1100 gearbox hard parts

[MattW]

A couple of years ago I volunteered my service to get a fellow GS'ers 1100 gearbox casting repaired (Mutley or Muppet from Romsey, can't remember which name though) as he had ridden over a pothole in Europe with a crunch. When he got home he discovered the threaded cast lug on the back of the gearbox had split open along the threads.

I had to make a temporary jig to pick up the various fixing locations then clean up the casting by hacksawing off the damaged lug then turn down a new 'lug' and get one of our skilled welders to TIG weld it into place with a big liquid cooled industrial welding machine. Thankfully the alloy used in the casting was a decent enough grade to take the weld, and the welder was an expert unlike me.

If I was an 1100 owner, I think I would want the TT hard part to prevent damage to my gearbox casting. Incidentally please don't ask me to fix any more as I don't work as a marine engineer now and don't have access to the tools, materials, gear or welding experts.

Interesting - thanks Adam

Seems there are lots of opinions as to whether the gearbox had parts are for paranoids, or are a worthwhile insurance policy. As I stated in my initial post, I decided to get some a while ago - the resulting debate as to their usefulness has been interesting, but hasn't changed my mind (and wasn't why I started the thread).

However my question has been answered - it looks like they are only available from Touratech direct (I've given up on finding any second hand). This is irritating as I've not heard much good about UK Touratech's customer service and I object to their "pay first and then we'll order them from Germany - you'll get them in a few weeks" attitude. But depending on the outcome of Steve the Kiwi's kind offer to ask the NL distributor, I guess I've got no choice

 

[Sgt Bilco]

Matt

Have you spoken to them? They were showing no stock when I got mine but they found a silver gearbox hardpart when I called.

 

[MattW]

Matt

Have you spoken to them? They were showing no stock when I got mine but they found a silver gearbox hardpart when I called.

Yep, I spoke to them this morning, and unfortunately they gave me the "no stock, but we'll order from Germany for you when you've paid" option.

It appears that they would have taken my on-line order anyway and I wouldn't have found out until they emailed me with the "out of stock" story - It was only because I heard some negative feedback about their lack of stock that I just thought I'd check before I clicked 'pay'.

cheers
Matt

 

[Steve the Kiwi]

Hi Matt
It’s not a regular stock item for NL TT, but can order it… They will place the order on Saturday… arrive at their shop on Wednesday. I can go for a ride and pick it up on the following Saturday (14th and post it to you.. arriving with you some time in Week 8?
The price is €104.03 for a yellow one or € 115.36 it in silver. Postage via TNT track and trace 2-3 day delivery 13,10. = € 117 Total.
(Google exchange rate @ 1.12= 104.02GBP) they are 112GBP on UKTT

Let me know
Cheers
Steve

 

[CHANGELING]

Fitted mine in Sept and damn glad I did too as in Nov I managed to high-side on diesel and the impact of 300+kgs hitting solid tarmac on a set of H & B crash bars managed to bend the r/h hard part slightly!! and the crash bars too!! not to mention grinding the top front corner off my ally boxes

Good insurance in my books

 

[MattW]

Hi Matt
It’s not a regular stock item for NL TT, but can order it… They will place the order on Saturday… arrive at their shop on Wednesday. I can go for a ride and pick it up on the following Saturday (14th and post it to you.. arriving with you some time in Week 8?
The price is €104.03 for a yellow one or € 115.36 it in silver. Postage via TNT track and trace 2-3 day delivery 13,10. = € 117 Total.
(Google exchange rate @ 1.12= 104.02GBP) they are 112GBP on UKTT

Let me know
Cheers
Steve

Hi Steve,
PM'd you

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

mine has them fitted as standard bmw parts - as do all aussie 1100's

they're black though, not yellow

i could ring a dealer up and get a price if you're interested ?

 

[Seamaster]

I would not worry about the gearbox/ frame mount, they never break, to swap the gearbox internals into a new case ( including the new case) allow about £1k (2001 850GS)

 

[MattW]

I would not worry about the gearbox/ frame mount, they never break, to swap the gearbox internals into a new case ( including the new case) allow about £1k (2001 850GS)

That's one of the pictures I saw on here and the reason I want some 'reinforcement'.

 

[motobiker]

That's one of the pictures I saw on here and the reason I want some 'reinforcement'.

err... if I had worried about every nasty picture i've seen on here I wouldve stayed with triumph. (no.. wait.. maybe not)

this thread is getting more and more like something you'ld see in the 1200 section every day. (THE natural home of paranoia)

But then I know i'm strange - i have an aversion to engine bars which i consider highly dangerous if not completely lethal. I see those things on a bike and my toes curl.

I have steptoes head guards... but of course it does seem strange in many ways to have paid over £100 to protect a part thats like half the price. but hey ho. They look good.

