As flagship models like BMW’s R1250GS and GSA, along with their 1300cc successors, become increasingly complex with a plethora of state-of-the-art electronics and rider aids, it can seem nearly unfeasible to customize performance. Especially in the case of BMW’s highly-developed electronically-controlled suspension system.

This is a notion Netherlands-based TracTive Suspension wants to erase. “Despite how sophisticated it may appear; all original shocks and forks are mass-produced with a compromise between functionality and price,” the company promotes. Their answer? High performance “Plug & Play” shock and fork cartridge (or front shock in the case of BMW) kits made for most adventure bikes, including the R1250GS and GSA, with their new  “eX-Perience” kit being the latest offering. 

Many top-end GS buyers consider BMW’s ultramodern Dynamic ESA-guided Telelever front and Paralever rear system to be the ultimate and stop there. And on the surface, the buttons you push to change ride preference, does feel finite. You’ve prompted the GS brain, its electronic control module, to lock in set parameters for that mode.

But the real magic is how hard that brain keeps thinking the whole time you’re moving, constantly and without notice to the rider, adjusting compression, rebound and preload as it detects load, angle, road and trail conditions, as well as the pilot’s throttle and brake inputs.

Gear heads like the guys who started TracTive know all that suspension tech, as impressive as it is, was developed by BMW “for the average rider, with an average weight and riding style.”

They wanted to offer GS riders who explore more challenging terrain a straightforward way to improve suspension performance, and so, using their decades-long background in road racing and off-road applications, the TracTive team developed a range of front and rear suspension upgrade kits for the R1250GS and R1250GS Adventure. These kits not only increase performance and dependability,  their electronics mate seamlessly with BMW’s existing suite of electronic suspension technology. In addition, the OEM electronic damping control can be bypassed with TracTive’s X-Treme kits for those who want manual control.

These TracTive kits, including the new, top-shelf eX-Perience front and rear shock, are all truly Plug and Play. None of the messy stuff typically associated with suspension upgrades like draining out oil, taking apart fork internals, or replacing valves and springs. The old shocks get swapped out and the TracTive units literally plug right into the advanced brain of BMW’s existing Dynamic ESA system.

One of many advantages to this swappable eX-perience application is that it offers faster Dynamic Damping Adjustments by using TracTive’s own patented DDA valve claimed to adjust in just 6-10 milliseconds, which is much faster than stock. The TracTive DDA valve also offers a wider adjustment range.

Considering the human brain reacts within 150 milliseconds, you can see why this is an asset TracTive likes to promote when talking about its high-end eX-perience. Such a lightning fast reaction would of course improve traction in all conditions, which TracTive says not only provides a safer ride, but allows you to push your bike to new limits.

The new shock system also offers more damping precision and control by utilizing a beefier 46mm piston and a 16mm piston rod, compared to the 1250 GS’s stock 36mm front/40mm rear piston and 14mm rod. Construction is heavy duty, using CNC-machined materials, micro-finished induction, hardened quenched&tempered 42CrMo (a high-strength alloy steel) and the  highest quality bearings and stainless steel bushings.

These measures provide better heat dissipation for more stable damping, and therefore, longer life. The shock also has an external reservoir with separated damping oil and nitrogen gas. The reservoir is forged from one piece of aluminum and large oil channels in the mount help improve oil flow. Higher oil capacity and a larger cooling area keep the unit’s temperature lower. 

This is important because shocks can overheat during heavy use, which can lessen damping performance or even cause complete fade. TracTive’s high oil capacity and a large cooling area keep the oil temperature lower, which results in thermal stability and long-lasting fade-free performance. 

The CNC-machined aluminum housing of the TracTive Electronic Preload Adjuster is designed to be completely waterproof, where the OEM-spec EPA housing is formed from plastic, which can crack and ultimately allow water to seep in, causing corrosion and failure.

One of the eX-Perience suspension kit’s major advantages is that it can be custom tuned to your size and riding style. No “one size fits all” like the OEM units. With TracTive, you’ll get the spring that matches your weight, load requirements and expected use. In addition, high and low speed compression damping settings can be dialed manually for both front and rear shocks, where there is zero option to set high/low speed damping adjustment with the OEM shocks, either manually or electronically. 

Lastly, replacing a bum shock on your 1250 GS/A with an eX-Perience rear shock unit costs significantly less than replacing with the same OEM part, this while you’re getting a fully-serviceable shock with higher quality components and improved performance.

So, the new eX-Perience shock kit seems like a cool upgrade for your GS/GSA suspension, right? But hold on, because there is a rabbit’s hole worth options to consider, including alternative options already available for this model that may suit you even better. 

Let’s quickly separate TracTive’s different lines of ‘electronic’ suspension upgrades, all of which start with a small e, for electronic, as in eX-Perience. If they start with an X as in X-Treme, they are only manually adjustable, such as the “long travel” unit we recently featured for the Tenere 700, and yes these can be applied to a 1250GS, though it would only be the choice of someone going hard off-road all the time. 

TracTive Suspension Kit Lines

eX-Cite: ESA shock without external reservoir, basically an entry level option for touring riders that don’t typically go off-road.

eX-Change: ESA electronic rear shock with external reservoir which uses the OEM EPA to save some cost for the customer.

eX-Perience: Top-shelf ESA electronic shock with external reservoir and CNC-machined external preload adjuster housing. 

X-Treme: Non electronic shock with external reservoir, CNC machined EPA and manual rebound adjustment. These units also have the PDSII anti-bottoming system.

For the standard R1250GS, each line can be ordered in low, standard and high suspension travel versions. For example, the ‘high’ or ‘Sport Chassis’ shock replacement kit will give you an additional 0.8 inches (20mm) of suspension travel front and rear over stock, which upgrades the suspension of your GS to  GSA travel length, sans the extra weight and huge tank. The ‘low’ kit options allow you to drop the suspension down up to 2 inches (50 mm) for those who prefer a lower seat height. For the GSA the new eX-Perience is only available in low or standard heights. 

What about the current R1300GS/A? TracTive plans to offer non-electronic “X-Treme” versions of these shocks as soon as October of this year while the DSA versions are currently under development. 

TracTive eX-Perience shocks, as well as other kits, including for the front shock, are also for the 2013-2017 R1200GS/A models. You’ll find more details about the eX-Perience suspension upgrade for the R1250GS/A on the TracTive website and you can also search there for local suspension shops that carry their products.

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Author: Jamie Elvidge

Jamie has been a motorcycle journalist for more than 30 years, testing the entire range of bikes for the major print magazines and specializing in adventure-travel related stories. To date she’s written and supplied photography for articles describing what it’s like to ride in all 50 states and 43 foreign countries, receiving two Lowell Thomas Society of American Travel Writer’s Awards along the way. Her most-challenging adventure yet has been riding in the 2018 GS Trophy in Mongolia as Team AusAmerica’s embedded journalist.