Final Drive Failure Register

Final drive .. sorted

To who it may concern :augie
Just had the bearings replaced on the rear drive of my 06 GSA, (34000 miles) after a bit of play was spotted by the MOT tester.:(
I removed the final drive and dropped it down to Grizzly's in Folkestone on Tuesday, picked it up and refitted Thursday having been fettled.
Lyndon at Grizzly's sorted my 1150 gearbox out for me a couple of years back and says he 'likes a challenge'.
He is mainly a custom and Harley independent dealer but says he will carry out a service or repair on your GS if required.
He has been in business donkeys years. He is 'old school' and has a good reputation in the Harley world.
He has got a web site, www.grizzlyscustombikes.co.uk .. take a look, it may save you a few quid :thumb
 
2004 R1200GS. On road, Off road and two up touring fully loaded.

First rear drive replaced at 16087 miles. It also had a new gearbox and clutch :eek:

Oil changed on the rear drive at 23808 miles.

Last service was at 29049 miles

Started wurring again at 43000 miles

Taking it in to see what they say next week. Will keep you informed
 
I'd like to promote an international poll which is about these seal and bearing damages.

  • I am hoping for the participation of many even though registration is required before voting.
  • It is no problem for me erasing you from the memberlist after voting. Email suffices.
  • "I don't participate because these polls never work" does not work, IMO. Please give it a chance, and then this one might work!

I am also the founder of the VSRI forum (V-Strom Riders), so a few people here may know me from over there. I am not having my V-Strom anymore. I am now having a very small website called GSRI (GS-Riders), and that's where the poll is located. Seriously nobody would leave from here, a cosy place with wealth of great info, and I really don't want to be the admin and owner of a big forum again. It's only about the poll and participation from all over the world.

Please read the short intro here: Clicky, and after reading I hope you could decide for voting.
 
My 09 Crown wheel bearing lasted just 5200 miles before it went for service and on mentioning the high pitched whine that I thought was coming from the rear end resulted in the bearing being replaced. Im sure that despite the thousands of these bikes that are on the road only a small percentage have a real problem but it is rather worrying that there are still so many and the problem stil exists.:thumb
 
Dr KC where the drive shaft goes into the final drive there is a large bearing that effectively supports the shaft as it goes into the final drive assembly. This is what went wrong, the tell tale for me was as said a high pitched whine, I didnt detect any undue movement in the wheel bearings or anything like that and Im sure the bike would have carried on for several miles before a major problem but thats the beauty of a decent warranty.
 
Dr.KC said:
I too have a R1200GS (09) so in order to have it on mind, what is the "crown wheel bearing".......it might sounds stupid but I have no idea.
Click to expand...

These Three bits(There are actually three seperate bits here)
B0004232.png

fit in this selection of bits
B0004732.png

which makes up your FD.Which actually looks like this
33117699753_1_B.jpg
 
numpty question?

karnevil said:
These Three bits(There are actually three seperate bits here)
B0004232.png

fit in this selection of bits
B0004732.png

which makes up your FD.Which actually looks like this
33117699753_1_B.jpg
Click to expand...

ok so looking at the final pic above shown here. which part of what im looking at in that pic is actually failing?.

I'm asuming what im looking at in the pic is the bit that is in the back wheel area and the big silver bit is the spindle of the back wheel, or the back wheel is attached to the big splined silver bit on the right some how and goes round and round and the bit with the numbers and letters on connects eventually to the gearbox.

which part in this pic is the bit that is causing the problems by failing?
 
GS-Rider International Forum

International BMW Rear Drive Poll / Internationale BMW HAG-Umfrage
HERE

You have to register on the forum but that only takes a few moments ;-)

International BMW Rear Drive Poll / Internationale BMW HAG-Umfrage
.
English: Please vote and tell your BMW friends about the poll, too. Than more BMW owners participate, than more meaningful the results!
Sections A.1 - A.3 are for those who never experienced any problem with the rear drive. You do not need to mark anything in the B section.

