ESA v Ohlins ?

[prwatts]

Hi there, does anyone have any thoughts on this? Who makes the ESA for BMW - Wilbers? And I presume it is on the back only. I sold my '04 on 60,000 miles and never had any noticeable hassles with the stock shockers but I would love to put Ohlins on the next one. (on the lookout)
Thanks for your advice, Peter

 

[Pukmeister]

My 2008 GSA has Showa ESA suspension

ESA consists of adjustable damping and adjustable preload, all by the press of a button on the bars. It is fitted to both front and rear suspension.

The preload is done by a small electrically operated hydraulic pump which pressurises or vents a hydraulic preload head fitted to the shock absorber (made by Showa). The preload settings are rider only/rider plus luggage/rider and pillion plus luggage/lower offroad clearance/higher offroad clearance. The preload can only be altered before riding off, and needs the engine running in order for the alternator to power the hydraulic pumps.

The damping is altered via an internal stepper motor inside the shock absorber which sets it to comfort(softest)/normal(mid range)/sports(hardest). Damping can be adjusted whilst on the move.

EDIT: On my last 1200GS (2004) I fitted Wilbers in place of the stock suspension and it was in a different class and transformed the bike.

 

[prwatts]

Many thanks. There is a loooong thread on Advrider

 

[APE]

Not sure how many peeps have tried both. I guess the attraction of ESA is the adjustability but it's essentially the same shock as standard (what a dealer told me).

The Ohlins is a superior component and provides better performance but has to be adjusted manually.

If you want convenience go for the ESA. If you want performance go for the Ohlins. If you're loaded go for the Ohlins ESA package.

 

[Pukmeister]

And if you want bespoke ride quality with ESA, you have two options. Either go for Wilbers WESA units, or else pay a fortune for Ohlins ESA units. You have a choice depending on your budget. The WESA take your old ESA in exchange.

 

[cookie]

Not sure how many peeps have tried both. I guess the attraction of ESA is the adjustability but it's essentially the same shock as standard (what a dealer told me).

i've tried both. ESA bikes do indeed feel similar to the rather poor non ESA shocks.

the ESA just has electric adjusters that makes it easier to switch to a worse setting than the compromise you've settled for after trying them all out.

i have reason to believe the next generation ESA will have "adjustable springing" (that's what it said in the BMW publication i read). i assume this will be air powered, as i can't think how else they may achieve it. that may prove top be more useful than piddling about with preload and an ineffective damping adjuster.

 

[Beemerman59]

And if you want bespoke ride quality with ESA, you have two options. Either go for Wilbers WESA units, or else pay a fortune for Ohlins ESA units. You have a choice depending on your budget. The WESA take your old ESA in exchange.

I'm considering both of these options since my stock shocks are not soaking up the ripples that well and since I'm planning on keeping the bike for a while I can spread the cost over the years of ownership to justify to myself. The trouble with the WESA is that you have to donate the OEM shocks so they can strip the electronics. This means that you can't keep your old shocks (which are still serviceable on mine) to sell when you do come to change bikes - it has to be sold with the WESA or you take your chances on Ebay for a set prior to selling. With the Ohlins option, they have their own electronics built in so I could keep my OEM shocks for when I sell, allowing me to resell the Ohlins as separate items. Although the initial outlay is £2,750 I would guess they would sell for no less than half that at resale time making it a £1,400 ish net outlay. Thats not far off the cost of the WESA where you lose your OEM shocks or have to buy some off Ebay to be able to sell the WESA stand alone afterwards. That makes the Ohlins not so expensive comparatively speaking as long as you can afford the initial outlay. I think a new set of stock shocks is about £1,200 so I see little point in getting those again if you're keeping the bike a while.

 

[APE]

If you go for the Ohlins make sure theyre properly covered on the insurance.

Can you fit non ESA Ohlins units until you sell the bike and then put the OE back on ? Is the adjustability that important. I paid less that £1k for my Ohlins ( a while ago now )

 

[Beemerman59]

If you go for the Ohlins make sure theyre properly covered on the insurance.

Can you fit non ESA Ohlins units until you sell the bike and then put the OE back on ? Is the adjustability that important. I paid less that £1k for my Ohlins ( a while ago now )

Yeah, I would add to the insurance as I have for my other add-ons. Good point about fitting non-ESA Ohlins - might have to think about that one.

 

[Alan R]

The trouble with the WESA is that you have to donate the OEM shocks so they can strip the electronics. This means that you can't keep your old shocks......
Thats not far off the cost of the WESA where you lose your OEM shocks......

Not true. Your shocks are returned to you. You could, if so inclined, reverse the conversion when you come to sell the bike.
Alan R

 

[Beemerman59]

Not true. Your shocks are returned to you. You could, if so inclined, reverse the conversion when you come to sell the bike.
Alan R

Thats interesting - but then that would leave you a set of WESA's without the ESA would it not? The best bet I would have thought in this case is to buy a set of OEM shocks off Ebay or whatever to donate the electronics to Wilburs and leave your own intact - provided they are still serviceable.

 

[E. Buygum]

Thats interesting - but then that would leave you a set of WESA's without the ESA would it not? The best bet I would have thought in this case is to buy a set of OEM shocks off Ebay or whatever to donate the electronics to Wilburs and leave your own intact - provided they are still serviceable.

