The inside of my FD

[mechcanico lee]

Good engineering work there and write up, but wouldnt you think a final drive with substantial bearings and rollers ect. should last a bikes lifetime, these final drives on the 1200 seem to be failing all the time, and yet the final drives on the pan euro and other jap stuff rarely fail and the police do loads of miles on them, why do the japs get it right when it comes to durability and reliability, they must be doing something better .....assembly, better materials?

 

[patzx12]

I dont think high milage is an issue with the R1200GS, if fact they seem to improve as the miles are piled on. Going forward we are going to see a lot of 100k bikes around.
I think it is conponent failure, a quality control problem. There is no way a needle roller bearing should fail in 18000 miles.

 

[Mav]

I dont think high milage is an issue with the R1200GS, if fact they seem to improve as the miles are piled on. Going forward we are going to see a lot of 100k bikes around.
I think it is conponent failure, a quality control problem. There is no way a needle roller bearing should fail in 18000 miles.

I agree - my 12GSA is coming up on 50k now and still feels like it's getting better. When I bought it at 30k, the garage recommended I change the FD as there were filings on the ABS sensor but no play in the bearings... I said lets wait till there is some play... 20k later and all is right with the world

So far!

(On my HP, I'm on my 3rd in 24k... )

 

[chad]

(On my HP, I'm on my 3rd in 24k... )

thats because you ride it like your hairs on fire

 

[Big Lee]

My inner oil seal failed the other day dumping oil all over the back end. I`m going to see if it`s worth changing the bearings in there while its apart as a preventitive measure. My bike has 24k on it. Anyone else changed the bearings when the oil seal went?
It`s in the very capable hands of Roy from RGM

 

[Mav]

thats because you ride it like your hairs on fire

That might explain the new set of gearbox bearings and the new clutch

 

[chad]

That might explain the new set of gearbox bearings and the new clutch

could do

 

[def1938]

The big roller bearing is sealed so it does not rely on FD oilfor lubrication.

Sir, please check the bearing construction...I believe that is a shielded bearing, not a sealed bearing.

Also, the smell some mention regarding the FD lube is a sulfur based EP additive. Finally, the black oil that typically come out of the FD during the 1st change is molybdenum disulphide assembly lube used at the factory.

 

[chad]

Sir, please check the bearing construction...I believe that is a shielded bearing, not a sealed bearing.

Also, the smell some mention regarding the FD lube is a sulfur based EP additive. Finally, the black oil that typically come out of the FD during the 1st change is molybdenum disulphide assembly lube used at the factory.

ah thats reasuring as ive just serviced vaders 12 and was worried by the colour of the oil in his FD, this was the first change of oil as this was a new FD not so long ago the above would explain the oil colour,the oil did whiff a bit to.

 

[TheWarlock]

The only minor irritation is that the speedo no longer works, despite making the lead fit into the only slightly incompatible join on the HP2 harness.....
PNB in SW London

Could be stating the bleedin' obvious and if I am I will happily take all the abuse, but just in case. When my FD failed catastrophically on my 12GSA I replaced it with a second-hand unit. (I could have split the FD ok, but not a snowballs chance in hell of making tools and putting planet spinning torque on the pinion unit ). When I put it all back together, my speedo and ABS were not working. After checking, I noticed that the face of the sensor had been damaged during the failure (I did say catastrophic). I replaced the sensor and everything worked again. HTH

 

[chad]

Could be stating the bleedin' obvious and if I am I will happily take all the abuse, but just in case. When my FD failed catastrophically on my 12GSA I replaced it with a second-hand unit. (I could have split the FD ok, but not a snowballs chance in hell of making tools and putting planet spinning torque on the pinion unit ). When I put it all back together, my speedo and ABS were not working. After checking, I noticed that the face of the sensor had been damaged during the failure (I did say catastrophic). I replaced the sensor and everything worked again. HTH

you could just keep replacing the sensors till the FD toatally craps out but i bet they arent cheap

 

[TheWarlock]

Threw it back on the bike and filled it with .22L of trans oil.

Pat, super thread. Intending to strip my damaged one as far as I can first chance I get, just to see what the damage actually is and see if I can repair it.

Am I correct in thinking that the latest BMW specs say .18L of trans oil for an oil change?

 

[TheWarlock]

you could just keep replacing the sensors till the FD toatally craps out but i bet they arent cheap

Agreed if you were trying to sort out a speedo problem before your FD failed, but I am referring to the speedo problem existing after the FD failed. And you are correct. Sensors are about €80 over here.

 

[chad]

Am I correct in thinking that the latest BMW specs say .18L of trans oil for an oil change?

yes

 

[chad]

Sensors are about €80 over here.

crikey

 

[patzx12]

Pat, super thread. Intending to strip my damaged one as far as I can first chance I get, just to see what the damage actually is and see if I can repair it.

Am I correct in thinking that the latest BMW specs say .18L of trans oil for an oil change?

Yep, thats what I here around here but I dont think it makes much difference.

 

[patzx12]

Sir, please check the bearing construction...I believe that is a shielded bearing, not a sealed bearing.

Also, the smell some mention regarding the FD lube is a sulfur based EP additive. Finally, the black oil that typically come out of the FD during the 1st change is molybdenum disulphide assembly lube used at the factory.

It looks like a sealed bearing to me. Re: the oil in my humble opinion oil should look like oil but if all is clear on a second oil chang all is well.
I would be suprised if the factory mixed lubes on assembly.

 

[michnus]

Pat, super thread. Intending to strip my damaged one as far as I can first chance I get, just to see what the damage actually is and see if I can repair it.

Am I correct in thinking that the latest BMW specs say .18L of trans oil for an oil change?

Is that filling from empty or refilling after draining the old oil?

Where do you get the specs changes? Is that not part of the service schedules?

If it's a shielded bearing how is it lubricated? The bearing I took out my FD had some grease left in it, looked like a sealed bearing to me.

 

[turnipbmw]

excellent thread, the sad reality is that its easier to buy a good second hand one for most people. I bought a mint one off e bay for £200 last year and I have seen them down to £150 this year.

Nice to know the skills are still out there anyway

 

[ktmmark]

Sealed bearings

They use a sealed bearing in the diff and gearbox which work very well.I have seen them with well over 100.000 miles on and still smooth.
They do this because as gears run together there are small metal particals released into the oil and on an open bearing these particals get hammered into the race causing highspots (the rough feel when you spin it)