Shock absorber wear ???

[Acpantera]

At nearly 23,000 miles the roadster still feels like the day I test drove it(I think). I have seen some posts about worn shocks and wonder if I'm not noticing the slow deterioration of shock performance. I'm a 30 year licensed rider and been riding for nearly 40 years(started @ 6yrs old). I consider my self a good rider with average skills. What is the general thought of suspension quality over the long haul with this bike ? My last bike, a 2002 R1150R, had 36,000 miles and I also thought it rode ok(until I test rode the 1200 and brought it home that day).

[celticus]

I am in the same boat as you. After 25,000 miles I think my shocks are fine. Maybe I am just getting slowly used to worse and worse shocks but I can't tell. They don't feel sloppy to me.

Mark

[Acpantera]

Beemer bone yard has a set of stock shocks w/only 500 miles on the for only 250 bucks. Wonder if I would feel the difference in ride and handling or just lighten my wallet??

[Acpantera]

Well, I now have 30k miles on the R and have decided the the new ohc R is not leaps and bounds better than mine, so I got off my wallet and bought the boneyard shocks. I'm planning on swapping them out in the spring after a ride so that I can compare them fairly.

[celticus]

Please let me know the verdict.

mark

[ShinySideUp]

I was never a fan of the stock shocks even when new and by 25K miles (and more of those miles than I'd like were in the potholes of San Francisco), they didn't feel sloppy but just harsh. About as inviting as a wet toilet seat.

I switched to a set of Wilburs and didn't look back.

Most shock gurus I've talked to or read say somewhere in the vicinity of 25K miles is the usual service life. I imagine there's quite a bit of variation, depending on which million cycles were harsh and which million were gentle, rider weight etc.

The Wilburs, Hyperpros, Ohlins etc are rebuildable; OEM not.

[hjsbmw]

Most shock gurus I've talked to or read say somewhere in the vicinity of 25K miles is the usual service life.

I am trying to understand this. I can see that there is more of that seesawing motion on a motorcycle, and four points of suspension on a car make for a more even distribution, causing an individual shock to travel less when absorbing a pothole. However, does that explain this drastically shorter life for motorcycle shocks?

[ShinySideUp]

Most shock gurus I've talked to or read say somewhere in the vicinity of 25K miles is the usual service life.

I am trying to understand this. I can see that there is more of that seesawing motion on a motorcycle, and four points of suspension on a car make for a more even distribution, causing an individual shock to travel less when absorbing a pothole. However, does that explain this drastically shorter life for motorcycle shocks?

That question would probably be best addressed to the pros.

Maybe it's the case that a motorcycle shock has to provide more sophisticated control and feedback than a car shock to give the results demanded by us riders, leaned over in a curve on a bumpy road.

[Acpantera]

Some good shock dyno numbers would be interesting to study.

[takemeaway]

Mine gave out at about 25K. I could only feel it on a freeway speed road trip because the front end felt light and bouncy. Then I couldn't unfeel it on regular roads. (Could have just been in my head...) I installed the Ohlin's, the difference was night and day for handling/performance.

[newtlilly]

I second that observation as not only do the Ohlins improve handling they offer a more compliant ride. Now I just have to sell my nearly new OEM shocks.

[deilenberger]

I second that observation as not only do the Ohlins improve handling they offer a more compliant ride. Now I just have to sell my nearly new OEM shocks.

Save them. The used Ohlins will be worth way more then your OEM shocks if you ever decide to sell the bike. And they give you something to hold the bike up if your Ohlins need to be serviced. I have a collection of them in my garage (my low miles originals, and then a VERY low miles set I picked up off FleaBay for no particularly good reason except they went VERY cheaply..)

[celticus]

I think maybe LSD is making a comback in St. Louis.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-Moto ... ccessories

Mark

[hjsbmw]

What has bothered me since the beginning (bike had 9k miles when I got it) is especially the front wheel's behavior on bad asphalt. It feels very stiff and tramples around, maybe more so in curves.
I suspect that may not be due to shock wear but the general OEM quality/setup and inability to adjust the front. Do others have similar experiences? Did an upgrade to Wilbers et al. cure the problem? Would I need to change both shocks at the same time to have a benefit, or could I start with the front and do the rear later?

[celticus]

I second that observation as not only do the Ohlins improve handling they offer a more compliant ride. Now I just have to sell my nearly new OEM shocks.

How many miles do they have on them? You can private message me with a price if you have a mind to.

Mark

[Tak]

There are a set of shocks for sale on the BMW MOA site for $200 (includes shipping). Only used 500 miles.

The seller's contact info is [email protected]

[deilenberger]

I think maybe LSD is making a comback in St. Louis.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-Moto ... ccessories

Mark

That's at least the 3rd go-around for that shock.. and yeah - what are they smokin?

[celticus]

There are a set of shocks for sale on the BMW MOA site for $200 (includes shipping). Only used 500 miles.

The seller's contact info is [email protected]

Thanks Tak, I dropped him a line.

Mark

[newtlilly]

Hi,

Been away for a while so sorry for being late to respond. Anyway, $275 including shipping.

[celticus]

There are a set of shocks for sale on the BMW MOA site for $200 (includes shipping). Only used 500 miles.

The seller's contact info is [email protected]

Thanks for the tip Tak. I got those shocks. Good price and good person to deal with.
Is shock installation difficult?

Mark