Rotten from the Inside Out - Pics

New gaitor is about £50
 
Greasing my chain, cleaning it thoroughly once a year (or if I'd been offroad - not this one but the tiger yes), cleaning the shite off my rims and tyres (especially spokes) 50 miles later and having to repeat the operation every 500 miles or so, not to mention the cost of buying and fitting a whole new transmission kit every so often doesn't add up for me.

I used to stick with the GS, as I also thought the same, but there are some fantastic cleaning products now, that make cleaning the chain, and any grease from the bike an absolute doodle. The days of scrubbing and wiping grease off are long gone. ;)

And re-lubing takes all of 10 seconds when the chain is hot.
 
I didn't buy a GS because of the shaft drive ,I don't care either way.
 
I think that all marques have their issues and a heck of a lot comes down to 1) luck(!) and 2) how much home maintenance is carried out. I have always been picky about how I look after my machines, but some of my mates in the past considered adequate maintenance to mean having the dealer services carried out annually and they did nothing more than the odd chain lube and adjust in between. Most of them encountered issues.

I have always been a little more circumspect (engineering background to blame....most engineers are "details" people) and always gone the extra mile, so at least checked, lubed, cleaned, adjusted or whatever despite it not being scheduled. Perhaps I'm being naive here, but how many GS owners annually drop the drive shaft out, clean, check, lube and re-assemble? I wonder if we'd have quite so many issues reported if that were the case. I have only had mine a short while but when it's laid up over the worst of the winter, I plan to drop the drive shaft out and do the inspections and cleaning. Already had the final drive oil refreshed. I noticed a vibration, especially in 3rd at around 3K revs but was told by a few GS riders locally that "that's normal". Hmmm....

Must admit that plastics on my Triumph Tiger explorer were higher quality and the final drive/transmission was notably smoother. Frame was more robust and better finished too. Switchgear was also far better quality. Other than that, the BMW wins hands down in most other quality departments so I can't quite agree with some of the comments claiming that quality has gone downhill with LC models. I had older boxer models and had plenty of issues with those and they needed more frequent fettling to stay on top of maintenance. I do agree though that some things, like the joke switch gear is inexcusable on a machine costing North of £17K.

All in all, I am more than happy with my 2 yr old 15K miles model but know and accept (as mentioned earlier by someone) that thorough maintenance at home is the key to avoiding nasty surprises. Ignore a chain for a few thousand miles and it will be a sorry sight. Just because the FD has some rubber boots on it wont warrant forgetting it. Knowing about these issues it's worth the £50 per boot annually as a running cost to drop the FD out, inspect and lube....perhaps a new boot isn't needed each time?

Hope the OP gets everything sorted to satisfaction and has no further issues.
 
Ive just checked mine. There’s a small hole in exactly the same place:mad:

I’m not dropping the FD to look inside, BMW can do that. 10k miles since March but it’s been so dry this year (and I rarely wash it) I’m hoping the inside will be OK.

PITA
 
Ive just checked mine. There’s a small hole in exactly the same place:mad:

I’m not dropping the FD to look inside, BMW can do that. 10k miles since March but it’s been so dry this year (and I rarely wash it) I’m hoping the inside will be OK.

PITA

You might just be ok then :)
 
Warlord , I'm sure BMW does not recommend to use HONDA lube...while Straburag is red I don't know what the white grease is they use in the factory in Berlin ?
And Arsey just for you but please don't tell no one;I don't only love BMW boxers but also the Austrian corporal with the funny mustache too...:thumb
As for the Kawasaki H2 I can already see that this is no motorcycle for me because I prefer tight twisties to boring straights...But I think if Mel Gibson should ever decide to make another Mad Max movie he should use the H2 as ugly and end-timesy it looks.Like only the Japanese can do "designs" like this...;)
But even Mel is riding boxers nowadays...:thumby:

surely everyone knows that Honda Moly M60 paste is THE lube for BMW splines.
 
Yep and replaced by the Honda M-77 now, just to avoid confusion.

Motorworks seem to recommend Castrol Molub-Alloy paste:

OIA09338.jpg


Anyone used this? it seems easier to find than Honda Moly
 
Shall I Stay or Shall I Go?

Hello everybody,

after 10 happy years with F800GS, I have decided to get the R1200LC. I have picked one at BMW dealer here in Munich which is 04/2017 with 7500 miles on the clock.

The bike looks good having all the bells and whistles I want. I was also happy with the price.

When I was doing some research in the 1200 section I have come across this thread which prompted me to check the bike again...and despite all the odds I found a hole exactly in the place I did not want it to be.

