Replacement Parts Sticker Shock

pappy35 · Dec 7, 2017

I'm in the process of trying to decide between an FJR1300 and an RT LC. I picked a random part, the rear shock, and just about fell out of my chair. The rear ESA shock unit costs north of $2,800!!??!! I do all my own maintenance so I'm not concerned about labor costs but if this price is typical for replacement of parts subject to wear I am out. I mean, I do OK, but I'm not made of money. Almost three large for a shock is, well, a shock.

My question for the group is: What components commonly wear out in, say the first 50k or so? I get brake pads, tires, and, of course, oil. I'm referring to items like suspension and engine components, stuff that'll cost half the value of the bike 5-6 years from now to replace, that kind of stuff. I don't really care if a shock costs more than the bike as long as it's not something that typically wears out over a reasonable mileage span.

PS - the painted cover for one of the bags, a piece of painted plastic, is over $500? Yikes...

PPS - I'm quoting prices from Max BMW. If there are better sources for parts please let me know.

lee · Dec 7, 2017

Some riders consider 30,000 to 40,000 miles the life of ESA shocks. I go longer.
Out of curiosity how much does ESA cost on the Yamaha?

rhaines · Dec 7, 2017

pappy35 said:
I'm in the process of trying to decide between an FJR1300 and an RT LC. I picked a random part, the rear shock, and just about fell out of my chair. The rear ESA shock unit costs north of $2,800!!??!! I do all my own maintenance so I'm not concerned about labor costs but if this price is typical for replacement of parts subject to wear I am out. I mean, I do OK, but I'm not made of money. Almost three large for a shock is, well, a shock.

My question for the group is: What components commonly wear out in, say the first 50k or so? I get brake pads, tires, and, of course, oil. I'm referring to items like suspension and engine components, stuff that'll cost half the value of the bike 5-6 years from now to replace, that kind of stuff. I don't really care if a shock costs more than the bike as long as it's not something that typically wears out over a reasonable mileage span.

Yes I agree the price on oem BMW parts is crazy, but if you want a Beemer that's the price you pay unless you can find the part at the Beemer Boneyard ,then you'll pay about half the price of a new part. As far as parts that wear out the only experience I have is the front universal joint on the drive shaft went south at around 74,000 miles (14RT) fortunately my extended warranty covered all of the cost except for $124.68 , without the warranty I would have had to dish out $1,344.35 .
My dealer (Hermy's BMW ) said this was the first one they have ever had to repair and from what I read on various forums it is an isolated incident. The bike now has 91,345 miles on it and have had no other parts that have needed replaced due to wear.

lkraus · Dec 7, 2017

Max BMW's prices are typical. The Dynamic ESA shock is expensive. It is also much more sophisticated than most, changing settings on the fly, based on current conditions. It's no longer just fixed damping and preload settings operated remotely..

I doubt that many would replace a worn shock with a factory original at BMW prices. More commonly, the old shock is shipped to a rebuilder, like Beemershop. The electronics are transferred to a new shock with a spring matched to your bike and load, resulting in a shock that is literally better than new, for about $1000.

riderr1150gsadv · Dec 7, 2017

Ted Porters can replace those ESA shocks with Wilbers and it will be a LOT less expensive and a much better product than those Showa's BMW uses.
I had regular Wilbers on my GSA and they are really great. No need for overpriced OEM IMHO..YMMV

https://www.beemershop.com

pappy35 · Dec 7, 2017

Someone just pointed me to a site that shows the equivalent Yamaha OEM shock ('16 ESA rear) is around $2,600. Unbelievable. Knowing that there's a shop that can rebuild them puts that fire out. I presume that for ESA-equipped RTs that Wilburs product is still remotely adjustable or at least prevents CANBUS errors?

lee · Dec 7, 2017

pappy35 said:
Someone just pointed me to a site that shows the equivalent Yamaha OEM shock ('16 ESA rear) is around $2,600. Unbelievable. Knowing that there's a shop that can rebuild them puts that fire out. I presume that for ESA-equipped RTs that Wilburs product is still remotely adjustable or at least prevents CANBUS errors?

You can keep the ESA function when installing Wilbers on the GS, not sure about the RT.
The BeemerShop shows you can keep the ESA on the RT when installing Tractive shocks.

http://www.beemershop.com/Merchant5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=TRACTIVE

Digtlartst · Dec 7, 2017

pappy35 said:
I'm in the process of trying to decide between an FJR1300 and an RT LC. I picked a random part, the rear shock, and just about fell out of my chair. The rear ESA shock unit costs north of $2,800!!??!! I do all my own maintenance so I'm not concerned about labor costs but if this price is typical for replacement of parts subject to wear I am out. I mean, I do OK, but I'm not made of money. Almost three large for a shock is, well, a shock. ...

An interesting exercise might be to calculate the cost of an RT LC if one were to build one completely from retail BMW replacement parts -- maybe $150,000 total?

The failed ABS module on my '06 RT cost $2400 as a replacement part. Ouch.

WalterK75 · Dec 7, 2017

Digtlartst said:
The failed ABS module on my '06 RT cost $2400 as a replacement part. Ouch.

