Last week I was on my '08 GSA and was rear-ended at a stop sign. queue of vehicles. I was 2nd in line, car in front drove away, I pulled up and stopped (like most normal riders and drivers do at a stop sign), and BANG. Some guy in a Subaru Tribeca nailed me. And let me know he was in another accident a few days ago too. Maybe he shouldn't be driving at all! He said he thought I was going to go... funny thing - I usually stop at stop signs. But since I was totally not expecting it, popped my hands of the bars, popped the cluch and launched the bike fwd and it fell on the rhs with me. Tough bikes and mostly some minor (but totalling $2000 according to my insurance co.) cosmetic damage. But the one thing that I noticed later that is a bit of a concern is there seems to be some side-side play in the rear wheel. i.e. on the side stand, if I put one hand at the top of the tire, and the other on the frame and shake fwd and back, there is some play, and can feel a little "clunk" for lack of a technical term. I will get it checked out at the dealer, which is 200 mi away. I definitely don't want to be flying down the interstate all loaded up and have something unexpected happen. Is anyone familiar with how much play (or any) there should be? I know the GS is known for sometimes having "issues" with the final drive. Bike only has 20000 mi on it so far. Worried that the insurance company will say it is "normal" wear and tear. But I would think being in a rear-end collision with some stupid SUV driver, might not be a good thing. Although the bike is designed to take lots of abuse and forces in the back. I am not sure the exact angle the car hit, so it might have been a bit of a side angle. Since the streets weren't perpendicular and I had turned a bit to look down the road before going. Anyway - should their be a little play, or no play, in the back end? (when shaking tire side-side) Can't feel it on the center stand because whole bike moves. But on the side-stand you can tell.
There should never be play when shaking a tire side to side on ANY vehicle. If you have play, you have a problem. Sorry about your incident. Bleepin' idiots out there...
the play can come from several places... the main wheel bearings, the swing arm bearings, or the paralever pivot bearings. does the whole swing arm move (sounds like no). have someone hold on the rear brake & try the wheel again. if it still moves it's the paralever bearings. if it doesn't move it's the wheel/axle bearings and ya.... there should be no play
Hi, There is quite a lot of information about rear wheel play in the GS Boxer section, e.g. here http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=904855 BMW allows 1 mm axial play (measured on the rim) but one needs to check where the play is. Best to be sure before making the long ride to your dealer.
Did he hit the wheel? I'd be looking at that sure doesn't take much of a bump to throw it off specs.I have been there before and it wasn't much more than a bump/push. I'd guess you don't have a jig to measure the wheel deflection as per the BMW procedure and they sure don't allow for much of that before saying "replace wheel". You should go to a BMW shop for a proper assesment and that's what I had to do after a heck of an argument with the insurance adjuster. But I did get what I needed, a new wheel.
Hey! I got rear ended same way by a guy that wasn't "texting" he was googling directions to his girls place. I had play beforehand and have the same amount afterwards. I think it slack between the gears. Brought it to mechanic beforehand and he had said that was normal.
I managed to just join this club two nights ago. Guy in a Honda Accord took his foot off the brake at a light for just a moment while tending to his kids. Very minor impact (2 mph I'm guessing). Didn't drop it or hit anything, just bumped forward (was pointed between the two cars in front.) Can't see any damage to even the rear hugger (no cracks in plastic, not even a noticeable scuff mark). Put bike in 1st gear on center stand and let the clutch out a tiny bit and the wheel appears perfectly true. Very tiny bit of play if I grab top and bottom of wheel and torque hard, but not anything close to 1mm at the rim. Let me know if I should sell it immediately and get an 1190 R. Think I'm keeping this for a while longer though.
He has insurance, right? Have the bike checked for damage to the rear wheel, the final drive (bearings, but also the cast shell), the paralever pivots and the frame. You don't want to find out a year later that something important was cracked or damaged. Rear ending a bike is not like rear ending a car. There is no bumper or crumple zone, you immediately hit the wheel and suspension. Which is bad for either type of vehicle, but on a car it takes a bit more effort to hit those parts.
I had a minor rear end accident two years ago on my 09 GSA. Just enough impact to deform the mud guard enough that it had to be removed so I could ride ride away. Shop manager told me the drive train was unlikely to be damaged. They checked the bike and the rear wheel had excessive runout. Result - new rear wheel... Worth having your bike checked by a pro.