Upon checking with finger, I felt, there was liquid coming from under the gasket. I am not familiar with the construction of the shaft, but the liquid felt more like water than grease.

None one the other bikes in the dealership had this problem (all were 2018), which made me thinking whether this could be the reason why this one was at better price.

What I don't know is, whether I should stick to this very bike and ask the dealer to replace the gasket and confirm the condition of the shaft drive underneath, or I should rather walk away and look for another piece.

As you can imagine, if I spend considerable amount of money for newish bike, I don't want to buy anything with known underlying problem that needs fixing right away.

All comments and opinions are appreciated.
 

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Hello everybody,

after 10 happy years with F800GS, I have decided to get the R1200LC. I have picked one at BMW dealer here in Munich which is 04/2017 with 7500 miles on the clock.

The bike looks good having all the bells and whistles I want. I was also happy with the price.

When I was doing some research in the 1200 section I have come across this thread which prompted me to check the bike again...and despite all the odds I found a hole exactly in the place I did not want it to be.

Upon checking with finger, I felt, there was liquid coming from under the gasket. I am not familiar with the construction of the shaft, but the liquid felt more like water than grease.

None one the other bikes in the dealership had this problem (all were 2018), which made me thinking whether this could be the reason why this one was at better price.

What I don't know is, whether I should stick to this very bike and ask the dealer to replace the gasket and confirm the condition of the shaft drive underneath, or I should rather walk away and look for another piece.

As you can imagine, if I spend considerable amount of money for newish bike, I don't want to buy anything with known underlying problem that needs fixing right away.

All comments and opinions are appreciated.

it needs checking before you buy it.. and make sure you see it also.. not just told its okay...
 
If it is only the gaitor that needs to be replaced, they should be able to crack open the final drive in front of you and replace it, and lube the shaft at the same time, if it is not rusty already.
 
Hello everybody,

after 10 happy years with F800GS, I have decided to get the R1200LC. I have picked one at BMW dealer here in Munich which is 04/2017 with 7500 miles on the clock.

The bike looks good having all the bells and whistles I want. I was also happy with the price.

When I was doing some research in the 1200 section I have come across this thread which prompted me to check the bike again...and despite all the odds I found a hole exactly in the place I did not want it to be.

Upon checking with finger, I felt, there was liquid coming from under the gasket. I am not familiar with the construction of the shaft, but the liquid felt more like water than grease.

None one the other bikes in the dealership had this problem (all were 2018), which made me thinking whether this could be the reason why this one was at better price.

What I don't know is, whether I should stick to this very bike and ask the dealer to replace the gasket and confirm the condition of the shaft drive underneath, or I should rather walk away and look for another piece.

As you can imagine, if I spend considerable amount of money for newish bike, I don't want to buy anything with known underlying problem that needs fixing right away.

All comments and opinions are appreciated.

As you are buying the bike from a BMW dealer, you should have the solid backup of BMWs second hand warranty, under which I’m pretty sure all the work required will be done.
I bought a 5 year old bike from a BMW dealer 150 miles away, soon after getting the bike I found out that exhaust valve, crankcase/gearbox seals and fuel sender were faulty, all work carried out by my local dealer at no cost under the (uk) Bmw warranty
 
Mine got replaced too as it rubbed and looked that there was some kind of vacuum that had sucked the gator down where it rubbed on the u-joint creating a pinhole...the new one had kind of a plastic cage on the inside so problem solved.But my dealer said and I believed him mine was the only bike (2017) where he had seen this problem...no big deal at all 15 min job/warranty and back on the road.
 
Thanks for the advice

Thanks for the comments everybody.
Talked to the mechanic in the shop and together, we have removed the gaitor and looked under it with a flashlight - looked ok from what we could see. Nevertheless the deal I made that the bike handover is subject to replacement of the gaitor (in my presence) and replacement of any rusty/faulty parts under the warranty.
The bike still has a BMW warranty until 04/2019 and they are going to give me 2 years extra. As the shop is actually BMW factory shop, I expect that they will do a proper job and won't cut corners.
 
Thanks for the comments everybody.
Talked to the mechanic in the shop and together, we have removed the gaitor and looked under it with a flashlight - looked ok from what we could see. Nevertheless the deal I made that the bike handover is subject to replacement of the gaitor (in my presence) and replacement of any rusty/faulty parts under the warranty.
The bike still has a BMW warranty until 04/2019 and they are going to give me 2 years extra. As the shop is actually BMW factory shop, I expect that they will do a proper job and won't cut corners.

Happy days hope all goes well and weather is not to bad up in Munchen to get out and ride..........:beerjug:
 
Nice one, worth checking then :)
 


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