Anyone had an alternator belt fail?

[VAL. H.]

I just had my 05 1200 serviced. Unfortunately they where unable to change the alternator belt due to sized bolts on the cover.

I'm wondering if anyone has actually had one fail. The bike has 60'000 miles on it now and the belt was last changed at around 36'000.

Do you think I should be getting on the phone to the local helicoil specialist?



Val.

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

I imagine it would start to slip/squeal long before it would fail. There isn't any tensioner in there hence the requirement for such an early change.

 

[MikeO]

Mine failed (1150) at 37k miles with no warning - I now treat it as a 24k service item. Carry a spare.

Get the bolts fixed now - it'll turn a ten minute breakdown into a recovery if you have to deal with it at the roadside...

Mike

 

[Bendy toy]

Get this -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-R1200...pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts_13&hash=item3a8181f2ea

Then you wont have to worry about any damage if the bolts have to be heated to shift them.

The most reliable way to shift a seized bolt is to arc weld onto the top. The extreme heat concentrated in the short bit of metal will shift it. The next best a small oxy/gas torch.

But the plastic shroud wont cope (hence above) and if you arc weld, the electrics must be properly disconnected. Dont skimp it's all too easy to fry something.

 

[davegs]

Belt

A few years ago a friend with an 1100 was staying and we went to change his belt, it had been on for 86,000!!!!! and still looked very good had started to fay slightly on one side (bike had well over 100,000 on it). I changed my 1150 belt at about 45,000 and that had started to go big time so you takes yer chance.

 

[Pukmeister]

The belt on my current 1200 was full of tiny flint chippings scoring into the rubber at 16,000 miles so I changed it.

Prevention is better than cure, and a fully laden GSA that's broken down is going nowhere, its too damn heavy to push.

 

[adventuredon]

I changed mine at 24k. Will take the old one with in case but forgot the size of the sprocket used to turn the belt around as you slip it off and then the new on. Anyone know? Als, while I am talking tools, what do you carry as an extension/breaker bar for front wheel leverage etc? Surely not a hug bar so what then?

 

[Bendy toy]

The front axle is clamped by the RHS fork leg so there is no need to pull it up solid against the LHS leg. Tight enough so it cant shake loose while the clamp is done up is all that's needed.

The back spindle on my Diversion 900 had a retaining nut on the drive end and a clamp on the brake side. I only ever did the nut up enough to stop it coming loose and in 70K miles there was never a problem and it was never loose when I came to undo it next time.

The BMW front hasnt got a nut to fall off so its even more secure.

 

[ghiribizzo]

The front axle is clamped by the RHS fork leg so there is no need to pull it up solid against the LHS leg. Tight enough so it cant shake loose while the clamp is done up is all that's needed...

Who gives a f... about Diversion 900s? Against your sage advice, BMW recommend tightening the front spindle to 50Nm.
Gentlemen, place your bets...

 

[Fanum]

Val, you have the luxury of dealing with it as a non-emergency, and with seized front cover bolts, that's lucky

You already know the answer, but YES, you should deal with it ASAP, because you know as well as the rest of us that the great law of Sod applies and if you don't, having just asked the question, the V belt WILL fail, and just at the most inopportune moment possible

Good luck

 

[Steptoe]

I just had my 05 1200 serviced. Unfortunately they where unable to change the alternator belt due to sized bolts on the cover.

.

Grow some balls..... 3 M5 bolts and 2 self threading type screws. They only hold the cover in place, they don't make it watertight or structually sound.


If they all snap off gaffa tape will do the same job of holding the cover in place.

 

[Bendy toy]

Who gives a f... about Diversion 900s? Against your sage advice, BMW recommend tightening the front spindle to 50Nm.
Gentlemen, place your bets...

Wrong thread sorry.

As for the attitude maybe get your head out of your A**e.
Both are bikes so entirely relevant and anyway 50nm 36ftlbs isnt tight FFS. Tight is a single use spindle nut on a car wheel bearing looking (at least 5x a bike's front spindle). Oops that's not an R1200 either.

 

[JPB]

Yes, less than a week after my local dealer replaced the original one during a service. Managed to make it home and they collected the bike the next day, fitted another new belt and returned my bike. Nobody could discover what caused the problem but that was over two years ago and it hasn't happened again.

Can't really advise on how best to deal with the seized bolts (keep applying WD40 and leaving to soak in?) but hope you get sorted soon!

 

[paganman]

Mine went after 10 minutes of replacing it, fitted as per manual, but I didn't check it was seated on the top pulley properly, and instead of snapping on it self destructed. Doh!
No damage done & lesson learned.

 

[Welshman]

Yes, less than a week after my local dealer replaced the original one during a service. Managed to make it home and they collected the bike the next day, fitted another new belt and returned my bike. Nobody could discover what caused the problem but that was over two years ago and it hasn't happened again.

Can't really advise on how best to deal with the seized bolts (keep applying WD40 and leaving to soak in?) but hope you get sorted soon!

Its easy to fit one groove off and then it self destructs, a lack of attention moment from the mechie

 

[Roymondo]

Wrong thread sorry.

As for the attitude maybe get your head out of your A**e.
Both are bikes so entirely relevant and anyway 50nm 36ftlbs isnt tight FFS. Tight is a single use spindle nut on a car wheel bearing looking (at least 5x a bike's front spindle). Oops that's not an R1200 either.

Tight is like the wheelnuts on my company vehicle - 700 Nm...

 

[Delboy777]

Yeah mine failed at 22k, but that was because the alternator seized