ESA Really Firm Today

[crotchrocket]

For some reason the bike felt really bumpy today, like the suspension was set to hard, when actually it was in soft. Really weird. Stopped at the side of the road and the preload works fine as do the damping / rebound settings when bouncing up and down on it. But it just wasn't absorbing bumps whilst riding along. Anyone had similar? Temp went right down to 6 maybe the tyres were just firmer ?. On a side note the front brake action improved and felt less spongy.... I know the thing firms the suspension upon front brake activation maybe there's an issue or link there??

 

[RedRick Esq.]

I think Paul BHT had a similar issue as did others there is a thread somewhere about it

 

[crotchrocket]

Thanks for that, found the thread. Will see how it performs and take it back to BMW if it persists

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showth...SA-LC-ESA-harsh-suspension?highlight=ESA+hard

 

[crotchrocket]

rode straight to Vines this morning. Mechanic scrolled the pre-load and with rider plus pillion the whole bike sank down...... weird!! so he installed the latest software, calibrated the sensors and its back to working fine again.

These bikes really aren't confidence inspiring in the reliability department. Screw a trip to Africa, I'm wondering if the bike will be fault free on my trip around Ireland next month...

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

The ESA on my GSA went solid at around 1300 miles but after disconnecting & reconnecting the battery all went back to normal and has been fine ever since

 

[Neil W]

Been there, done that , never got the tee shirt just shit loads of hassle until BMW eventually got their shit together regarding the ESA software .

Still not 100% and 18 months later it still glitches occasionally.

 

[Uncle-Fester]

Far too much technolegy for a motorcycle IMHO

 

[mrfandangle]

Mine has randomly sank down twice. Only seems to do it in the two up setting, and after you have stopped and restarted. It then winds itself back up again,but not what I would expect from a (nearly) new bike. Took it to the local dealer but no faults found.

 

[CPJS]

Mine has randomly sank down twice. Only seems to do it in the two up setting, and after you have stopped and restarted. It then winds itself back up again,but not what I would expect from a (nearly) new bike. Took it to the local dealer but no faults found.

My bike has done the same. been ok for the last year though, fingers crossed.

 

[fredaroony]

Mine has randomly sank down twice. Only seems to do it in the two up setting, and after you have stopped and restarted. It then winds itself back up again,but not what I would expect from a (nearly) new bike. Took it to the local dealer but no faults found.

Mine has done that but hasn't actually caused any issues

 

[Clifton]

The ESA on my GSA went solid at around 1300 miles but after disconnecting & reconnecting the battery all went back to normal and has been fine ever since

It's worth a try I'll disconnect the battery lead. Compression damping has been overly hard on mine since July 2014. Prior to then the bike's compliant suspension was one of the things I was most impressed with.

 

[mrfandangle]

Mine has done that but hasn't actually caused any issues

Indeed, never has done it on the move or anything dangerous. My concern is the suspension adjusting itself with weight on it. First time it happened we were in a ferry queue, so two up with luggage.

 

[Andy B]

The ESA on my GSA went solid at around 1300 miles but after disconnecting & reconnecting the battery all went back to normal and has been fine ever since

Identical experience with a 2011 GSA.

 

[crotchrocket]

stiff this morning, cycled through the preload settings and it all went normal again. What a pain. I was at BMW saturday, getting TPM sensors coded from a second set of wheels and the mechanic said if it persists we'll have to change the shocks.

 

[crotchrocket]

bastard thing returned to being super stiff yesterday. getting a bit tiresome now!! No end of scrolling through settings has free'd it up this time so am trying to book it into BMW, hopefully for a new shock(s) to sort it once and for all, but it really is an arse ache.

Out of interest. Can i just unplug the battery for 15 mins and see if that works? I mean, its not gonna spaz out when i plug it back in, it can (once in a blue moon) act like a normal bike and have the battery disconnected then reconnected? (i don't have an alarm) It really is horrible to ride.

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

Can i just unplug the battery for 15 mins and see if that works?

That's what I did, it all fired up and worked as it's supposed to

 

[crotchrocket]

thanks! although i just had an email from Vines, and the bike is going in tomorrow morning, so i think i'll suffer it on the way home and then i can drop it off broken !

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

You'll be alright .... you must be used to shit suspension owning a Harley 72

 

[Giles]

This happened to my LC GS on a number of occasions, for me it was the other way around - Id dial in two up + luggage, stop at the petrol station, re-start it and it would have returned to one up and then wouldn't budge.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to come on to the WC section and moan, good luck to you all and I hope you all enjoy your bikes. I'll never go back to BM, I think the reliability was absolutely shocking (don't get me started on my clutch / gear box ... )

 

[crotchrocket]

You'll be alright .... you must be used to shit suspension owning a Harley 72

ha! yeah the 72 is fairly ancient in the suspension department. Even worse how i've put lower shocks on the rear