Wow - very, very detailed. Thanks for the write-up. Will make the process much easier for anyone who wants to tackle this upgrade.

I'm sure we'll all be interested in hearing some longer term impressions, so keep 'em coming once you get some more miles on the new shocks.

 

Any difference between a 2006-2009 and 2010-on bikes?

 

Close enough that this will do the job.

 

Just got done reading. JayJay, that is VonBaden-esque!
Both informative and entertaing.
My bike's got just 11,000 miles but I'm tempted! I can lower it a little and get improved handling at the same time. Only downside is the time to ship them out and back.

 

I think that if you want to adjust the ride height, the way I'd do it is to stack pieces of plywood on each side of the bike until it's comfortable. Then tell Ted that's how much you want to lower it.

You could talk to Ted Porter about your time concerns, he may have a commercial shipping account that would make express shipping more affordable than if you had to do it on your own.

JayJay

 

Great write up. Thanks!

 

Excellent write-up, thank you for sharing.

 

Very nice writeup. Maybe you covered this in another post but I'm assuming you just wanted to upgrade your suspension for your specific riding configuration(s) aka weight, load, etc..???
I was wondering to myself last year about what BMW uses as a model for suspension on the RT? I know when I was riding MX I aways had to increase springs because the manufacturers use a 150-170lb rider model, but have no idea what rider weight BMW uses as the average. Did they tell you how much spring weight increase they utilized?

 

Very nice writeup. Maybe you covered this in another post but I'm assuming you just wanted to upgrade your suspension for your specific riding configuration(s) aka weight, load, etc..???
I was wondering to myself last year about what BMW uses as a model for suspension on the RT? I know when I was riding MX I aways had to increase springs because the manufacturers use a 150-170lb rider model, but have no idea what rider weight BMW uses as the average. Did they tell you how much spring weight increase they utilized?

Teach - my principle motivation for doing this was that at four years and 48K the struts were failing. Which happens - they damp because they squish oil through tiny holes, and eventually the oil shears, the viscosity changes, and the handling degrades. I'd noticed a degradation in handling and a lack of differentiation between Comfort, Normal and Sport modes, which I use for different riding conditions. Stock new wasn't unacceptable to me (I put up with it for four years), but stock failing was.

The struts were built to my specification. Wilbers has the weight of the bike in their system, and they add in considerations of panniers (yes/no/loading), rider weight fully geared up, passenger fully geared up (yes/no), and the like. And any adjustments to ride height that you want. I suspect that even with a "base" set of weight conditions, any given sport touring motorcycle may have a wide range of potential loadings day-to-day so even their custom-fitted spring may need a different rate than one would for a pretty narrowly defined MX application. But I didn't really get into design with them. And I have no idea what factory design rider weight is. But it strikes me that the factory design needs to take into account a weight range from rider only/no panniers to rider+passenger+fully loaded panniers and top case, so being able to tighten up the spring spec by specify exactly the conditions is a plus.

But you do raise a point: what is the "typical" RT loaded rider/passenger weight (i.e., what you'd tell Wilbers if you were ordering new struts)? Given all the discussion we've had here there seems to be a wide range from single riders wanting to lower the bike to reach the ground, all the way through people wanting higher windscreens and peg lowering kits, it may be pretty wide. I'm not sufficiently curious to start a survey, but if someone else wants to go ahead!

JayJay

 

Thanks Jay-Jay for making the effort and adding so much time to the project for our benefit! The link to this thread went on my future use cheat sheet.

Like Teach mentioned, I always have my suspension on my dirt bikes tuned, revalved, etc. for my weight, typical terrain, riding capabilities. The difference is surprising when something you think handles great comes back sooo much better ... kind of like adding a steering stabilizer. once you do it one time, it becomes one of the first mods you make to your new rides. I found it interesting to hear the detailed questions about weight, etc for dialing in a street bike also.

 

My shocks from Ted are due to arrive tomorrow. No ESA here, but I'm sure these instructions will help (right?). Ted talked me into Yacugar shocks. They're lowered 1/2".

I have both the standard and factory lowered center stands, so I should be covered either way. Which ever one works best, I'll put the other up for sale. Planning on getting the side stand chopped & welded.

 

OUTSTANDING write-up!

 

My shocks from Ted are due to arrive tomorrow. No ESA here, but I'm sure these instructions will help (right?). Ted talked me into Yacugar shocks. They're lowered 1/2".

I have both the standard and factory lowered center stands, so I should be covered either way. Which ever one works best, I'll put the other up for sale. Planning on getting the side stand chopped & welded.

Brock - much easier project if you don't have to hassle with getting all the stuff out of the way to get to the ESA wiring connections. Have fun with the project.

JayJay

 

So no wheel removal? No tank removal? Apparently my dealer doesn't know how to do this right because he said both were necessary.

 

At least for the ESA struts, tank removal not required, you just need to remove the top color panel. And no, rear wheel removal not required either. Silencer and lower mud guard removal (two screws, easy peasy to get to) gives plenty of space to pull the strut out the left side.

