/low speed compression and rebound adjustments) and a front with adjustable damping and pre-load
Every accessory, worth mentioning you are a member here as well..

 

[Thunder]

Its a bigger ouch than I thought .. that's £1055 + VAT + £13.95P&P = £1253.57 !!!

Thunder, did you get the Spin rear with the remote hydraulic adjuster and the straight Emulsion front? They are quoting £700+VAT for the rear and £355+VAT for the front. A grand I maybe could stomach, but £1253 and then have to pay someone to fit them is a bit rich.

Eunuch as I said I never used the WP, but an all singing all dancing set of Wilburs (remote preload adjuster and hi and low compression adjuster on the rear came inarround £840 with a 10% discount and Essjay has a 20% discount deal on the go at the moment.

As for fitting I did that myself

 

[Slowdown]

FWIW, I just called the UK importer - http://www.wpsuspension.co.uk and said 'So, what's your best price then?' Dominic Littlewood - pah! amateur!

I have the receipt in front of me, and it's cheaper than Wilbers, inc VAT, inc delivery and less their paltry 10%

But no-one listens to me

P.S. - the WP Spin rear comes height adjustable too.... Free, no extra charge like

 

[Eunuch]

Thanks Thunder (I meant to ask Slowdown) and Slowdown for the replies.

I'll call the UK WP Importer today and ask what his best price is. I know the dollar has dropped a bit but it ain't anywhere near the difference between £800 and £1200.

 

[Bones]

Aren't the standard units maufactured by WP? I'm sure that they used to be.

 

[Eunuch]

I spoke to the importer today and though they did offer a modest discount though it wasn't much. They said there has been some recent price increases that they say mirror other manufacturers doing and these generally reflect changes in the Euro rate changes because the WP units are manufactured in The Netherlands. Was news to me. Either way I need to think carefully - this is a lot of money.

 

[Owen Snell]

I spoke to the importer today and though they did offer a modest discount though it wasn't much. They said there has been some recent price increases that they say mirror other manufacturers doing and these generally reflect changes in the Euro rate changes because the WP units are manufactured in The Netherlands. Was news to me. Either way I need to think carefully - this is a lot of money.

They are pulling your plonker about the Euro exchange rate. I trade in Euro zone products and the rate has been stable at around 1.25 Euro to the pound since about April this year - more than 6 months.

The dollar is up a lot recently making raw materials priced in dollars relatively higher, but since commodity prices are on the slide, this is hardly an excuse.

Also, there is a lot of whinging from euro zone manufacturers about cost increases from their parts suppliers, but this is changing as their economy is in the same state as ours.

Do what the others said and go for one of the other brand name suppliers - their prices seem much keener and there is a lot of good feedback on this site for their stuff.

 

[Peter Reilly]

I have WP spin units front and rear and am very pleased with them. I was going to fit an emulsion at the front but WP shipped the wrong unit and I managed to get a spin for an emulsion price. The WP springs are stiffer than standard BMW ones and the damping on recommended settings is quite aggressive. With the spin unit there is a lot to fiddle with and I was initially not happy with them, too harsh although very stable handling. I went to a track day and got Racelab to set them up and was amazed at the transformation. Much better ride quality but still very stable handling. They backed the damping right off but also set up the sag properly. With a spin unit you can adjust preload, ride height, low speed compression, high speed compression and rebound. There is therefore a lot you can get wrong. Racelab also said that they would recommend a softer spring on the front, which I have not got around to so far.

So my answer is that the WP units are excellent but are noticeably firmer than the BMW ones and do benefit from expert setting up.