Replacing Shocks on R1150R with 18k Miles Worth It?

My still new-to-me 2004 R1150R seems to have adequate suspension. As a newbie rider with something around 2.5k miles between two bikes since I started riding, I don't really know what to look for in determining whether to upgrade the shocks, or whether to upgrade at all.

I saw a discussion recently on shocks/suspension and the suggestion was to check out HyperPro StreetBox shocks to improve handling and the feel of the bike. So, the question begs of spending the money on a bike that has about 18.5k miles on it.

Would love input and experience with upgrades. Is it really worth spending the $1,200+ on front and rear shocks, especially with the quoted mileage?

I‘m 5’ 11” and 176 lbs, don’t ride with a passenger and no significant extra load on the bike.

New aftermarket suspension will definitely improve the handling and the ride, BUT.....unless you're having suspension issues, I'd say: not yet.

BC1100S said:

New aftermarket suspension will definitely improve the handling and the ride, BUT.....unless you're having suspension issues, I'd say: not yet.

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That's what I assumed, but wanted to hear it from someone else. The challenge I face is as a new rider being able to tell what issues with the suspension feel like, beyond the obvious, of course.

jbtex said:

Is it really worth spending the $1,200+ on front and rear shocks, especially with the quoted mileage?

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JB:

At your bike's mileage, the shocks are probably still ok, so I would leave them alone. As far as an eventual upgrade goes, some riders have exceptional feel for what their bikes are doing, some don't. If you are one of the latter, and you'll find out eventually, when you replace the shocks, you can just put OEM units in. I'd wait until you have about 40,000 miles on the bike, and then have a specialist ride it to see if the shocks need replacing.

I'm a former 1150 owner and I was perfectly happy with the OEM shocks; likewise, on my current 1200.

Rinty said:

JB:

At your bike's mileage, the shocks are probably still ok, so I would leave them alone. As far as an eventual upgrade goes, some riders have exceptional feel for what their bikes are doing, some don't. If you are one of the latter, and you'll find out eventually, when you replace the shocks, you can just put OEM units in. I'd wait until you have about 40,000 miles on the bike, and then have a specialist ride it to see if the shocks need replacing.

I'm a former 1150 owner and I was perfectly happy with the OEM shocks; likewise, on my current 1200.

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Very good perspective. Thanks for your input!

One thing after purchasing in October that I haven't done yet is take it to someone who is intimately familiar with them to look it over. I'll add the riding and shock assessment to the list.

As previously mentioned, assuming there are no related mechanical issues, I definately would not spend that amount of money on upgraded suspension. Your OEM shocks are more than adequate for your bike.

jbtex said:

...One thing after purchasing in October that I haven't done yet is take it to someone who is intimately familiar with them to look it over. I'll add the riding and shock assessment to the list.

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Your shocks (and bike) are still young - yes, even a 2004 that was likely built in 2003 (like both of my Rocksters). Oil leak is the typical symptom of shock problem, easy to detect. For your application (weight, load) the OE shocks will last a long time.

Yes, suspension upgrade can improve riding, but give yourself the benefit of 10-20k miles experience with your Roadster before making investment.

What you CAN do - free - is to adjust OE suspension to sag recommendation in manual. Preload adjuster on rear makes the process easy.

Recommended:
1. During the next 10-20k miles, try a few different tires. The Telelever oilheads are sensitive to front tire shape/grip/wear, and bike handling is greatly impacted by some tires' cupping tendency.
2. If you want to change R1150R handling significantly, swap the Paralever strut/rod for shorter GS version (or equivalent). Some riders - like me - really like to new bike geometry, while others find it too twitchy or tall.
3. Tire pressure. Measure, adjust, evaluate. I stick with factory 36/42psi.

mastrand9 said:

Your shocks (and bike) are still young - yes, even a 2004 that was likely built in 2003 (like both of my Rocksters). Oil leak is the typical symptom of shock problem, easy to detect. For your application (weight, load) the OE shocks will last a long time.

Yes, suspension upgrade can improve riding, but give yourself the benefit of 10-20k miles experience with your Roadster before making investment.

What you CAN do - free - is to adjust OE suspension to sag recommendation in manual. Preload adjuster on rear makes the process easy.

Recommended:
1. During the next 10-20k miles, try a few different tires. The Telelever oilheads are sensitive to front tire shape/grip/wear, and bike handling is greatly impacted by some tires' cupping tendency.
2. If you want to change R1150R handling significantly, swap the Paralever strut/rod for shorter GS version (or equivalent). Some riders - like me - really like to new bike geometry, while others find it too twitchy or tall.
3. Tire pressure. Measure, adjust, evaluate. I stick with factory 36/42psi.

