Suspension upgrades for the 1200/1250 your thoughs

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We all farkle our bikes, but seemingly forget a very important aspect that transforms the bike ride, most will be happy with their stock suspension, but what about the others, that are not happy, or are riding with more weight than BMW announces for their stock suspension 80kgs, many on here are not paperweights in their advanced ages, so what have you done or are planning to be done, if you have the cash to do it, me personnally this winter springs will be upgraded to 110kgs by denzO of this parish, and if I win Euromillions, well Touratech shocks would be the way forward, so let,s hear your thoughts. :beerjug:
 
I most certainly and totally agree. People far wiser than me (usually just my dog fits into this category) have said that pound for pound money spent on suspension improves performance the most! I had a (beloved) twin cam and I put wilbers on it - it was like riding a different bike (well, not really, but wow what a difference). Personally I would stick with my BMW 1250 shocks until they were ready for replacement as, for me, they seem ok. But that’s not to say that changing them early isn’t a bad idea.


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For me it comes down to how decent the oem shocks really are. When I had my Ducati I purchased an Ohlins TTX shock as the oem Showa was touted as less than ideal. To be honest I was pretty disappointed that other than easier adjustment it didn’t really improve the bike. Also having had ohlins shod aprilia’s, the Showa models ride better on the road.

My conclusion being that either the oem stuff is better than it’s often given credit for or ohlins is not as good as expected. The former being more likely.
 
spoonz said:
For me it comes down to how decent the oem shocks really are. When I had my Ducati I purchased an Ohlins TTX shock as the oem Showa was touted as less than ideal. To be honest I was pretty disappointed that other than easier adjustment it didn’t really improve the bike. Also having had ohlins shod aprilia’s, the Showa models ride better on the road.

My conclusion being that either the oem stuff is better than it’s often given credit for or ohlins is not as good as expected. The former being more likely.
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Had a similar scenario with a harley, of came the stockers, so star spangled progressives on, sold them on fleabay half price a month later, stock shocks ended up better, however, it would be hard to doubt the tried and tested TT shocks, my mate has them on his new bike, and man they are so good, the ride is totally different, bike is rock solid, and he has his setup for 100kgs, the difference is massive, however at 4000 euros thank god they did work, but hey he can afford it, so good on him. :D
 
4 feckin grand for shockers..........Jeebus H Christ.

Sent from a U11
 
Smogbob said:
We all farkle our bikes, but seemingly forget a very important aspect that transforms the bike ride, most will be happy with their stock suspension, but what about the others, that are not happy, or are riding with more weight than BMW announces for their stock suspension 80kgs, many on here are not paperweights in their advanced ages, so what have you done or are planning to be done, if you have the cash to do it, me personnally this winter springs will be upgraded to 110kgs by denzO of this parish, and if I win Euromillions, well Touratech shocks would be the way forward, so let,s hear your thoughts. :beerjug:
Click to expand...

I have the TT rear shock fitted with their standard spring (100kg I think).
This has Transformed the ride, I don't think it's necessary to change the front shock as well because the front is so much better behaved now the rear is working properly.
The shock is a lot of money,£1700 but worth it to me as I do a fair bit of touring two up and will be transferable to the next bike until they rehash the suspension.
I you think your suspension is ok, it isn't, Ride a bike with descent shocks fitted and realise how mediocre the standard setup is.
 
CPJS said:
I have the TT rear shock fitted with their standard spring (100kg I think).
This has Transformed the ride, I don't think it's necessary to change the front shock as well because the front is so much better behaved now the rear is working properly.
The shock is a lot of money,£1700 but worth it to me as I do a fair bit of touring two up and will be transferable to the next bike until they rehash the suspension.
I you think your suspension is ok, it isn't, Ride a bike with descent shocks fitted and realise how mediocre the standard setup is.
Click to expand...

Even when new ??
 
CPJS said:
Yup. The difference is quite marked.
The harder you ride the better it gets.
Click to expand...

Ok i bow to your superior knowledge on the subject. My knowledge of suspension set up is pretty basic so knowledgable inputs are welcomed. Im not about to change anything yet but it good to know that an upgrade is worth it.


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I replaced the shocks on my basic 1250 Rallye with Ohlins TTX, after being really unimpressed with ride quality on last 2 LC ESA GS’s. I paid £1900 which I thought was good value, especially as they are fully serviceable unlike the ESA ones, and bearing in mind replacements of those are £1500 each end,

Having had KTMs & Dukes with quality kit, you can easily tell the difference, and there is lots of guidance out there on how to set it up. If you’re not confident you can seek always get professional guidance, and the end result will be better, especially when you consider BMW pay less than £100 for the Sachs before the stepper motor is added.

Okay you cannot press a button which I accept is quicker and easier, but the three settings are preset and they could all be wrong for your preferences and they certainly were for me. I was speaking with a friend who has worked with motorcycles in the trade for years. He has the exact same problem on his 1250 Exclusive as none are right for him. He is looking to change it next year for a basic and putting on different shocks.

I have no intention of ever taking my £18K bike off road but I love lots about the GS. Such as the power of the 1250 motor with a full decatted exhaust, excellent engine braking, how the telelever stops the nodding dog syndrome, shaft drive and comfy riding position.

