Jump to content
CBR1100XX.org Forum

Zero Knievel

Members
  • Posts

    23,384
  • Joined

  • Days Won

    30

Everything posted by Zero Knievel

  1. I could use some input from those who have BMW shaft drive bike (or have worked on them). What causes the marring in the following pictures? Is it normal? Can it be “cleaned up?” Normally I’d not give it a second thought…presuming this is the result of the bearing failing, BUT I want to be sure it won’t pose an issue going forward AND it wasn’t the cause of the failure in the first place. These are from the side with the failing/failed bearing. By comparison, here’s what the other side looks like…clean on both the drive unit and the driveshaft housing.
  2. Well, that's one BMW owner who is into sausage fests.
  3. The tale so far. I have parts on order. The first should be arriving today. There’s a shop in Tennessee where I bought my DR brush mower. He does motorcycle repair, so Thursday (parts or not) I will swing by and ask if he’s set up to replace the bearings. This would be simplest. If that isn’t so, I’ll call the BMW shop in Knoxville and see if (1) they will use the parts I already have (BMW branded) and (2) give some commitment on when the job will be done. I’d want the unit back by the end of April since I have rides planned for May. If that doesn’t work, a BMW guy in the Nashville BMW club will do the job. Down bit is that I’ll have to take it in person. Yes, I could UPS the unit, BUT to ensure I’m covered should it get damaged or lost in shipping, I have to insure it for $3,000…making the drive there and back (even two trips) cost effective. On the bright side, I think I found the issue with the boot. The tabs that hold it in place are on a plastic ring bonded to the boot itself. I found a break in that ring that negates the pressure it applies once the boot is in place. So, a new boot is on order and should arrive soon.
  4. Thanks. The prices I saw online could be lower because they didn’t account for recent inflation affecting goods and services, and the guy was able to come out same day.
  5. Mom’s garage bay had the spring break just as it closed behind her. She has appointments, so I needed a way to get her vehicle outside. Fortunately, a repairman was able to come out same day and replace the spring. Also lubed and checked all 3 doors. $475…not sure if that’s a good price, but I didn’t have the option of shopping around. Other than buying vehicle dollies and using those to move a vehicle sideways into another bay, is there a way to raise and lower a garage door without the counterbalance spring?
  6. That's like wanting to consume synthehol. Why bother if you don't get the full effect?
  7. I’m practically there. I found another failed seal. Whether it preceded or proceeded the bearing failure, I don’t know.
  8. Let me find a YouTube video on this…. j/k
  9. FUCK THAT SHIT. Replacing bearings doesn’t require the whole bike. Replacing bearings doesn’t require multiple days (absent something more being wrong). Nothing I wanted was unreasonable. The first shop knew I’d be coming from over 2 hours away. To drop off and pick up means 8 hours of driving because they don’t want to give an appointment and do the job when I’m there. I can understand not promising that nothing will go wrong and require they take more time replacing the bearing, nor was I demanding to get in the next day. I simply didn’t want to make two separate trips. I see nothing unreasonable about giving an appointment to do a job for someone who has to come a long way just to get to your shop. They wanted me to drop it off and they would get to it “when they can get to it” (their actual words). I have a trip planned for May and already paid for things (non-refundable). I don’t want to be at the mercy of a shop that will get to the job when they feel like it. The second shop also knew how far away I was. They wanted the whole bike. That means (1) reassembling the bike, (2) trailering the bike there and back, and (3) paying them the additional labor I’ve already done. I get how they prefer a “post repair drive check,” but I’ve taken my wheels in for new tires with them. It’s not required. They aren’t rebuilding the motor. They are removing and replacing two bearings. The BMW shops near me all should know several owners ARE NOT close to them. Hell, if I bought HONDA I’d have one small ass shop in Johnson City that still works on Hondas. With the shrinking motorcycle market, owners have less options for where to bring bikes in for repairs. Not being flexible with scheduling work for people coming from a considerable distance is how you lose customers.
  10. Thankfully, I've been down this road before. Know of both those tricks. I never want to hear a motorcycle shop complain they can't find work to do. I was willing to pay a mechanic to do it for me, and both pretty much didn't want to be bothered unless it was on their terms.
  11. Well, $135 in parts. I'll have to do it myself. Knoxville BMW is "busy" and won't commit to doing it on an appointment basis. Asheville BMW would prefer having the whole bike to test ride afterwards, but they say they don't even show the parts as available. Hopefully the parts will arrive soon.
  12. And, in case you wonder how common an issue this is….
  13. The driveshaft has non-serviceable u-joints. I suppose if they were serviceable, they'd be substantially larger. It's not hard to check the joints on the bike. Place on center stand, rock wheel back and forth and see if you hear any clicking. Spin wheel and ensure it's quiet. Dismantling and visual inspection shouldn't be necessary, but since you are supposed to replace the rear drive oil every other year, might as well do a visual inspection since you've already done the first step. While riding, a tapping noise from the rear wheel is about all the warning you get. If you're lucky, you're close to home or a BMW shop before it fails. Failure can tear up the driveshaft housing...making an even more expensive repair than just replacing the driveshaft.
  14. Carlos is doing the best he can.
  15. Snark aside, it has been a contentious issue among BMW owners as to why such a critical component is more user serviceable or at least durable.
  16. I thought I posted about it elsewhere. BMW is now giving a free driveshaft replacement after 36K miles on all LC models other than 1300 series. It’s been an ongoing issue.
  17. You do that and you risk the first warning is the driveshaft shearing. These failures are a big enough of an issue that while BMW doesn’t have a service interval for it, owners encourage each other to check it every couple years and replace if there are doubts.
  18. I’m pretty sure I’m still under 30K. I say that because I have a while to go before I can bring it in for the free driveshaft replacement.
  19. Possible. Maybe I didn’t keep things clean enough…or maybe I over tightened the bolt?
  20. Oh well, this was a productive morning. I decided to remove the rear drive and inspect/clean the boot. The driveshaft wasn’t fully seated, although I don’t think that was the issue. It takes a good shove to fully seat it, and it isn’t much extra distance. What I did discover is that the left side bearing for the rear drive was disintegrating. Thankfully, I caught this now, and there doesn’t seem to be any damage to associated parts. I’ll have to take it into BMW and have both bearings replaced. I hope I can just carry in the rear drive as it’s already off the bike.
  21. Don’t know. It’s to shield the driveshaft from the elements. Get dirt into the joint and it will wear faster. To inspect the front and rear universal joints for wear…they aren’t serviceable, but you don’t want a failure while riding. You also should liberally grease the splines so oxidation doesn’t make it jam in place.
  22. This has been going on at least since I removed the driveshaft for inspection. The front of the boot keeps popping off. Grease and grime. It’s right above the rear universal joint of the shaft. Any ideas? I’m thinking I need to remove the shaft and reinsert it…if only to thoroughly clean the boot.
  23. So far, none from premature failure. My OEM BMW battery didn’t last long, but other owners complained that the supplied battery wasn’t that great. I still have it for bench top 12v projects. Mostly, a charger that covers all options is just a few bucks below one that does everything. My current charger was around $30 when I bought it. For that price, all I can find now is a one-trick pony 12v trickle charger.
  24. So is your strap on. Well, the BMW and lawn equipment that have batteries don't get enough use to keep the batteries peak. I used the zero-turn mower this week for the first time...I used the charger to ensure the battery was topped off after sitting for several months. The BMW will need to be topped off once a month (at least) if it sits because the computer does draw constantly scanning for the key fob.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use