R1150R shocker shock

[AllanB]

Hi - I've got a late 2001 R1150R with 12,000 on the clock. Following a ride out I noticed oil had leaked from the front suspension damper. I called my local dealer who told me:

a) yes, they sometimes do that
b) no there are no serviceable parts inside
c) it's going to be expensive

Can anyone help me ?
Is this a known issue ?
Is there a BMW advisory or recall relating to this ?
Can these parts be exchanged/refurbished ?

Can I replace it myself, or is it a dealer only repair ?

Allan

[leno]

Well yes it is a shock absorber and they all do wear out and leak eventully. It does not matter what bike you ride the shocks will go some time. Most cheap OE shocks are not designed to be re-built so re-building is a pain, hard work, possibliy expensive and in the end pointless.
A Replacement BWM shock could be an easy bolt in or you could get an after market quality unit which may improve the feel and ride. Added benifits are that it could be rebuildable so if it happens again then you can send it away for a referbish. The only problem with doing the work yourself is compressing the spring on a OE swap or if you go after maket route then I would recommend getting a matched spring at the same time. Oh by the way mine has 12m on the clock and no leaks but it is only 18months old. I've not heard of any problems before and I've had a few BMWs. 12m seems short but abuse could account for that.

[riceburner]

I've only known one other BM shock start to leak - and that was my rear which was replaced under warranty.


I assume you're Stateside - in which case I doubt you'd have much luck argueing a warranty replacement, you might have better luck if you're in Europe?

[boxermania]

AllanB

leno, pretty much covered all the issues. You might want to keep an eye on it....a little weeping is not a major consequence.

Regarding replacement shocks there are several choices:

1) OEM, I haven't priced them but hear they are in the $600 to $700 range
2) Brunos in Canada will rebuild your OEM set and tey will be rebuildable thereafter, cost $ 400 for both. I haven't used their service but Patrick (contributor to this site) has and you should ask him.
3) Works Performance and I think Progressive also make good, rebuildable shocks and they are slightly more expensive than the OEM.
4) Then you have the high end shocks, Ohlins, Penske, etc, certainly excellent shocks but their cost $1400 to $1500 is not justified.

BTW, whatever you decide, do both front and rear to keep the balance of the bike.

If you presently do the maintenance on your bike the shock swap out is not a big deal you do have to pay attention when the suspension is unloaded via the removal of the shocks.

Good luck and let us know how you make out............

[geechie]

Just to be clear...

You're talking about the front shock, right? Not the steering damper. My '99 1100R has a steering damper which began to leak and had to be replaced at about 18,000 miles. I know the more recent 1150R's are damper-free, so don't flame me. I'm just checkin'.

I replaced the front and rear suspension with Works Performance parts at around 32,000 miles. They're somewhat more expensive than OEM, but are rebuildable and work better, IMHO.

George

[bakernks]

I replaced the unadjustable POS Showa on the front of my 1997 R850R with a Fox Shox. I don't know if those are available today. The (built to a cost) Showa didn't last 8,000 miles. There's also the Wilbers brand, and they get some good reviews, and I understand they are on the more affordable side . I know one R1150R owner that replaced his rear shock with an Ohlins, he is a pretty big fella and the stock rear had been used up at 10,000 miles. He's still using the front one at 30,000 miles and feels it's still usable, I bet if he did the front with another Ohlins he'd find out just how "service-able" that OEM was.

[king biscuit]

I hear good things about Wilbers. But, here's the bad side. My local dealer ordered a Wilbers for the front of my 02 1150r. After 9, yes, I said 9 weeks, they still had not received the shock. They asked my permession to cancel the order and I gave it. The dealer was pissed, they cancelled a total of 4 shock orders that day because they got tired of waiting on the shocks to come in. I guess the wilbers folks would only tell them "it's in process".

It's a shame, I really wanted to try one of those on the front....I hear such good things about them.

Dan

[beemertoni]

Alan B..Most of the replacement shocks are trying to become priced close to Ohlins. They cant match their adjustability, performance and longevity. Bite the bullet, spend the doe & go! You don't get any better than that. By the way Ohlins from hendersonvill, Nc will deal directly with you now that they have weeded out a lot of the wannabees. :roll:

[R1150RDave]

As your in the UK, try this site and check out the catalouge...

http://www.motorworks.co.uk/rd/products/index.php

[FGanger]

What these other guys say is quite correct. However, I bought new front and rear shocks for my R bike off of E-Bay. They were $125 for both. The original owner took them off the bike before it left the shop and replaced them with something else.

I would have loved after market shocks, but at $125 for OEM, no way. My first pair lasted 38,000 miles and much of that was towing my camper.

Frank

[darthrider]

I did the same thing as Frank. I bought a pair of originals with 600 miles on them for $150.00 at 20K miles when my stockers started feeling tired.
The original Showas are a very good shock, just not much adjustability and not rebuildable.
As good as a set of new Works, WP, Pailoi, Ohlins, Penskes, etc.? Of course not but they don't cost $1300-$2000 a pair either and can be replaced later with another set of $150 take offs.
Or just last until you have the extra $$ for some Fox's or Wilburs or whatever.
Or until you determine how long you'll keep your bike. You'll likely not get your money back for the high-end ones and it might not make sense for a short term bike.
But if you're bucks up go for the aftermarkets, they are better.
Maybe get some lower end aftermarkets which are perfectly adequate for 90% of us 90% of the time, and will last a very long time.
Spend the rest of the dough on a good riding school, like Reg Pridmore.