The Machine Cat
Guest
Ok, I am probably dumb, but so far and after 50 Kms, I can't "feel" the difference between normal and comfort...
Racey
Registered user
Machine Cat - to be constructive... I tend to experience the greatest difference between the two settings when the wife is riding pillion. And she agrees.
Riding solo there is a difference, but it does depend on riding style and quality of road surface...
I'm speaking about these differences on an 08 GSA
Deleted Member I
Guest
BUT I thought the difference was that ... instead of getting down on your knees and turning some knob .. you now sit comfortably on the bike and press a button 
Or am I mising something?
Or am I mising something?
I reckon it works well
I use comfy on the M/ways and Normal for A roads and Sport for B Roads
When you go go for Sport, you can sense the bike being 'pulled down' and stiffen
It's quite dramatic
Having Ohlins on my 1150GSA, I can appreciate good suspension
I rate the ESA as the it is a good system and for £500 is worth it
I use comfy on the M/ways and Normal for A roads and Sport for B Roads
When you go go for Sport, you can sense the bike being 'pulled down' and stiffen
It's quite dramatic
Having Ohlins on my 1150GSA, I can appreciate good suspension
I rate the ESA as the it is a good system and for £500 is worth it
BUT I thought the difference was that ... instead of getting down on your knees and turning some knob .. you now sit comfortably on the bike and press a button
Or am I mising something?
Yes, the letter S.
He wants to know IF it works, not HOW it works....
Well done with the raffle, by the way.
The Machine Cat
Guest
Probably yes. I am a fat driver with a tail bone issue (such things seems to go in pairs I wonder why
). On my 04 GS I was able to really set the suspension the way I wanted, now I have ESA on my new bike and I can't taylor the right settings for me. And yes, I "feel" the difference between sport and comfy, but not between normal and comfy. At the same time the bike is brand new, suspensions too. Still, I am not sure I made the right choice in taking this option...
rob1964bike
Guest
Intermediate said: "instead of getting down on your knees and turning some knob"
Intermediate you might want to re-phrase that
Intermediate you might want to re-phrase that
Deleted Member I
Guest
Intermediate said: "instead of getting down on your knees and turning some knob"
Intermediate you might want to re-phrase that
Maybe that's exactly what I meant
I found on both the RT and the GSA that it took time for me to notice the difference between settings. I imagine it is just the time it takes me to get "dialled" into the bike but maybe it takes time for the suspension to bed down, etc.
When I first got the GSA I thoght the ESA was hardly working and then that the RT version was much more effective. As time passes I notice the effect more. I can certainly now tell which mode I am in without looking at the screen!
Which is a long way of saying give it some time.
When I first got the GSA I thoght the ESA was hardly working and then that the RT version was much more effective. As time passes I notice the effect more. I can certainly now tell which mode I am in without looking at the screen!
Which is a long way of saying give it some time.
nazdravanul
Guest
Yes, give it time. But for the time being you should sense a distinct difference between the comfort and sport modes. Try switching in between the two on a windy road, twisty road (when you want to ride it really hard), or bumpy road. The difference should be there, and it should be clear enough why you spent money on ESA.
Alan1963
Registered user
I can certainly tell the difference on my RT.
That said, I find "comfort" to be very squidgy and the bike seems to float and be imprecise, even on motorways. (Might be nice on one of those lovely smooth Frenach Autoroutes - I will try that this weekend).
The "sport" mode rattles my teeth and on any road that isn't billiard table smooth the bike seems to bounce around a lot.
So, the net result is I leave it in normal which seems to do all things commendably.
That said it is useful simply to press a button before going two up though - saves all that hard work winding up the preload!
Now just how much did I pay for that priviledge
Would I have it again .... yes, I'm a lazy sod!
That said, I find "comfort" to be very squidgy and the bike seems to float and be imprecise, even on motorways. (Might be nice on one of those lovely smooth Frenach Autoroutes - I will try that this weekend).
The "sport" mode rattles my teeth and on any road that isn't billiard table smooth the bike seems to bounce around a lot.
So, the net result is I leave it in normal which seems to do all things commendably.
That said it is useful simply to press a button before going two up though - saves all that hard work winding up the preload!
Now just how much did I pay for that priviledge
Would I have it again .... yes, I'm a lazy sod!
The only problem I have with ESA, is the loss of independent front/rear adjustment. I can't seem to get it quite right balanced between front and rear. If anybody have a hack for independently adjusting front/rear on an ESA, I am all ears. (One would think there was some way to calibrate these things electronically...)
littleredrooster
Registered user
My thoughts entirely. On the last 1200, I used to run with minimum front preload all the time (makes it turn-in nicely) and add rear preload according to luggage and SWMBO etc. Worked well for me little short legs, too!. Now I press a button and the whole damn lot rises into the air! I'd be very interested in finding a way of leaving the front on minimum.
kiwiAdventure
Registered user
It looks to me some of you guys did not do your home work before you purchased the bike.
It looks to me some of you guys did not do your home work before you purchased the bike.
I love the ESA.
Before, I could not (be bothered to) stiffen up the front suspension before hitting a rough section the way I can with the ESA.
However, that doesn't mean that I wouldn't love the ESA more if I could adjust the balance between front and rear.
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