BMW Rear-End Failures

[dcarver]

You gotta love it..

 

[Capt. Bob]

You gotta love it..

Especially the post on replacement every 200 miles. :black eye:

 

[wfooshee]

He says he picked up the bike for a proper first day of riding. Was this a new bike, or picked up used? He says the chain is new, though, so I'm thinking new.

So how does it show an old break on one side of the link that's well and truly oxidized? Was that thing delivered with a link split on one side?

At least the damage was minimal. My brother broke a chain once and the result was loss of all engine fluids due to missing case material.

 

[dcarver]

He says he picked up the bike for a proper first day of riding. Was this a new bike, or picked up used? He says the chain is new, though, so I'm thinking new.
So how does it show an old break on one side of the link that's well and truly oxidized? Was that thing delivered with a link split on one side?

At least the damage was minimal. My brother broke a chain once and the result was loss of all engine fluids due to missing case material.

Brand new bike. Brandy-new-Bmw rear chain (made in CZ)...

 

[Checkswrecks]

He says he picked up the bike for a proper first day of riding. Was this a new bike, or picked up used? He says the chain is new, though, so I'm thinking new.
So how does it show an old break on one side of the link that's well and truly oxidized? Was that thing delivered with a link split on one side?

At least the damage was minimal. My brother broke a chain once and the result was loss of all engine fluids due to missing case material.

I'm with you on this one. One side is an old break, so something is missing from this story.

 

[beemerdons]

dcarver: You're my buddy, don't make me go down to my basement and get on the short wave radio and call Berlin this AM.

Spreading so unhappy news of Der Finest Produkt von der Vaterland could bring Hans und Dieter to speak to you personally.

As soon as I finish breakfast, I'm putting Salma Hayek - my 2009 BMW F650GS Twin on her centerstand for a chain inspect!!

 

[El Toro]

I don't care what bike you take out, if you have four inches of chain slop and you whip it enough, you'll break the chain. This joker put what he called 200 miles of dirt riding on the bike without bothering to check the chain, and then it was adjusted for him by the dealer.

There's some things you're supposed to take care of for yourself, and one of them is to notice that your chain has four inches of slop in it. There had to be signs. I can tell when my chain is a half inch over just from the feel of the throttle response.

 

[El Toro]

One more thought on this. On my little BMW with the chain drive, what I notice is different compared to any other chain drive bike I've ever owned is that there is no castle nut and cotter pin on the rear axle. So if the axle nut is incorrectly torqued, it would be easy for it to loosen up and create the slack that this guy saw.

I don't know if his model has a castle nut and cotter pin or not, but if it does not, I would consider this to be a design flaw. (Don, you can report this to the Vaterland).

When I did the first adjustment on my Xmoto's chain, the axle nut broke free at about 30 ft lbs, and this was way below the actual spec.

It seems that there's a certain amount of mechanical knowledge that is necessary to successfully ride motorcyles.

 

[Neil San Diego]

"It's a feature."

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[beemerdons]

El Toro, mi amigo: You and Checkswrecks es richtig, there is something really fishy in this story. I firmly agree with you regarding the design flaw on BMW chain drives lacking a castle nut and cotter pin on the rear axle. Nein, ich verstehe nicht!

However, before leaving for Death Valley Daze mit AZ Beemers und Las Vegas FJR Forum on 1/23 I double-nutted the axle.

This guy had bats in his belfry running a chain with 4 inches of slop, must have been making a hell of a racket while riding!!!

Right on the chain guard on mi Salma is stamped 30 to 40 mm play (1.2-1.6 inches) with motorcycle unloaded on side stand.

Und der rear-wheel quick-release axle in swinging arm is to be torqued to 100 Nm (74 lb/ft). This Idiot es ein Dumm Kopf!!!

Have to radio BMW Berlin Anfuhrer; calling off Hans und Dieter from visiting Hondarosa; I'll report chain drive nut problems!