revtothelimit - motorbike forum

So BMW have told USA owners of certain models their driveshafts could be a bit meh! Anyone in UK been notified of this small problem?
https://www.advrider.com/bmw-will-repla ... iveshafts/

Fugly bikes and shit build too.

What’s the actual problem, shafts stripping their splines through lack of grease or something else ?

Drive shafts breaking. Know if one lad 57 plate GS whose shaft snapped smashed the swingarm and spat him off at 80 mph he survived with missing skin and broken fingers

Skub wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2024 1:41 pm Fugly bikes and shit build too.

Been that way for decades.

At a dealer training event when BMW were about to launch the F650 'Funduro', salesmen were asked to write potential selling points on a board.

One wrote "Legendary Italian build quality"

The really funny bit is that they had lower warranty claims than the German bikes

I had a recall letter ages ago.

It included a new page for the manual with a new service interval for replacing the 'cardan'.

I thinks it's every 60k km and BMW will do it for free for the life of the bike, there's also a new inspection interval of 20k km

KungFooBob wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2024 4:36 pm
I thinks it's every 20k (but it might be 40k, can't remember) miles and BMW will do it for free for the life of the bike.

Wow - that's a huge cost to them. But probably cheaper than a raft of injury and death claims ...

It edited before you posted

I found a photo I took of the letter.

Nice earner for dealerships. Can't see independent servicing workshops offering to do the same for free

Better check my mileage, can't be far off that.

Even more glad I ditched the GS for a Biffer, but was quite impressed with the service you get from BMW.

Gregor wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2024 1:55 pm What’s the actual problem, shafts stripping their splines through lack of grease or something else ?

It reassures me a bit that the Guzzi shaft is lubricated by oil. But then of course it can leak.

maccecht wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2024 3:00 pm Drive shafts breaking. Know if one lad 57 plate GS whose shaft snapped smashed the swingarm and spat him off at 80 mph he survived with missing skin and broken fingers

From what I can gather reading threads on ADVrider It sounds like the universal joints themselves are failing/ water ingress causing corrosion/ sudden extreme changes in load are causing failures.

I thought UJs were supposed to have grease nipples maybe that’s the issue

Originally BMW were saying it was pressure build up inside the shaft casings. As service they were drilling the cardan case and fitting a one way valve.

Which always seemed odd to me as the rubber gators where it hinges are hardly air tight.

I thought UJs were supposed to have grease nipples maybe that’s the issue

Yup, the UJ on my Guzzi V10 had grease nipples but the later Carc models didn't

Horse wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2024 3:08 pm

Skub wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2024 1:41 pm Fugly bikes and shit build too.

Been that way for decades.

At a dealer training event when BMW were about to launch the F650 'Funduro', salesmen were asked to write potential selling points on a board.

One wrote "Legendary Italian build quality"

The really funny bit is that they had lower warranty claims than the German bikes

The build quality of my g650gs wasn't that bad, but the engineering was bullshit. Imagine selling a bike to ride on the Geländerstraßen, with only a metal washer as a seal on the steering bearings and felt washers as seals on the swingarm bearings. And that's before we get to the electrics.

The /6 or /7 airheads were basically the final Beemers to live up to the quality expectations.

Standard equipment included a tyre pump, lock, puncture repair kit and first aid kit.

But they cost twice the price of the Japanese 'equivalent'.

Gregor wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2024 6:35 pm I thought UJs were supposed to have grease nipples maybe that’s the issue

BMW manage to make millions (literally) of cars with cardan shafts sans nipple just fine.

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Mon Dec 09, 2024 7:08 am

Gregor wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2024 6:35 pm I thought UJs were supposed to have grease nipples maybe that’s the issue

BMW manage to make millions (literally) of cars with cardan shafts sans nipple just fine.

And, to be fair, it's a long time since cars have had chain final drive

BMW seem to have gone downhill in a lot of ways since the advent of the R850/1100s. The paints started peeling and there have been multiple drivetrain issues, from collapsing bevel drive bearings to the plague of final drive oil seals leting go and killing clutches. The first of the 1200s had some gearbox issues too.

But despite this, they're still lots of BMWs out there with starship mileages and BMWs and Harleys are probably the only two bikes that have half decent residuals with high mileages?