JayJay

 

I would like to add that the quality and depth of the graphics and write-up are so well-done.

I know what goes into a project like this... the write-up... as well as the strut change, but I digress. I'll bet it almost took as long to do the photography, writing, editing etc than the mechanics.

Better than magazine quality there.

Thanks again.

 

JayJay, thanks for the reply. I'd have thought 34k was rather low for shock rebuilding but I suppose a lot would depend upon roads ridden, weight, etc.... I tossed Wilbers a email and they said $570 roughly for front and rear rebuild, sound about right to you?

I don't think I'll be in the market anytime soon but its good info to have filed away, so again thanks. I'm only at 25k on my 2011, so who knows when I'll feel the need.

 

Great write up, thanks for taking the time. I'd like to second the praise for Ted Porter and the Wilber's shocks. As stated, Ted is extremely knowledgable and thorough, and asks tons of questions to make sure the shocks are perfect for your needs. He's also very responsive to email questions regarding options, installation hiccups, etc. I put a custom set on my R1100s and they transformed the bike. They're so good that I have already talked to Ted about a set for my RT, even though it only has 2200 miles. As before, he's been great to deal with and I can't recommend him enough.

 

Finished replacing my non-ESA shocks which was a slightly different experience. Here are a couple more things I learned. If any of these are addressed in the above write-up, sorry for the redundancy...

• After you get those pesky bottom bolts out (for both the front and back shocks), just spray the threads with brake cleaner. The bolts will then glide back in super easily. I coated the threads with a little blue loctite. Wondering if I should have used red.
• If you're sans stereo, as I am, remove the empty stereo/storage box and you'll get easy access to the top nut on the front shock.
• I couldn't get my front shock out even with the forks fully extended. Remove the alternator belt cover and it comes out super easy.

 

JayJay,

Very nice report. You have done all 2009 RT ESA people a great favor. Brock29609 I also bought the Yacugars from Ted and put 8K miles on them on an out west tour last year. All I can say is WOW. Once I dialed the 25mm shorter shocks for 2 up + all three bags the handing & ride was unflappable thru several mountain ranges. I think you will be impressed with the performance and range of these shocks. No affliation with Ted Porter but I am a very satisfied customer.

 

I took a quick 5-mile ride with them today and I'm already impressed, and I haven't taken any preload measurements yet. Mine are at a ride height that's shortened only 15mm. I need to get my side stand chopped a little and figure out what to do with my center stand. I own both the standard and factory short center stands. Not sure which to use since my shocks are right between the standard and lowered lengths.

 

JayJay, thanks for the reply. I'd have thought 34k was rather low for shock rebuilding but I suppose a lot would depend upon roads ridden, weight, etc.... I tossed Wilbers a email and they said $570 roughly for front and rear rebuild, sound about right to you?

I don't think I'll be in the market anytime soon but its good info to have filed away, so again thanks. I'm only at 25k on my 2011, so who knows when I'll feel the need.

Teach - I haven't explored the cost of rebuilding since I just put the new ones in. I'm not aware of anyone, including Wilbers, providing a rebuild service for OEMs. I'm not sure where the 34K miles you mention came from, mine had 48K miles.

The price you were quoted for rebuild is about 40% of the price of replacement parts (the price of my replacement struts was $1350 including labor to swap the ESA control electronics, non-ESA parts would presumably be less). Can't really evaluate unless you know breakdown of labor vs. parts for the rebuild, but at a shop rate around here of ~$100/hr I suppose that's probably in line. And if the struts have to be shipped to/from Germany rather than rebuilt locally the shipping costs are another thing to be considered, FedEx isn't in the charity business.

JayJay

 

JJ,
I bought some lowering springs for my shocks and I'm trying to decide if I want to yank the shocks myself, and then just have the dealer change the springs, or ride the bike to the dealer and pay the them the arm and the leg to do the the whole job when I get it dewinterized. I have a place indoors to do the job, so weather isn't a big deal, but I don't have a bike lift table to strap the bike to.
I do have a few questions if I was to pull them off the bike myself.
1. How high do you have to get the front tire off the ground to be able to pull the shock out.
2. After both shocks are removed, can you safely lower the bike off the jack onto the tires and centerstand, to remove the stress of jacking the bike by the engine?
3. If not, it may be close to a week before I can get to the dealer to get the springs replaced. Is it safe to leave the bike jacked by the engine this long?
4. I know you didn't really use a heat gun, so maybe someone else in the thread can answer this. Where would you hold the heat gun for both front and rear struts.

And I'm surprised you were able to do this without removing the rear tire. Every other thread I've seen on this subject says they have removed it and used a jackstand or jack under shaft unit.

