And a big word of thanks to....Denz0

Hi All. Just a quick post to say big thanks to Denz0 (T-Tech Suspension) for doing a cracking job with good comms and a quick turnaround on the D-ESA F/R shocks on my '15 GSA when the rear lost all damping at 57K. Two weeks from me stripping the bike down, sending the knackered bits off to getting them back and re-fitted. Shocks were returned in just over a week. Happy bunny is I and bike feels hugely better (wouldn't have been difficult TBH!) and all the D-ESA bits seem to be working fine.

A great guy who has saved me a lot of £££s if I'd had to buy branded shocks

Great guy to deal with

MrC99 what is the Haynes spanner degree of difficulty removing both ESA shocks :
1 Spanner: Easy, suitable for novice with little experience;
Translation: Your Mum could do this... so how did you manage to botch it up?

2 Spanners: Fairly easy, suitable for beginner with some experience;
Translation: Now you may think that you can do this because two is a low, tiny, ikkle number... but you also thought that the wiring diagram was a map of the Tokyo underground (in fact that would have been more use to you).

3 Spanners: Fairly difficult, suitable for competent DIY mechanic;
Translation: Make sure you won't need your bike for a couple of days and that you have good rescue cover.

4 Spanners: Difficult, suitable for experienced DIY mechanic;
Translation: You are seriously considering this aren't you, you pleb!

5 Spanners: Very difficult, suitable for expert DIY or professional.
Translation: OK - but don't expect us to ride it afterwards!!!

??

Probably between 3. & 4.

Having been a bit of a bodger on old Jap bikes in the past I found it not particularly difficult and doesn't need any BMW special tools however the front end is particularly fiddly due to the sheer amount of plastic bits and a multitude of bolts and is very time consuming. It's a good idea to have plenty of space around the bike to lay all the bits out with their relevant screws/bolts as it'll make reassembly so much easier.

Most of the videos say you have to remove the airbox but I managed to get the front shock off by removing the tank (surprisingly easy but make sure you run it to empty first) and then moving/forcing the airbox back on the rubbers to get at the front top bolt but a long torx bit and a 1/2" socket set were handy.

In comparison the rear is comparatively easy once you've removed the electrical box under the seat, undone the bottom bolts on the subframe, loosened the top and then you can swivel the whole rear subframe up and out of the way. On mine I had to hacksaw off the exhaust clamp bolt as it had rusted solid but I suspect most other bikes would be in better nick than mine.

I'll be honest it took me around 5+ hours to remove and about the same to replace. Plus a bit of time to wander off and get coffees, look at some youtube videos when dismantling and the realoem parts website when reassembling.

Tools? A decent small socket set (eg Halfords) for the small torx bolts/screws and a 1/2" set for the shock bolts. A half decent torx set is worth it's weight in gold (I used this one https://www.toolstation.com/draper-tx-star-hexagon-and-spline-mechanics-bit-set/p66212). A bottle or trolley jack under the engine with wood & axle stands helps to line up shock mounts when reassembling. I only needed to get one of the airbox to injector rubbers off to get at the front shock wiring and managed this with a pair of water pump pliers on the clamp. You're supposed to use a pick to release some of the electrical connectors from the frame but I managed it with my smallest allen key. You'll need some cable ties to re-tie the electrics if you've got ESA. I suspect a torque wrench would be a very good idea but I skipped that part

The biggest problem I had was the 2 week time gap between stripping the bike, sending off the shocks and then reassembling as I'd forgotten the order the front fairing parts went back together ! The realoem site is dead handy here.

I'd happily do it again.

MrC99,
Considering doing this to my own bike.
Did you need to heat the suspension location bolts in order to undo them?
Did you need a GS911 to recalibrate the suspension after you put it back together?

I'll be doing this proactively this upcoming Winter when I can leave the GS off the road for a couple of weeks. My GS will be on approx 30k miles and 5 years old by the time the gritting lorries start doing their stuff later in 2023...

My mate had a 2015 R1200GS rear shock (only approx 10k miles!!!) fail recently, I put him on to Denz0. Denz0 turned the rear shock around in about 10 days, using uprated internal components and also a new spring. Sensible price too.

Did you need a GS911 to recalibrate the suspension after you put it back together?

Click to expand...

My mate mentioned above does not have a 911. Denz0 advised which mode to leave the bike in before the shock was removed (Denzo sent instructions!!), and Denz0 sent the refurbished shock back ready to plug straight in. Seems to have worked...

I do understand the 911 has a suspension calibration routine, but it was worked-around in case of my mate.

SMB said:

MrC99,
Considering doing this to my own bike.
Did you need to heat the suspension location bolts in order to undo them?
Did you need a GS911 to recalibrate the suspension after you put it back together?

Click to expand...

No to both.

Oh and another MrC99 pearl of wisdom with 20:20 hindsight. When replacing the tank insert the 2 electrical connectors and the qd petrol feed and then turn the ignition on and fire the engine up briefly to spot any petrol potentially weeping from the qd connector. It needs a very firm shove to get it to seat (it should click) and if it hasn't you'll have a petrol weep which will necessitate another partial strip down in very short order.

DAMHIK

Plenty of videos on you tube.
front more fiddly than rear. - allow 2 hours to remove front and 2 hours to refit.
PS - do not wait for them to fail. an ideal opportunity to deep clean

These photos may be of some interest for anyone thinking of swapping out the shocks on a 2015 GS. I fitted a set of Ohlins a few years ago now. It gives you an idea of what’s involved, it’s not a particularly hard job, just be methodical and remember where things go back, just take your time. As you can see, there’s no need to remove the petrol tank.

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