Any High Mileage FD's out there?

[Rasher]

It seems many owners are reporting FD's that have lasted less miles than a cheapo chain.

I would be keen to hear from anyone who has managed a significant mileage from an FD, or has clocked up a significant mileage and never had one fail.

This is purely to make me feel better as with my next biking holiday approaching I am having nightmares of FD / EWS / FPC breakdowns every hundred miles.

Seeing as a modern superbike chain will last 20k, and the FD is supposed to pretty much last the life of the bike I am not interested in anything less that 40k. Has anyone managed 100k, this is what I would expect them to last.

Oh, and I suppose just an easy to replace external seal leaking don't count, I mean proper £300+ repair jobs.

 

[Sgt Bilco]

Mine's at 64k and no issues with the FD.

 

[Mav]

55k on mine

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

It seems many owners are reporting FD's that have lasted less miles than a cheapo chain.

I would be keen to hear from anyone who has managed a significant mileage from an FD, or has clocked up a significant mileage and never had one fail.

This is purely to make me feel better as with my next biking holiday approaching I am having nightmares of FD / EWS / FPC breakdowns every hundred miles.

Seeing as a modern superbike chain will last 20k, and the FD is supposed to pretty much last the life of the bike I am not interested in anything less that 40k. Has anyone managed 100k, this is what I would expect them to last.

Oh, and I suppose just an easy to replace external seal leaking don't count, I mean proper £300+ repair jobs.

Just put away the 'worry beads' and stash away £1000 if it goes.................if it doesn't you're in front and you've got extended warranty anyway, so why worry

 

[rudiemoto]

24k and counting

 

[Wapping]

Rasher,

You bought extended warranty, I think? That relieves most concerns. If you also have European Breakdown cover from the AA, RAC or whoever, that is the icing on the cake.

As you know, there are lots of threads on FD problems (some of them started or contributed to by you) often with mileages mentioned. Draw whatever conclusions you like from them. Compiling a list of those that have done high mileages (one hundred thousand plus) but with no problems will do nothing to reduce the list or comments from those that have had problems. Few owners will have run a 1200GS for 100,000 miles from new. A bod with a high mileage example will know little or nothing of the bike's full mechanical state in the years of other peoples' ownership. He could say, "No problems" when it had in fact failed twice, or once, or not at all or 100 times; you will never know.

You posted that you had found a mate 'in the racing game' who could improve the drive's bearings. Did you get the work done? If so, why worry? If not, why not?

There is little value in re-hashing the old favourites of FPC and EWS. If you think these will fail, carry spares. They are both easy to fit. If you think you shouldn't need to (or you do not know how to do it) that is up to you.

If you really think your bike will grind to a halt every 100 miles, it is probably best not to go at all. You could instead sit at your PC or in your garage chewing nervously at your finger nails, regretting that you ever bought the damned thing in the first place; it was only just fast enough for you after all.

 

[Beemerman59]

I think the more relevant question is not if the FD will fail or not, but will it ruin Rashers holiday. I think it's clear that an FPC/EWS failure cannot be predicted although it appears these two failures are getting less common on the newer versions. I'm not so sure on the FD though, there's much more chance of getting an early warning on these - sideways play, roughness/drumming from within the drive housing.

If it were me I would take spares for the EWS/FPC. If there's no sideways play in the rear wheel or any signs of impending doom from the FD I would forget it and enjoy my holiday.

 

[wilbjr21]

More pearls of wisdom from Wapping (as usual) with good advice from Beemerman59

 

[tunnie]

34k here, as Wapping mentions, I have extended warranty too. Breakdown cover is a good bonus, I had a clear walk through over a bike at NOG at what it does and does not cover.

I'm not worried about my FD, if it goes it goes, I've got the warranty and a good dealer

 

[TeaPig]

I've had two FD's fail, both at around 80,000 miles, and two other GS's which were sold on at similar milages without any sign of a problem. The oil was regularly changed every 12,000 miles

By 'fail' I mean the pinion bearings were on their way out which was only detectable by wiggling the pinion shaft. No outward sign of a problem was present and I suspect that many more miles would have been possible before the metal soup being created in the FD took its toll on the system sufficiently for the issue to show up as knackered wheel bearings or the sound of terminal bearing failure.

I have no evidence to support my assumption, but I'd be surprised if the average lifetime of an FD was less than 50k miles.

 

[Rasher]

Just so much negative reports thought it would be nice to hear from those without problems as opposed to those with.

Warranty is f****** useless in some ways, would BMW pay me another two weeks salary, clear it with my boss, pay for Hotels, Fuel and spending money so I could go back and have another go at my Holiday

Financially the warranty covers it, but you only get one life, time only moves forward, most people do not have the time or money to go all around Europe several times a year, I have been lucky in having a few foreign trips and hope to have a few more, but each one is very precious.

Sitting in a some crap Hotel in the industrial region of some town waiting for your bike to be fixed when you should be half way La Bonnett is hardly going to be made up for because BMW is picking up the repair costs.

I suppose I could take out some Health / life insurance and then drive like a moron with no lid and leathers, go rock climbing with no experience or safety equipment or a wide range of other extremely dangerous activities as someone will buy me a wheelchair or pay for my funeral if it all goes horribly wrong.

 

[VAL. H.]

I suppose I could take out some Health / life insurance and then drive like a moron with no lid and leathers, go rock climbing with no experience or safety equipment or a wide range of other extremely dangerous activities as someone will buy me a wheelchair or pay for my funeral if it all goes horribly wrong.

