Would I Be Mad?

[MrMcNamara]

Two weeks after placing an order for a non ESA GSA with a south west dealer, I've been informed (last week) by the dealer the build on my bike has an indefinite completion date. Apparently stocks of non ESA suspension units are exhausted and are on back order.

Would I be mad to turn down an offer to upgrade to ESA for just £75 and in doing so get a definite delivery date? My dream of being different for simplicity's sake by having a non ESA bike is certainly being frustratingly tested.

Bit of help on this anyone...

I recently cocked up on a dodgy bit of road, the bikes electronics straightened me up, my son, who was following crashed out writing off his Honda CB500x with only 158 miles on from new. fortunatley he is ok if a little battered. I beleive that if we had been on each others bikes, I would have crashed instead. Point being electronic upskilling devices every time, buy the model offered you wont regret

 

[Biot]

Aren't Hyperpro doing ESA like electronic f/r suspension for new GS1200 bikes? At half the price of an o/e Beemer unit!
I know BMW warranty (extended) only covers the suspension up to 30000 miles but if mine went pop before that I would expect them to be replaced foc.

 

[Toddmeister]

Question for the OP

What kind of rider are you?

Are you the kind of rider who understands suspension and how to adjust it? Do you know what static sag is and what spring rate you need plus the effects of high and low speed compression damping? Are you prepared to put in a fair bit of effort to get things just right for you?

If the answer to the above is NO then ESA will give you convenience, and you should therefore take the dealers offer. BMW know that most riders don't really want to get too involved in setting up their suspension. They just want to ride their bikes with the minimum of fuss. So ESA is great for these folk as they can press a button and immediately dial in some settings that are approximately correct. It won't bother most folk that the settings for rider plus luggage could be way off for them, and that the softer setting does indeed make it feel softer but can also make the bike wallow like a fat bloke on a space hopper.

If the answer is YES and you want to get a bike that's just right for your own personal tastes on feel and handling then get a non-ESA but be prepared to put in some effort to get it set up. You may also need to invest some extra dosh to get a good set of aftermarket shocks with the right spring rate for your weight and a high level of adjustment. The you'll need to invest time and effort and lots of ride outs, making only small changes to get it dialled in to how you like it.

The majority of folk will go for ESA as it suits what they want from a bike. Good luck to those folk there is nothing wrong with that decision

As for me - weil l've had the luxury of Ohlins on my road and track bikes and recently have had both OE ESA and Wilbers ESA on my GS LC. I'm now going back to a standard suspension on my new XR, but will be immediately replacing it with some top notch manual Wilbers. I'm looking forward to lots of time spent testing different settings to get it just right for my particular style of riding.

 

[FastestGSA]

I wouldn't buy it with ESA again. I replaced mine with Touratech Extreme Shocks and the difference is night and day. You can even notice the difference at 20km on a good road. It's a blessing in disguise, spend the money you saved and upgrade, you won't regret it even if you never take the bike off-road.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[sven]

So ESA is great for these folk as they can press a button and immediately dial in some settings that are approximately correct. It won't bother most folk that the settings for rider plus luggage could be way off for them, and that the softer setting does indeed make it feel softer but can also make the bike wallow like a fat bloke on a space hopper.

The soft/comfort setting on my old 2009 GS did make the bike wallow and was only good for softening the jarring bumps on rough backroads. However, the semi-active ESA on my GS LC definitely does not wallow and the bike basically glides over bumpy roads, but remains composed in the twisties.

I'm sure if I spent a couple of grand on high quality aftermarket dampers with high and low speed compression damping etc. it'd be better still, but I like the convenience of ESA.....until it goes wrong

I wouldn't buy ESA on a short travel suspension bike though as it seemed to make very little difference changing the damping settings on the bikes I've tried (K1200R, K1300S, S1000XR)

 

[Edmund Kean]

It's certainly been interesting reading the valid points made for and against.

It's a teaser which I certainly wish now hadn't come about. Apart from one exception, I have consistently kept a bike no longer than two years and for this reason alone, I would have had no quandary in going for the cheap 'upgrade' being offered. However I'm getting on now and my original thinking was to rein in the spending on bikes and to keep my basic specced bike for a few years. My annual mileage is approx. 10k and this has been a constant for years.

So I ask myself which would I rather have sitting in my garage with 35k miles on it. Some posters have alluded to these sorts of scenarios. I do wonder how attractive the prospect of ownership will be to potentially 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th etc owners of these fully equipped bikes with 35k miles.

I also wonder what the Police are being given; I would suspect non ESA RT's.

I can't dilly dally too much longer over this but again thanks to all of your contributions.

 

[Toddmeister]

Enjoy your new bike fella, whichever way you go

 

[Auwyn]

I dont think that people who can't make simple decisions for themselves should be allowed to ride motorbikes. Maybe ask for a full refund.

 

[Edmund Kean]

I dont think that people who can't make simple decisions for themselves should be allowed to ride motorbikes. Maybe ask for a full refund.

Well if you don't think how did you come to this conclusion?

Perhaps you meant to write:

I think people who can't make simple decisions for themselves should not be allowed to ride motorbikes.

I'll spend the rest of the morning wondering why I rose to that...

 

[Auwyn]

Well if you don't think how did you come to this conclusion?

Perhaps you meant to write:

I think people who can't make simple decisions for themselves should not be allowed to ride motorbikes.

I'll spend the rest of the morning wondering why I rose to that...

Me too...it amounts to the same thing.

 

[Edmund Kean]

Me too...it amounts to the same thing.

Precisely...

I think we could all benefit from your knowledge; thank you

 

[J biker]

In truth, its worth the difference just for the superb lights on the higher spec bike.

 

[J biker]

..if you want to save real money just buy the 650 and be done with it.

 

[sven]

In truth, its worth the difference just for the superb lights on the higher spec bike.

Only if you ride in the dark, otherwise they're a waste of £800 LED's are still unreliable, so it's potentially another big bill if you're buying it as a keeper. My poverty spec GS LC has cost me £10 in bulbs in 16k miles (one H7 headlight bulb & one indicator bulb)