Sections B.1 - B.5 are for those who did experience problems related to the rear drive (seal, bearing). You do not need the section A.

If you own(ed) multiple BMW motorcycles, please use the date from the newest bike which has more than 15,000 m / 24.000 km mileage.

Voting is only possible for registered Forum members. I'd love to do without but there are too many smaller and bigger kids around on the internet. Please do not hesitate registering to participate, it is very easy.

Your participation is to the benefit of the community!
Click to expand...
 
APW said:
ok so looking at the final pic above shown here. which part of what im looking at in that pic is actually failing?.

I'm asuming what im looking at in the pic is the bit that is in the back wheel area and the big silver bit is the spindle of the back wheel, or the back wheel is attached to the big splined silver bit on the right some how and goes round and round and the bit with the numbers and letters on connects eventually to the gearbox.

which part in this pic is the bit that is causing the problems by failing?
Click to expand...

PLEASE REALISE I AM ONLY GUESSING HERE.Based on expierience of other machine parts of similar nature that we get to repair/remanufacture/replace at work.

My guess is that the bearings fail causing swarf(bits of ground up metal) to pass between the teeth of the gears thus causing excess wear on the teeth.And of course they will slop about in the hole!If there is excess wear in the way the gears mesh this will cause backlash,alot of play before drive is taken up causing clunking noises etc.
There are of course a multitude of other things that could fail or cause problems in this device,as in any machine for any application just ride the bike and don't worry the first two years you are covered on the original warranty and get an extended one thereafter.
The bearings are not in the picture.
 
karnevil said:
PLEASE REALISE I AM ONLY GUESSING HERE.Based on expierience of other machine parts of similar nature that we get to repair/remanufacture/replace at work.

My guess is that the bearings fail causing swarf(bits of ground up metal) to pass between the teeth of the gears thus causing excess wear on the teeth.And of course they will slop about in the hole!If there is excess wear in the way the gears mesh this will cause backlash,alot of play before drive is taken up causing clunking noises etc.
There are of course a multitude of other things that could fail or cause problems in this device,as in any machine for any application just ride the bike and don't worry the first two years you are covered on the original warranty and get an extended one thereafter.
The bearings are not in the picture.
Click to expand...

Thats not correct. The large crownwheel bearing lives outside of the oil contained in the final drive. Its shielded fron the elements by a metal dust shield which is pressed on to the rear disc carrier & by the fact there are 2 rubber shields either side of the bearing race like you would get on a conventional wheel bearing. And its this bearing thats the issue, however the pinion double axial bearing has also been known to be problamatic.
The current part number for this bearing has been superseeded leading to the conclusion that the part itself has been modified.
Given where the bearing lives I think the problem lies more with design of the axle in the first place coupled with a below spec bearing, or overzelous pressure washing. Just check behind the driveshaft gaiter when you've washed your bike to see if water's got.
Interestingly enough the housing of the 2010 axles( ie the ones with the breathers on them) have come in for something of a redesign in this area.
Time will tell & I'm sure the jury's out on this one.
 
Last edited:
skywalker said:
Thats not correct. The large crownwheel bearing lives outside of the oil contained in the final drive. Its shielded fron the elements by a metal dust shield which is pressed on to the rear disc carrier & by the fact there are 2 rubber shields either side of the bearing race like you would get on a conventional wheel bearing. And its this bearing thats the issue, however the pinion double axial bearing has also been known to be problamatic.
The current part number for this bearing has been superseeded leading to the conclusion that the part itself has been modified.
Given where the bearing lives I think the problem lies more with design of the axle in the first place coupled with a below spec bearing, or overzelous pressure washing. Just check behind the driveshaft gaiter when you've washed your bike to see if water's got.
Interestingly enough the housing of the 2010 axles( ie the ones with the breathers on them) have come in for something of a redesign in this area.
Time will tell & I'm sure the jury's out on this one.
Click to expand...


