Aftermarket shocks - miles between rebuild?

[Dave_in_TX]

I've been exchanging emails with a vendor regarding a rear shock for my R1200RT. This vendor claims that Wilbers will go much longer between rebuilds than Ohlins. Supposedly. Ohlins are only good for about 18K miles brfore needing a rebuild while Wilbers can go 2-30K miles between rebuild. Any Ohlins or Wilvers owners care to share their experience? BTW, the vendor providing this information sells both brands of shocks.

[Paul Mihalka]

On my R1100RT the Ohlins needed rebuild regularly at around 40 to 50K miles. I had them for about 130K total. On my R1200GS I have Wilbers now for about 40K miles. The rear started leaking after about 20K, repaired under warranty. The front is still OK. I would not expect a definable difference of longevity between Ohlins and Wilbers. The Wilbers come with a 5 year warranty, no mileage clause. I'm curious if possible future leaks will be handled under warranty.

As a curiosity side note, On my K75 bikes and later a K1100LT, I had a rear KONI shock. They had a life-long unlimited warranty to the original owner. It started leaking regularly at around 100K. When sent in, they sent you a new one. I went over 300K miles with one shock purchase.

[Selden]

Perhaps that's why Koni no longer offers shocks for BMWs...

 

I've had the same experience with Leatherman tools. No matter how small the problem, they always send me a new one -- generally with an improved design.

[marcopolo]

Just replaced my ESA shocks with Ohlins in July (on R12RT). The Ohlins manual says they need service after 30,000 kms, i.e., 18,000 miles. I'll wait and see what they're like after 30,000 kms. I mean I rode my ESA shocks for 80,000 kms.

[smiller]

I can't imagine why one brand of aftermarket shock would last significantly longer or shorter than another, when the seals go they go (if you wait that long.) The usual maximum life seems to along the lines of what Paul quoted, unless you get any nicks or scratches on the shaft in which case seal life can be shortened dramatically.

 

FWIW I was advised by a tech at Works that it's not the best idea to wait until seals start to fail because long before that point dirt builds up and gets embedded in the seals and can end up scratching the shaft, leading to an expensive rebuild.

[Lone_RT_rider]

I can't imagine why one brand of aftermarket shock would last significantly longer or shorter than another, when the seals go they go (if you wait that long.)

 

Seth,

 

I am sure this probably just slipped your mind, but seals from different suppliers can vary vastly. In my business, Parker shaft seals for rotating shaft drives are one of the industry standards, but there are quite literally dozens of other suppliers that offer something "close" to what Parker supplies at a much reduced price. The other suppliers tend to vary everything from actual rubber seal material, seal retention devices (actual springs in the seals to just relying on springback in the design) and overall design and manufacturing tolerance. Don't assume that all seals are created equal.... and in turn, don't assume that ever shock manufacturer uses the best seal out there.

 

Shawn

[smiller]

Yeah, fair enough. I probably should have added '...all things created equal' and of course they are not always. What I really meant to say is that I don't really know that we know that one brand is all that much better than another in this regard. For instance Ohlins seems to recommend the shortest rebuild interval but I don't think one can necessarily read anything into that. It would be interesting to tear down some of the more well-known premium brands and report on the quality of seals and other internal parts but so far no magazine, etc. has seemed to have the inclination to do that.

[jaytee]

Wilber's longer recommended rebuild times plus the tangible difference in the aesthetics of the materials used helped make my decision even though I recognize there could be little functional difference between the two brands.

 

I will say, from an installation POV, that on the front of an R1200ST (and I suspect, RT) that the Wilbers is easier to install by yourself in your garage without a lift.

 

I'm guessing you are talking to Ted Porter based on your comments so I will add that I have bought two shocks from him at different times and his reputation for customer hand-holding seems nigh on legendary on this board (as I am guessing you are aware). While Ohlins has the advantage of generally stocking shocks in US warehouses as opposed to Wilbers 6+ week order time, I tend to lean towards taking the recommendations of someone like Ted that sells, installs, repairs, rebuilds and adjusts both brands on lots of BMWs.

