[st13phil]

Wilbers were not available for Dynamic ESA.

Wilbers are available for Dynamic ESA. You have to send them your complete OEM shock and they swap over the DESA gubbins onto a new Wilbers unit.

I've not tried Wilbers on a K1600 (yet!) but did use a fully adjustable, remote reservoir, Wilbers unit on the rear of an ST1300 for many years and it was superb.

 

[st13phil]

Tractive is the team that developed ESA for BMW...

Tractive grew out of WP who originated ESA motorcycle suspension in the early 2000's.

When WP moved from the Netherlands to Austria, some of the original team stayed and formed Tractive (around 2010, from memory) who continued to develop and refine continuously variable, electronically controlled, motorcycle suspension.

I have no experience of Tractive suspension products but with their heritage would expect them to be a good choice.

 

[K16GTW]

I’m shocked 😳

 

[Gunnert]

Wilbers have always been available for ESA and/or Dynamic ESA. I installed my Wilbers early 2013.

@amorley , ever heard of that old saying, "you don't know what you don't know?" I assure you, your shocks are shot. Shocks degrade slowly over time and many don't realize they are going bad. You put a new set of shocks on your bike and you'll feel like Superman.

Duane

 

[Qbird66]

Maybe I used the wrong terminology. I'll go this route: when a friend needed new suspension for his 2014 RT, the Beemer Shop told him that Wilbers that supported ESA were only available for 2013 and earlier RTs due to changes in BMW's ESA suspension for 2014 and later model years (he could still get non-ESA Wilbers).

Looking at the Beemer Shop's site, Wilbers are available the K1600 with no model year mentions. I should have researched before posting earlier.

 

[Jonnybow]

Still riding on the same shocks after over 100K miles on KBiK

Andy, the cold winters that you have in Houston are not the same as what folks experience in other areas of the country. I live in the Mid Atlantic where the winters are mild and store my bike in the unheated garage where it gets close to zero for maybe a week or two. Guys like @djfalkenstein will have a bike subjected to that climate for a full 2-3 months.
I do think that a cold soak affects the pliability of the seals in the shock and can cause them to leak.
My bike has 22K miles and I know the shocks are toast, they haven't leaked (yet) but it's time for replacement for sure.

 

[djfalkenstein]

This morning I found no additional fluid, even after 30 miles of frost heaves and hard riding. I understand that these shocks are within the envelope of needing replacement, so I will plan an aftermarket replacement.
Next Winter I will experiment with storing the bike under a heated blanket with normal cover over that. We had a solid month in the 20s this year.
Now I have a bug in my ears; every bump I hit I will be thinking about handling.

 

[Northsquad]

One man's opinion is that BMW bought the cheapest possible part.

Sounds right, it's probably why the **** thing starts squeaking like mickey and Minnie getting it on, and has us all spraying the seal for silence

 

[jamesg68]

One man's opinion is that BMW bought the cheapest possible part.

I wouldn't say cheapest as the stock stuff isn't terrible. When you're making anything you have to make compromises between cost and performance. But we all do that as consumers anyway. If this were a track bike with a conventional suspension then you would have options ranging from tens of thousands of dollars for a race spec set up or hundreds for something more basic. But you would still make the cost/benefit compromise.

I don't think that 27k miles from a set of stock suspension components for a bike this heavy is that bad at all. The nice thing about aftermarket is that when you buy them they will be set up for you specifically rather than being set up for a really wide range of riders.

james

 

[atc250r]

A couple of weeks ago I moved my bike around in my garage, first taking it off the center stand. My garage is unheated and it was really cold outside. Almost immediately I noticed fluid dripping from my front shock. I have about 44 K Kms on it (about 27 K miles). However, unlike you, I still have the basic warranty in place and it was fully covered. Coincidentally, the exact same thing happened to a friend of mine a week earlier. He has the B, same year and about the same mileage. Seems our front shock is not well made.

I think if I were in your shoes I would bite the bullet and get the Wilbers.

It’s not only the front shock. The rear shock is for “warm weather use only” too. Sad.

 

[atc250r]

Andy, the cold winters that you have in Houston are not the same as what folks experience in other areas of the country. I live in the Mid Atlantic where the winters are mild and store my bike in the unheated garage where it gets close to zero for maybe a week or two. Guys like @djfalkenstein will have a bike subjected to that climate for a full 2-3 months.
I do think that a cold soak affects the pliability of the seals in the shock and can cause them to leak.
My bike has 22K miles and I know the shocks are toast, they haven't leaked (yet) but it's time for replacement for sure.

It’s not the extended cold that affects the shock. Rather it’s operating the shock in cold weather. You can leave your bike untouched for months at -30° and you’ll be ok as long as you don’t touch it. But compress the shock at all in those same temps and it’ll cost you big time.

K1600’s should come with that warning from the factory-

WARNING- This bike cannot be moved in <15°F weather. May also overheat when > 85°.
May also burn vast amounts of oil, and the starter will engage when it wants to.

 

[djfalkenstein]

Now I am down Alice's rabbit hole. I have found a new obsession to fret over and investigate ad nauseam. I had a very long talk with Ted Porter Friday. For the GA, he suggested the Tractive suspension. In reading the material, I understand why he is representing this brand in addition to the classic options. Tractive invented BMW ESA.

Tractive also apparently send a complete unit not requiring a swap out (to be validated). This alone saves the time of sending the old parts out and waiting for the rebuild.

