TracTive X-CHANGE ESA Rear Shock / R1200RT-LC ’14-On and R1250RT

Couple years ago I reached out to Ted and his Shop to inquire about a suspension upgrade. Having read some good online reviews about him and the shop on various sites.
Initially for a 2015 BMW 1200RT LC, but by the time I got around to it, I had upgraded to a 2019 1250RT.
Ted had patiently answered all my questions, and I had many.
What surprised me the most was, regardless of when I sent a message, Ted would respond shortly. Sunday, no issue, middle of the night, there was a response.
I think he has his phone under his pillow 🙂 Needless to say , BeemerShop customer service and response is something you rarely see these days.
Sent them all the info, eventually all the parts for the exchange and upgrades and within a few days I had all that stuff right back. Me being me, there were more questions of course. And patiently they answered them all.
We all have become somewhat cynical about so called “Experts” these days, and considering I work with machines and have worked on my bikes for decades, I was somewhat (being nice to myself) of a pain in the butt for those guys.
And Ted was probably thinking: “Those guys that think they know it all, are truly a pain in the ass to those of us who do”
But they were (are) professionals and continued to answer my questions.

The End Result:
I have now been riding the bike for a few months, takes it a little while to work itself in, and took me some time to have time to actually ride the bike (one of several I own) to get some miles on it.
The changes are so inconspicuous, appear to be so subtle, but yet, they are huge.
Bike feels more light footed, turn in first couple times surprised me as to how fast the bike now wanted to drop into a corner. Smooth. Oh so smooth.
Down the street from us, they resurfaced the roads. And I ran the RT over the new surface several times. Marveling at the filled potholes and how smooth the roads now were. Enjoyed it. Enjoyed the new suspension, or so I thought.
Couple days after going down that new road on the redone RT I rode the same stretch on my 2015 1200R LC, and holy macro what a difference.
While the RT was gliding over this new “road surface” without any bumps or vibrations, smooth as glass, the R was bouncing all over the place. Was like going over railroad ties. Forced me to take a closer look at the road surface, because I could not believe the difference.
Next day, went back with the RT. Smooth as glass.
Along the whole road surface you can see ridges across the road. Lines going across both lanes, varying heights and thickness.
And while the R (yes it is OEM suspension and its stiffer then usually the RT) amplified every little pump and bounced like I was on a gravel road, the RT with the new BeemerShop TracTive suspension just turned it into a magic carpet.
That in turn made me take the bike up into the North Georgia Mountains. Blood Mountain etc. And the RT took those corners in the same way it took that bumpy new road surface. Confident, smooth, well balanced.
Switched it to Dynamic and tried to maximize my tire utilization, and was surprised by how confidence inspiring this Tractive suspension truly was.
While my rear end grabbed the seat a few times, the suspension and bike never flinched. Tires sticking to the road, taking peaks making them smooth curves.

Bottom line – one heck of an upgrade. One I can whole heartedly recommend from a shop and crew I wont ask any more questions off (I can hear a sigh of relieve from you 🙂 guys) when I send them the suspension for the R later this year.
Appreciate your work, your guidance and most of all your patience.
Peter S. 2019 R1250RT

First of all I take care of my equipment. On my way in on my 50 mile commute, zipping along my rear ESA Fault icon pops and then noticed my ride went to crap. I started to feel every bump in the road and there was no dampening. I have read on the BMW Forums about Ted Porter Beemershop. Ted and his crew were responsive in answering all my questions. Ted even took the time on the weekend to respond to my email and take my phone call. My RT had 42k miles on the odometer. Basically it comes down to this; Do you want to purchase another OEM BMW ESA at $2900 that is Not serviceable or would you rather have Tractive ESA Shock that can be serviced when needed at $995. Send in your OEM ESA and Beemershop retrofits with a Wilbur Shock and 1 day turnaround shipped back to you. Furthermore the responsiveness and communication with Beemershop / Ted and his staff is a big plus. Great investment. Thankyou Beemershop

