Rear wheel bearings

[Time Traveller]

Your asking an 1100/1150 question in the 1200 section. The 1200 has a completely different final drive to yours. .



Nothing to do with BMW having a language of their own.
The bevel box contains the bevel gears.
Ducatis also have a bevel drive. And it's called a bevel drive because it also has bevel gears.

Bevel gears. After 36 years of mechaniking (you don't say what you've been mechaniking.... airfix models ?) you've now learnt what bevel gears are. Lots of mechaniky things use bevel gears.

I know exactly what bevel gears are thank you, and all sorts of un'bearing'ly boring anarakoid stuff. But "Bevel Box"...really?

Just never been around (motorbike) shaft drives until now...and beginning to regret it too. Everything I've had has had a chain...or a diff.

I'm a 4-5 spanners Haynes mechanic. Not professional, because I would be too slow, but certainly competent to repair and rebuild most things.

But mostly not beyond because one starts to need a bike specific single application tools that cost too much to warrant a single job on my own bike.

And my workshop space is sadly lacking, due to having two 20 year old something kids with all their biking crap in the way... barely space to park my bike let alone do any work on it <rant>

But yeah, I'll do most things if I have the correct tools. ¦:0)





Bevel Box. Tch.

 

[Bendy toy]

I looked at the final drive rebuild thread by Patzx12. Its probably not impossible at home but the investment in equipment would be high. But if Patz is still making the special castle spanners I might make a jig and have a go. The latter could be laser cut from 6mm steel plate.

Its true the shaft drive isnt as tough as it should be and BMW put function way behind form. But I still prefer it to a chain drive. I suspect that when rebuilt properly with accurate tolerances, the FD might well last longer than the original from the factory.

 

[birdseye]

Q1. What is the "bevel box" ? Never heard of anything being called that, and I've been (reasonably competently) mechaniking for the last 36 years.

I'm sure BMWs have a whole language of their own

Dont worry. The BMW parts list doesnt call it a bevel box but a "right angle gearbox". Have a look at this

Could be that "bevel box" is yet another americanism that we ape, like fenders instead of mudguards, headers instead of manifolds, pegs instead of footrests, and inseam instead of inside leg measurement.

 

[Bendy toy]

A manifold is a collection of pipes be they headers or downpipes. It can be an inlet or outlet.

 

[Steptoe]

Could be that "bevel box" is yet another americanism that we ape, like fenders instead of mudguards, headers instead of manifolds, pegs instead of footrests, and inseam instead of inside leg measurement.

They've been called bevel boxes way before i got my first BMW in 1980.
The term "final drive" or "FD" is a fairly recent thing.

 

[Wapping]

A manifold is a collection of pipes be they headers or downpipes. It can be an inlet or outlet.

It's also a precursor to great mercies.

 

[Bendy toy]

And its a valley in the Peak District.

 

[Time Traveller]

Personally I think Bevel Box sounds like it should be a beer

 

[Wapping]

Personally I think Bevel Box sounds like it should be a beer

Or a fifth rate porn starlette.

 

[birdseye]

A manifold is a collection of pipes be they headers or downpipes. It can be an inlet or outlet.

No. Headers is an americanism. Manifolds are either inlet manifolds or exhaust manifolds.

Do you call your car's bonnet a hood? Does it use gas? And in the back is there a trunk? Does it run on tires? On a pavement? Do you use wrenches or spanners? And do you wear a reversed baseball cap and immitate the speach of ghetto rappers.

Or are you British?

 

[Time Traveller]

It's also worth repeating the check for play whilst observing the "hinge" of the final drive. I thought my FD bearings were worn until I discovered play in the rear para lever needle rollers. New bearings for £30 and its all good again.

As ever, with these bike forums, useful posts. Excellent.

So just went and had a closer check. I think its the same for me.

Now Mr. P Do you know what size bearings I need to order per chance?





I'll stick uber quality in there, SKF or something (I assume these to be decent...is there better?)

 

[Pukmeister]

As ever, with these bike forums, useful posts. Excellent.

So just went and had a closer check. I think its the same for me.

Now Mr. P Do you know what size bearings I need to order per chance?





I'll stick uber quality in there, SKF or something (I assume these to be decent...is there better?)

I'll see if I can dig out the invoice with the BMW part numbers and prices.

The needle roller was made by INA in Germany so quality should be OK.

EDIT: Cant find the BMW invoice, but the bearing details are: INA F-240317 FG GERMANY. Price was about £9.89 IIRC.

I also changed the trunnion that the roller bearing runs on, which was about £20.00 even though it only had a few polish marks from light brinelling on it. Didn't want a spoilt ship for a ha'porth o' tar and al that. The felt washer that sits under the outer lip of the trunnion was the real culprit, letting water and dirt in for the sake of about £1.50 to replace. It was well chomped, presumably when the dealership replaced my original FD at 10,000 miles.

 

[Time Traveller]

Ta muchly...

 

[Time Traveller]

Ordered a full set of bearings and bushes to rebuild the rear end suspension (just had new shocks <300 miles ago)

£134 from SBW BMW - posted to me here.

That includes seals etc. for the FD and the actual swing arm bearings (I don't know if they need doing yet (I doubt it) but it was use or return deal, so having the bits to hand won't do any harm.

Should be here in the next few days ready for the weekend.

 

[Time Traveller]

Right so a quick update, so anyone else doesn't make the same parts ordering mistake.

Apparently on BMWs uber microfishe "part number 2" doesn't apply to my 0303 R1200GS, so I was told I won't need it.

The parts arrived and I laid them out to check whats what and realised that I do need "something" in there (guess what! for the needle roller bearing to work, something has to be in contact with the needles...are you shocked!)

Anyway, part 2 (not listed for my bike) on the computer, appears on a separate breakdown for the "rear swing arm". 33 17 7 665 148 PIVOT PIN
even though every other part for that assembly is on the other drawing

Anyway, ordered now and should be with me tomorrow.






BTW, the paralever bushes are £26 EACH!!! and BMW are telling me they don't normally change them, there's only 3 in the country, and they sold <10 last year. That just sounds wrong to me?

Anyway, I thought I'd check 'em and if they're okay, put them back...if not that's some mighty expensive bits of rubba!

 

[Time Traveller]

And the conclusion


Nothing wrong with the bearings. There is movement in the needle rollers, but they are as smooth as silk. The new one was no different. So I replaced seals and greased the original needle rollers, cleaned all around. All seems hunky-dory.

there is still a little play that can be felt on the wheel, but concluded that this is normal. Weird I think.

but nothing is about to seize and I can't feel it whilst riding, but i do have peace of mind.

 

[birdseye]

Just had a test ride on a 2600 mile RT. Weird handling like heavy steering and a tendency to run wide. Also some loss of directional stability. Put it on the centre stand when I got back and I could move the rear wheel at opposite sides by something like 1cm. Bearing had clearly broken up.

People say the wheel cant come off but the handling of that bike was definitely dangerous. Mind you the dealer , not a BMW one, reckoned I was just used to a GS until I showed him the play there was.

But 2 years old and 2600 miles! Its disgraceful and BMW should be ashamed of themselves. There are no excuses for something like that.

 

[Time Traveller]

Whoa. 10mm. Yikes :-0


That's not a design issue, that sounds like either quality control or mistreatment

But dealers need to check bikes before sending punters out on them. Which dealer was it?

 

[birdseye]

I agree - the dealer tried to say that the weird handling was me being used to adventure bikes and that was even after he had test ridden the bike. But I'll be nice to them and not name them.