Just wanted to say massive thank you to RavenstoneGSA for a nice write up on the removal and refit of his BMW ESA Shock. All of our shock rebuilds come with a 12 month guarantee. The full thread can be found adventurebikerider.com
“Hi All,
I asked for a bit of advice recently regarding replacement / rebuild for the rear shock on my 2009 BMW R1200GSA. A new one costs £1300 so I was pretty keen to find and alternative. Big thanks to Rob, (Bimota) for passing on the details of Firefox Racing in Keighley. They charge £199 for a rebuild with original parts and despite it taking a bit longer than expected, (they were a man down,) It arrived yesterday and was fitted this morning.
The refit was pretty simple so I thought it might be worth describing what I did. I’ve added a few pictures so if you’re in the same boat you can give it a go.
Before you start, preferably the day before, give any stubborn nuts and bolts a quick spray. I found that my exhaust clamp bolt was a bit rusty.
1. Strap your main stand to your front wheel, it stops the stand collapsing if you get a bit too enthusiastic with your spanners. (Yes it can happen!)
2. Take off the seat, rear wheel, pannier rack if you have one and the end can to reach the bottom bolt. You’ll need a torx T50 and a 15mm spanner. Unplug both cables carefully.
3. When the bolts are out you might need a bit of leverage to free the bottom end, I used a big tyre lever.
4. Wrap your shock in bubble wrap, stick it in a box and get online. I went for Parcel Force UK, £13 and the driver brings the labels. If you’ve never used a courier its easy and very cheap considering the item weight.
5. About 12 days later the rebuilt shock arrived at home. It typically takes Firefox 3 – 4 days to rebuild but don’t forget the travel time too.
6. Refit is the opposite of removal but check the alignment of the top / bottom mounting holes. Mine were slightly off but there is a a grub screw at the top end that allows a bit of a twist if needed.
7. Plug both cables back in, they’re shaped and will only fit one way.
8. This is a good time for a cup of tea!
9. Refit your end can, pannier rack and rear wheel.
10. Job done!
When you’ve stripped down its a good opportunity to clean a few hard to reach areas and give your end can a really good all over clean. A big thank you to Firefox who offer a very professional and friendly service. They respond quickly to any enquiries and seem a really nice bunch of lads. You can contact them via the following website.
firefoxracing.co.uk
01535 606200