I put close to 1000 miles on the Front and Rear ESA. I am riding on Cloud9/Cadillac again. Unbelievable what a difference the dampening /ESA makes…..Makes me appreciate the suspension technology much more. Stay Safe and thank you for the customer service. I am definitely Glad I found your company.
Tyler L.
2017 R1200RT-LC

I was looking to improve my suspension as I felt I had to run the ESA set at 2 helmets (max “preload”) to prevent touching my peg feelers down. I’m a large rider (probably around 275 lbs in full gear). This resulted in a harsher ride than preferred. I contacted the shop via email and both Ted and Jeff were very responsive. Jeff suggested I get my sag measured at the different preload settings. Since I live only 20 miles away, I rode over and Jeff measured it. We also talked about what I was looking for if I changed units.

I wanted to maintain integration with the stock ESA controls via the menu button and wonder wheel. I wanted better compliance over small bumps (less high speed compression) yet maintain ride height when going through dips (same or more low speed compression). Jeff recommended lowering tire pressures (as BMW has only ne setting, which is the maximum tire manufacturers recommend, 36 front, 42 rear).

It turns out that the middle setting (1 helmet and luggage) provided the proper amount of preload for my weight. I elected to purchase front and rear TracTive dampers.

Initial impressions- I only need 1 helmet preload. Compliance is definitely better. The lower tire pressures also contributed. There is increased low speed compression and rebound damping. The changes are not large as the stock suspension is pretty good. But for myself, it was worth it. It has increased my comfort and confidence on the bike. I have full preload adjustability again.

Hi Ted,

I ordered a set of Tractive Shocks (Dynamic ESA) from you (for 2015 R1200RT-LC) at the BMWMOA Rally in Hamburg this past year. After the riding season this year (November) I coordinated the process of sending in the rear shock and subsequent shipment of the new Tractive Shocks with Jeff Favorite. He was very easy to work with and provided great customer service. I recently received the new shocks and after installing the rear shock I coordinated the installation of the front shock with Countryside BMW.

Over the years I have installed and or had numerous motorcycles with modified suspensions. FOX, Works Performance (shows my age lol), Penske (along with the forks both modified by GP Suspension), Wilburs and numerous Ohlins shocks have been installed on my bikes. With out a doubt the shocks from Tractive are the best suspension modification I have ever had on a motorcycle. The suspension is much better than the stock suspension was when it was new. At the Rally Jeff Favorite said the bumps on your favorite bumpy road would basically disappear and they have! At the same time the suspension seems well planted and predictable through the curves. I have done a dozen or so track days over the years so I enjoy going quickly through the curves and the Tractive suspension seems like it will perform exceptional well at speed. It was 38 degrees when trying out the suspension so I did not push it much through the curves but what I did experience indicated the bike will be a lot of fun next year!!

Thanks for the great service and great product.

Hi Ted,

I ordered a set of Tractive Shocks (Dynamic ESA) from you (for 2015 R1200RT-LC) at the BMWMOA Rally in Hamburg this past year. After the riding season this year (November) I coordinated the process of sending in the rear shock and subsequent shipment of the new Tractive Shocks with Jeff Favorite. He was very easy to work with and provided great customer service. I recently received the new shocks and after installing the rear shock I coordinated the installation of the front shock with Countryside BMW.

Over the years I have installed and or had numerous motorcycles with modified suspensions. FOX, Works Performance (shows my age lol), Penske (along with the forks both modified by GP Suspension), Wilburs and numerous Ohlins shocks have been installed on my bikes. With out a doubt the shocks from Tractive are the best suspension modification I have ever had on a motorcycle. The suspension is much better than the stock suspension was when it was new. At the Rally Jeff Favorite said the bumps on your favorite bumpy road would basically disappear and they have! At the same time the suspension seems well planted and predictable through the curves. I have done a dozen or so track days over the years so I enjoy going quickly through the curves and the Tractive suspension seems like it will perform exceptional well at speed. It was 38 degrees when trying out the suspension so I did not push it much through the curves but what I did experience indicated the bike will be a lot of fun next year!!

Thanks for the great service and great product.