My 91 R100GS operators manual has a picture of greasing the swingarm with a grease gun behind the black plastic covers on the swingarm shaft. I don't see a fitting or a grease well behind my black covers - what am I failing to see? THx! MAT
Airhead swingarm pins are greased with a conical grease gun tip. An old-fashioned chain saw tip grease adapter works nicely. However, the swing arm bearings on Paralever bikes are not supposed to be greased, as the swingarm vents through them. Many Paralever bikes have no grease retainer behind the bearings and you could squirt several quarts of grease in there without it getting to the (sealed) bearings.
You are failing to see nothing. The swingarm pivot bearings on the paralever bikes are 'permanently' lubed, which is the manufacturers way of saying you can't lubricate them (without significant dissassmebly). I don't see any reason they couldn't have put a cup behind that race, but then, I don't understand why they didn't 'size' the oil canisters to be the correct depth when fully seated either.
I'm just reassembling my 93gs, the right swing arm bearings failed . Bone dry and in pieces before I got home . I read the insanity of bearings acting as breathers for the cast swing arm . Does that not mean there's air where grease is supposed to be ? I packed the hey outa the new bearings before installing them in the swing arm . Then smeared a bit back of the bearing . I previously drilled a 3/32" hole on the bottom of the swingarm, on the FD end, center of the boss cast there for a drain plug . I put a 1/16" brass cotter pin in the hole and spread it out . Rain water won't enter, if it gets submerged, I pull the FD rubber boot off that night . Why the SW would develope pressure is beyond me, but the 1/32" air space at the cotter pin should " breath". I just hope it doesn't "suck" air . The driveshaft, FD bearings, and SA bearings are an anual ritual with this MC . Having one or the other fail every year, or about 25k . I figure, when the greasable driveshaft needs grease . The FD bearings can be greased . Now I can use my finger to repack the SA bearing as well . Maybe it will become an ongoing maint schedule or I'm hoping . Has anyone done this, or have a comment about it ?
I'm using a regular green BelRay grease on and in the driveshaft. I have the same one you do, Jack, the Emrald Isle one? Those are pretty good ideas, Cpt. I'm not sure why it pressurizes, other than an enclosed space that changes shape a little bit and heat ups and down, etc. When it does though, I think it pukes the grease out of the bearings, backwards, I think. I like the idea of a different vent than the SA bearings, but maybe something like the airbox valve. That valve is uncomforatable bigger than 3/32 but maybe there's something similar out there.
That's what started this bout with my MC . My 1st drive line failure was the right, SW bearing at +/- 20k . I replaced that SA with my spare . At that time I installed the new "greased", bearings and drilled the hole in the SA that I just now installed . About 20K later my 2nd fail was the FD outside bearing, I put my spare FD on with OEM brgs. using Honda moly paste .I put RubberChicken bushings in the then failed FD and shelved that unit . The latest was +/- 25K later, the driveshaft front yoke went away . I installed my spare DS . Upon disassembly, the outside FD brg was very lightly indexed, very little . I used some slimmy hi temp disc brake grease on those bearings, neversiezed the pin/race area and will see what comes down in several thousand miles when it comes down for a DS replacement . Also on the FD pins, having had one rust and explode in there . I now clean the SA and pins with laquer thinner . When screwing the pins in the final 3/4 threads get a dose of Permatex No.2 . You will put the threads outa the SA if you have no heat and the pin has red loctite on it . IMO . The moly paste was OK, in the bearings, but that stuff is not bearing grease . IMO I now have a spare FD, SA, but no DS . With that backround this is where I'm heading, now that there are some inmates viewing this thread currently . What is the best option , NOW, for GS driveshft replacement/rebuild ? I've poured over various sites and can not seem to find current updates . The aftermarket models must have some miles on them now . I guess i'm wondering ....A ....Who's doing the best work rebuilding ? Does the DS need to be removed to grease ? ....B ......Are they redoing the rubber connection ? .......C....... Are there more than one options for replacement versions ? Stagehand, agreed a bullet proof valve in the SA would be the hot setup . Me I'm a retired Ironworker " Simple by Choice", hence the cotter pin idea . The master engineers use the bearings for vents ???? I still am ammmmazzzzzzzed at that . Thanks for any new input . Ride safe, they're all pissed off at you or jealous .
