800GS shock bolt design flaw?

Indy,

What size drill would be required for this mod?

I'm counting the seconds until the kit arrives and I'd like to be prepared so I can take the wife away next weekend.

If she spends any more time off the bike she'll probably cut my throat in my sleep.

Where I'm planning on taking her not having both the Indy kit and the RM brace is not an option after the way I already bent everything.

I'll post pics.

Cheers.

My sleeve is exactly 20 mm outside diameter machined and hardened bearing surface. So a 20 mm drill will work but you should just give it to a machine shop and have them mill it for a perfect fit or at a minimum use a good drill press. My kit does not require the Best Rest product some people already had one and thought it would be added protection.. No one has managed to bend an Indy kit.

Thanks. I've already got the RalleMoto thingy and a mill and a 20mm drill by pure chance (not really, got most metric drills up to 32mm).

I'm just over the BMWs habit of breaking and bending the little things.

I've been taking my old DR out and flogging the crap out of it every day for 2~3 hours of trail blasting.

In the last 20,000km of trail riding I think I've had to straighten a Barkbuster, tighten a gear lever, adjust the chain, and change the oil and filter twice. Panel beat the bash plate flat about 5 times, the welds are all cracked now (B&B), replace a broken mirror, and a broken blinker.

I wash the Air filter every time I ride it. I haven't looked at valve clearances in 30,000kms, or changed spark plugs (dual point Irridiums)

Point is, I treat it like crap, pound it down these trails, drop it, go over the bars on it, throw it into the trees, kick it straight and ride it again. A little basic maintenance and it's good for the next year.

The DR is coming up to 40,000kms of mostly off road (brutally off road mostly) and the repair costs for it haven't come close to the last 10,000kms of BMW ownership.


It feels like I just have to wash the BMW and something breaks.


See....that's what owning a BMW does to you.....turns you into a whiny sooky La La.

I always thought the GS is what the DR could have been if they updated the design.

Now I think the GS is a DR designed by a committee.

Sorted.

Got the top and bottom Indy kits, thanks Dan. Perfect service, parts arrived as advertised.

Made the mods to the other brace and put it all together last night.

I had a break for dinner and the thunderstorm from hell broke while the bike was in pieces parked in the open. Amazing lightning display over head.

I think even God hates BMWs.

But it's back together and I have some faith in it restored.


Now to go and try to break it.




Oh, and I had a holdup on the new rim arriving. The shop involved took my credit card details and never got back to me. Closed over Christmas. So I ended up modifying a large g-clamp and using it to straighten the dinged/flatspotted section of rim. It isn't perfect, but it'll do. It isn't right on the weld, so I hope it doesn't crack. The rims were amazingly soft compared to the Excel rims I've fixed.

The next day I discovered the Excel rim on my DR was cracked through the weld, so I laced on a brand new one and then went out and buckled the daylights out of it on a large rock at 110kph. Playing "show pony" in front of a friend.

In the interest of fairness - The amount of buckle in the Excel was much less than the BMW rim, and I was doing "suicidal" speed under the circumstances by direct comparison. But it is still possible.

I will install my indy kit this week end

where do I get a kit??

PM Indy Unlimited. He'll set you up.

Yeah PM me for an Indy kit.

So after all these years the F8GS has been sold, BMW has not updated / fixed this problem?
Is there anyone from a BMW agent here who can say if there has been a service bulletin put out on it?

I haven't even checked mine yet, its a 2010 model...

Mine is an '11 and the bolt was slightly bent after ONE (longer) dual sport ride. Do it before you have permanent damage.

Uh Oh! :huh

It thats the case I better check mine when I get home in a few days. Mine does a bit off road and and its usually carrying a fair bit gear too. So perhaps mine is already bent? I've just ordered an Adventure moto kit as it includes a new 12.9 rated hi tensile bolt with the mount. (As advertised the RM one looks like it's just the block only).

Its a pity that some have found their reinforcing blocks foul an Ohlins aftermarket shock, as I was mulling one over, but given that the Ohlins has no compression adjustment or remote reservoir, I wasn't sure if its any better than getting the OEM Sachs rebuilt and revalved with a decent spring. Poor specs for an Ohlins IMHO! All my other Ohlins have had compression adjustment. But then I see it is listed by Ohlins as being from their "budget" line. However one poster says you can grind out space for the hydraulic preload adjuster and reduce the pin length slightly too, (and also maybe turn it around a bit). Not sure if Wilbers have a decent shock for the F8GS...

Looking back at this whole thing; given that this is a well known issue with the potential for buggering the frame and stranding the bike somewhere nasty, I would have thought BMW would have made up their own little kit to be fitted to all F8GS's via either recall or at the next scheduled maintenance. Selling a bike whose frame can be damaged and shock break loose with normal use in its advertised activity is IMHO selling a product thats not fit for purpose. And doing nothing about fixing it when it has the potential for stranding a customer somewhere inhospitable or perhaps even causing injury (if the shock lets go at the wrong time) might almost be regarded as negligence. Poor show BMW...

Do you reckon this will also work on the Ohlins shock?

I have never worked on the ohlin's.... But if the mounts are the same..... I would say yes.....

Erling

I think it probably would but just checking before I try it on my brand new shock. I think there are two separate bushings, at least that what I've deduced from looking inside the bushing. If it's any help here's a couple of pics:

That should work as well.... You might need to find the right size socket if it is different than the oem.... Other than that... parts are cheap....and if somethings break.... It is the bolt as we experienced on one of the bikes.... I'd have a go at it...

Erling

Cheers mate!

On Ohlins, that bushing is actually 2 piece and you can pry out each end to expose the bearing that can be pressed out with a socket and a vice. You can also put each end in the vice and rock and pull the shock to remove each bushing. Do not press out the bushings with the bearing unless they are smaller than 26 mm O.D. I think these are slightly bigger.

Hi all,
Anyone know the torque spec for the shock bolt? I'm thinking of checking mine finally this week. Gotta few months left on my warranty and just wanted to see what the dealio is.

100 nm IIRC

Sorry if I'm being dumb... can you expand on that a bit. It's the bearings bit I'm confused by. Are there bushings and bearings in the Ohlins upper shock mount??? I dont have access to a vice. Thanks in advance.