Help Clutch

[Dreamer14]

Hello

I have an R850 GS W reg so i dropped the bike off at my trusted mechanics a few weeks ago because i was going off shore and required an MOT and a service.

On the way to the mechanics to drop the bike off i noticed that my clutch cable had allot of slack in it maybe 10-15mm play so naturally i took up the slack with the adjuster on the handle bars this worked for about 10-20 miles then the slack was back but by this time i was at the mechanics so just told him about it and he said the clutch cable was stretching as it was 11 years old and spend the last 2 years out doors i suspected as much. I told him to get another one but he said there was no need and did a little bodge to fix it. This worked for about 100 miles then the slack was back so again i adjusted at the handle bars and it worked but then it got rapidly worse so much so that i could not engage the clutch at all and was there for stuck in gear i nursed the bike back home and stripped off the clutch cable to see if i could see any damage or stretching. Anyway i went off shore the next day so i phoned Motoworks and ordered a new clutch cable from them and fitted it when i got home.

Unfortunately once i had fitted the cable following the path of the original cable it appeared to be too long i had about 10mm extra. So i looked at the actuator rod or the release lever (http://www.dansmc.com/bmwk100_clutch.JPG part 1 of this diagram) and it was not springing all the way back towards the back suspension. So i called Motoworks again and asked them they subjected it could be the spring inside (http://www.dansmc.com/bmwk100_clutch.JPG part 10 of this diagram) So i ordered a new spring felt section for the handle bars and a rubber boot.

I have little knowledge of what to do and how to do it so i also got a Hynes manual.

The question is have i made the right assumption of what is wrong and will this resolve my problem. I don’t really have enough £££ to take the bike to the BMW garage in Aberdeen as they wanted £2000 to put the bike through an MOT so i don’t trust them at all to tell me the truth and no just lie to make money from my inexperience and lack of knowledge.

I really like working on my bike and as i have just moved into a property with a garage i now have a place to work on it with power so ill be doing more of my own maintenance and there for posting allot more to get help when i mess up

Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks & Regards
Adam


P.s i have been looking through the forums for a few weeks now and could not find any information that would help with my situation.

 

[Steptoe]

Without seeing it and judging by the vague description you've given i'd say either the clutch arm on the rear of the gearbox is cracked/split or more likely the clutch thrust piston is fecked - sits in the rear of the gearbox under the rubber bellows where the rear clutch adjustment nut is located.

Oh, and find a mechanic that knows and understands BMW's and how their clutch operates.

 

[Dreamer14]

Thanks

Thank you Steptoe I was kind of hoping you would reply.
I’m off shore the now so cant put any pictures of it on the net but when i was home the Clutch arm only sprung back about half of the way this is what made me think that it might have been the spring. I assume fixing it is not going to be easy. is there any advice you can give me before I potentially "fix" it. Also I’m limited to were i can go to get work done on my bike as John Clark Aberdeen has the market cornered as far as BMW goes in Aberdeen. This is why I want to learn more so I don’t have to relay on anyone else.

Once again thanks.

 

[Steptoe]

Thank you Steptoe I was kind of hoping you would reply.
I’m off shore the now so cant put any pictures of it on the net but when i was home the Clutch arm only sprung back about half of the way this is what made me think that it might have been the spring. I assume fixing it is not going to be easy. is there any advice you can give me before I potentially "fix" it. Also I’m limited to were i can go to get work done on my bike as John Clark Aberdeen has the market cornered as far as BMW goes in Aberdeen. This is why I want to learn more so I don’t have to relay on anyone else.

Once again thanks.

It's highly unlikely to be the "spring" -It's likely to be the clutch thrust piston.

To replace - Swingarm out, remove rubber clutch boot, remove thrust piston - replacement is the opposite.

But have someone who might know have a look before going ahead. Just in case it isn't. As i'm only having an educated guess from 500 miles away . .

 

[Dreamer14]

Yeah Thanks Problem is i don’t know anyone in Aberdeen who knows anything about them and as earlier stated i don’t have the £££ to go to the dealers also i would have to push it there.

Thanks when i get home ill read my manual and try what you have subjected i appreciate the fast reply.

To be perfectly honest taking the swing arm out is probably going to be very hard for me but i guess ill give it a try.

 

[Vern]

I'd go for the trust bearing,number 11 on the diagram. Mine went not long ago and took a while to suss it out, but that's all it was.

I'm sure I done mine without removing the swingarm. It's a fiddle doing the actuation arm, do doable (I can see steptoe looking for his boxing gloves as I type this)

 

[Dreamer14]

I see well I’m sure that’s what Steptoe subjected ill give it a go when i get home ill get the part ordered up after lunch. So it should have arrived by the time I get home.

Thanks to both of you.

 

[Steptoe]

It's a fiddle doing the actuation arm, do doable (I can see steptoe looking for his boxing gloves as I type this)

It is do-able if you've done one before - For someone doing it for the first time it might be quicker to remove the swingarm, if you've done one you'll know what i mean -

 

[Vern]

It is do-able if you've done one before - For someone doing it for the first time it might be quicker to remove the swingarm, if you've done one you'll know what i mean -

Too true,I was turning hoops when I managed to get that fecking bolt back in for the actuation arm

 

[Dreamer14]

I dont supose ether of you have a step by step of taking the swing arm off then. ??? i dont have my manual yet. got the parts ordered yesterday.

 

[Vern]

Start at the back and work forward I'm afraid, no quick way of doing it.

It might be worth trying to do the actuation arm bolt without taking the swingarm off first. It's a pain in the arse, but you might fluke it (I did) and if the worst comes to the worst, you just have to take the swing arm out anyway.

