BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Does anybody have an opinoin or have tried the ESA on their bike? Is it worth the money? I will be buying a R12R next summer(must pay off car first.) Just trying to get an idea on what this beautiful bike will cost me a month. thanks for all your help.

I had ESA on a K1200S. For general use it's OK. If you want to fine tune your suspension you're better off with aftermarket shock (Ohlins, Wilbers...).

I have ESA on my R1200R and a friend of mine has ESA on his K1200R. I personally think it is a great system as Im frequently taking my girlfriend on the back with me. Using the ESA to change between one-up or two-up is great. When you change the pre-load (only whilst stationary) you can feel the bike's back end lowering up and down. Also when on the move, you can adjust the rear rebound compression and again, you really do notice the difference between the three settings (comfort, normal and sport). Sport mode really does sharpen up the back end. Its fun to play with on long trips and through different sets of corners.

But - I dont know if Id pay for it with a new bike (got my bike second hand with 3000 miles on the clock). As the previous poster said, you do get better quality suspension by buying aftermarket units. Also, all suspension eventually needs a rebuild/replacement and the ESA system will be VERY expensive to replace.

I think if you can get the ESA for a decent price then go for it. Hope this helps.

hortbum wrote:Does anybody have an opinoin or have tried the ESA on their bike? Is it worth the money? I will be buying a R12R next summer(must pay off car first.) Just trying to get an idea on what this beautiful bike will cost me a month. thanks for all your help.

I didn't seek ESA, but it was on the bike that I settled on. It's like heated seats. You don't think you'll need them until you do, and you're glad you got it. But at purchase, if I'd had the choice, I would have applied the $800 to gear and not the ESA option.

Like some of the others, I have ESA on my '07 R12R and use it all the time as there is "commuting" (comfort mode) time between home and the twisties (sport mode). I wouldn't be heartbroken if I didn't have it, but don't regret buying it.

My experience is consistent with the other comments. I have ESA because it came with the bike i bought, but not sure if i would have paid the full price if i had a choice (i did pay full price because it was the model they had on the floor...)

That said, i use it all the time. It really makes a difference if someone jumps on the back or you load up with a gallon of milk and peanut butter. I'm usually in sport mode but forget how nice the comfort mode is when i set it back. You can adjust to road conditions in real time. Sweet.

The ESA <i>doesn't</i> make up for the sharp/harsh tendencies of the BMW stock suspension, however.

I DON'T have ESA and I can say its a bit of a pain to get under the seat every time my girlfriend wants to jump on the back. The seat just doesn't go back on very easily. Its not that big of a deal, but its a small PITA.

Having said that - I've ridden with her on the back and at ~100lbs, I can't say I feel too much difference if I change the preload or not. Then again, when she's on the back, I tend to ride a little more civil, as well.

BTW - in case you didn't know ... when you don't have ESA, you pop the seat off and adjust the preload by twisting a knob.

TAL2GK wrote:I DON'T have ESA and I can say its a bit of a pain to get under the seat every time my girlfriend wants to jump on the back. The seat just doesn't go back on very easily. Its not that big of a deal, but its a small PITA.

Having said that - I've ridden with her on the back and at ~100lbs, I can't say I feel too much difference if I change the preload or not. Then again, when she's on the back, I tend to ride a little more civil, as well.

This thread is useless without photos of 100lb girlfriend..

deilenberger wrote: This thread is useless without photos of 100lb girlfriend..

Perhaps this might be better on the "No helmets" thread ...