 

JJ,
I bought some lowering springs for my shocks and I'm trying to decide if I want to yank the shocks myself, and then just have the dealer change the springs, or ride the bike to the dealer and pay the them the arm and the leg to do the the whole job when I get it dewinterized. I have a place indoors to do the job, so weather isn't a big deal, but I don't have a bike lift table to strap the bike to.
I do have a few questions if I was to pull them off the bike myself.
1. How high do you have to get the front tire off the ground to be able to pull the shock out.
2. After both shocks are removed, can you safely lower the bike off the jack onto the tires and centerstand, to remove the stress of jacking the bike by the engine?
3. If not, it may be close to a week before I can get to the dealer to get the springs replaced. Is it safe to leave the bike jacked by the engine this long?
4. I know you didn't really use a heat gun, so maybe someone else in the thread can answer this. Where would you hold the heat gun for both front and rear struts.

And I'm surprised you were able to do this without removing the rear tire. Every other thread I've seen on this subject says they have removed it and used a jackstand or jack under shaft unit.

Droptine - I hope I am not now the resident expert on strut replacement as my total experience is one set (at least on the RT, I've done others). But in order of your questions:

1. How high do you have to get the front tire off the ground to be able to pull the shock out.

About an additional 2-3" or so, all you need to do is hyperextend the front fork enough to get the top of the ram out of the bushing, which is only an inch or so thick.

2. After both shocks are removed, can you safely lower the bike off the jack onto the tires and centerstand, to remove the stress of jacking the bike by the engine?

No, you can't. The weight of the bike is taken by the springs in compression. If the struts are removed there aren't any springs to take the weight. If you want to do what you describe you'll have to bolt a piece of wood in place of where the strut used to be.

3. If not, it may be close to a week before I can get to the dealer to get the springs replaced. Is it safe to leave the bike jacked by the engine this long?

I don't know why not. I'd be concerned about stability and knocking into it, but you have a three-point balance between the center stand and the jack.

4. I know you didn't really use a heat gun, so maybe someone else in the thread can answer this. Where would you hold the heat gun for both front and rear struts.

When you get down and look it will be obvious where the lower bolts thread into the casting (it's the side opposite the bolt head). Heat under and all around that side of the casting. I did heat the front but the bolt was still tight.

And I'm surprised you were able to do this without removing the rear tire. Every other thread I've seen on this subject says they have removed it and used a jackstand or jack under shaft unit.

Just didn't see the need - if you need a name for the technique you can call it "empirical disassembly". Manipulating the jack forced the rear wheel where I needed it to be. And once the silencer and the lower mudguard were out of the way there was plenty of room to maneuver the strut.

Hope this helps.

JayJay

 

My additions in green

Droptine - I hope I am not now the resident expert on strut replacement as my total experience is one set (at least on the RT, I've done others). But in order of your questions:

1. How high do you have to get the front tire off the ground to be able to pull the shock out.

About an additional 2-3" or so, all you need to do is hyperextend the front fork enough to get the top of the ram out of the bushing, which is only an inch or so thick.
After removing the lower front bolt. It's also wise to undo and remove the brake line mounting clamp which is located behind the radio box, You can see it without removing the radio box, but it is easier to remove the box to undo the bolt. Not impossible without removing tho.This reduces any stress on the brake lines

2. After both shocks are removed, can you safely lower the bike off the jack onto the tires and centerstand, to remove the stress of jacking the bike by the engine?

No, you can't. The weight of the bike is taken by the springs in compression. If the struts are removed there aren't any springs to take the weight. If you want to do what you describe you'll have to bolt a piece of wood in place of where the strut used to be.
Agreed, it's worth strapping the center stand to the front cross tube before you start anything tho.

3. If not, it may be close to a week before I can get to the dealer to get the springs replaced. Is it safe to leave the bike jacked by the engine this long?

I don't know why not. I'd be concerned about stability and knocking into it, but you have a three-point balance between the center stand and the jack.
As above it's worth strapping the center stand to the front cross tube before you start anything.

4. I know you didn't really use a heat gun, so maybe someone else in the thread can answer this. Where would you hold the heat gun for both front and rear struts.

When you get down and look it will be obvious where the lower bolts thread into the casting (it's the side opposite the bolt head). Heat under and all around that side of the casting. I did heat the front but the bolt was still tight.
On the rear I also left a fan heater pointed at the mass of the swing arm around the lower shock mount area to get some heat into the mass before playing a heat gun on the specific area

And I'm surprised you were able to do this without removing the rear tire. Every other thread I've seen on this subject says they have removed it and used a jackstand or jack under shaft unit.

Just didn't see the need - if you need a name for the technique you can call it "empirical disassembly". Manipulating the jack forced the rear wheel where I needed it to be. And once the silencer and the lower mudguard were out of the way there was plenty of room to maneuver the strut.

Same here. I've done this twice for the front, and three times for the rear. I didn't remove the rear wheel for the 2nd & 3rd time on the rear. It's better to remove the rear shock first, this then gives you the room to lift the front and let the the rear wheel and swing arm moves up under the bike as the front is lifted. I think it's wise to have a helper standing by and stabilising the rear of the bike with the rear rack as you jack the front up even if you have both shocks ready to refit, remove rear, remove front, fit front, fit rear.

Hope this helps.

JayJay

Good luck
\v/