Differential problems!!! Side stand problems!!! BMW R1200GSA

[redpadraig]

I was recently on a long spin that included Bulgaria. About 20km into the hills on a single track road I began to hear this rubbing noise. Being alone all sorts of thoughts ran through my mind Is the noise coming from the Gearbox, Driveshaft, or the Differential? To cut a long story short I nursed the bike back to the nearest city “Plovdiv” and contacted my Insurance Co. The nearest BMW dealer was in Sofia, about 150km away. Eventually the bike was collected and brought there. I got immediate attention from both the service manager and the Mechanic “Nickey”. The diagnosis was, the bearings in the Diff were gone. The choice was, replace the whole unit or replace the bearings. I went for the latter.
On collecting the bike several days later I had a word with Nickey to get his view on what might have caused this problem. He said it could be the oil. I didn’t think this was the case as I had replaced the oil prior to the trip with the correct amount. He then said, it would be normal for him to replace bearings at 70,000 to 80,000 km on BMW’s because of the condition of the roads in Bulgaria. My bike had 78,000 km on it at the time. My general biking use at home in Ireland would be on rougher roads.
Does it make sense the rougher roads could contribute to this type of problem, if so, it’s something to keep in mind if you are planning a long trip
There is one other issue I will mention. Be aware of your side stand. On taking a break off the bike for something to eat I returned to the bike and as I stood beside the machine it started leaning towards me. I had no alternative only to let it down on the ground. The side stand had broken up close to where it swivels. I contribute some of the cause to the weight I was carrying but mostly to the poor quality of the side stand itself. For the future I will have the side stand reinforced or change the lean angle of the bike when using the side stand

 

[EyeCake]

I have a 08 1200GSA which I bought last year which I bought last year privately with only 9000km and a full service history from a distressed seller who had not been able to fulfill his travel plans for it
After 3000 km the rear ESA shock started leaking and BMW replaced free under goodwill
I left for a long trip up to Norkapp and down thru Eastern Europe to Bulgaria where I noticed the front Esa shock was leaking
I went to Bmw in Greece for a service and look at the shock
After some wrangling BMW agreed to cover half the cost of the shock which I suppose was a good result as if you pay something you get a 2 year guarantee on that part
Anyway the mechanic who had worked at BMW in Germany pointed out some play in the back wheel and said that was much more serious than the shock and the final drive could go completely very quickly unless the bearings were changed
€350 more and the bike was back to perfect but a lot of problems for a Adventure bike meant for traveling the world !!
I am off again next week to Russia Turkey and Eastern Europe so fingers crossed

 

[redpadraig]

New bike

Bought a new GSA in 2008 with all the Bells and whistles. The worse buy I ever made. Grounding out in most corners irrespective of what settings I made. Brought it back to the dealer. They maintained I was putting it on the wrong setting. Been riding bikes for the past 40 odd years however went along with them and tried every setting on the ESA, to no avail. Brought the bike back to dealer. When i went back to collect bike they maintained that it was working perfectly. I asked, how did ye test it. They said that one of their heavier mechanics lay across the back seat of the bike while it was driven around uneven ground around the back of their premises. "What the fuk" anyway to cut a long story short even though I brought the issue up with BMW uk I got no satisfaction. I had no alternative but to let the bike go. On reflection I let them off the hook. I then got myself a 1200GSA without the Bells and Whistles. What a difference that made, perfect, I could adjust the setting to suit myself, no grounding out in the corners. So in conclusion, I wouldn't under any circumstances buy a GSA with all the gimicks. Stick to the old reliable.

 

[EyeCake]

Having read many RTW travelers blogs even Hyperpro or Ohlins shocks can fail when driven on bad roads but at least they have the advantage of being repairable unlike original BMW issue