R1250GS HP Suspension - normal vs sport

amonteirox

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Hi,

Decided to pull the trigger to the R1250GS, my only question is regarding suspension, normal or sport (+ 20mm).

I have never had a chance to try the sport suspension on the R1200GS Rallye (dealers only have the normal suspension in the demo bikes), and the opinions are somewhat divergent in road use, from fantastic to harsh and uncomfortable.

The bike is essentially for touring (2-up) on secondary roads and usually in very bad condition, at good speed (not racing) but privileging comfort.

As a reference I currently have an R1200GS 08 and have about 140lbs, when I bought it at 10 years ago I had to replace the shocks with ESA Wilbers because of the OEM shocks being too harsh.

Who has already tried the two suspension versions, normal vs. sport what were the sensations?
 
The sports suspension excels on fast smooth roads it is quite firm personally would not recommend for two up also the seat is higher so bear that I’m mind, only used mine on road but apparently helps off road as well


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It seems to me that people are attracted to the "Sports" tag as they like to think of themselves as sporty riders, when in fact the Sport option is really for extreme off road use, with BMW saying that it is not ideal for road use.

If you want comfort and ease of use, especially with a pillion, then stick with the standard suspension. The Sports suspension is harder and makes the bike 20 mm taller and so even more difficult to manage, especially fully loaded. In fact I would recommend considering the low chassis even if you are not of shorter stature. I am 6' 1" and find it ideal, especially for two up touring.
 
When the sports suspension came out it wasn’t actually listed as off road only unless you have tried it you will never know


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I had Sport suspension on my Rallye, and wouldn’t get it again. It was VERY firm.
 
I had Sport suspension on my Rallye, and wouldn’t get it again. It was VERY firm.

Thanks for you reply.

I previously researched the subject in the forum and saw a comment from 2017 where you were amazed by the sport suspension, what happened meanwhile?
 
Thanks for you reply.

I previously researched the subject in the forum and saw a comment from 2017 where you were amazed by the sport suspension, what happened meanwhile?

He’s evangelical nowadays :p

I have Sport suspension and would have it again, it offers the same suspension travel as the Adventure model it has the added benefit of making the steering a bit quicker on the GS Rallye, it’s no more complicated than that.
 
Thanks for you reply.

I previously researched the subject in the forum and saw a comment from 2017 where you were amazed by the sport suspension, what happened meanwhile?

I rode it more. My back issue flared up, so I got rid of the bike.
 
Interseting how different people perceive things differently. Obviously it depends on the background and riding stile. Coming from a ktm, I find the sport suspension on my 18 Rallye too soft. Too soft for proper off-roading. The rebound damping is almost non existent. If you watch YouTube videos with people riding their GS bikes off-road, you can see the rear wheel all over the place bouncing like a tennis ball. Higher clearance and longer suspension travel to prevent bottoming out? Yes, it doesn’t bottom out, but that’s about it. It didn’t make my ride sportier nor more comfortable off-road. I can go everywhere I did on my ktm, just the pace is much much slower. So, for me this sport suspension is a gimmick, just marketing. Ended up selling the 1200 Rallye and bought 1250 HP with standard shocks which will be swapped out with aftermarket plug&travel shocks with longer travel made by Tractive. Unfortunately my dealer only offers bikes with all the bells and whistles, I would have ditched the ESA for good if I could and install Tractive Extreme shocks.
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This is interesting to me. I obviously falsely assumed that the “sport” suspension was just fitting the GSA suspension to the GS but that doesn’t seem to be the case. It does appear to be a different setup or maybe the software controlling it is different.
 
riding mainly on the road ? the sport is not required.....the main thing that the sport does is raise the ride height...so if you are struggling already to touch the floor, dont have it ....... from what i gather its the same spring as the normal one with added length, therefore if has more travel and bound to feel softer.
 
Are the Touratech shocks that much better and im guessing you lose he ESA part?
 


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