Shaft inspection and re-greese

[Deleted account 191119001]

front boot.. is he on about gearbox to arm boot?

Ah good question, aint got that far yet.

 

[ChazzyB]

front boot.. is he on about gearbox to arm boot?

He is, indeed.

 

[Deleted account 191119001]

He is, indeed.

And the plot thickens, as looking at mine at the gearbox end, there is a fair amount of white sealant around the boot, but not all the way around you can actually see some gaps, so wondering if the water is actually coming in from that area.

 

[beaver]

getting the tie wrap around the gearbox side can be a bit of a sod with the gear change assist thing in the way... but the connection to the arm just clips in.. you can't get it wrong (can you?)

 

[ChazzyB]

getting the tie wrap around the gearbox side can be a bit of a sod with the gear change assist thing in the way... but the connection to the arm just clips in.. you can't get it wrong (can you?)

It is supposed to just clip in. But have you tried doing it successfully while the other end is cable-tied to the gearbox? I have and Coopers have (twice) and it hasn't stayed clipped in for long. [Grrrr]

 

[beaver]

No.. I've always cliped it into the arm first and then put it onto the gearbox.. try it this way... It's quite easy except getting the tie wrap around

 

[Deleted account 191119001]

It is supposed to just clip in. But have you tried doing it successfully while the other end is cable-tied to the gearbox? I have and Coopers have (twice) and it hasn't stayed clipped in for long. [Grrrr]

Might be as simple as one of the lugs has broken, that would be my guess.

 

[ChazzyB]

Might be as simple as one of the lugs has broken, that would be my guess.

I hope not, as that's a shaft removal job to put a new boot in. Plus a new boot is getting on for £100 incl VAT.

 

[Warlord]

I hope not, as that's a shaft removal job to put a new boot in. Plus a new boot is getting on for £100 incl VAT.

Yep, it's all a PITA

 

[Deleted account 191119001]

I hope not, as that's a shaft removal job to put a new boot in. Plus a new boot is getting on for £100 incl VAT.

Is bike not under warranty, and if it has been like that for ages, when bike was under warranty, obviously it is still their problem, as they know clear well it has not been fixed.

 

[ChazzyB]

Is bike not under warranty, and if it has been like that for ages, when bike was under warranty, obviously it is still their problem, as they know clear well it has not been fixed.

I'm getting fed up schlepping 45 minutes/25 miles each way with no great faith that the 'fix' will last any longer than it has so far.

 

[Deleted account 191119001]

I'm getting fed up schlepping 45 minutes/25 miles each way with no great faith that the 'fix' will last any longer than it has so far.

If they take the shaft off to fit a new boot correctly, no reason it should come off, otherwise if you are handy with a spanner do it in the winter, it really is not that hard a job, just takes a bit of time, not the same bike but fairy similar just the other way round, scissor jack helps a lot.

 

[Warlord]

I'm getting fed up schlepping 45 minutes/25 miles each way with no great faith that the 'fix' will last any longer than it has so far.

How I fitted it....

Firstly buy a pack of zip ties... 370mm x 4.8mm. As they're cheap enough, I got a pack of 100. You can still use them for other stuff.

While the boot is loose, loop TWO zip ties around the boot. Reason being, if you fuck up using one, you've got a spare in situ as backup. Then zip about an inch and leave them loose.

Now fit the shaft side of the boot first. It just snaps into position. The only way it wont fit is if the lugs are broken off.

Once this is fitted, hook the other end of the rubber boot (lip farthest point away from you) around the gearbox end mount. Once hooked onto the mount, use the tab to pull towards you and wiggle the boot onto the mount completely.

Once in position, line up the zip tie and pull tight. Cut off the unused cable, and cut the spare zip tie off.

 

[ChazzyB]

How I fitted it....

Firstly buy a pack of zip ties... 370mm x 4.8mm. As they're cheap enough, I got a pack of 100. You can still use them for other stuff.

While the boot is loose, loop TWO zip ties around the boot. Reason being, if you fuck up using one, you've got a spare in situ as backup. Then zip about an inch and leave them loose.

Now fit the shaft side of the boot first. It just snaps into position. The only way it wont fit is if the lugs are broken off.

Once this is fitted, hook the other end of the rubber boot (lip farthest point away from you) around the gearbox end mount. Once hooked onto the mount, use the tab to pull towards you and wiggle the boot onto the mount completely.

Once in position, line up the zip tie and pull tight. Cut off the unused cable, and cut the spare zip tie off.

I was going to do this. I think the problem is that if the boot is still cable-tied to the gearbox, it's bloody difficult to push the other end properly into the swinging arm.

 

[Warlord]

I was going to do this. I think the problem is that if the boot is still cable-tied to the gearbox, it's bloody difficult to push the other end properly into the swinging arm.

Agreed.

Cut it all lose and do it properly

 

[Engineer]

Can some tell me how many shafts have failed due to rust?

 

[Deleted account 191119001]

Can some tell me how many shafts have failed due to rust?

Better question, how often do you change your BMW,s

 

[Engineer]

Better question, how often do you change your BMW,s

The number of failed shafts due to rust is far more pertinent because it will indicate the over all reliability of the drive mechanism - so do you know?

 

[Deleted account 191119001]

The number of failed shafts due to rust is far more pertinent because it will indicate the over all reliability of the drive mechanism - so do you know?

Sorry but not in the statistics dept of BMW, and I doubt that info will be public, now how often do you change your bikes, every 2 years or more, as those that are looking after their shafts, cannot or do not want to change every 2 years.

 

[Engineer]

Sorry but not in the statistics dept of BMW, and I doubt that info will be public, now how often do you change your bikes, every 2 years or more, as those that are looking after their shafts, cannot or do not want to change every 2 years.

I don’t change by time, I change by miles, I do an average of 1,000 miles a month and approx 30,000 miles is the limit I set myself; although I did 45,000 on my first 1200.

No shafts failed due to rust and I doubt that there has been more than a handful compared to what now must be 100s of thousands of bikes sold - statistically it’s a non-problem.