1250 GS Shocks?

[Twisties]

I have to say, I love the suspension on my 1250 GS.  I ride street in Dynamic Pro and find the bike to be stable and comfortable except on rough road surfaces.  Of course, I could go in and set a softer ride then, if I wanted.  On dirt the Enduro mode works for me.

 

The bike is approaching 19k miles and I'm wondering what to expect as far when the oem shocks should be replaced and what people are doing in so far as replacements go. 

 

On the old 2007 RT with the early ESA I just replaced with an aftermarket non-ESA shock.  At that time there were no aftermarket ESA shocks and the aftermarket shock was miles ahead of the oem unit. It was great.  Later, aftermarket ESA shocks became available, but I was happy with the one I had.  It was rebuildable, and performed well.  But, obviously, the RT was ridden primarily street, and did not need the versatility of ESA (there were no comprehensive ride modes with coordinated suspension, engine and traction control settings).

 

Today, on the GS, I would consider replacing with an OEM unit with respect to performance, but knowing BMW the price is likely prohibitive.  I guess I would consider an ESA replacement to be desirable.  What all are you doing for replacements and roughly when should I expect to need to do it?

 

 

[60Aviator]

Love my Wilbers with WESA. You also have some options for lower shocks. 

[Dave_in_TX]

I'm still running the original ESA shocks at 83k miles on my 2020 R1250GS.

[Twisties]

2 hours ago, Dave_in_TX said:

I'm still running the original ESA shocks at 83k miles on my 2020 R1250GS.

Woah!  Good to know.  

[marcopolo]

On 9/30/2022 at 7:04 AM, 60Aviator said:

Love my Wilbers with WESA. You also have some options for lower shocks. 

I've got a 1200 GSA, not a 1250, but I also replaced OEM ESA shocks with Wilbers WESA.  Retains the ESA functionality, but you'd have to enquire as to suitability for the 1250.  Can't recall whether 60Aviator's bike is a 1250, or a 1200.  Can't imagine a 1250 would make a difference.  I replaced mine in May, 2021, at about 48,700 miles.  I got mine from EPM Performance, in New Jersey.  They were great to deal with.  Since I have little to no mechanical ability (or interest), I had an independent BMW tech remove my OEM shocks (and send them to EPM), and then install the new Wilbers WESA shocks (EPM transfers the electronic bits from the OEM shocks to the Wilbers).  Total cost, including labour, all shipping etc., was $2,750 US, which is a hell of a lot less expensive than BMW ESA shocks.

[60Aviator]

6 hours ago, marcopolo said:

I've got a 1200 GSA, not a 1250, but I also replaced OEM ESA shocks with Wilbers WESA.  Retains the ESA functionality, but you'd have to enquire as to suitability for the 1250.  Can't recall whether 60Aviator's bike is a 1250, or a 1200.  Can't imagine a 1250 would make a difference.  I replaced mine in May, 2021, at about 48,700 miles.  I got mine from EPM Performance, in New Jersey.  They were great to deal with.  Since I have little to no mechanical ability (or interest), I had an independent BMW tech remove my OEM shocks (and send them to EPM), and then install the new Wilbers WESA shocks (EPM transfers the electronic bits from the OEM shocks to the Wilbers).  Total cost, including labour, all shipping etc., was $2,750 US, which is a hell of a lot less expensive than BMW ESA shocks.

My 2017 R1200 GSA