Refurbishing Shocks - ABE? FireFox? MCT?

As far as i know ABE have been closed for a while due to a fire at their premises ( i expect Nick left some doughnuts in the oven :D).
 
Steptoe said:
As far as i know ABE have been closed for a while due to a fire at their premises ( i expect Nick left some doughnuts in the oven :D).
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Yeah. Spoke to nick this morning.. Very helpful chap and quoted price is good.
He's not in a position to do the work for at least 2 weeks and then about a 1 week turnaround.
 
I used Firefox last year; easy to deal with, quick turn round and the rebuild seems to be spot on.
 
Had Firefox do mine last year great service and an affordable alternative to a new one.
People can go on about spending the big bucks on aftermarket suspension, but I have no problems off road at all and I keep up with sport bikes in the twisties with the rear tire scuffed right to the edge!
 
Be interested to know how you get on, sorry for hijacking the post but also would there be any benifit in upgrading a 2011 GS shocks that have covered only 10K?? Would this be somewhere better than standard??
 
mpgscott said:
Be interested to know how you get on, sorry for hijacking the post but also would there be any benifit in upgrading a 2011 GS shocks that have covered only 10K?? Would this be somewhere better than standard??
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If it is a non esa and anything like my gsa the best upgrade would be throwing them away and replacing them with something decent
 
Mine are starting to flutter over uneven road surfaces, the front feels slow to rebound/rear underdamped especially when the tank gets low. Thankfully no seal leakage though and all ESA adjustment still works.

Gonna give MCT a call this week and see if I can send my shocks in. I'm off to sea for 8 days soon and thus not using the bike, hopefully should be serviced and back in time for my return.
 
mpgscott said:
Be interested to know how you get on, sorry for hijacking the post but also would there be any benifit in upgrading a 2011 GS shocks that have covered only 10K?? Would this be somewhere better than standard??
Click to expand...

The standard shocks are adequate but nothing special. With use they wont get any better. They can however be rebuilt by a suspension specialist who will clean them out replace the oil and regas them. This will keep any shocks going for longer. Cost is around £100 to £150 per damper unit.

Better quality shocks will clearly cost more and ideally should be serviced annually at around £100 each. But they will ride better than standard.
 
I spoke to MCT this morning, the cost is £89 + Vat and postage per shock. They drain, strip, clean, inspect then vacuum and fill with a better grade of oil than Showa use plus gas. At about £10 each way for postage I hope to restore my suspension performance for less than £250 plus a bit of spannering which should see me through for another 20k.

I hope to send mine off this week if I get a chance to remove them, I'll report back in a few weeks time with the verdict once refitted and tested.
 
I used Firefox, would of used MCT for the price if I'd known! Having said that Firefox did a good job, got me out of a hole and saved megabucks on a new unit.

One thing I found when I removed/replaced my rear shock was that the bush in the "swingarm" had seized solid in place. This is supposed to move in the up/down plane as the shock goes up and down I believe . I had to draw it out using wd40, a long bolt, washers and a socket. Cleaned it all up, copper greased it and put it back in. There is a Touratech "how to" on changing shocks and there's a bit about it in there, section 8.

http://www.touratech-usa.com/Adventure/Blog/jaBhoa/How-To-BMW-R1200GS-Adventure-Shock-Installation
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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