Rob (or whomever), Do you know of a place online where ALL of these service bulletins for airheads are located? I don't have a 100GS but I've got plenty of airheads and I would like to know what BMW has to say about all of them.
I've had the FD, and SA off with the DS, left bolted to the transmission . That's how I've checked mine for 65K . Remember the 4 distructabolts they use . I believe the import DS needs to be removed from the Transmission to access the grease fitting ? They list the bolts on the page with the DS . I do not know, that for sure, only what I've read . That's one of my concerns as to which DS option to buy .I'm thinking this entire maintainance program must be dealt with annually . To remain maintainance free these things need a day n a half of maintainance annually . At least that is, considering the transmission spline is supposed to be dealt with every 10/15K, alone . I believe the easiest way to lube the transmission spline is . Remove FD, remove SA, loosen Trans, slide it back to lube spline . Reinstall . Grease DS, check relube SA bearings . Check and relube FD bearings .
But I think on the rear, you will need to break FD/SA . The FD casting, is engaged into the SA an inch and a half or so . So the ujoint is encased in the castings . If you slide the SA back, it'll take the connected FD back with it That will pull the DS off the input shaft of the FD . Then I doubt, you'll be able to engage the DS onto the FD input with the SW/FD attached . It's a bit of a pain with FD/SA parted . I've had these miserable little bearing apart and back together a couple times . There seems to be a very lite index in the outside one now . I'm reassembling it and will get a DS . The DS will be replaced inside a month down in Texas before heading into Mexico . I believe you have the import version, please continue this string til you can answer the accessability of the DS grease fittings . Thanks
Ctp, the only two aftermarket DS's I know of are the Emerald Isle one, available through Ted Porter and probably some other places. The other one is the HPM Guy one, and both are pretty similar except for the way the two halves of the shaft join, and provide a little cushion. Guy uses a solid urethane with some elastometric characteristics and Emerald uses the suppository looking things and circlip to hold the halves together. Emerald Isle uses different density lozenges, and Guy uses different hardness urethane to achieve some measure of cush drive. Both use replaceable, greasable cardans held in with circlips in the yokes. With Guy's shaft, one must remove the zerks after greasing and install a scrub screw... there isnt room to keep the zerk there and still rotate. I forget if this is the case on the Emerald. That would probably preclude anything but shaft removable for re-greasing, on the HPM unit. I have only heard of one or two failures on either shaft, both with Guys and both because of faulty urethane curing. The issue has been all but eliminated, to my knowledge.
no, no emerald failures that i know of. Even that contention that the big circlip holding the halves together being a dubious design hasnt proven negative, yet.
Stagehand I believe the Emerald Isle version is the one I'll get . You've answered all my question in that post . jackd, I service and reused those FD bearings in the same unit . I have not removed them from one unit and put them into another . Sorry if I confused that earlier .
I forgot to mention that Guy's unit uses a stock shaft, in fact, you could send him a core. Pretty sure thats what I did. I have both kinds. I loaned the HPM's to a friend when his stocker blew up earlier this summer, and I have been running the Emerald for a year or two, now. I even forget the prices, now, but I'm pretty sure both are cheaper than stock. I like HPM's because he is good guy, American business, inmate here, etc and not least he does world class work.
There is a slightly used OEM driveshaft available there if anyone needs one: http://marketplace.ibmwr.org/ads/raps Just checked on the newer price of them pivot bearings. Me don't like, scratched that off my list of spares for now.Same bearings on ALL the BMW Paralevers. I know where most, if not all them bulletins are. Mr. Jackd did you dig out the GSs out of there? OK...anyone wants the link, I won't post it here. PM me....but I am pretty busy, don't swamp me...! Would much rather send it to someone with more time who could dig out the relevant bulletins and pass them around. Copyrighted material it is.
Stagehand, I rcieved a email reply back from Guy at Hendersen . 3 week turn around, using my shaft, $450. with return shipping and he's an American bussiness man . I'm mailing it tomorrow . Thanks for the input, I'm planning to find out from him as well what for grease to use it the u-joints . I'll post that here then .