Ahh right thats better.
So that would be item 7 in the second picture then?
That the bearing that failed on my first bike after about 1500miles!
From other posts I rather formed the impression they were failing on the internals now.
Whatever is failing It shouldn't be!
 
Well we didn't win two World wars by over egging the pudding now did we?

No we waited for the Americans!

Once the USA get BMW to do recall we can be pleased we got it sorted :D



My bikes fine:bow:bow:bow:bow:bow






:hide
 
5 weeks still waiting for mine to be fixed.:mad::mad::mad:
 
As of today the International FD-Poll got 66 "no issue" votes and 27 "with issue". I read another poll here with 17 % "no issues", if memory serves my right. Even considering many with no FD issues do not bother with any FD polls, the problem can not be as minuscule, as what BMW wants us to believe. But it seems also not as huge as some members think.

Thanks AnyW for posting the link! :)
 
Hi all
Just had a look on another site as it had hand micro fische of the rear drive unit and BMW have increased the size of the needle roller bearing (Item 70 from 30mm od on an 04 plate bike to 32mm on a 10 plate bike. Is this an admission of guilt????:rolleyes:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=0450&mospid=52021&btnr=33_0638&hg=33&fg=10


TeZ

Reading this site has put me off a gs12 I already have a problematic Blackbird with electrical issues are they really this bad....I was going to look at a GS at the weekend but now Im in two minds....:blast
 
Last edited:
Reading this site has put me off a gs12 I already have a problematic Blackbird with electrical issues are they really this bad....I was going to look at a GS at the weekend but now Im in two minds....:blast
Click to expand...

Go and ride one, that won't cost you anything, I looked on here as well, decided they were not worth the risk, then could not find anything I liked anywhere near as much so bought one anyway.

I had a lot of issues on my ZZR1400 in the first year, but with that nothing was a showstopper or particularly expensive, I think the scary thing with these bikes is the cost of some faults.

I have scoured the internet trying to establish how bad these bikes really are, all you get in the end is more confused, I reckon they ain't as good as they should be and have had some major gremlins, which for the most part probably are sorted now, but shit sticks.

If they get an FD that works I am guessing the thing will be pretty sorted, electrical stuff that was gonna go bang probably has by now :nenau and been therefore replaced with uprated parts.

Problem is legend seems to be FPC and EWS will leave you stranded on every trip and FD's last less time than a Chinese chain.

Seems to be a lot of owners here and not too many seem to be having electrical breakdowns these days so hopefully the worst days are over.

Whatever you do go and get a long test ride, watch out for the bike feeling sluggish at higher revs, you need to open the throttle more as revs increase, it will not rev hard to the redline on half throttle like a Jap bike, but once you get used to it the thing is pretty nippy up to 3 figures.

Handling is odd after sporty bikes, but with each ride I like mine more, make sure you take in loads of different roads, get onto B-Roads and single track lanes.

I was told to go and ride one by someone who said they did not want to get off the bike when they tested it, I did the same, could just ride around all day long, took a second test ride and did not want to ride my ZZR home.

The ZZR made me 100% happy 5% of the time, and never on the roads near me, I love the GS even on cold days with damp patches on the road and crap everywhere, when the ZZR would be locked up as riding it would be pointless the GS is a blast.
 
Cheers for that, makes me feel a little better but the bike Im going to look at only has 10k on it and its a 2005 bike. It seems to be a genuine bike owned by a bloke who had it as a toy, he hasnt even got luggage heated grips or handguards on it. PRoblem is I want it for mile munching not round the world but round the country and don't want another ornament like my B Bird.
I do have two other bikes a zx7r fighter and my ZRX so I guess im lucky but I always had a soft spot for the GS...
Sorry for hijacking another thread...:topic

Tez

How much are final drive units from BMW????
 
Middle of winter, middle of a recession, should be a buyers market, so get a bargain and put some cash away just in case it needs anything :thumb2

Then go and ride, I would recommend leaving the country, I find riding abroad 10 times better than in blighty :thumb
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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