The ABS modules can be rebuilt. There may be other places but the following is one. I've not used this service, but was told about it.

https://modulemaster.com/rebuilds/shop/brakes/abs-modules/abs-ate-abs4

patm · Dec 7, 2017

Digtlartst said:
An interesting exercise might be to calculate the cost of an RT LC if one were to build one completely from retail BMW replacement parts -- maybe $150,000 total?

The failed ABS module on my '06 RT cost $2400 as a replacement part. Ouch.

Most OEMs (I'm not just talking about motorcycles) will price their replacement parts at about 20 times the cost of that part in a new product.
The exception being the high volume, frequent maintenance, highly competitive parts. i.e. tires, spark plugs, etc.

That was true in the company I worked for (not motorcycle related) and it is a constant in most product lines.

There is a good reason for that, the OEMs are in the business of selling new products, not replacement parts.

That being said, $2400 for a new ABS module, ouch, you're right!

pappy35 · Dec 7, 2017

In the jet-engine business, OEM markup is over four times cost to produce. Our business model differs from most other durable goods manufacturers in that we make almost nothing on the initial sale but make that up in spare parts sales.

Digtlartst · Dec 7, 2017

WalterK75 said:
The ABS modules can be rebuilt. There may be other places but the following is one. I've not used this service, but was told about it.

https://modulemaster.com/rebuilds/shop/brakes/abs-modules/abs-ate-abs4

Unfortunately, that's only for iABS2, 2007-and later. If you check the listed models on their page, the servo ABS module of the 2005-2006 RT is not listed. I contacted ModuleMaster when the failure occurred in 2013. They told me that refurbishment parts for the 2005-2006 RT servo ABS module were not available -- and they still aren't. They'd tried to contract a fabricator to manufacture the particular parts for that module but that never happened. The servo brakes were a ridiculous contraption and are a time-bomb waiting to fail. There are two choices -- disabling the ABS system permanently or pay BMW $2400 for a new part (plus labor).

pglaves · Dec 7, 2017

Digtlartst said:
The servo brakes were a ridiculous contraption and are a time-bomb waiting to fail. There are two choices -- disabling the ABS system permanently or pay BMW $2400 for a new part (plus labor).

Not even BMW knows or cares how to fix this answer to a question nobody except one German engineer asked.

bmwbob51 · Dec 8, 2017

How much?

I had an LED headlight take a dump. $2000 with installation. Luckily I'd purchased an extended warranty. I'm told if the alternator takes a dump it's $4000 :lurk

gsinnc · Dec 8, 2017

bmwbob51 said:
I had an LED headlight take a dump. $2000 with installation. Luckily I'd purchased an extended warranty. I'm told if the alternator takes a dump it's $4000

+1 for the extended warranty!

When I bought my '16 RTW I added 5 years to the BMW 3 years so now have 8 worry free years

pappy35 · Dec 8, 2017

Extended warranty? There's another thing I didn't know was an option. I know the price will vary by market but about how much are we talking about here? Is dealer-servicing a prerequisite? I do all the regular (and some irregular) maintenance on my rides.

52184 · Dec 8, 2017

pappy35 said:
Extended warranty? There's another thing I didn't know was an option. I know the price will vary by market but about how much are we talking about here? Is dealer-servicing a prerequisite? I do all the regular (and some irregular) maintenance on my rides.

Extended warranties from a manufacturer can be a good thing; from aftermarket companies not so much. Companies come and go, dealers will accept some 3rd-party warranties and not others, etc. If you buy a 3rd-party warranty make sure it is one your dealer accepts and ask how long the warranty company has been in business, how long the dealer has been working with the warranty company, and the warranty company’s requirements WRT routine service.
IMHO.

Best,
DG

strataj · Dec 8, 2017

We gotten away from the original post, but warranties usually don't cover wear items which might include shocks.

Jay

Digtlartst · Dec 8, 2017

pappy35 said:
Extended warranty? There's another thing I didn't know was an option. I know the price will vary by market but about how much are we talking about here? Is dealer-servicing a prerequisite? I do all the regular (and some irregular) maintenance on my rides.

BMW itself doesn't offer an extended warranty on bikes. Some dealers offer 3rd party extended repair insurance/warrantees as an option. I've had great luck with Zurich extended warrantees on two bikes and I recommend them. Zurich's been around for 100 years. They work well with dealers on repairs, in my experience. Their warranty is transferrable when selling the bike or if unused during its term you can cancel it anytime for a prorated refund of your premium.

motodan · Dec 8, 2017

lkraus said:
Max BMW's prices are typical. The Dynamic ESA shock is expensive. It is also much more sophisticated than most, changing settings on the fly, based on current conditions. It's no longer just fixed damping and preload settings operated remotely..

I doubt that many would replace a worn shock with a factory original at BMW prices. More commonly, the old shock is shipped to a rebuilder, like Beemershop. The electronics are transferred to a new shock with a spring matched to your bike and load, resulting in a shock that is literally better than new, for about $1000.

The items that get to me are typical maintenance like: $21.46 for one spark plug on a R1200RTW, or their $19.57 oil filter, $58.00 for a quart of gear oil, the BMW oil for $16.00 a quart or $107 for a set of brake pads. Thankfully there's the aftermarket.

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