The Tractive components are made using their own patented designs and carry a five-year warranty. They are fully rebuildable too. They brag the shock contains the toughest motor possible.

Ted builds the replacement set based on your weight and riding style.

"The TracTive shocks outperform the stock shocks in comfort, but also in handling. This is due to the specific damping setup with wider damping range and the electronic components used. For ESAI and ESAII we use the most reliable stepper motor available on the market. In stock shocks the stepper motor is installed in the lower eyelet. This is susceptible to water ingress inside this eyelet, the motor rusts and the damping adjustment does not function anymore. TracTive has installed the stepper motor safely higher up inside the shock absorber body. "

"For dynamic ESA the most stable and fastest valve on the market is used: the TracTive DDA valve. The electrical properties of the TracTive DDA valve are identical to the stock shocks, so there is no issue with the motorbike management system. Contrary to many of the stock dynamic technologies, the TracTive DDA valve has been developed for use in motorbike applications and has a large adjustment range in the shock absorber low speed range. This creates more comfort and more handling than the original shocks."

 

[Itchintoryde]

@Prince posits that all of these failures are due to cold storage. Ok. I can see how temperature can conceivably be the root cause; but that mean these parts are not fit for purpose. This vehicle should not be sensitive to normally cold environs.
I wonder if I should store the bike under a heated blanket?

Mine bit the bullet with a lot less miles on it. The one nite I had it in an enclosed trailer and we had a cold snap that weakened the seal and produced a nice puddle of fork oil behind the front wheel. Shock only covered for 7000km warranty and I had 9000km on the bike. Dealer did a solid and pushed it through as electronic failure.

 

[Qbird66]

Looking at the Beemer Shop's site, Wilbers are available the K1600 with no model year mentions. I should have researched before posting earlier.

Turns out I was wrong again - Wilbers are not available for B or GA models.

 

[Jeo]

Today was the first good day I had to do preflight. The bike has been on its center stand since middle December. When I brought the bike off the stand and rolled it out of the garage, a little bit of shock fluid followed me out. There on the garage floor was a small line of disconnected drips.

OK. The bike is not under warranty, but I can still buy it outright. The Wilber shock is a good option. The cost of a repair and the cost of the warranty is close, so I get to make a judgment call.

Should I get the warranty then claim the failure? Should I eat the price of OEM replacements? Should I just upgrade? Should I ignore it because it is only a couple of drips and it may reseal itself? $1800 is not what I wanted to spend.

Hj djk i hád same problem on my 2014 GT, and put It to run and the leak stop itself.

 

[XtBimmer]

Now I am down Alice's rabbit hole. I have found a new obsession to fret over and investigate ad nauseam. I had a very long talk with Ted Porter Friday. For the GA, he suggested the Tractive suspension. In reading the material, I understand why he is representing this brand in addition to the classic options. Tractive invented BMW ESA.















Tractive also apparently send a complete unit not requiring a swap out (to be validated). This alone saves the time of sending the old parts out and waiting for the rebuild.















The Tractive components are made using their own patented designs and carry a five-year warranty. They are fully rebuildable too. They brag the shock contains the toughest motor possible.























Ted builds the replacement set based on your weight and riding style.















"The TracTive shocks outperform the stock shocks in comfort, but also in handling. This is due to the specific damping setup with wider damping range and the electronic components used. For ESAI and ESAII we use the most reliable stepper motor available on the market. In stock shocks the stepper motor is installed in the lower eyelet. This is susceptible to water ingress inside this eyelet, the motor rusts and the damping adjustment does not function anymore. TracTive has installed the stepper motor safely higher up inside the shock absorber body. "















"For dynamic ESA the most stable and fastest valve on the market is used: the TracTive DDA valve. The electrical properties of the TracTive DDA valve are identical to the stock shocks, so there is no issue with the motorbike management system. Contrary to many of the stock dynamic technologies, the TracTive DDA valve has been developed for use in motorbike applications and has a large adjustment range in the shock absorber low speed range. This creates more comfort and more handling than the original shocks."

Will this Tractive front shock work for the 18 k1600b and still be able to use the ESA system?

 

[Gunnert]

@XtBimmer , yes.

Duane

 

[Busapilot]

I just talked to my local dealer. $3500 for the POS BMW replacement shock. $900 for a rebuild shock and they’re calling for a price for a Wilber’s. Four hours of labor to replace it. Thoughts?

 

[MotoToph]

I just talked to my local dealer. $3500 for the POS BMW replacement shock. $900 for a rebuild shock and they’re calling for a price for a Wilber’s. Four hours of labor to replace it. Thoughts?

My thoughts are in your thread

Leaking front shock

Took my bike off the center stand yesterday and yay! I get to replace a front shock! Took it off the center stand to move it in my garage and there’s a trail of oil. F$#%! I have a 2018 K1600b with 26,000 miles. My question is does the B have the same front shock as the GT/GTL? Second...

www.k1600forum.com

edit: I crack myself up

 

[Gunnert]

@Busapilot Thoughts? Well, you need a front shock. If it's '16 or older you'll need a Wilbers. If '17 or newer you'll need a Tractive (I think that's what they're called). Either way, Ted Porter is your go to guy for either shock. If it's a Wilbers you'll have to send him your shock. Either way ensure bike is set to comfort/rider only before removing shock. 4 hours labor is not bad for removal/replacement of a front shock.

Duane