Drive Spline greasing

[batman1]

To the collective!

I have my 1250 going in for its 2 year old (8500miles) service on Monday, I’ve asked about having the rear driveshaft splines greased up at the same time.
The extra charge for the grease-up is £40.00

So service is £160 + optional driveshaft spline grease up at £40 total £200.

What do you think guys?

 

[mikeyboy]

£40 at dealer rates,prob 1/2 hr,seems fair enough.

 

[Deleted account 221212001]

I don’t think you can grumble at that, it seems very reasonable. Mine will be due for its 12k mile service probably February and I intend to have the splines done.

 

[Neil W]

When my last 1200 needed the final drive pulled at the 2 year service to investigate an issue it took two mechanics over an hour to split the drive unit from the shaft as it was rusted solid (warranty was paying for the work) , that on a bike with only 6500 miles on the clock and not used in the winter .

I am going to drop the final drive off the new 1250 over the winter and sort it out myself , while it has still only done under 100 miles

 

[B15ape1981]

I still find it a fooking joke how this is not included in every service... from personal experience id do the drive shaft myself as you dont know what monkey bmw will allocate you to do your bike...and thats if they actually do it

 

[RallyeGS]

Onahi?

 

[batman1]

The question wasn’t so much about the cost but whether it’s a worthwhile precaution….and also is the rusting drive spline a real issue on young low mileage bikes?

It would appear that perhaps it is?

 

[littleade]

Seems a fair price to me as the special grease needed for the splines and the stuff you have to put on the boot isn't cheap

 

[bosnjo]

I dropped my final drive to inspect ad 4000 miles (1250GS - January 2021). It has never been ridden offroad or in the rain. The state of front and rear splines was perfect but they were with very little grease on some areas and other areas were completely dry. Also, the areas that had some grease were with white grease used to seal the boots only. Rubber boots were completely dry.
I greased up the splines with lot of grease recommended by BMW and done the boots with that white grease, also recommended by BMW.
As I only ride on tarmac and we have here in south of Portugal 300 sunny days a year, my bikes only see rain if I get caught by surprise. So, I'm good for next 2 years now and then I'll do the job again.

 

[Mr Bean]

I still find it a fooking joke how this is not included in every service...

It can be, at an additional cost...

 

[B15ape1981]

It can be, at an additional cost...

Thats sort of my point...How is it just not part of a service as standard?

They wouldn't ask if you want your oil and filter doing at an additional cost...Its such a important part of the running of your bike!

I tend to do mine once a year as i do reasonably high miles, just peace of mind for myself

 

[Bradz]

Sounds like a good price, I was told £80 by my dealer...

 

[leadfarmer]

As it’s not a sliding joint it doesn’t actually need any lubrication, which is probably why it’s not on any service schedule

The only benefit of greasing the splines is to prevent rust, which is only a problem if you need to dismantle the swing arm for some reason

Any basic LM grease should be suitable

Having said that, 40 quid sounds very reasonable for a dealer job

 

[Mr Bean]

Thats sort of my point...How is it just not part of a service as standard?

Because it would increase the cost of a standard service?

 

[batman1]

As it’s not a sliding joint it doesn’t actually need any lubrication, which is probably why it’s not on any service schedule

The only benefit of greasing the splines is to prevent rust, which is only a problem if you need to dismantle the swing arm for some reason

Any basic LM grease should be suitable

Having said that, 40 quid sounds very reasonable for a dealer job

I didn’t know that, I’d presume that there would be a small amount of movement of ‘in and out’ of the splined joint?

 

[RallyeGS]

There is, otherwise it wouldn’t be a splined link there. It’s not as large a movement as you might think, but it definitely allows for fire and aft movement.

 

[leadfarmer]

I didn’t know that, I’d presume that there would be a small amount of movement of ‘in and out’ of the splined joint?

With the back end being a paralever the drive shaft doesn’t change length as the suspension moves, if it did the shaft would need a classic sliding joint and the UJs would be circlipped to the splines at each end

It uses splines as they are a simple and reliable way of connecting the shaft and transmitting a lot of force, the front sprocket on a chain driven bike is splined onto the output shaft for the same reasons

 

[RallyeGS]

Absolutely true what you say. Although the joint is not a traditional sliding spline joint, there remains a small amount of movement.

 

[GrinningGSer]

I moly my splines at the final drive end regularly , BUT the need was discussed on here many years ago and the question you need to ask is , “ How many fail ?”

 

[RallyeGS]

Yes, it’s much debated! I do mine twice a year, it’s an easy job to do, doesn’t take long and I enjoy doing it. I’ve always done them on on my shaft driven BMWs right back to my R1100GS. Nothing wrong with a bit of preventative maintenance!