Not quite sure I understand. I had WESA fitted (Revs Racing): for me a fantastic difference for £1,360 (front and rear) and all (W)ESA options fully functioning. I was given back my (past their best) BMW original shocks (which match up to the ESA control) so an option would be to re-fit them and sell on the WESA separately.

 

[Beemerman59]

Not quite sure I understand. I had WESA fitted (Revs Racing): for me a fantastic difference for £1,360 (front and rear) and all (W)ESA options fully functioning. I was given back my (past their best) BMW original shocks (which match up to the ESA control) so an option would be to re-fit them and sell on the WESA separately.

I must be being particularly thick today. Don't they remove the electronics from your OEM ESA shocks and fit that up to a set of Wilburs shocks to make them WESA? So, the OEM shock they return to you is without the ESA electronics? So, you have one set of fully functioning WESA shocks and one set of OEM non-functioning shocks i.e without the ESA?

 

[Alan R]

I must be being particularly thick today. Don't they remove the electronics from your OEM ESA shocks and fit that up to a set of Wilburs shocks to make them WESA? So, the OEM shock they return to you is without the ESA electronics? So, you have one set of fully functioning WESA shocks and one set of OEM non-functioning shocks i.e without the ESA?

You aren't thick because you've worked it out. I have the Wilbers shock absorbers and springs mated to the ESA top collars complete with motors and electrical connectors fitted to the bike. I also have the OE springs, loose in a box, together with the original shock absorbers which are obviously minus the top collars and associated gubbins. As I changed to Wilbers when the bike had done just 50 miles and the bike is a 2011 model, these are Whitepower and 'brand new'. They will stay in the box until I sell the bike when I can either refit and sell the Wilbers or, sell them to someone needing to replace their own knackered kit.
Alan R

 

[Beemerman59]

You aren't thick because you've worked it out. I have the Wilbers shock absorbers and springs mated to the ESA top collars complete with motors and electrical connectors fitted to the bike. I also have the OE springs, loose in a box, together with the original shock absorbers which are obviously minus the top collars and associated gubbins. As I changed to Wilbers when the bike had done just 50 miles and the bike is a 2011 model, these are Whitepower and 'brand new'. They will stay in the box until I sell the bike when I can either refit and sell the Wilbers or, sell them to someone needing to replace their own knackered kit.
Alan R

OK so the point I was trying to make is that for you to sell your bike without the WESA (so you can sell that complete) you will need another set of the ESA electronics so can refit that to your OEM shock & spring and refit to your bike so you can sell it. It was all this I was looking at as comparative cost for the Ohlins which doesn't require any donor ESA electronics, thus leaving your OEM shocks complete to refit later with no additional cost. The price difference between the Wilburs and Ohlins is £1,400. If you work on losing 50% through use before selling on both items, this gives you about £700 back on the Wilburs and say £1,400 on the Ohlins (roughly). But to sell the Wilburs complete you have to buy the electronics for the OEM shocks and that might cost £600 or so going on Ebay pricing (I have never seen just the ESA electronics being sold). Add that to the initial cost of the Wilburs makes that about £2,000 in total but you will still only get the £700 back when selling because the OEM shocks have no added value and you can't sell the bike without them, making a loss of £1,300. So, looking at it this way, the net loss after selling the bike and the separate shocks is the same for both WESA and the Ohlins.

OK, my maths is a bit dodgy in places and I'm making some assumptions, but do you see how that makes the Ohlins not so much more expensive than the WESA in that context?

 

[cookie]

Re fit the standard shocks to the ESA electrics and fit on your bike, then sell it.

Sell the wilbers units to someone who has the OEM electrics to fit them to their own bike.

 

[Alan R]

Re fit the standard shocks to the ESA electrics and fit on your bike, then sell it.

Sell the wilbers units to someone who has the OEM electrics to fit them to their own bike.

Beemerman, I see from my last post that I was not clear in what I meant to say. However, Cookie has summed it up quite succinctly. Who ever gets the bike gets 'as new' shocks/springs: it seems that the failures reported here relate to the damper leaking and/or the internals losing their effect with age/miles - the latter being my experience with my 2008 GS. Who ever gets the Wilbers shocks/springs gets kit that is rebuildable to their individual weight etc. This is all conjecture at this stage as I didn't buy the Wilbers with an eye to the residual value some years down the line (and it will be some years as the bike is perfectly set up for me and I can't imagine parting with it), I bought them to improve an already great bike. Which ever, Olins or Wilbers, just do it - it's only money
Alan R

 

[Beemerman59]

Re fit the standard shocks to the ESA electrics and fit on your bike, then sell it.

Sell the wilbers units to someone who has the OEM electrics to fit them to their own bike.

OK, so my last question is simply to ask if the mating of the Wilburs shocks to the BMW ESA electronics can be done as a DIY or if it has to be sent back to Wilburs to be joined up? That answer pretty much makes up my mind which way to go. Thanks.

 

[cookie]

i imagine you'd need the correct spring compressor to get the preload collars off.
i'd have thought any suspension specialist could do it. revs racing would be my first port of call.