Buying GSA with ASC ESA Good or Bad idea?

you can change damper settings ie,sport comfort and normal but to change the preload you have to be stationary with the engine runing
 
So, if you have any feeling in your backside you should be able to tell the difference between the ESA modes. It doesn't answer the OP's question.

Will the bike be maintained with an extended warranty. Yes? Like the idea of ESA? Yes? Then have it.

Will the bike be maintained with an extended warranty. No? Can you afford and are you happy with the prospect of spending £'000's to repair/replace the ESA? Yes? Then have it.

Are you a riding God? Yes? Don't have it, buy the Wilbers superior version as an after market improvement.

Do you believe that any add-ons will eventually fail and piss you off? Yes? Buy a bog basic bike.
 
BMW provide one size fits all springs and dampers. Revs Racing (Wilburs) match spring rates to the rider's weight and heavy springs will (I guess) get stiffer damping. Maybe a heavy rider on standard suspension will feel less ESA effect than a lighter rider. That said I can easily tell the damping differences riding solo or two up.

I like the ESA and yes it will cost a small mortgage to replace with Wilbers WESA. But worn or high mileage shocks can be serviced for about £150 each. There is a recent thread about that.
 
Hi,

New to forum.

Looking for GSA but what's everybody's take on buying with all the tech stuff on it?

What are the pro's and cons?

I will be carrying pillion so being able to adjust preload etc. on the move appeals to me.

I suspect resale values are better but repair cost a greater?

Any advice is appreciated :)

Buy it with everything on it, hell I've even got tyre pressure sensors on mine and am VERY pleased I have them after a rear wheel blowout last week on my car.

What I don't have is a top box but that's easy to sort post purchase - extras that cannot be retro fitted are the ones you should give most consideration to.
 
As your fishtailing down the road a red triangle comes up to let you know why you have just lost control of your bike :augie

I've got them on mine :beerjug:

On a more serious note they are very useful for advising you of a leak before you lose too much air. Not a deal breaker for me I must admit but mine had them on so that was that.

Neil
 
I use Puncturesafe in the tyres. If I do get a major puncture at least it should slow down the rate of air loss giving a bit more time to stop. The tyre pressure monitors would hopefully warn before its got to the fishtailing stage. Mine were certainly showing the red triangle when I had the tyres swapped but hadn't set the pressure high enough.

I could live without the monitors. Hey, come to think of it I already do. :) I'm running alloys on the GSA but haven't got around to having the second set of monitors coded in
 
If you are keeping the bike two to four years from new these toys will add to the resale value.
If you intend to keep the bike for ever, often stated by people to justify the high purchase price, some may cost you dearly in a few years time.

ABS is now a must on my bikes, but will cost over £1200 to fix for any pump problems, not unknown on low mileage bikes.
ESA is of marginal use, I have it and can just tell the difference on damping settings, not enough range of adjustment for my weight. The height adjust is good but has little effect on riding. A rebuild is about £180 each, new £1000s
TPC is reassuring but if you get a warning trying to add air from a garage pump is likely to snap off the valve causing more trouble than the original slow puncture. In the region of £100 + tyre fitting + re-coding each. The valve caps with pop up indicators costing a few pounds are just as useful.
TC, I have it I think, its never activated in mud or snow? its probably linked to the ABS monitoring.

I have and like these toys but the s/h bike 4000m old, came with them. Would I pay for them new, ABS yes, the others probably not.
Would I buy a six year old 30000 mile bike with these toys , NO I would look for a low mileage base model.
 
Agree about the ESA but still nice to have. I'm planning to fit some Wilbers when the originals pack up. WESA is A LOT better than plain ESA so much that some folks chuck the originals from new. I'm not in that league but if poss will be fitting WESAs.

I think BMW missed a trick not having the ride height work on the fly then we could have ground clearance and allow people with short legs to handle the bike.

The TCS will kick in if you power out of a bumpy bend. It might be over sensitive (backs off the power too soon), but with a bike that's often leaning more than I realise its good to have the backup.

The valve caps are awkward but a £2.50 angle connector solves the garage pump problem.
 


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