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03 K1200RS Fibal Drive/Crown Bearing check question


Bubbadozer

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In reviewing the service records from the original owner of my new RS with 71K miles, the most recent service notes state from the tech that the final drive/crown bearing might need replacing.

 

I cal the dealer and ask what does (might need replacing mean)? The service department advisor tells me that tech, or what ever doesn't work there anymore.

 

I am 3 hours away from the nearest BMW dealer or reputable BMW Independent mechanic. I pulled the wheel back and forth and didNOT observe any lateral play in the wheel. I spun the wheel and all I noticed was what sounded like brake pad drag, which is what I have heard from many other bikes I have owned.

 

I purchased a used final drive off of an 02 RS from Ebay with only 17K miles that has a 30 day warranty. I'm a week into the warranty and was wondering how to check it for wear/etc before the warranty expires.

 

I was wondering how difficult it will be to swap out final drives and to phase them, so as not to have an unbalanced connection.

 

Any information will be much appreciated.

 

Cheers,

Scott

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Dennis Andress

What's this "phase" thing your speak of? A final drive with only 17K miles would not have much noticeable wear. Your best bet would be to change it and then put some miles on before the 30-day warranty expires.

 

Be careful not to let the driveshaft slip off of the tranny output shaft. Putting it back on would suck. Check for oil in the swingarm from a leaking tranny or final drive seal. The driveshaft is rubber isolated. Gear oil will attack the rubber and eventually cause a driveshaft failure.

 

The first sign of impending bearing failure is the hard surface of the bearing braking up. If that has happened the magnetic drain plug will have hard chunks stuck to it. Drain the oil and wipe all of the goo stuck to the drain plug onto a clean rag. Look closely, maybe feel with your fingers too, for anything hard.

 

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Afternoon Bubbadozer

 

In reviewing the service records from the original owner of my new RS with 71K miles, the most recent service notes state from the tech that the final drive/crown bearing might need replacing.--No way to know for sure without talking to the tec but it could have been based on what came out with the old gear oil during a change.

 

I pulled the wheel back and forth and didNOT observe any lateral play in the wheel. I spun the wheel and all I noticed was what sounded like brake pad drag, which is what I have heard from many other bikes I have owned. --That is good news but isn't a conclusive test.

 

I purchased a used final drive off of an 02 RS from Ebay with only 17K miles that has a 30 day warranty. I'm a week into the warranty and was wondering how to check it for wear/etc before the warranty expires.--Unless you can tell if it has excess bearing play then about the only way to check is to take it apart & inspect.

 

I was wondering how difficult it will be to swap out final drives and to phase them, so as not to have an unbalanced connection.--Not difficult to do but does take some basic mechanical knowledge. As long as you don't pull the drive shaft apart then no phasing needed.

 

 

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