That's the ticket Rash Just do it!

My 54 1200 has 55'000 on it, I've had it from new, no extended warranty (I'd rather spend the servicing costs on me hols) serviced when I start to feel guilty, washed at least twice a year (most years) and thoroughly enjoyed.

Yes it had a new FD plus a few other hard parts replaced under warranty at 18'000, and a FPC at F-knows what. Pushing it a mile back home was a bit of a B but quicker than waiting for the AA (Oh yes! I ain't that blasé) and an easy replacement job.

I've taken it on three European trips (admittedly the last one it spent most of the 3000 miles in the trailer behind the Camper) and other than making sure we have the proper type of cover there's nothing else to worry about till something go's wrong (it hasn't yet) then I'll consider what's to do at that point.

Till then simply appreciate the bike and the views (the look on peoples faces just after spanking the ass off it up the Stelvio Pass 'just shy of 90mph up one of the longer straights' is a memory all of it's own).


Don't wast a damn good holliday worrying about what might happen. Just do it!



Val.

PS: I'm also lucky enough to have a new spare FD in me garage (£75 off Ebay)

 

[Pukmeister]

So be honest Rasher, if you had bought a super reliable Honda motorcycle or similar, would you then spend time trawling through the owners forums looking for other peoples problems then sit worrying about going on a tour and all the things that could possibly fail, or would you just ride the thing and see what happens ?

 

[(RIP) Bobble]

I'd just take it, you could, if your really worried take another bike instead, but you must remember, anything can break down. I bought a brand new Blackbird in 06, 1400 miles later it required a complete wiring loom! that would have put me somewhere short of Monaco (after running in) if on holiday.

It's the things that happen on holiday that make them so memorable

 

[Stretchamus]

Rasher, after reading all of the above, I hope you haven't bought the wrong bike, I've had lots of bikes 34 off Brits American Italian and now my first BMW you can't compare it to a Jap bike, I bought my GSA new in 2010 and will not be spending £300+ or whatever on extended warranty, I've never had an extended warranty on any other bikes so why would I need it on this one, unless it really is shyte.

Sorry if this dosen't help its just my opinion.

Best regards Stretch

 

[Rasher]

or would you just ride the thing and see what happens ?

Well probably just have a service carried out and shake the back wheel before crossing fingers / touching wood (no not that sort of wood, well maybe) and setting off.

Was having a conversation with my local BMW dealer about how many electrical components need to be carried if you intend getting past your own gateposts on a GS, the dealer was very reassuring and told me it is because of all the modern technology they incorporate, apparently it tends to go wrong, but I have to remember that other manufacturers don't have this technology.....

.... Well the Japenese are famous for copying, so perhaps they too will have the regular electrical breakdown technology available soon.

 

[pathfinder]

If you think this way,just sell the bike and buy a bike that is supposedly reliable but stuck in the 90s, extremely dull with no up to date styling i.e Japanese.

 

[Rasher]

If you think this way,just sell the bike and buy a bike that is supposedly reliable but stuck in the 90s, extremely dull with no up to date styling i.e Japanese.

To be honest I did not buy a GS for styling, think they are far from works of art.

I would not describe modern Jap bikes as stuck in the 90's, try competing in supersport / superstock / superbike on a bike more than 3 years old and you will see how quickly they evolve.

OK so BMW have stuck a couple of Lambda sensors on an 80 year old engine, replaced the fuel tap with a pump that breaks down and fitted an immobilser that is often a bit too keen and managed to engineer a shaft drive with a shorter lifespan than a Japenese chain.

Well, my ZZR1400 had a fuel pump, but in 3 years of running a forum none have failed, they also have immobilisers (that don't fail) run fuel injection and have Lambda sensors. It also had ABS, not to mention close to 200BHP.

My original point was that surely despite some disgruntled owners who have experienced low mileage failures there are probably as many bikes, if not more that have clocked up good mileages without fail.

One conclusion I have come too is there are certainly more die hard blinkered owners who get very upset about anyone implying BMW may have issues than there are reliable FD's.

Slagging of the Jap stuff for reliability really went out of fashion about 30 years ago when their reliability completely killed the British Bike industry.

If you look at survey's such as JD power you will see Jap cars are always well placed and the likes of BMW and Mercedes are on a very slippery downward slope!

Though currently kept alive by die hard fans, just ask any British bike fanatics how that reliance may work out in the long term!

 

[bsogri]

FD MILEAGE

HAD TWO FD REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY BOTH ONLY HAD OIL LEAKS
ONE AT 28000 AND ONE AT 37000 , LAST ONE HAS BEEN OK [TYOUCH WOOD] MILEAGE NOW 118000 ALTHOUGH I HAVE REPLACE OUTER SEAL [DODDLE]

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

I am not going to argue whether the bike is reliable or not or whether Jap bikes are more reliable than BMW's. What I will say though is that I honestly think you have the wrong bike. Rightly or wrongly you have got in your head that the bike is going to break at any moment. You have no faith in the bike/model or brand so if I were you I would sell it and get something you do have faith in. Its absolutely pointless trying to go a touring holiday on a bike that you are always thinking is going to fail at the next corner. It will ruin your holiday and most likely drive you mad. No amount of, "well my bike has been to the moon and back without a problem" is going to help you at this point especially when someone else will say they have had 2 engines and 3 FD's in 8000 miles. Do yourself a favour and sell it and get something you perceive to be reliable and be happy. Its just a bike, we all have to put up with arshole relatives and friends but you don't have to put up with a bike that you think is going to let you down.