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Love those details! Thanks for weighing in!

Oil leaks on the shocks: Helps with getting to know the bike and what to look for. I'm meticulous about these things, so I'll add it to my list.

Tires: I'll start looking through discussions on what tires are best for this bike. Thanks for the heads up! If you have any recommendations, I'm all ears.

Pralever Strut/Rod: I've seen this mentioned before. Now I'm really curious to dig a little deeper. I find the current height comfortable, but wouldn't mind something taller. I would imagine that bringing the rear up would impact the sitting position with a more forward lean, if no handlebar risers are used. I'll have to determine whether I like that. Is this the basic difference between the R1150R and the R1150GS in terms of height?

Tire Pressure: Roger that

When the time comes for new shocks you probably will not notice. Since the change in performance is very slow I found that on my 1100RT I did not think they were in need. Then a pair of lightly used Wilbers came up for sale on the marketplace here so I bought and installed them. The difference in handling was astounding. Suddenly I had a bike with no rebound issues, no weird tire wear issues and it cornered like it was on rails.

For $1,200 I would look into Wilbers. When you see the build quality and the handling improvements over the stock shocks which really are a middle of the road compromise you will be surprised. I would also note that if you upgrade your used shocks are worth more at low mileage than after 40K miles when everyone knows they are likely done and not rebuild-able like Wilbers, Ohlins or several other quality after market shocks are.

happy wanderer said:

When the time comes for new shocks you probably will not notice. Since the change in performance is very slow I found that on my 1100RT I did not think they were in need. Then a pair of lightly used Wilbers came up for sale on the marketplace here so I bought and installed them. The difference in handling was astounding. Suddenly I had a bike with no rebound issues, no weird tire wear issues and it cornered like it was on rails.

For $1,200 I would look into Wilbers. When you see the build quality and the handling improvements over the stock shocks which really are a middle of the road compromise you will be surprised. I would also note that if you upgrade your used shocks are worth more at low mileage than after 40K miles when everyone knows they are likely done and not rebuild-able like Wilbers, Ohlins or several other quality after market shocks are.

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Interesting. Those are some great thoughts. Makes it a bit hard to judge what I have. I can see the value in having someone who knows what the suspension should feel like check out the bike.

I'll have a look at what used OEM shocks with 18k miles go for these days. If it's not significant enough to sell them, I may hold onto them for when a rebuildable set is neededing to be reworked so I'm not down riding the bike until I get those back.

I'll check into Wilbers as well.

jbtex said:

... As a newbie rider with something around 2.5k miles between two bikes since I started riding, ...

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I think you would be wise to wait until you have more time in the saddle before spending so much for new shocks. First, the ratio of the cost of the shocks to the value of your bike is significant. So, the purchase doesn't make much sense economically. But also, since you have limited experience with moto ride quality, there's a good chance that after spending the money, you won't notice that much of a difference.

The story changes after you gain some experience. Good shocks can really improve your enjoyment of riding. So maybe next year?

As an aside, I just sent the rear shock on my 2004 R1150RT out for rebuilding. It is an Ohlins. I learned a few things... Ohlins rates their shocks for 12,000 miles between service. And the cost to rebuild is about half the cost to buy new. So, I was surprised both by the low expected service life of the shock, and the high cost to rebuild. At my usual rate of mileage, that means I should rebuild the shocks every year. Hmmm. Maybe next time I buy shocks, I will investigate more carefully about the service life and the repair costs. But I love the feel of the Ohlins.

Cap

cap said:

I think you would be wise to wait until you have more time in the saddle before spending so much for new shocks. First, the ratio of the cost of the shocks to the value of your bike is significant. So, the purchase doesn't make much sense economically. But also, since you have limited experience with moto ride quality, there's a good chance that after spending the money, you won't notice that much of a difference.

The story changes after you gain some experience. Good shocks can really improve your enjoyment of riding. So maybe next year?

As an aside, I just sent the rear shock on my 2004 R1150RT out for rebuilding. It is an Ohlins. I learned a few things... Ohlins rates their shocks for 12,000 miles between service. And the cost to rebuild is about half the cost to buy new. So, I was surprised both by the low expected service life of the shock, and the high cost to rebuild. At my usual rate of mileage, that means I should rebuild the shocks every year. Hmmm. Maybe next time I buy shocks, I will investigate more carefully about the service life and the repair costs. But I love the feel of the Ohlins.

