How long did your rear shock last?

Bones

Bones

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Mine is now 5 years and 37K miles old and despite a slight oil weep that has been around for at least 3 years it is still damping nicely.

The fact it is leaking oil, however gradually, means that at some point it will loose damping and will need refurb/replacement, but for now all good. I am surprised I read of so many people changing to wilburs/ohlins at much lower mileage / age. Maybe they are all fat bastards.
 
Bones said:
Mine is now 5 years and 37K miles old and despite a slight oil weep that has been around for at least 3 years it is still damping nicely.

The fact it is leaking oil, however gradually, means that at some point it will loose damping and will need refurb/replacement, but for now all good. I am surprised I read of so many people changing to wilburs/ohlins at much lower mileage / age. Maybe they are all fat bastards.
Click to expand...


The shock on my old 2005 45,000 miler didn't feel quite as nice as my new 2010 model, but the rebound screw certainly still gave a wide range of damping control - so I reckon they are good for at least 45,000 miles of normal road use.
 
My 06 GSA lasted 29,000 miles bike nearly always two up with panniers etc, replaced under warranty :thumb2.

The shock itself was still OK it was the preload that gave up.
 
My 2005 GS lasted 38k in 3 years (just about the only thing that didn't fail). 2008 GS shock lasted only 15k and had to wait 4 weeks as no spares were available. Bit hard on the spine riding with no rear shock for 4 weeks.

2010 GSA has managed 6.5k without any faults.
 
Bones said:
I read of so many people changing to wilburs/ohlins at much lower mileage / age. Maybe they are all fat bastards.
Click to expand...

I think many change to get a much better ride quality and improved handling :thumb2

Nothing wrong with my 2008 shocks at 7.5k, but not much right with them either.

The Wilburs is just far nicer, it tracks the road better, gives much better feel from the front end and is far less jarring over bumps. A few clicks here and there and the handling remains awesome two-up and loaded. Worth every penny IMHO.

I suspect they are also cheaper than BMW ones, so once the OE stuff is knackered it makes sense to fit better quality kit.
 
:D my OE shock was fubbarred by 2000 miles...to the point where the bike would touch down through a mild compression.
the change to Wilbers was worth the difference even if the OE had been fine as the ride quality makes you appreciate how shoite the std item is...:thumb
 
less than 1000 miles before i retired it for something better, it was rubbish from new.
 
Just put a wilbers on the rear of my 2006 gsa and is worth every penny,They have all yor details of riding style,weight,passenger weight, luggage you carry, and set it to those carecteristics.
Nicer ride, better handling and it only cost me £40 more than the standard shock from BMW. Go for one of these if your going to buy new:thumb

Revs racing are the uk suppliers and super guys to deal with....
 
Hi All
My 2008 GSA rear shock lasted 14.5K miles, it was weeping and was spotted during its 1st MOT.
Knowing whats good for me I resisted telling SWMBO that it was the weight carried on the bike:augie

Mind you it lasted longer than the FD bearings:blast
 
Six and a half years old, 56000 miles, used in all conditions, rarely washed, often loaded, ocasional pillion. Still going strong :thumb2



Val.
 
Bones, if your shock is leaking then it will certainly be at less than peak performance. Even if a shock doesn't blow a major seal or have some other form of disaster their performance will always deteriorate over time as internal parts wear and the oil and gas gets tired and/or escapes. The exception is if the oil is coming from the pre-load adjuster which is a separate chamber. In that case you wouldn't able to obtain full pre-load on the spring.

A few years ago I had a GS rear shock satisfactorily rebuilt by Firefox Racing for something on the order of £85.

I'm currently using a Maxton rear shock which works extremely well. They're custom built for your weight and riding style and are very easy to adjust. I do a fair number of miles in a year so to keep it working sweet I have them give it an overhaul in the off-season.
 
Bones said:
Mine is now 5 years and 37K miles old and despite a slight oil weep that has been around for at least 3 years it is still damping nicely.

The fact it is leaking oil, however gradually, means that at some point it will loose damping and will need refurb/replacement, but for now all good. I am surprised I read of so many people changing to wilburs/ohlins at much lower mileage / age. Maybe they are all fat bastards.
Click to expand...

As has been said, good quality aftermarket shocks give a performance upgrade

Stock shocks are pretty piecemeal items, ok to do a job.................but don't really excel

My 1150GSA was fitted with new Ohlins from the minute it came out of the crate @ PDi and it has been worth every penny of the £750 I paid for them brand new in 2005

Most of the early spring and last autumn I was riding another 1150GSA, with 24k and standard shocks and they performed adequately enough, however jumping back on the other bike with Ohlins, the handling was a transformation

So much so, I bought a nearly new pair of Wilbers for the black one within a week

On balance though, I think the Ohlins are a superior suspension proposition, over the Wilbers
 
Peak Rider said:
Bones, if your shock is leaking then it will certainly be at less than peak performance. Even if a shock doesn't blow a major seal or have some other form of disaster their performance will always deteriorate over time as internal parts wear and the oil and gas gets tired and/or escapes. The exception is if the oil is coming from the pre-load adjuster which is a separate chamber. In that case you wouldn't able to obtain full pre-load on the spring.

A few years ago I had a GS rear shock satisfactorily rebuilt by Firefox Racing for something on the order of £85.

I'm currently using a Maxton rear shock which works extremely well. They're custom built for your weight and riding style and are very easy to adjust. I do a fair number of miles in a year so to keep it working sweet I have them give it an overhaul in the off-season.
Click to expand...

It's more of a weep than a leak, but yeah, it will need sorting some time soon. Thanks for the Firefox link (I checked their website and have bookmarked) I would rather have the standard shock refurbed as 'til now it has served well. I have Ohlins on my Mille and love the controlled damping but couldn't justify the cost for my workhorse GS :thumb
 
Cost

TonyB said:
Mark,

Out if interest, how did you pay for the replacement Wilber shocks?

Thanks
Click to expand...

mate - they were not cheap. Got Revs racing to do them in the Midlands. Mine is non ESA and it was about £1200-ish but it`s much better (or so i think so).
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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