Problems with Rear Shock on my 2004 R1150R ABS

[ehudokai]

Hi Everyone,

I've been lurking on the forums for a long time and figured I'd see if you guys can help me out.

Took my bike to the shop for some maintenance the other day and they told me my rear shock was severely leaking oil and really not doing anything but springing.

So I didn't want to spend $1000 to get a new strut. I went on eBay and purchased a used one for $100. Problem is when I got it it didn't come with the reservoir/adjuster thingy attached. My BMW certified mechanic told me that without that theres nothing he can do with it, and that there's no documentation on how to refill the strut with oil if we stole the one off my old strut.

So I talked to the seller who is trying to tell me that any reputable dealer can attach and refill the shock with "nitrogen" for $20.

My question is, what's the truth? Can I use my old reservoir? Do I have a $100 paperweight? (since the seller is refusing to take it back).

I'm working on going through the eBay buyer protection process, but need amo to use to get results .

Any thoughts and help would be very much appreciated.

BTW, the bike has 35,000 miles on it, if it matters.

If I do have a paperweight, are there any recommended third party struts that aren't as expensive?

THANKS!

[Ol' Jeffers]

Sounds like your eBay seller is BSing! I would think that to make a shock gas tight
takes a whole different set of seals than what are required to keep it oil tight.
However I'm no expert on suspension and if anyone here knows different please
step forward and share your wisdom.

[ehudokai]

Yeah, my mechanic is telling me that BMW shocks aren't designed to be maintained they're designed to be replaced if something goes wrong. I think the guy is BSing too

[sweatmark]

So I didn't want to spend $1000 to get a new strut. I went on eBay and purchased a used one for $100. Problem is when I got it it didn't come with the reservoir/adjuster thingy attached. My BMW certified mechanic told me that without that theres nothing he can do with it, and that there's no documentation on how to refill the strut with oil if we stole the one off my old strut... So I talked to the seller who is trying to tell me that any reputable dealer can attach and refill the shock with "nitrogen" for $20... My question is, what's the truth? Can I use my old reservoir? Do I have a $100 paperweight? (since the seller is refusing to take it back).

R1150R rear shocks do not have remote fluid or nitrogen reservoir as per high performance dampers. The adjustment knob and corresponding reservoir is for separate spring preload hydraulic system.

If your shock blew a seal and lost its internal damping fluid, then your shock needs a rebuild. Somewhere on the board there's info about a independent shop (in Canada I believe) that can rebuild the OE Showa shocks. Your BMW mechanic is truthful about the OE part being a throw-away item, without official rebuild support.

If instead you have lost all or part of the preload hydraulic fluid, then you can still ride the bike (without preload adjustment), and possibly find someone for rebuild of the preload components alone.

But one thing is sure: if you bought a shock that wasn't equipped with preload system, then you're out of luck and the unit is not R1150** rear Showa. The seller is full of crap regarding a nitrogen charge. Are there any markings on the eBay shock? BMW/Showa part number? At least that would get you some info regarding the original shock application, something you might work with.

[ehudokai]

So I didn't want to spend $1000 to get a new strut. I went on eBay and purchased a used one for $100. Problem is when I got it it didn't come with the reservoir/adjuster thingy attached. My BMW certified mechanic told me that without that theres nothing he can do with it, and that there's no documentation on how to refill the strut with oil if we stole the one off my old strut... So I talked to the seller who is trying to tell me that any reputable dealer can attach and refill the shock with "nitrogen" for $20... My question is, what's the truth? Can I use my old reservoir? Do I have a $100 paperweight? (since the seller is refusing to take it back).

R1150R rear shocks do not have remote fluid or nitrogen reservoir as per high performance dampers. The adjustment knob and corresponding reservoir is for separate spring preload hydraulic system.

If your shock blew a seal and lost its internal damping fluid, then your shock needs a rebuild. Somewhere on the board there's info about a independent shop (in Canada I believe) that can rebuild the OE Showa shocks. Your BMW mechanic is truthful about the OE part being a throw-away item, without official rebuild support.

If instead you have lost all or part of the preload hydraulic fluid, then you can still ride the bike (without preload adjustment), and possibly find someone for rebuild of the preload components alone.

But one thing is sure: if you bought a shock that wasn't equipped with preload system, then you're out of luck and the unit is not R1150** rear Showa. The seller is full of crap regarding a nitrogen charge. Are there any markings on the eBay shock? BMW/Showa part number? At least that would get you some info regarding the original shock application, something you might work with.

Great info, thanks. Thankfully ebay pressured him and he's letting me send it back. I don't notice the lack of rear shock all that much. Maybe I will search for a place to rebuild it. If you know the name of the shop or how to contact them, that would be AWESOME!

[sweatmark]

I don't notice the lack of rear shock all that much.

You've just gotta mean that lack of damping isn't cauing big problems. Riding without a rear shock fitted would be, well, something between impossible and (if shock/spring was replaced by solid link a la street racing, resulting in "hard-tail" chopper-esque spine-tingling herniated-disc excitement) uncomfortable.

This is old post, but worth some follow-up:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2731&p=24582&hilit= ... ild#p24582