Zero Knievel

I’m practically there. I found another failed seal. Whether it preceded or proceeded the bearing failure, I don’t know.

Let me find a YouTube video on this…. j/k

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.

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.

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.

And, in case you wonder how common an issue this is….

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.

Carlos is doing the best he can.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Possible. Maybe I didn’t keep things clean enough…or maybe I over tightened the bolt?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

My existing 6V/12V trickle charger works fine...that I can tell, but I'm debating getting a newer one. After all, it is from WalMart and must be from around 2005-2006 when I got it. Then it cost around $35 (IIRC). Amazon has this one for just under $100. The main benefit over the lesser model that will work on the batteries I have is that there are a few more options on this one. Thoughts? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W3QT226/?coliid=I2ID6J5UHC4MSU&colid=AWDUQRHHEGGR&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

I enjoy my steel cut oats on a regular basis. Although I wonder how good it really is for me.

Pics would help.

Maybe people should focus more on eating healthy food and exercising than relying on a drug.

You have to check around. Some places are better than others. When a deer head butted my driver side door, a local shop treated it like hail damage. Pulled the dents out without having to drill.

Would the pharmacy give a cash discount? I know my chiropractor and pharmacy will give a discounted price when it doesn't go through insurance.

I thought they were rebranded “power points.”