Driveshaft Check?

[Bem]

Did you lube the splines on both ends of the drive shaft, or just the FD end? As far as I can tell, to do the gearbox ends requires the swing arm to be removed.


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Just the FD as it was down on the K25 in order to replace FD oil. K50 had a drain.
It would only be the work of five minutes to slide back the front boot and plop a drop of moly in there, which I did once. It is then about an hour of huffing and puffing to get the boot seated properly and tied up - I claim no great mechanical competence.

 

[Headtester]

The video in post #38 shows both ends being greased without removing the swinging arm. Fast forward to about 8 minutes

 

[dashfixer]

Also, if when you drain the final drive oil it could come out very cloudy or even black in appearance, I found this with Castrol but since switching over to Lucas fully synthetic it comes out as clean as it was when it was put in. Also replace with 200ml of GL5 and not 4 or 4/5. Very important!

I believe that the recommended quantity in the FD is now 180ml.

 

[Pale Rider]

I believe that the recommended quantity in the FD is now 180ml.

Mine has the later vented FD so 200 ml it is. And thats Lucas fully synthetic GL5 75-140.

 

[Slipperyeel]

All mechanical failure has a root cause and the low cost of lubing the splines is a possible "free get out of jail card", albeit with a bit more substance than the "pound of butter in the fridge" which I rely on as a security device. Siezed splines turn a flexible length shaft into a fixed shaft.
Much cleverer people have posted on the subject to whit - Fred JB (sadly no longer in membership?) And Jim Von Baden.
As a result I carried out annual spline lubing on my K25 and K50. The intervening CB1300 GS650 and FireBlade did not seem to require such ministrations.....

The Hondas don't have the paralever (as far as I am aware?!)...they too can rust solid, but there will be sliding between their splines, way more than the beemer, so with use, they are 'naturally' kept free from binding - unless stood unused for a long period.

K25 splints doesn't suffer like the K50, unless abused (no maintenance, ever) and stood for a very long time

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[TLSgazza]

The Hondas don't have the paralever (as far as I am aware?!)...they too can rust solid, but there will be sliding between their splines, way more than the beemer, so with use, they are 'naturally' kept free from binding - unless stood unused for a long period.

K25 splints doesn't suffer like the K50, unless abused (no maintenance, ever) and stood for a very long time

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The Honda's he quoted are chain drive. Are they not. As does the gs650, it's a bit strange he quoted them.

 

[Slipperyeel]

The Honda's he quoted are chain drive. Are they not. As does the gs650, it's a bit strange he quoted them.

Ah! Deffo no paralever mechanisms or even splines then .

Can't be doing with a chain myself. Especially not on a bike with so much suspension travel. Proper nuisance!

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[dashfixer]

I used to have an R80 mono-shock airhead. The drive shaft ran inside the swinging arm which had oil in it. Therefore the shaft was constantly lubricated. I don't remember if both UJs were inside the swinging arm or not.

 

[Andygbsmith]

The R80 only has one UJ. Running in oil and lasts forever

 

[dirty_t]

I’ve owned my 2012 TC since new and now have 85k trouble-free miles on it. About 40k ago I split the bike in order to replace the main shaft seal which developed a leak likely due to me overfilling an oil change. Clutch still had 2/3 life so left OEM plate in there.

As the mileage continues to climb and my rides are less frequent but usually longer distance, I’m wondering whether I should do a pre-emptive drive shaft replacement. I have no reason to believe the stocker is ready to fail, and BMW apparently doesn’t have any wear specs or tests for checking it. Also, I’m told these are non-rebuildable. So how are you supposed to know when it’s time? A friend told me I’d notice a bit of clunky rear end when starting off from a stop, and might notice a different sound.

Seems a bit vague, so wondering if anyone here has any wisdom to share on this. I don’t want to get out in the middle of nowhere and have the thing pack it in. OTOH, not that keen to spend $1700 on a new one that I don’t need yet. Have you done anything to check your oilhead’s driveshaft condition, other than grease the splines and look for corrosion/signs of badness?