Give me a bell if you get stuck 01829 771040, Aberdeen is far enough away for me to be safe

 

[nick.ct]

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174899&highlight=aberdeen

Maybe of some help, just guessing that you're not the only person in Aberdeen with a GS

Good luck

 

[MattW]

I dont supose ether of you have a step by step of taking the swing arm off then. ??? i dont have my manual yet. got the parts ordered yesterday.

As Vern says, just nibble bits of GS away from the back wheel forwards.

Use plenty of heat when you're removing the paralever and swingarm pinions - they use an industrial strength loctite which doesn't like letting go.

 

[Dreamer14]

Thanks Everyone

I found this (http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=234400&highlight=shade+tree) whilst looking through ukgser and ADVrider and im looking into changing all the bearings now dose anyone know if there is anywere i can buy them cheaper than BMW if not its not a problem i guess. Im feeling a little more confident about attempting this now looking forward to starting need to buy a few tools and parts though.

 

[Noddy]

Picture of the knackered parts you are probably going to find on your bike.

As Steppers said the spring isn't the part that fails, its the plastic thrusty bit that slowly melts as the bearing seizes.

>>>>Warning notice<<<<

Before you start the strip down park your bike on the mainstand where you have sufficient room to work all around it.

>>>>Then<<<<

Put a ratchet strap through the front wheel and secure it tightly around the main stand. This will prevent posible serious injury or at very least a mild inconvienience trying to pick it up again.

If you choose to ignore this please post photos.

Remove rear wheel and rear shock and have a look around underneath and all will become clear.

 

[Dreamer14]

Picture of the knackered parts you are probably going to find on your bike.

As Steppers said the spring isn't the part that fails, its the plastic thrusty bit that slowly melts as the bearing seizes.

>>>>Warning notice<<<<

Before you start the strip down park your bike on the mainstand where you have sufficient room to work all around it.

>>>>Then<<<<

Put a ratchet strap through the front wheel and secure it tightly around the main stand. This will prevent posible serious injury or at very least a mild inconvienience trying to pick it up again.

If you choose to ignore this please post photos.

Remove rear wheel and rear shock and have a look around underneath and all will become clear.

Alright Noddy

I will not be ignoring your advice as i know how heavy the bike is but i have already stripped the bike down and i made sure i had enough room to work around it. if however it dose happen to fall on me i will take a picture for all of the ukgser's to have a good laugh at.

Im itching to start. I will have to remember that the tortoise won the race and just take my time and do everything methodically.

I will post my progress asap.

 

[Dreamer14]

So im doing it now.

I finally got to do my bike and when i was taking off the swing arm i rounded the right pivit pin so ill have to buy a new one the old one is now suck in i heated it up and everything and it did not move at all that might have been how i ended up rounded it. So can anyone suggest a way to get the blasted thing out so i can put my bike back together and make sure everything is in working order. apart from that i have not had any major problems with this procedure it was rather straight forward. My old thrust piston was properly f****ed like. ill upload pictures. Your help is as ever greatly appreciated. My pictures dont seem to want to upload. ill go read the forums to find out how to do it.



Reards Adam.

 

[MattW]

I'd guess you didn't use enough heat or a really poor fitting hex bit or both - it needs a lot of heat to soften the industrial strength loctite that's used on the pinion (has to be above 100 C).

To get the rounded out pinion out, you could try hammering a slightly oversize torx (star) bit into the rounded hole. You'll need to choose the bit carefully - it needs to be a tight fit when hammered in but not so big that it expands the pinion and makes it even tighter. Then use LOTS OF HEAT and keep it applied for a while to let it soak into the threads - the swing arm is a bloody great heat sink - it'll take a good while. A licked finger should fizz impressively when touched to the pinion.

You'll probably only get one chance at this.

EDIT: You can upload pictures either by resizing them to less than 800 pixels wide /120kb and attaching them to your post (use the 'manage attachments button at the bottom of the screen when you're creating a post) or by uploading them to a photo sharing site such as picassa or flickr and using the pictures url in a post.

 

[Vern]

That sounds about right. Most people are frightened to get it hot enough! Get it fookin hot, leave it a minute to sink in, then get it hot again and have another go.

How the feck you managed to round a 12mm allen cap off is beyond me, but well done, first time for everything That could be a real problem if like Matt says, the torx bit doesn't work. I drilled on out once after someone had killed it, but that was in a workshop with lots of toys for undooing stucky things, and really is a last resort.

Keep us all posted

 

[Dreamer14]

And it continues.

Hello all

Between working in the office and working off shore I have finally found more time to work on my bike the piton I rounded off turned out to be an utter bastard to get off I snapped a stud extractor off in the hole that I had drilled to get the piton out I then spent a day drilling the extractor out not easy eventually I got it drilled out then I drilled a bigger hole and used a bigger stud extractor and a blow torch to get enough heat into the piton to break the lock tite by the grace of god it finally yielded and I got the now totally useless piton out. So I cleaned up all the back ection and replaced the bearings connecting the swing arm to the gearbox housing. I used a 25mm socket and 2 bar extension bars to knock the bearing out then I replaced them using a block of wood to knock the new bearings into place.
I then checked there was nothing obstructing the movement of the bearings. I alsp greased up the drive shaft connector, I then installed the swing arm to the gear box. After torquing the pitons I checked for movement and play in the swing arm there was none. I then concentrated my efforts on taking apart the bevel box and checking the big bearing. The big bearing on my bike is looking good 11 years and 400000 miles the big bearing is looking good as new. How do I get the part the wheel attaches too back into the housing part of the bevel box do I need to heat it up and slide it on. Can anyone give me some advice. And I think ill chance the needle roller bearings as I think there is a little play in left one.

I did not take many pictures but will upload the ones I did when I have time

thanks for your help.
Regards
Adam.