Rear wheel/final drive bearing.

[Old Wobbly]

By your own admission, the bike has been spot on. What you read on here is a tiny proportion of the bikes which ride around the globe with no issues whatsoever. I agree that the FD isn't really DIY but keeping it in tip top shape with a miukeyboy rebuild every X miles is the way to stop any problems.

I could go on about the 50 odd GS's I've taken in groups around the US to some pretty remote and tough place with a total mileage of about 300,000 miles without a single incedent of a problem stopping play but, I maybe wasting my breath.

In my experience, they are at least as reliable as anything else so just forget the stuff you read on here and enjoy the ride!

You are I think/hope correct and for sure I love the bike. Even after 600+ miles in a day on a few occasions this year, each time I was kind of sorry to get off.

We should have a smile board for happy owners with no issues and as you say it would probably far outweigh the unfortunate amongst us that have to deal with the mechanical gremlins..

 

[bikemad]

As with anything mass produced some suffered problems,they are the ones that are wax lyrical about the forums not the 1000s that have been faultless,its easy to change the oil every year & cheap enough too,£15 1L enough for 5 oil changes a no brainer should keep it sweet

 

[Bendy toy]

My final drive, drive shaft and FD trunnion have just cost me about £700.

The trunnion moves about 2 degrees each way so the needle rollers get shagged as the grease gets rubbed out. Its all special parts so costs megabux plus labour.

The back end UJ coupling also moves through a small angle so again the bearings rub out the grease and fail.

The FD was internally ok but all bearings were shot so I'd have had a big mishap if it had been left any longer.

£700 in 50,000 miles would buy a lot of chains and sprockets.

The Norton Commander rotary had an oil bath chain drive. Cheap plain chains (non O-ring) would last at least 70k in police use. The MZ 250 strokers have similar rubber tubes around the chain but no oil bath. Use a Scot oiler and the cheap chains that are usually shot in 10K will go on and on. MZs are tough on chains despite the full chain cover and modest power.

A chain drive with idler rollers (one above and one below near the wheel sprocket) running in an oil bath would look almost like a shaft drive and would be far simpler in engineering terms.

 

[AberdeenAngus]

Bookmarked

 

[Bendy toy]

I took my newly rebuilt FD, trunnion and driveshaft for their first spin today.
The transmission is 100% better. No nasty clunk into first gear much smoother gear shift, virtually no backlash and no footrest vibration.
The driveshaft and trunnion must have been decidedly slack, though I'm sure Mike has also made a better job of shimming the gear clearances.
There had to be a snag, the FD spewed oil all over the back tyre. I called Mike, who would have happily taken it back for fixing but suggested I check the speed sensor seals.
Sure enough I'd left out the O-ring. It's amazing how much oil that can lose.
New O-ring, a test run on the stand and no leaks.
Another text to Mike with the good news and it's all done.

 

[Sgt Bilco]

That may or may not have happened to me

 

[Bendy toy]

I put everything carefully into boxes & bags, etc. but the green O-ring vanished under a cardboard box flap.
TBH the aluminium washer on the speed sensor had me fooled - it looks like a banjo washer. The O-ring goes in first followed by the speed sensor complete with its little washer.

 

[Neil A]

Another tribute to Mikeyboy

He did a really good job on my final drive as well and gave me my bike back the cleanest it's ever been. Thoroughly recommended.

There was another very nice member of this parish (Arkwright) who kindly picked my bike up and delivered it to Mike for just some diesel money, because I had to leave it behind and come back to the Isle of Man without it.

This site is brilliant for help & assistance.

 

[Roymondo]

If you take average c&s kit £80-140 plus wheel bearings £10-20 then labour from a shop,it makes the bmw a bargain maintenance wise.
Even a Scotoiler & carefully maintained chain you will spend a lot more than a FD rebuild in the same mileage,then there's the hastle of cleaning re-lubing,all the oily muck that splatters over the underside of bike etc.