If the bike gets horribly damaged in an accident.. then thats what I pay insurance for. Bike gets repaired while i'm being repaired. (makes sense to me that does)

I see these awful pictures and yes - my eyes pop. and they will continue to pop... but I still believe that these hard parts are a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist. (If you never go off road)

 

[MattW]

Sheesh

I refer everyone who's telling me that I'm paranoid / wrong / deluded / wasting my money to my original post in this thread.

I'm having some subframe to gearbox reinforcement - end of story.

I wished to know if anyone can tell me if these are a "Touratech only" item or if they are available elsewhere (people have kindly answered this question).

I couldn't care less if others think I'm paranoid - I'm an engineer - they look like a good engineering solution to a weak point in the 1100's design and aren't just pointless pieces of cosmetic plastic. BMW don't make bikes like this anymore - I believe there's a good reason for this - it was a poor design. Yep - the subframe mountings are unlikely to ever break, but if due to a fall, an unseen pothole or just bad luck, this weak point in the design broke the gearbox, it would be a very expensive showstopper.

Given that I could quite easily spend vastly more than the cost of these hard parts on pointless cosmetics, I consider it £100 (ish) well spent - just go through the Nippy Norman catalogue and look at the sh*te (sometimes dressed up as 'protection', sometimes just pointless bling) that people spend their money on!

 

[Gundog]

paranoid - I'm an engineer -

Er, ohhhh

 

[Pukmeister]

That photo shows exactly the damage I had to repair by making a new lug and welding it onto the gearbox. As it is a 'typical' failure mode to the 1100's in the event of an impact, good used gearboxes might be getting hard to come by. If it were me, I would be buying one of those TT hard parts as insurance.

 

[MattW]

Er, ohhhh

Yup, HVAC design engineer for 20 years and now a research software engineer.

 

[Gundog]

Yup, HVAC design engineer for 20 years and now a research software engineer.

Oh !

 

[Pukmeister]

Any good with Hevacomp ??

 

[Pukmeister]

... but I still believe that these hard parts are a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist. (If you never go off road)

Read my earlier post. The repair I did was for a guy who hit a pothole in the dark whilst returning through Austria. Not exactly off-roading but very damaging all the same, and unavoidable at the time.

£1000+ for a new gearbox versus £100 for a reinforcing part.

Not too much to pay to protect a known weak point in an otherwise 'cast-iron' tough machine IMHO.

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

Sent as a PM to MattW - but worth putting up here too.


The 2 parts are AU$128 each side ( 57.50 uk )

they and have to be ordered from germany and will take 3 weeks to get to Aus as there are none in BMW AU at the moment! )

part numbers are -

46512325-860 for LH plate

46512325-946 for RH plate

might be worth ringing someone like sherlocks and asking if they can get them direct ?

not sure if the part nos are Au specific or not though. Who knows ?

 

[motobiker]

Read my earlier post. The repair I did was for a guy who hit a pothole in the dark whilst returning through Austria. Not exactly off-roading but very damaging all the same, and unavoidable at the time.

£1000+ for a new gearbox versus £100 for a reinforcing part.

Not too much to pay to protect a known weak point in an otherwise 'cast-iron' tough machine IMHO.

I read your post chap.. and..

nope... still not convinced. hearing a story about whats happened to a specific rider is just as useless as seeing a nasty photo and over reacting to that. I am exceedingly proud of my bike - its a keeper. but I see no point in buying these parts.

Pot holes can be a bugger.. been through a few myself. made my teeth hurt.

like I say... if the worst DID happen then the Insurance will pay for the new gearbox... but I doubt very strongly it ever will. (managed to avoid it for the past 12 years... and having paid insurance for the majority of that time - they owe me!)

speaking of photos this reminds me of the photo of the FD with flames coming from it - should i be carrying a fire blanket? - there's a photo - so its an obvious risk. (maybe not.)

 

[Welshman]

I read your post chap.. and..

nope... still not convinced. hearing a story about whats happened to a specific rider is just as useless as seeing a nasty photo and over reacting to that. I am exceedingly proud of my bike - its a keeper. but I see no point in buying these parts.

Pot holes can be a bugger.. been through a few myself. made my teeth hurt.

like I say... if the worst DID happen then the Insurance will pay for the new gearbox... but I doubt very strongly it ever will. (managed to avoid it for the past 12 years... and having paid insurance for the majority of that time - they owe me!)

speaking of photos this reminds me of the photo of the FD with flames coming from it - should i be carrying a fire blanket? - there's a photo - so its an obvious risk. (maybe not.)

It is different here, with the large amount of gravel road riding done, a "Bottom Out" which is what does it, is inevitable, so they are required...