Initially, it was because I was out-riding the OEM shocks because I was 300 pounds with gear, fully loaded up and riding BDRs and extreme off road and wasn’t getting the response or reactive experience I needed out of the OEM shocks. That was on my 2017 GS Adventure. Why replace them on my 1250? Because I bought these shocks 8 years ago and wasn’t going to sell them with my 2018 GSA and kept them to move over to this 1250 (with a smaller spring because I’ve lost a lot of weight). So it’s like having a big turbo charger on hand versus going out and buying a big turbo charger you didn’t really need because your sports car is fast enough. I think the cool thing is I got 3 bikes and 8 years of use out of this shock and so the initial investment has definitely paid off. I am extremely confident it will fail almost never and if it does, every component is serviceable unlike OEM.
Great video bud! Keep it up! I love leaning about the 1250, I will probably never tear mine down to this extent - but it’s nice to know more about my bike.
Thanks for watching. As you can imagine, I get most of my views (long-tail) over the subsequent years. It’s great having subscribers like you but most viewers find these via Google Searches when they need to replace a shock. For major work like this, I usually recommend getting a quote from a dealer first because you may be surprised how much cheaper it is (like $300 total to install this shock) versus a first timer spending their weekend and needing to buy tools which might cost more the first time you do it.
I had the exact same issue if you wanna go to my TH-cam profile page and click info I think and then show email address you can send me an email with some pictures if you’d like and I’d be happy to walk you through it but I’m pretty sure the issue you’re having is there is a captive Nut at the bottom of the shock that needs to slide into the swing arm and the swing arm sometimes can have a protrusion that’s just small enough to make it hard to get in there. I once spent three hours with lubricant and a hammer to get it in so I feel your pain, but I’m happy to look at your photos if you want to email me.
@@andrewhartzell4792 gotcha. Thanks. I'm looking at your previous videos for removal of the front and rear shocks on your 1200 gsa's seems easier on those bikes
Good morning, I created a Google Sheet that has every tool I own for BMW service. You dont need most of these but I would most certainly start with that 3/8 Wera set followed by Wera Torx bits and the Wera Joker set. It’ll cost less than a 12,000 mile service at a BMW dealer and last you for life - docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Svx34PLsHNIi6Kt7Ros2zw8dHSsZ13cHgP9w2Jyc87c/edit#gid=0
I thought you said initially that the 1250 had better shocks than the Touratech on our 1200’s? My wife was gracious enough to let me spend the $4k when I blew the factory shock. Not sure she’s going to understand me spending $4500 for round 2. What gives? 😃
Yeah, it’s hard to make videos that contradict each other but here we are. I’ve spent about 30K miles on GS bikes with OEM ESA suspension and about 40K on bikes with Tractive suspension (branded Touratech) and I think the 1250 off the showroom is more comfortable than my touratech setup and that could just be the configuration I had the touratech shocks in but comfort doesn’t equal performance especially off road so while I like how soft and plush it felt in OEM I still knew that fully loaded up over baby head rocks, I probably will quickly realize just how much I missed the aftermarket option. --- Now to your second point, why I bought a 1250 and not a 1300 is because all of my modifications moved over including my shocks so instead of letting my shocks sit in a box or selling them with my old bike, I decided to move them over. I did have the spring changed out to something more my weight (I’ve lost 65 pounds) but other than the fact the OEM shocks aren’t serviceable, I still say that most people should not replace suspension until their OEM shocks fail or get “tired” from years of abuse.
@@AdamChandler86 Thanks Adam for the response. Your rationale totally makes sense to me. I too found the Touratech firmer (read more responsive) and it gave me confidence to ride the bike harder. I didn’t realize you moved these over, very smart move in making the build more budget friendly. The build looks awesome! All you need next is an Akrapovic muffler. Love this sound after 600 miles.
What is the reason for changing the shock?
