Is there easy way to find month of manufacture

Hello All,

I have a 2006 RT with 86,000 miles it appears my final unit is going out! Ugh. I have a chance to get a used one low miles but says will only work if date of manufacture is 8/06 or earlier?

Thanks

John

'Lo, John -

You can go *here* and put in the last 7 digits of your vin.

BMW begins manufacturing the RT for the "new" model year at the first of August. Anything built in August 2006 and after would be at least an '07 model.

Also, I think you have many more options for compatible final drive units. Realoem.com shows

Part Cross-reference

33118530077

Right-angle gearbox, silver

I=34:13=2,62

From:04/01/2011To:-Weight:8.062 kgPrice:

Supersedes:

33117694846 (02/01/2005 — 07/18/2011), Exchangeable retrospectively33117681976 (01/01/2005 — 03/10/2005)

Part 33118530077 was found on the following vehicles:

K26 (R 900 RT, R 1200 RT) (11/2003 — 11/2009)

K28 (R 1200 ST) (05/2003 — 11/2007)

The fill and drain plugs moved over the years, but any Hexhead RT unit should work.

Hello All,

I have a 2006 RT with 86,000 miles it appears my final unit is going out! Ugh. I have a chance to get a used one low miles but says will only work if date of manufacture is 8/06 or earlier?

 

Thanks

John

Afternoon John

You really need to define your bike's year, OR at least your brake system.

As far as I know any 1200RT built before 8/2006 has the I-ABS brakes (wizzy power brakes). You need to match the final drive that you are buying to the brake system as the rear wheel speed sensor system is different between the pre 8/06 I-ABS wizzy system & the later post 8/06 I-ABS-gen2 system. (basically if you have an 06 1200RT it should have wizzy brakes therefore needs the pre 06 final drive.

Now on the other end you don't want a real early final drive (like an early or mid 2005 1200RT final drive as those have the small pinion bearing (BMW had issues with those so sometime after mid to late 2005 BMW up-sized the pinion bearing to be more robust).

Thanks all I found a website that i could put last 7 digits of my vin to show that my bike was manufactured sep 05 so I am Ok.

My plan is to install the second hand unit and then explore rebuilding my original one or if makes more sense to get a rebuilt one. As a back up?

Thank again for the info

Thanks for the reply Dirt rider,

It's been quite awhile since I have needed your advice.

I do definitely have whizzy brakes. It appears by your definition ABS I. I believe that's what I am getting?

Thanks

John

Hello All,

As a follow up removed old final drive and installed used one. It appears I am in business. Perfect match with what I had. Old unit a bit of a puzzle to me. The fluid looked fine no unusual wear no shavings on speed sensor or in fluid? No water got in either. Universal looks great IMHO? A lot of play moving tire top/bottom and loss of fluid out of end of the axle seal. Pushing the bike with engine off there was some sounds particularly backing up difficult to describe not really harsh but not good? I always do the maintenance as described by BMW? I was unaware they changed the service interval for the final drive to every 12K via service letter as some have suggested in old posts I've read? I will certainly change it more now? Toying with the idea of having old one rebuilt as a backup if it's not crazy expensive?

Thanks

John

Hello All,

 

As a follow up removed old final drive and installed used one. It appears I am in business. Perfect match with what I had. Old unit a bit of a puzzle to me. The fluid looked fine no unusual wear no shavings on speed sensor or in fluid? No water got in either. Universal looks great IMHO? A lot of play moving tire top/bottom and loss of fluid out of end of the axle seal. Pushing the bike with engine off there was some sounds particularly backing up difficult to describe not really harsh but not good? I always do the maintenance as described by BMW? I was unaware they changed the service interval for the final drive to every 12K via service letter as some have suggested in old posts I've read? I will certainly change it more now? Toying with the idea of having old one rebuilt as a backup if it's not crazy expensive?

 

Thanks

John

Evening John

Service interval & lack of shavings in the gear oil have little to do with the 1200 wheel play or bearing noise.

The usual place of failure that gives you noise & wheel movement is a crown bearing failure. On the BMW 1200 hexhead bike that crown bearing doesn't run in the gear oil like on the BMW 1100/1150 bikes. It runs in it's own sealed chamber & is pre-greased so gear oil doesn't (shouldn't anyhow) get to it.

Difficult to tell what caused your bearing failure but from past experience I have seen it comes from both a poor BMW design & a stack up of tolerances that forces the bearing to operate in a too-tight condition.

That crown bearing is a press fit on the axle & a press fit in the housing cover so by design the axle needs to be machined perfectly to extremely tight tolerances, the hole in the cover needs to be machined perfectly to extremely tight tolerances, & the bearing needs to be built & sized perfectly (no float anywhere). Any of the 3 (or all of the 3) even slightly out of perfect then you get bearing failures.

Thanks for the reply DR,

So in your opinion I would be wasting my time rebuilding the original unit? If I am hearing you that specific unit would be prone to it happening again? Or is there something I can do to help prevent it reoccurring. I feel like this whole thing snuck up on me somehow as I was watching for it? Guess hard to complain as got 86K on that unit.

John