So how long would a K1300GT last?

RadioFlyer said:

My buddy's K1300GT ESA shock developed a leak and he was able to get it rebuilt here:

https://acceleratedtechnologies.ca/

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Having used them previously I can attest that they do excellent work.

truckerdave said:

Guess the jokes on me concerning the ESA rear shock. When i checked it today i noticed some oil on it. Checked it out and seems the shock has very little damping. It just bounces up and down like a worn out shock would. I thought it hadn't been riding too well the last couple of times i rode it. The preload mode and the suspension comfort/normal/sport setting mode still seem to work ok so i have to assume it's just the shock itself that went bad. Oh well. Looks like the shock will be taking a trip somewhere to be replaced or rebuilt early next year. Now i know the answer how long the ESA shock lasts. 36,000 miles.

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That is 10k miles longer than mine lasted. Ditched the ESA for Wilbers.... Never going back.

Thanks for posting that accelerated technologies link. I'll probably be giving them some business before next spring. Looks like a good opportunity to replace the dampener unit with a better quality one while it's apart. It looks like it's just the core dampener that's "fooked". Preload works fine and the 3 damping settings sort of work. I can tell a slight difference between the settings but not much. It's still pretty bouncy on all 3 settings but at least i know that particular mechanism is still working. Now to figure out exactly where the oil is coming from. I haven't ruled out an engine oil leak because the shock is right behind and underneath the oil tank. It did seem like there was more oil than there should have been for a shock leak. I've got to carry it down to the car wash and hose it off real good. Either way the shock is on it's way out.

Just about any bike can be run to a million miles if one is willing to throw enough money at it.
I’ve heard of an R75 that made it to a million, and Dave Zien claimed to put a million on a Harley, but i suspect it’s a lot like the old saying “I replaced the handle and my brother replaced the blade, but it’s still our father’s axe”.

It probably comes down to your tolerance and ability to repair it yourself or pay to have someone else do it.

Hopefully your bike will be one of the lucky ones with few problems to deal with, but i wouldn’t worry about it. Just enjoy it until it gets to be too painful.

OldCamper said:

Just about any bike can be run to a million miles if one is willing to throw enough money at it.
I’ve heard of an R75 that made it to a million, and Dave Zien claimed to put a million on a Harley, but i suspect it’s a lot like the old saying “I replaced the handle and my brother replaced the blade, but it’s still our father’s axe”.

It probably comes down to your tolerance and ability to repair it yourself or pay to have someone else do it.

Hopefully your bike will be one of the lucky ones with few problems to deal with, but i wouldn’t worry about it. Just enjoy it until it gets to be too painful.

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At the Gillette Wyoming MOA Rally, BMW sponsored a "25 Years of The K-Bike" event, and one person there had a K-75 with 825,000 miles on it with the original engine, and perhaps the transmission as well. Unfortunately, I was able to spend as much time talking with him as I wanted. I did find out that he had replaced the head at 125,000 for some reason, and then put it back about 100,000 miles later, but I believe it was on the bike from then on.

Well it's kinda like my 2007 Harley Road Glide with 75,000 miles on it. Haven't had to do a thing to it but replace the transmission gearset, rebuild the flywheel assembly, replace the charging system, and replace the whole primary drive and clutch assembly. Other than that it's been trouble free. 2007 was a terrible year for Harley touring bikes. Now on the other hand i have a 2005 Harley Dyna with 95,000 miles that has required nothing but one voltage regulator. Always ran synthetic oil since new and it looks like it could go 95,000 more. Let's hope the K bike will make 100,000 miles.