Final Drive Death

bemiiten · 07-11-2005, 02:47 PM

How much notice did you get before your drive failed?

alkaloid · 07-11-2005, 03:18 PM

Place a spot on the poll for, "It hasn't happened yet but it's in the back of my mind". I can then join in the non-fun. BTW, I prefer Vital Signs off the album.

Mike Butt · 07-11-2005, 03:28 PM

57K miles no rear drive problems. Biggest problem (besides $$$$$servicing and low mileage warranty) has been a relay that didn't leave me stranded.

Waco · 07-11-2005, 04:36 PM

No problem yet.

Buzzez · 07-11-2005, 04:46 PM

If you do any creek crossings, always check for water in the final drive, and keep a bottle of gear oil with you.

cgdR · 07-11-2005, 04:48 PM

I rode bike for about 1500 miles on a rough crown bearing. After disassembly, I found one pitted ball and a pitted race. The seals and gears were in such good shape (@42,000 mi) that the only thing I replaced was the bearing (about $110). Total time for replacement: about 3 hours. Those are FD failures we can handle!

HarveyMushman · 07-11-2005, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cgdR

I rode bike for about 1500 miles on a rough crown bearing. After disassembly, I found one pitted ball and a pitted race. The seals and gears were in such good shape (@42,000 mi) that the only thing I replaced was the bearing (about $110). Total time for replacement: about 3 hours. Those are FD failures we can handle!

I'm always on the lookout for the roughness. No problems yet in ~56k miles.

Zigger · 03-01-2010, 10:00 PM

cgdR

I saw your quote below. Do you have the evo paralever rear end? I've got a clicking noise coming from the rear end on my 05GS with 17K on it, and the dealer tells me I need a new FD. (Say they also see evidence of a leaking seal, although they had it 1000 miles ago and didn't say anything.) I don't want to shell $2K, so am thinking of digging in on my own. How much work went into your replacement? Got any pics? Thanks in advance for any help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cgdR

I rode bike for about 1500 miles on a rough crown bearing. After disassembly, I found one pitted ball and a pitted race. The seals and gears were in such good shape (@42,000 mi) that the only thing I replaced was the bearing (about $110). Total time for replacement: about 3 hours. Those are FD failures we can handle!

Waco · 09-24-2006, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waco Kid

No problem yet.

Still no problems at 48,000 miles.

Lone Rider · 09-24-2006, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waco Kid

Still no problems at 48,000 miles.

My original went fine until about 80k.

Cycletroll · 07-04-2006, 08:48 AM

My FD outer seal started leaking at about 12k. Finished the trip I was on (about 400 more miles-leak was small), rode back to the dealer. They replaced seal (under warranty). No problem since. Supposedly the seal has been changed/upgraded since the '05 model.

osii · 10-02-2009, 09:23 PM

seeing this just made me angry again. My final drive got me all the way from Cabo to a dealer in SD when it "all of a sudden" couldn't go any further and had to stay there and pay for there overpriced repairs. It was my first (and last) FD failure. It taught me a valuable lesson: Always get your bike home. Never let an out of town dealer take apart anything that is still working.

gsboar · 10-03-2009, 07:49 AM

... then a slight rhythmic vibration for a few hundred miles, but no leak & checking rear end revealed nothing..... then catastrophic failure in town... what a mess. happened @~38000..... thankfully, 75% of cost covered under goodwill warranty by bmwna

Mike Butt · 10-03-2009, 09:13 AM

110K, original FD, even the seal.

maalstroom · 10-04-2009, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Butt

110K, original FD, even the seal.

Good for you.

I wasn't so lucky.

I felt the dreaded tap in the foot pegs and knew. This pic was taken about 470 miles from home just outside of Alpine Texas. I made it to Marathon and KNEW I couldn't go any further.

But $280 buck later in parts and labor from a well respected mech, and I was on the road again.