Cap

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Wise words that I will take to heart. Given the relatively low mileage and still learning the feel of a motorcycle, specifically the R1150R, it makes total sense to give it time. I have another bike, a Honda CTX700 that I bought new last year, and while it handles smooth and is so very easy to maneuver with, I have noticed that the rear suspension on it is much less forgiving than the R1150R, despite it's newer age and lighter weight. So, I can already tell what difference the suspension makes. Perhaps I should look into swaping out the stock shocks on the CTX instead. Now there is a thought...

I had no idea what CTX700 was, completely missed my radar. So I looked it up:

Cycle World says "The motorcycle that thinks it’s a scooter". Looks kind of zoomy with that rocket thruster exhaust. Dry weight of CTX700 is 478LB, so wet weight is about 510 with its 3 gallon tank. As comparison, the R1150R is 525LB wet weight with 5 gallon tank.

So back to R1150R modification question... to reiterate, enjoy your bikes and ride ride ride. Ride a couple thousand miles on both, then decide which you like best. Modify your favorite thereafter.

sweatmark said:

I had no idea what CTX700 was, completely missed my radar. So I looked it up:

Cycle World says "The motorcycle that thinks it’s a scooter". Looks kind of zoomy with that rocket thruster exhaust. Dry weight of CTX700 is 478LB, so wet weight is about 510 with its 3 gallon tank. As comparison, the R1150R is 525LB wet weight with 5 gallon tank.

So back to R1150R modification question... to reiterate, enjoy your bikes and ride ride ride. Ride a couple thousand miles on both, then decide which you like best. Modify your favorite thereafter.

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I can see where the word "scooter" is used to describe the CTX700. In fact, another CTX700 owner's story is that of a Harley rider pulling up next to him and asking him if his bike is a scooter. Never been on a scooter, so can't comparet, but if the handling of the CTX is what you'd feel on a scooter in terms of easy handling, then that would definitely qualify. To me as a new rider it's the perfect entry bike and seeing how many CTX owners have transitioned to it from larger bikes, it seems to be well positioned for a specific type of riders.

And back to the R1150R, I thought the dry weight of it is 525 lbs, plus around 33 lbs for a full tank of gas. Wouldn't that bring it into the 560 lbs range? The CTX clocks in at 500 lbs wet and I can feel that weight difference between the two when moving them around. Now, riding either the weight is becoming less noticeable, although I initially thought that I needed to "work" the R1150R more. However, that was just inexperience at the beginning. It's been completely equalized now and in fact, I enjoy both of the bikes for their varied handling.

As for modifications, very few are made for the CTX beyond the mentioned shocks. So, it's definitely the BMW that will be the candidate for it.

Again, thanks for weighing in. I'm so grateful for all the helpful indivdiuals here!

jbtex said:

And back to the R1150R, I thought the dry weight of it is 525 lbs, plus around 33 lbs for a full tank of gas. Wouldn't that bring it into the 560 lbs range?

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No, the R1150R Roadster's wet weight is 525LB. Dry weight around 485.

Your bikes are comparable in terms of modest weight (for comfortable and capable mid-sized motorcycles) and low center of gravity.

happy wanderer said:

When the time comes for new shocks you probably will not notice. Since the change in performance is very slow I found that on my 1100RT I did not think they were in need. Then a pair of lightly used Wilbers came up for sale on the marketplace here so I bought and installed them. The difference in handling was astounding. Suddenly I had a bike with no rebound issues, no weird tire wear issues and it cornered like it was on rails.

For $1,200 I would look into Wilbers. When you see the build quality and the handling improvements over the stock shocks which really are a middle of the road compromise you will be surprised. I would also note that if you upgrade your used shocks are worth more at low mileage than after 40K miles when everyone knows they are likely done and not rebuild-able like Wilbers, Ohlins or several other quality after market shocks are.

Click to expand...

Ditto. I had a similar experience on my r850r. A pair of Wilburs came up for sale on ADV cheap. Sent them to the Beemer shop and had them setup for me and the bike for my needs. My bike has less than 30,000 miles on it but the stock suspension was kinda scary . No adjustments other than rear preload made it a handful sometimes. So far, the Wilburs have been great out of the box. I haven't even had to play with the rebound settings ...it just works now. I also came away with a good deal buying them used, then having them rebuilt and set up for me. So, you might want to look around while you learn this bike. My two cents worth. I know mine is a lighter bike, but it handles so much better with the new shocks. I'm currently running Avon tires Storm 3D X-M as they have a 15000 tread wear warranty, are a "sporty style" tire. Also, my bike has an 18 inch rear wheel. Not sure if they still offer that or not. Mine have about 4500 miles on them and they have very little wear showing. So far, so good! YMMV

Suspension

The best aftermarket improvement you can do to a factory bike is suspension. And you will notice a difference.
Call Ted Porter. http://www.beemershop.com/