Non ESA suspension on a 1250 GS - what is it like?

r1happy said:

I bought a new basic 2019 1250 GS Rallye as a keeper with some options, heated grips, cruise, sat nav mount, but no shift assist or keyless. The money I saved over a TE paid for Ohlins TTX shocks. Far better handling than my 2 previous LCÂ’s with ESA. Plus if I sell the GS the Ohlins will still have a value.

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It seems like there is a bit of confusion going on here.
Al this talk about the ESA shocks..

The new 1250 does not offer ESA, it offers Dynamic ESA.

Up to 2017 or there about, ESA was replaced with Dynamic ESA. Regular ESA was a shock that would allow the rider to change the damping and preload by the rider through pushing a button. If no button was pushed, the shock stayed at it's selected level until another level was selected by the rider. This means it was an easy match for higher quality after marked shocks.

Dynamic shocks adjusts the damping on a bump to bump basis. The system has been around for quite a while and is generally considered superior to none adjustable shocks. When BMW introduced the Dynamic shocks on their HP4, the improvement was quoted to improve the lap time by 0,5 sec for a track where lap times where 1:30. So generally, in all sorts of vehicles, the Dynamic damping is considered as an improvement, and is generally an improvement easily recognized by the driver/rider.

The part that does the shock Dynamic is computers and sensors that control the valve that adjusts the shock, hence the regular valves found on any shock is merely replaced by a small solenoid or motor.

People worry about the extra complexity of these shocks. True, some people have experienced leaks, but the leaking seals are not part of the Dynamic control, and would just as easy leaked on a none-adjustable shock.

Denz0 said:

Hi
I'm working with them shocks every day and I can say there is lots of way to adjust the suspension (internally ) beside them shocks have tons of damping and more rebound is last thing you need.
If you use correct (normally stiffer) spring.
You get less oscillation so less damping is needed or standard damping will be more then adequate for the job. Nice anodising doesn't necessary means better setup.




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Im running the Tractive Dynamic ESA system , sprung and valved to suit my requests and riding , brilliant set up and with a few clicks you can change the bike , for me that is a good system and it give you a bit of manual control as well as the Dynamic , the original Dynamic ESA was a bit soft as you could not dial out issues.
A non ESA bike with a good set up ( ohlins / wilburs ) will be great , just needs tweeking for different situations ie loads etc.

stick said:

Im running the Tractive Dynamic ESA system , sprung and valved to suit my requests and riding , brilliant set up and with a few clicks you can change the bike , for me that is a good system and it give you a bit of manual control as well as the Dynamic , the original Dynamic ESA was a bit soft as you could not dial out issues.
A non ESA bike with a good set up ( ohlins / wilburs ) will be great , just needs tweeking for different situations ie loads etc.

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Customized suspension will always trump the stock suspension unless your body weight and carry on load conforms with the DIN specification (I recon that is what BMW does). So.. Your choice is the best you can get.

We are only able to control the shocks. The spring is fixed. As the spring and shock works together, a spring that is sized to the proper load will always be an advantage, no matter how brilliant the shocks are.

I realize that the OP asks for experience with the none-ESA bike, and as such, this reply is a bit of-topic.

However, a none ESA shock is only adjustable when the rider steps off the bike, and whatever setting is selected, there will be only one road condition that is ideal for that setup. Even on a smooth surface, as on a racetrack, the Dynamic suspension will improve the bike over a fixed setting shock.

Hence, if the OP's objective is to save money, well, fair enough. But if the objective is to get the best suspension, I think the rating will be:

- Customized Dynamic suspension
- Oem Dynamic suspension
- Customized Manual adjustable suspension.
- OEM Manual adjustable suspension

my 2c

knutk said:

Customized suspension will always trump the stock suspension unless your body weight and carry on load conforms with the DIN specification (I recon that is what BMW does). So.. Your choice is the best you can get.

We are only able to control the shocks. The spring is fixed. As the spring and shock works together, a spring that is sized to the proper load will always be an advantage, no matter how brilliant the shocks are.

I realize that the OP asks for experience with the none-ESA bike, and as such, this reply is a bit of-topic.

However, a none ESA shock is only adjustable when the rider steps off the bike, and whatever setting is selected, there will be only one road condition that is ideal for that setup. Even on a smooth surface, as on a racetrack, the Dynamic suspension will improve the bike over a fixed setting shock.

Hence, if the OP's objective is to save money, well, fair enough. But if the objective is to get the best suspension, I think the rating will be:

- Customized Dynamic suspension
- Oem Dynamic suspension
- Customized Manual adjustable suspension.
- OEM Manual adjustable suspension

my 2c

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How about option D
Customise OEM Dynamic Suspension?
Spring is the biggest factor in any custom setup. Damping is the second big factor.

There is tons of stuff you can change in OEM shocks.

Damping can be adjusted internally, spring rate, initial spring preload, nitrogen pressure

One thing that can't be changed is the ESA response time. On the standard shocks about 80ms

Tractive/TT is 10x quicker and holds more oil so keeps the performance for a little longer.

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Paul S said:

OK - going through the thought process of whether to keep or change my 1290 SAS.

One option that appeals to me is to go for something a bit more basic i.e. standard 1250 GS with just heated grips, quick shifter and nothing else.

What's the latest experience of non ESA bikes from those that have them (if any) as the chances of me getting a test ride on one will be about zero!

Cheers

Paul

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I’d check with your dealer. On the BMW configurator they’ve locked a lot of individual options to packs, so you can’t order a basic bike with just heated grips, you have to add the comfort pack. Similarly to get the gearshift assist you must add the dynamic pack. It could just be the website, but you used to be able to add each item separately, so I suspect they’ve now stopped it.