PS. "well respected mech" said he had done hundreds of oil head and air head FD bearings. Some of them were preventative, but most were failures.

I still love it.

Nick

View Results: How did your failure happen?
No notice at all ,left me stranded on the spot.	64	22.38%
Noticed a problem ,but was able to ride back to civilazation	103	36.01%
Just checked and felt fine ,but died a few hundred miles later	17	5.94%
Noticed problem,rode bike hundreds of miles without total failure	102	35.66%
Voters: 286. You may not vote on this poll

07-11-2005, 02:47 PM	#1
bemiiten ^OP SWM Adventuer Joined: Jul 2003 Location: Hamilton NJ. Oddometer: 4,146	Final Drive Death How much notice did you get before your drive failed?

07-11-2005, 04:36 PM	#4
Waco Renegade Sickle Hound Joined: May 2002 Location: Waco, Texas Oddometer: 14,896	No problem yet. __________________ Support the AMA.

07-11-2005, 04:46 PM	#5
Buzzez Wind Powered Joined: Feb 2004 Location: St. Louis, Missouri USA Planet Earth Oddometer: 10,409	Cheep insurance, If you do any creek crossings, always check for water in the final drive, and keep a bottle of gear oil with you. __________________ ~&>) (-)@(+)______

07-04-2006, 08:48 AM	#11
Cycletroll Catastrophe Specialist Joined: Apr 2004 Location: Northern New Mexico Oddometer: 1,082	FD seal My FD outer seal started leaking at about 12k. Finished the trip I was on (about 400 more miles-leak was small), rode back to the dealer. They replaced seal (under warranty). No problem since. Supposedly the seal has been changed/upgraded since the '05 model.

07-11-2005, 03:18 PM	#2
alkaloid Adventurer Joined: Mar 2005 Location: Plano, TX Oddometer: 52	Place a spot on the poll for, "It hasn't happened yet but it's in the back of my mind". I can then join in the non-fun. BTW, I prefer Vital Signs off the album.

07-11-2005, 03:28 PM	#3
Mike Butt Agent Provocateur Joined: Mar 2002 Location: Looking west Oddometer: 55,635	57K miles no rear drive problems. Biggest problem (besides $$$$$servicing and low mileage warranty) has been a relay that didn't leave me stranded.

07-11-2005, 04:48 PM	#6
cgdR Gearhead Joined: Aug 2004 Location: Newport News, VA, USA Oddometer: 73	I rode bike for about 1500 miles on a rough crown bearing. After disassembly, I found one pitted ball and a pitted race. The seals and gears were in such good shape (@42,000 mi) that the only thing I replaced was the bearing (about $110). Total time for replacement: about 3 hours. Those are FD failures we can handle!

10-02-2009, 09:23 PM	#12
osii Disgruntled Time Traveler Joined: Jan 2003 Location: Glendale, AZ Oddometer: 2,385	seeing this just made me angry again. My final drive got me all the way from Cabo to a dealer in SD when it "all of a sudden" couldn't go any further and had to stay there and pay for there overpriced repairs. It was my first (and last) FD failure. It taught me a valuable lesson: Always get your bike home. Never let an out of town dealer take apart anything that is still working. __________________ 03 BMW K1200RS 03 Suzuki Dr-z400e 07 Suzuki DL650

10-03-2009, 07:49 AM	#13
gsboar springfield miler Joined: Apr 2003 Location: prairies of central il Oddometer: 94	happened 2yrs ago.. chngd drive oil.... ... then a slight rhythmic vibration for a few hundred miles, but no leak & checking rear end revealed nothing..... then catastrophic failure in town... what a mess. happened @~38000..... thankfully, 75% of cost covered under goodwill warranty by bmwna __________________ there's only one way outa here....

10-03-2009, 09:13 AM	#14
Mike Butt Agent Provocateur Joined: Mar 2002 Location: Looking west Oddometer: 55,635	110K, original FD, even the seal. __________________ Adventure Rider #799

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