ESA - is it me, or.......

[Balders1450]

Just

If you can't notice a difference then so what, it's either you, or it's knackered which I doubt.

I find comfy ok for most riding, however when I want to have a "play" I select Sport, it just firms everything up and you can go banzai without all the wallowing!

If you can't tell the difference, then you don't ride it hard enough to notice!

So why did you waste your money on ESA? That should be your next post!

 

[autogs]

Did not take too long for a negative reply, read all the posts to see I am not the only one who cannot feel the differance. ESA is like modern art, you have to say its good even if you do not understand it or people will think you are not educated.

so your only interested in posts that agree with you?

i think its good and worth the money,if you dont then fine i dont give a feck,

my point is its really not that difficult to notice the changes in ride,if you cant then fine.but dont whinge about it being a waste of money,nobody made you buy the bloody bike did they?

 

[Wapping]

I have ridden the 1200GSA, a vanilla 1200 and the K1600GT all with ESA and could certainly tell the difference between the assorted settings. The 'soft' / 'comfort' (or whatever they call it) wallows like a basted, progressively tightening up....

 

[neil 23]

About to get a new Adventure without ESA, if I had had it fitted it would have the best thing ever, as I havent I wouldnt have noticed the difference !

 

[skywalker]

Mrs Skywalker pressed my ESA button by mistake & my suspension went solid - don't know wether its either normal - comfort or sport but she got a hard ride !!

 

[autogs]

Mrs Skywalker pressed my ESA button by mistake & my suspension went solid - don't know wether its either normal - comfort or sport but she got a hard ride !!

ooo errr

 

[ducatiparts.110mb]

Oh right, so it increases suspension travel going from rider>rider plus luggage>Rider plus pillion plus luggage? I can't see it moving. I'm sure if you're sat on the bike you'll feel it moving as the amount your weight compresses the spring will vary through the different settings, but when off the bike will you really see it move between these settings? I need to read up on ESA 2. Why would you need more suspension travel if you have luggage or a pillion?

you can feel it moving whilst stationary, albeit only a tiny amount. However bear in mind that its the dynamic behaviour that is important, not how it feels at a standstill. Its not so much about giving you more travel, its more a case of giving you back the travel that's consumed when the bike sinks under the weight of luggage and/or pillion.

I use rider plus luggage in the summer when riding solo without luggage as it firms up the back of the bike as well as lifting it a little. It therefore sharpens the steering by a small but discernable amount.

I think the answer is play with the settings until you feel how it works for you, and if you can't feel a difference then ok, but don't knock it for those of us that wouldn't be without it.

 

[ducatiparts.110mb]

ESA is like modern art, you have to say its good even if you do not understand it or people will think you are not educated

In your opinion. Which may not be the same as others'.

 

[sutty]

ride the bike in comfort mode and brake hard,see how much it dives.then adjust the suspension to sport then do the same,the dive is alot less i find.p.s. just keep it in sport mode and kick the asses of all the blades,r1 etc it fun on the a49, when i get to the midway cafe and they say blimey thats good,ye ha.

 

[Oldrat]

Good thread. One important point is that it does take time to change from one setting to another, so perhaps flicking between settings is not the most appropriate term. To check it works, leave it on the side stand, engine running and take your time scrolling through the modes; the 'lurching' looks and sounds obvious enough.

BTW re Comfort/normal/sport I'm in the "really notice the difference" , and "think it is most noticeable when working the bike hard" camp. I'm sure that the harder you push this machine the more you notice the benefit.

 

[Schtum]

BTW re Comfort/normal/sport I'm in the "really notice the difference" , and "think it is most noticeable when working the bike hard" camp.

Well you would be - I'm reliably informed that you're a sensitive kind of guy......

 

[Martin S]

Some will tell you that the bike will rise/fall between rider, rider plus luggage, and rider plus pillion plus luggage. However I've never seen this, and it doesn't make sense if it does.

What crap!
The bloody thing moves - no argument

 

[Martin S]

Good thread this and interesting to see the different opinions.

My view is:
Does it make me ride better - no
Is it worth the money - yes
Is it good to mess around with - yes
Can I tell the difference on each setting-relative to the last setting - yes
Is it useful for rider/luggage/pillion combinations - yes

Does it have rider/pillion/luggage - no

 

[OscarIndia]

I think it genuinely depends on how you ride your bike. Some peepes are happy plodding along at a pretty modest pace, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that! And if that's your bag, to be honest, you probably won't notice much of a difference.

But if you enjoy pushing the bike's limits a bit, you'll quickly notice the difference. You'll feel it wallow a lot more in the softer settings, compressions in the road, hard braking into roundabouts and quick changes of direction ...

It all depends on how yer ride it .....

What he said.

Try cooking it into a bend outside you comfort zone in Normal. Try it again in Sport. Then, kiss the kids and get your affairs in order and try it in Comfort.

 

[OscarIndia]

What crap!
The bloody thing moves - no argument

Yep. With the GSA original seat on and in ESA "Normal" one-up, I'm tips of toes. Once I start playing with ESA settings I'm quickly tip of one toe, not both. Cheerfully, in off-road 2 mode, I'm tips of no toes but as I have no intention of stopping for anyone or anything in the dirt, that works okay, so long as my ride ends near a wall.

 

[davnjud]

I notice it. When pillion gets off it puts me up on tip toes. best to to switch to rider only comfort mode first - then I'm flat footed. If I forget to switch to pillion mode with SWMBO on the back it's all a bit bouncy castle till I stop and sort it out. comfort most of the time solo unless road is too rough and fast when use normal. also normal for smooth fast A roads. don't really find much use for sport even though naughty speeds on quiet fast roads have been known to occur...

overall I will definitely have it again and frequently switch modes on the go.

now going off the idea of a 1600GT - too unwieldy by the sound of it - can't beat my lovely chuckable GS

 

[Paul Wakefield]

Then, kiss the kids and get your affairs in order and try it in Comfort.

Or better still change half way through the corner and they'll be able to inherit early as your line changes.

 

[cheap'n'cheerful]

I think it's you
cheers C'n'C

 

[Stretchamus]

DEFINITELY YOU


Best regards Stretch

 

[blackbird160]

I had a loan GS with ESA for the day last Friday, only played with Normal, comfort, sport settings but other than feeling the bumps more in sport I didn't notice much of a difference.

In contrast with the ESA on my K1200S where there was a very noticable difference.

So if I was buying a new GS I wouldn't pay the extra.

As to riding the bike hard enough to notice, whilst I'm no Rossi, I have zero "chicken strips" on the GS and a few ponts on the licence so I think I push it a bit.