recommended shock for R1200

Looking for Aftermarket parts and Accessories for your BMW R1200RT/R1250RT or found something useful you want to share? Or just a general question?
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Strat Tuner
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recommended shock for R1200

Post by Strat Tuner »

Can anyone recommend a good rear shock for the R1200? (2008)

When I google this, I get hits ranging from $60 to $600 and UP!

Q: does the R1200 use a generic shock of something specialized?

Thank you in advance.
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Doctor T
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Re: recommended shock for R1200

Post by Doctor T »

If you bike has EPS then it is expensive to fit but I've heard that a few places in the USA do fix them. Wilbers are a good shock to use. Again a lot in the US recommend them. It all comes down you want to pay.
Trust me I am a retired Doctor and lecturer at Oxford University of Structural and Mechanical/Electrical engineering.
May the shaft be with you
Strat Tuner
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Re: recommended shock for R1200

Post by Strat Tuner »

Doctor T wrote: Thu Jan 02, 2025 1:49 pm If you bike has EPS then it is expensive to fit but I've heard that a few places in the USA do fix them. Wilbers are a good shock to use. Again a lot in the US recommend them. It all comes down you want to pay.
I will look into Wilbers or a replacement shock.

at 112,000 miles, the goal is to maintain it as well (cheaply) as possible until it dies a natural death. (I.E. requires a repair I can't afford.)

The "boingy boingy" sensation I get when stopped at a light may be a function of the bike being lighter than the FJR I'm used to. The ride seems stable right now.

Chat GPT (is that really an authority??) listed EPS as a weakness. I kind of agree...

If the shock ever fails, I'll replace it with something in the $300 range and ask my mechanic to disconnect/remove EPS as much as possible.

BMW oil, iridium plugs, a good air filter, and all scheduled maintainance is more important to my mind.

I can't be the first person to replace a shock on that model and just leave the EPS stuff out of it.
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Doctor T
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Re: recommended shock for R1200

Post by Doctor T »

The easy what to rid the ESP is just to unplug the leads
Trust me I am a retired Doctor and lecturer at Oxford University of Structural and Mechanical/Electrical engineering.
May the shaft be with you
Strat Tuner
Posts: 94
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2024 4:47 pm
Bike Model and Year: R 1200 RT 2008
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Re: recommended shock for R1200

Post by Strat Tuner »

Doctor T wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2025 2:34 pm The easy what to rid the ESP is just to unplug the leads
Yes, that's a good first choice.

I'm not keen to get rid of ESP for its own sake...

but if ESP requires a gold-plated, german-engineered, signed by chancellor Olaf Schulz, BMW extra expensive shock...
then ESP becomes a liability.

I'm guessing the friendly BMW engineers made it so that BMW suspension would accept many different brands of shocks and not just one...
but I could be wrong about that! (-:
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