2009 K1200Lt Shocks question

[blackbeemer]

Hello. I purchased an 09 54K miles on it a couple weeks ago, has anyone changed their shocks out with the Wilburs or Ohlins ? It rides pretty good really , I do get a little bang in the front shock if I hit a hard bump . Everything I read says at that miles they are shot . I did talk to Ted Porter this week at the Beemershop, lots of information from those folks . I am mostly asking about pronounced ride or riding experiences with these replacements, it would be customized to my weight, I very rarely to never ride two up anymore and not much cargo other than geared up.
I have watched the YouTube videos on changing them and looks like a pretty big job, and of course looking at around 1500 just for shocks with the preload rear .

Thank You

 

[52184]

I put Wilbers on my ‘04 K1200GT, then had them rebuilt/reworked/resprung after adding the sidecar. Beemershop did a great job in both cases and I am quite happy with the performance of the shocks. Note that Wilbers are a steel-body shock where the Ohlins is aluminum body, and the Wilbers has a recommended rebuild interval almost double that of the Ohlins.

Best,
DG

 

[blackbeemer]

Thank You , I didn't realize that about the different brands good to know. I am sure I would go with Beemershop from the conversations I had with them. Just trying to decide if I want to do it myself, I am sure I could but looks to be a pretty big job . I would imagine it would help the ride, the bike seems tight in all respects, and handles well for the size, but I just get a few more hard hits than I would like and want to optimize the ride and handling . Coming from a 99 R1100RT that ate up the Iowa back roads, just really wanted something more comfortable as I get a bit older , or more experience of years

 

[drneo66]

Shocks are a "consumable" part - they need to be renewed/rebuilt every so often. I've heard 30-50k. This podcast had a nice overview from Ted Porter.

I would also make sure that you've dialed in your bike with reference to sag/preload. Many of us adjust the bike once and go - never thinking twice about load/speeds/etc., but it matters! Warning: math involved !!

Yes, it will be a big project, but you can take care of it over the winter with your other maintenance