Suspension Question

GSADavidZH2

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Good afternoon :)

Has anyone out there has had experience of both Wilburs and Maxton replacement shocks on their GSA? My GSA is a 90Yr Anniversary. I am looking to upgrade but not sure which ones to get.........
 
crack a bottle of wine tonight read about nitrons got them on my 1100 gs never had the above shocks sure someone will be along shortly...........
 
Sorry cannot help with the Wilbers but I had Maxton shocks on my 2011 R1200GSA TC (non ESA ) from the time it was 10 months old until when I sold it when it was 4 years old.

I never had to touch the adjustment on the front from what it was set at from the factory whether I was solo, two up or had luggage on the bike , as for the rear it only required two or three turns on the hydraulic adjuster when the bike was two up with luggage .

The bike handled well on standard shocks but it went to another level with the Maxton shocks fitted, the shocks were both compliant giving a magic carpet like ride quality and also made the bike handle as if on rails letting you know exactly what was going on with the road surface .

As for longevity they were still in excellent condition and had not required a service 4 years and 15,000 miles later when someone I knew owned the bike , the only bugbear was i did not order them with black springs as the purple ones clashed with the bikes colours
 
I have a wilbers on the front its harsh and I'm not thrilled
on the back I have a 3 way damper adjustable whitepower shock and its incredible (for compression it has long wave and high speed sharp stutter type bump damping) - light years better than anything I've used before

Knowing what I know now

I'd NEVER choose electronic suspension - my KTM has it - its always wrong, would be the best way to explain it and always trying to kill you - you have to ride slow and work out how its going to behave one corner to the next
ESA on a GS LC 2016 spec - (just before the self tuning effort) was awful too - needed comfort below 40mph and Sport anywhere above - it was always offensive
ESA on my K1300 GT was horrid always not very good - the ability to tweak preload was the only sensible idea
And I would never buy after-market kit that's just the bodge one adjuster for both compression and rebound compromised joke.
 
I have wilbers ESA on mine and they are wonderful.

Pretty much just leave it in comfort mode, I can scoot along at whatever pace I feel like in blissful comfort. I’ve tried norm and sport modes and they still feel good, but I just don’t see the point of firming the bike up, it really doesn’t need it for the road.

The ESA2 on the new WC 1250 is another level though, that is truly magic.
 
I just sent my originals to Denzo for full overhaul, got them resprung to my weight, saved a fortune and transformed bike.
 
+1 for the Wilbers ESA on my TC Comfort setting 1 up and Normal setting with Pillion, Serviced by Denz0 every 30k miles.
The 3 damping settings are a lot more noticeable than with stock shocks.
 
I have used Maxton as their place isn't far from me and yes, they are an excellent shock and well built plus the people are great to deal with.

I did have an issue with one of their 1200GS rear shocks on a trip in Alaska but, that was a real one off fault that was fully explained to me
when i (eventually) returned it and, they sorted the whole thing to my complete satisfaction without any fuss.
 
I have wilbers esa on my tc gsa and It’s not the magic carpet ride I was led to expect, still seem hard ,while fully loaded up they seem better . Mind you the way our roads have deteriorated it’s difficult to expect anything else .
 
I have wilbers esa on my tc gsa and It’s not the magic carpet ride I was led to expect, still seem hard ,while fully loaded up they seem better . Mind you the way our roads have deteriorated it’s difficult to expect anything else .

Maybe they are oversprung for your weight?

A spring change would sort that out for you. Mine are lovely and floaty in comfort mode, but don’t wallow in the corners either.

Like anything, it’s down to who sets them up.

The beauty of a wilbers or maxton type shock is they are so tuneable you can make them whatever you want them to be.

My nitrons were lovely on my 1150, but they were firmer because I asked for them to be ‘sporty’. I knocked a couple of clicks off the compression/rebound knob and it made them much better for me, but these ESA wilbers are a different class of comfy. They don’t wallow, but the steering is a bit floaty on comfort, only really noticeable when ‘pressing on’ and it never gets disconcerting enough to make me want to stiffen it up any,

I rode my friends 1250 adv with the ESA 2 on it and that is other worldly, floats over everything, but is also pin sharp when hooning whilst remaining a magic carpet ride, very impressive.
 
I have twice bought suspension components from Maxton (but not for a GS) and the quality of their products is truly excellent, what you get in terms of performance though, depends on how well you know what you want (or need) and how well you pass on that info, along with your weight and riding habits etc.
Recently I bought a 2007 GS which was fitted with a rear Wilbers unit and came with a loose Wilbers front, the bike was too tall, oversprung, and over damped for me and the 350 miles ride home had me thinking WTF have I done now. What saved the day was a conversation with Luke Lukas (Denz0) who said that the Wilbers units were very variable in the quality of set up direct from the factory, he said he could set them up so I sent them down along with a lighter rear spring I got with the bike. They were back with me quickly, cleaned, revalved and set up correctly for me. The result is as I imagined a GS to be (it's my first), floaty but precise - just right.
Unless you have a high value bike my advice would be to PM Luke for advice, then keep a lookout for a s/h pair of Wilbers/Ohlins etc or even original fitment units and have them rebuilt to your specs.
By the way Luke shortened the stroke in both my units to reduce the ride height by 30mm, reassuring me the centrestand would not need modified. He was right, no bother at all to pull onto stand.
 
Thank you to everyone for the feedback, I forgot to add Nitron in my post. My GSA is none ESA so I guess that will make any replacement easier. Also shedman that is a good idea regarding getting some s/hand shocks and getting them rebuilt by Denz0 :thumby:

I could try "crowd funding" for a new 1250...........................................:hide
 
I have used Maxton as their place isn't far from me and yes, they are an excellent shock and well built...

I've been using a Maxton on the back which was fitted by Tony to my 2011 12GS and it still works perfectly after 30k miles on it.

Highly recommended but make sure that you fit the corect spec spring for your weight.
 
I've been using a Maxton on the back which was fitted by Tony to my 2011 12GS and it still works perfectly after 30k miles on it.

Highly recommended but make sure that you fit the corect spec spring for your weight.

Hey Bob, hope you're well mate. Nice to hear the shock is still good :thumb2
 
I have a Nitron on my 2006.
Im no light weight and nor is our Lass, she's 6ft and around 80kg I'm nearing 120kg
The Nitron is not cheap especially with the remote thingy, but it has not only transformed the bike but made it so user friendly as a lot of new shocks made to order with a heavier spring lift the bike.
This shock is of top quality and I would recommend at a heart beat.
The shock alone is making me keep this bike and not trade up..
15000 miles in it is worth the money.
 
I had Wilbers on both my GSAs. First was non ESA and I asked for fast road spring and damping - overly firm solo, perfect with pillion. On second set I had ESA Wilbers and asked for Road setting instead - comfort was a revelation. normal was great for pushing on….firm but never harsh….very confidence inspiring….best set up I have ever had BUT can’t compare with any other after market make.
 
read the one about nitron - I think if starting out I'd go with theses (with separate compression and rebound adjustment not budget nasties)
I suspect they will be cheaper and much better - if wilbers were any good you'd hear other makes / riders using them

that said if u want ESA the std stuff is bin material the day they make the bike - so a rebuild or others will really limit what u can have
 


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