 

YMMV

 

JT

[Selden]

Barring catastrophic failure, shocks, like tires, tend to degrade gradually over time. I have no other reference point on performance, but the Öhlins that came with my RT feel fine, aren't leaking, and still seem to have plenty of rebound adjustment left. They had an unknown number of miles on them when I bought the bike last year, and I have ridden 13,00 miles since. I'm not planning to do a rebuild until a shock starts leaking, or I run out of adjustment. Is there anything wrong with my thinking (not a rhetorical question -- have I overlooked something)?

 

Last month I followed a tip from this forum, and (after removing all preload) topped off the oil in the rear shock height adjuster reservoir. Before, I previously ran 4 turns from maximum solo, and all the way in for 2-up; after, I'm at 12/6. Unlike removing the shocks and sending them off for a rebuild, this is a simple procedure that anybody can do in 15 minutes at no cost (other than for a few cc's of jack oil or power steering fluid).

[johnlt]

if it is not leaking, where did the oil go?

[OoPEZoO]

if it is not leaking, where did the oil go?

 

That is the question, isn't it. The same happened with my stock rear shock. I opened the reservoir and it was bone dry, but I didn't have a leak anywhere. Possibly it leaks into the body of the shock........beats me.

 

As to the OP. I installed a set of Works shocks on my RT about 1.5 years ago. At about the 30k mile mark I started feeling a little wallowing/occilation when leaned over in REALLY hard cornering, especially while riding rough pavement. It started gradually, and has slowely been getting more noticable. It still feels great during highway and moderate riding. Also, the front shock still feels fine. I figure I will pull the rear and send it back for a rebuild once they salt the roads this winter.

[markgoodrich]

Wilber's longer recommended rebuild times plus the tangible difference in the aesthetics of the materials used helped make my decision even though I recognize there could be little functional difference between the two brands.

 

I will say, from an installation POV, that on the front of an R1200ST (and I suspect, RT) that the Wilbers is easier to install by yourself in your garage without a lift.

 

I'm guessing you are talking to Ted Porter based on your comments so I will add that I have bought two shocks from him at different times and his reputation for customer hand-holding seems nigh on legendary on this board (as I am guessing you are aware). While Ohlins has the advantage of generally stocking shocks in US warehouses as opposed to Wilbers 6+ week order time, I tend to lean towards taking the recommendations of someone like Ted that sells, installs, repairs, rebuilds and adjusts both brands on lots of BMWs.

 

YMMV

 

JT

 

Wilbers has recently committed to putting all U. S. (Porter) orders at the front of the line, with promises to ship within a week of receiving the order. Furthermore, Ted is in the process of increasing his parts/supplies inventory, so he'll be able to turn repairs around more quickly. This is, unfortunately for me, all due to a six-week repair screwup on a 6-month-old Wilbers hydraulic preload adjuster on my RT. The screwup was on Wilbers end...twice; first they delayed shipping internal parts, and then Ted decided the repair was not going to meet his expectations, and even with direct input from the two top dogs at Wilbers, it still took another week to ship the complete adjuster. I've been happy with the shocks, disappointed the seal went on the adjuster after around 9,000 miles, more disappointed with the shipping delays, but happy with Ted's reaction, and guardedly optimistic Wilbers will live up to their new commitment. Having said all this, and being positive about Ted Porter, I'll repeat what I told the OP in a sidepost: if there's a local dealer who can, in person, choose the proper parts for my individual needs, whatever the brand, and then set the shocks up for me, that's what I'll do next time. If I lived near Porter, why, certainly I'd go to his shop.

[Todd_Z1]

I have had the OEM BMW shocks on a 2000 R1100RT and 2004 R1150RT both replaced with Ohlins. I have also had the OEM ESA stock shocks on a 2005 and 2006 K1200S. On the 2006 K1200S I purchased a set of Wilburs from Ted Porter. From my experience with these different shocks, OEM, Ohlins and Wilburs you can expect to get about 20,000 to 30,000 miles out of a set of shocks. This is regardless of make and model. All of the shocks started to noticeably deteriorate in performance after 20,000 miles. 35,000 miles being the max before they needed to be replaced or rebuilt. The difference in performance between the stock shocks and the custom shocks was worth every penny.

 

That has been my experience with 100% one up riding and a 80% to 20% mixture of hard sport riding to long distance touring.

 

Cheers!

 

Todd

[taters]

i put ohlins on my 1150 rt 04 at 20,000 miles. i have 80,000 and just had the front rebuilt.....huge difference in handling to say the least