A significant difference being that a C&S kit can be fitted quite easily during the few hours that the bike is in the workshop (whether your own, a dealer or indie) for a major service. It doesn't require that you take the bike off the road for a week or more while a specialist casts his runes and rebuilds the FD unit.

I have just had this very conversation with a pal who runs a ZZR1400. He has the chain + sprockets replaced every 24k miles (as part of a routine "major" service) even though he says that it doesn't really need doing that often - it just suits him better. He has owned the bike since new (about 5 years now) and it has done over 80k miles. It is his primary transport and gets used for commuting on a daily basis as well as all the other fun/touring etc stuff. It still has all its original frame and engine paint, and the only significant failure/replacement (apart from routine brake pad/tyre/chains etc) item has been a radiator (holed by a bolt flicked up from the road). Yes, he has a Scottoiler - but he doesn't even adjust the chain between services.

As far as I know, other shaft drive bikes don't need to have their final drives rebuilt on a regular basis, so what are BMW doing differently?

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

As far as I know, other shaft drive bikes don't need to have their final drives rebuilt on a regular basis, so what are BMW doing differently?

It's a shit design where a groove ballbearing is used in an application where it can get a side load on it. Most other FD's use angular contact or taper roller although if the shimming is cocked up these will still fail quickly.

 

[Bendy toy]

Early R1200 final drives have a 30mm dia needle roller on the pinion nose bearing. there is a thread about a rebuild where that older bearing was close to failure but there were no outward signs. Later models have a 32mm bearing and seem stronger. Maybe they also get a better oil feed. Who knows why but maybe the gears throw oil away from parts like that sitting into the centre of the casing.

Another issue is the back end U/J coupling. Unlike the front U/J, it moves through a shallow angle so the needle rollers never recirculate, rub the grease out and get starved. A regular strip and wiggle about would help but what a fuss. TBH I would rather have had a solid drive shaft and a shock absorber with enough rebound damping to avoid the back end jacking up. My old Diversion 900 had virtually no suspension jacking and about the simplest shaft setup there is with a very basic rear shock. 75K miles no hassles in shaft or FD. The GS was shot at 50K.

 

[DesertStormer]

Mine's just had its rear wheel bearing replaced under warranty and I'm damned if I can tell any difference between it now and the previous worn one when I try to wiggle the rear wheel to detect any play. Sometimes it feel like there's play, sometimes it doesn't. Maybe I should just stop worrying about the thing and ride it.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Mine went at 125K miles. I consider that acceptable.

While not a typical DIY job, it certainly can be done with a couple of home made tools!

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=682413 You can see my work near the end of the thread, but here are a couple photos.

I have those templates as PDF files if anyone is interested.

Jim

 

[bikemad]

Mine went at 125K miles. I consider that acceptable.

While not a typical DIY job, it certainly can be done with a couple of home made tools!
I have those templates as PDF files if anyone is interested.

Jim

The ADV thread is superb I do have my own workshop many don't,but great write up least we get to see how it goes & it can be done,Id still send mine to one of the guys on here can't be arsed making tools for a one-off job

 

[crazycopo]

Mike... been to an independant today, there's a small amount of play but not all the way around. (If you know what I mean!!)
Was told its not crucial yet.!!
However I would rather get it done sooner rather than later.
Dont know if it will be this side of Christmas though. Will be in touch.

 

[Bendy toy]

It's not just the holding fixture it's having a bench heavy enough to handle the spanner forces involved.
My FD bearing went for 18 months after an MOT picked up the side play. Even when it began to leak there was no untoward behaviour.
Just run it until it starts to leak them get it rebuilt.
But it's worth dropping the FD back to check the back end U/J. If it's knotchy it will need rebuilding - get it done while the FD is rebuilt.

 

[patrick]

I have 2 spare bevel boxes for a 2006 1200 GS, one is usable and one is shot. Both rebuildable.
Might be useful to someone who wants to build up a spare.
I also have a prop shaft for the same bike with the UJ's replaced.
Pm me if if there is any interest, they are not "For sale" as they are used and I took them off but I would be willing to pass them on to anyone who would find them useful (and maybe the cost of a pint)