But I want quicker steering and better choice of road tyres so I fitted some RT wheels and sports tyres. Having a bike is all about being an individual and making your bike work the way you want it, as no bike is perfect for everyone straight from the box.
 
r1happy said:
I replaced the shocks on my basic 1250 Rallye with Ohlins TTX, after being really unimpressed with ride quality on last 2 LC ESA GS’s. I paid £1900 which I thought was good value, especially as they are fully serviceable unlike the ESA ones, and bearing in mind replacements of those are £1500 each end,

Having had KTMs & Dukes with quality kit, you can easily tell the difference, and there is lots of guidance out there on how to set it up. If you’re not confident you can seek always get professional guidance, and the end result will be better, especially when you consider BMW pay less than £100 for the Sachs before the stepper motor is added.

Okay you cannot press a button which I accept is quicker and easier, but the three settings are preset and they could all be wrong for your preferences and they certainly were for me. I was speaking with a friend who has worked with motorcycles in the trade for years. He has the exact same problem on his 1250 Exclusive as none are right for him. He is looking to change it next year for a basic and putting on different shocks.

I have no intention of ever taking my £18K bike off road but I love lots about the GS. Such as the power of the 1250 motor with a full decatted exhaust, excellent engine braking, how the telelever stops the nodding dog syndrome, shaft drive and comfy riding position.

But I want quicker steering and better choice of road tyres so I fitted some RT wheels and sports tyres. Having a bike is all about being an individual and making your bike work the way you want it, as no bike is perfect for everyone straight from the box.
Click to expand...

Wow did not realise the sachs shocks where so cheap when you see the replacement price, makes more sense now to get others that can be sold on later and keep the stock cheap stuff in a box. :beerjug:
 
I vividly remember chasing a friend around various twisty, bumpy roads in the SF Bay Area in 2008. He was on his Öhlins suspended GS while I was on one rented from Dubbelju. There was no way I could stay with him on bumpy corners. His bike tracked smoothly over the lumps in the road and had much more side grip than mine which leapt from crest to crest.

Two years later, riding the same roads on an ESA suspended bike and I found the difference was less marked.

I find my current 2013 ESA suspended bike to be surprisingly good but then I'm no doubt a featherweight at 72 kg, in comparison with some of you chaps. However, I'm still considering a set of Wilbers ESA shocks at some point.
 
Schtum said:
I vividly remember chasing a friend around various twisty, bumpy roads in the SF Bay Area in 2008. He was on his Öhlins suspended GS while I was on one rented from Dubbelju. There was no way I could stay with him on bumpy corners. His bike tracked smoothly over the lumps in the road and had much more side grip than mine which leapt from crest to crest.

Two years later, riding the same roads on an ESA suspended bike and I found the difference was less marked.

I find my current 2013 ESA suspended bike to be surprisingly good but then I'm no doubt a featherweight at 72 kg, in comparison with some of you chaps. However, I'm still considering a set of Wilbers ESA shocks at some point.
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Paperweights in the Kingdom of Fife, very few around, ;) just for info Schtum and surely you know this, the wilbers are basically your own shocks that you have to send in, way better and cheaper sending them to DenzO of this parish to do the same for less money, but do not forget a few pints for him, hope I am not mixing up ESA with WESA in wilbers though. ;)
 
Smogbob said:
Paperweights in the Kingdom of Fife, very few around, ;) just for info Schtum and surely you know this, the wilbers are basically your own shocks that you have to send in, way better and cheaper sending them to DenzO of this parish to do the same for less money, but do not forget a few pints for him, hope I am not mixing up ESA with WESA in wilbers though. ;)
Click to expand...

You have to send your own shocks to Wilbers for them to remove the ESA gubbins from them and fit that to the new Wilbers shocks.
 
Smogbob said:
Paperweights in the Kingdom of Fife, very few around, ;) just for info Schtum and surely you know this, the wilbers are basically your own shocks that you have to send in, way better and cheaper sending them to DenzO of this parish to do the same for less money, but do not forget a few pints for him, hope I am not mixing up ESA with WESA in wilbers though. ;)
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly. The ESA shocks on my 25k 2015 GSA are still fine (but then I'm even lighter at 65kg in my socks :D ) but when they do show signs of wear'n tear they'll be off to be fettled by Denz0 for a lot less £££s than Wilbers etc. More money then for other more worthy causes :green gri
 
MrC99 said:
My thoughts exactly. The ESA shocks on my 25k 2015 GSA are still fine (but then I'm even lighter at 65kg in my socks :D ) but when they do show signs of wear'n tear they'll be off to be fettled by Denz0 for a lot less £££s than Wilbers etc. More money then for other more worthy causes :green gri
Click to expand...

Exactly that 65kgs, seems to be the perfect number otherwise we are doomed. :D
 
Schtum said:
You have to send your own shocks to Wilbers for them to remove the ESA gubbins from them and fit that to the new Wilbers shocks.
Click to expand...

That's why I went with the TT shock .
I still have a nearly new original shock to go back on the bike when I chop it in.
The TT shock can be refurbished and go on the new bike or it can be sold.
If I had the shock for 5 years then sold it the cost does not seem too much when spread out.
 
CPJS said:
That's why I went with the TT shock .
I still have a nearly new original shock to go back on the bike when I chop it in.
The TT shock can be refurbished and go on the new bike or it can be sold.
If I had the shock for 5 years then sold it the cost does not seem too much when spread out.
Click to expand...

I used to think you where a nice person, but as of today, speaking common sense is making my credit card slip, try and say something bad please. ;)
 
I am 80kg and I find my 1250GS is perfectly suspended with great damping and control. It is noticeably better than my last 1200 which suffered from some wallow and insufficient rebound - although I was upto 25kg heavier when I rode the 1200 compared to now with the 1250.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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