Leaking rear shock - need technical drawing in Lima, Peru

[mekongfrank]

I'm stuck in Lima, Peru with a leaking rear shock after 40k miles, much of it on dirt and gravel. BMW here can only change it, and it would take 25 (!) days to get it as they've got basically nothing on stock in Peru. Through KTM I got a hold of a guy who repairs rear shocks but he doesn't have the details of the original BMW shocks. I have a 2009 model R1200GS Adventure.

Does anyone have a technical drawing or repair manual for this shock? Which type(s) of oil does it need? It would be great if someone could email me the drawing/manual and tell me about the oil. That would help a lot.

(If the repair should fail plan B is to order a Wilbers 640 - Wilbers say they would ship it within 5 to 7 days from Germany.)

[bigalsmith101]

That same man (very likely) repaired the shock on my friends DR650 less then 3 weeks ago. He is not in Bolivia and the shock is almost like new again.

The man does good work. To rebuild the shock of my friends DR650 cost him $100.

I'll see if I can find the technical specifications of the shock for you.

--Alex

Edit: All I could find was a picture showing the rear shock assembly

http://www.maxbmwmotorcycles.com/fic...2&rnd=03252011

I would suggest calling Max BMW as well

http://www.maxbmwmotorcycles.com/contactus.html

I just sent every parts guy in their entire company an email.

[catch22]

to Mekongfrank,

if it is a SHOWA, pls check http://idriders.com/proflex/files/shock%20service.pdf

the best to you-----------Geert

[bigalsmith101]

For the last seven (7) digits of your V.I.N. (Vehicle Identification #) number.

So if you can send that too me, that would help your cause!

--Alex

bigalsmith101(at)gmail(dot)com

[mekongfrank]

Repair attempts failed. The OEM shocks are not made to be rebuilt. I ordered a new Wilbers (Non-ESA) shock from Germany. Should be here in a week to 10 days. Cost including shipping: 400 Euros. Aduana should be US$ 100.

So if anyone is coming to Lima next week, drop me a line so we can have a Nothing else to do really...

[colebatch]

was the OEM shock a Showa or a WP? Was it ESA?

40-50,000 miles is what you can expect from an OEM 1200 non-ESA shock before they fail, its more like 20,000 - 25,000 miles average life expectancy for an ESA shock.

As you say they are built cheap and designed to be thrown away, not rebuilt. I heard BMW pay 27 EUR for the OEM ESA ones ... it would be a less than that for the non-ESA ones.

[bigalsmith101]

I might be in Lima by next Thursday. I'll keep you posted! If you've got stuff planned, you've got my email and vice versa.

--Alex

[mekongfrank]

I assume it was a Showa. Model year mid-2009, with ESA.

I was always happy with the OSM shock, I'll see how the Wilbers (non-WESA Type 640) will do.

Also, I did 60.000 km with it, always fully loaded, Probably 15.000 km of that off pavement, including a few thousand klicks on roads that are rather buffalo trails - the sort I'd never have thought I could manage on such a heavy bike. So the shock failure was to be expected and I lucked out seeing the leak here in Lima and not somewhere in the middle of a desert... And yes, BMW might have a huge margin on parts. Anything new about that?

Biggest problem was that BMW Lima would need 25 days to get the shock to Peru. (Never mind, 6 years ago I was at Canon Sao Paulo and needed a new main chip for my camera. They mumbled about 90 (!) days - that's South America for you!)

Alex, sure, let's get have a next week. I should still be here at Hostal Anthony's, Jose Pardo 1110, on the middle traffic circle between Miraflores centre and the coast. Wifi, parking and a large but run-down room is 50 Soles. Across the street are 2 backpackers with dorms for 15, but probably no parking. Give me a call, my local cell number is in the signature of my email.