Initially, it was because I was out-riding the OEM shocks because I was 300 pounds with gear, fully loaded up and riding BDRs and extreme off road and wasn’t getting the response or reactive experience I needed out of the OEM shocks. That was on my 2017 GS Adventure. Why replace them on my 1250? Because I bought these shocks 8 years ago and wasn’t going to sell them with my 2018 GSA and kept them to move over to this 1250 (with a smaller spring because I’ve lost a lot of weight). So it’s like having a big turbo charger on hand versus going out and buying a big turbo charger you didn’t really need because your sports car is fast enough. I think the cool thing is I got 3 bikes and 8 years of use out of this shock and so the initial investment has definitely paid off. I am extremely confident it will fail almost never and if it does, every component is serviceable unlike OEM.
Great video bud! Keep it up! I love leaning about the 1250, I will probably never tear mine down to this extent - but it’s nice to know more about my bike.
Thanks for watching. As you can imagine, I get most of my views (long-tail) over the subsequent years. It’s great having subscribers like you but most viewers find these via Google Searches when they need to replace a shock. For major work like this, I usually recommend getting a quote from a dealer first because you may be surprised how much cheaper it is (like $300 total to install this shock) versus a first timer spending their weekend and needing to buy tools which might cost more the first time you do it.
Ive got to the stage of refitting the suspension and the lower part of the suspension doesnt fit in the mount :( struggling.
I had the exact same issue if you wanna go to my TH-cam profile page and click info I think and then show email address you can send me an email with some pictures if you’d like and I’d be happy to walk you through it but I’m pretty sure the issue you’re having is there is a captive Nut at the bottom of the shock that needs to slide into the swing arm and the swing arm sometimes can have a protrusion that’s just small enough to make it hard to get in there. I once spent three hours with lubricant and a hammer to get it in so I feel your pain, but I’m happy to look at your photos if you want to email me.
Youu have some really nice ratchets... Whats the brand?
Wera
@@andrewhartzell4792 gotcha. Thanks. I'm looking at your previous videos for removal of the front and rear shocks on your 1200 gsa's seems easier on those bikes
@@milesdavis8665 I didn't make the video. But I have the same set.
@@andrewhartzell4792 it's a really nice set. And expensive to 😆
Good morning, I created a Google Sheet that has every tool I own for BMW service. You dont need most of these but I would most certainly start with that 3/8 Wera set followed by Wera Torx bits and the Wera Joker set. It’ll cost less than a 12,000 mile service at a BMW dealer and last you for life - docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Svx34PLsHNIi6Kt7Ros2zw8dHSsZ13cHgP9w2Jyc87c/edit#gid=0
I thought you said initially that the 1250 had better shocks than the Touratech on our 1200’s? My wife was gracious enough to let me spend the $4k when I blew the factory shock. Not sure she’s going to understand me spending $4500 for round 2. What gives? 😃
Yeah, it’s hard to make videos that contradict each other but here we are. I’ve spent about 30K miles on GS bikes with OEM ESA suspension and about 40K on bikes with Tractive suspension (branded Touratech) and I think the 1250 off the showroom is more comfortable than my touratech setup and that could just be the configuration I had the touratech shocks in but comfort doesn’t equal performance especially off road so while I like how soft and plush it felt in OEM I still knew that fully loaded up over baby head rocks, I probably will quickly realize just how much I missed the aftermarket option. --- Now to your second point, why I bought a 1250 and not a 1300 is because all of my modifications moved over including my shocks so instead of letting my shocks sit in a box or selling them with my old bike, I decided to move them over. I did have the spring changed out to something more my weight (I’ve lost 65 pounds) but other than the fact the OEM shocks aren’t serviceable, I still say that most people should not replace suspension until their OEM shocks fail or get “tired” from years of abuse.
@@AdamChandler86 Thanks Adam for the response. Your rationale totally makes sense to me. I too found the Touratech firmer (read more responsive) and it gave me confidence to ride the bike harder. I didn’t realize you moved these over, very smart move in making the build more budget friendly. The build looks awesome! All you need next is an Akrapovic muffler. Love this sound after 600 miles.
Great advice! I also just love how the Akra looks over the OEM.