Properly Servicing Shaft Final Drive on the BMW R1200GS

[@markhills3922]

by far the best video about the Beemer shaft service i have seen; there's nothing quite like an Aussie to cut through all the 'noise' and get to the point of getting the job done; other videos are 15 min plus and they make the job look so-much harder than it actually is; from one Aussie to another, Cheers!

[@TheBikeStig]

haha, thanks, I think its because my simple motor mechanics brain can't do complex stuff lol .. cheers mate

[@markhills3922]

@@TheBikeStig nothin' wrong with simple mate...i'll leave the 'complicated' stuff to all the 'experts' out there

[@hectorvara750]

I forgot to tell you that the BMW Service Advisor also told me that the splines are not lubed at the factory - years ago when I asked about this maintenance. (My bikes are a 2012 K1600GT and a 2014 R1200GS. ). You have inspired me to do this maintenance.

[@TheBikeStig]

haha, cool, yeah I do it every time I service the bike now, takes very little time to drop the diff and whack some grease on the splines

[@bm7760]

Just to say thank you for this video. Had exactly the same 'seized' issue as the bike featured. Crazy that BMW allow this to happen for want of a bit of grease. Anyway, with persistence and following your instructions it's now better than new. Thanks.

[@TheBikeStig]

cheers mate, glad I could help out

[@Tenerisius]

In the meanwhile, BMW recalled all the GS LC bikes till 2019 to proof the driveshaft and drill a drain hole on the driveshaft housing, and for bikes with more than 70.000km they replaced the driveshaft with a new one without a further question . (I live in Germany) Nice job to show the people to take care of their driveshaft in a way that BMW never does, but the grease type is wrong, the same procedure must be done on both sides of the driveshaft and the gear oil is not the right one. This is for cars that you used. This is not the end of the world, but you have to repeat the procedure more frequently. I did it twice already on my bike and drove about 80.000 km. Every 20.000km for the gear oil and about 40.0000km the spines and rubber boots cleaning and lubricating, depending if you ride a lot in the winter and wet environments. Now BMW changed my driveshaft with a new one.

[@TheBikeStig]

Yeah I had a chat with the BMW folks and they told me about the work they were now doing. And thanks for the heads up and advice, appreciate it.

[@jasonshortphd]

I just had this happen on my 1200RT. The rust in that final part was shocking! Thanks for the tips on getting off a rusted one, really helped me there.

[@TheBikeStig]

cheers mate

[@anthonywalcher1945]

Great video! I only wish I had viewed it prior to my power shaft u-joint breaking and damaging my final drive and swing arm three weeks ago. I've got a dealer serviced 2016 R1200gsa with 52,000 miles and sudden vibrations and intense clunking happened near Gunnison Colorado. After getting the bike back to Denver the dealer quoted me $7,336.06 USD for parts, freight and labor. Instead I got used parts off Ebay (drive shaft has 13k miles and both the FD and SA have about 5K) and did the maintenance with the help of a buddy. My total cost was $2,400. Still an expensive lesson but feel fortunate. I'm definitely a grateful subscriber to you now. -Tony

[@TheBikeStig]

Holy crap, thats a lot of money for repairs! I wish I had known this 20k kilometres back as well, fortunately I've not had any failures only a weird vibration that has since gone away. Cheers, safe riding mate.

[@Mckhuus]

@@TheBikeStig Weird Vibration (more a humming) (bike has 45,000KL and issue is in the last 5k) is what I have on my 2017GS. Trying to work out what it could be, happens around 70KPH and goes away when I clutch it. I have two sets of wheels so I can swap them over, so it's not the tires. I'm thinking rear bearings maybe?

[@TheBikeStig]

@@Mckhuus no idea mate, I would do an oil replacement in the diff if it was me to see (a) if it's got sufficient oil, and (b) to make sure there's no metal in there. replace the oil with a decent high quality diff oil. Find nothing, I would take it to a workshop and have them do a check. Sorry got nothing more than that mate.

[@rumien1383]

Good man 👍🏻. Dealerships are a bloody ripoff. Wishing you many more happy miles. 🍺

[@TheBikeStig]

@@rumien1383 back at you mate

[@ElementofKindness]

I was so relieved when the shaft splines weren't seized on an '07 that I'm restoring. Especially considering not knowing the service history, and the amount of dirt I discovered up inside the housing hole. Small victories are huge, for certain aspects of these bikes! 😄

[@TheBikeStig]

that's cool, I get a sense this is a rarity with these things rather than the norm. Enjoy the restoration.

[@CLLUK]

Phew!! Thank you so so much for this video. I have just purchased a 2019 R1250GS with 11,000 miles and as it out of warranty the first thing I am doing is a complete service which includes the lubing of the drive shaft splines I have heard so much about (my 1st GS). Well, attempting to drop the final drive gearbox I realised it wasn't falling back and down (like all those DIY videos I have been looking at) PANIC!! Realising the drive shaft had sort or seized into the G/B spline I decided the only way to get this undone was to remove drive shaft and G/B from the bike. I remove that large mother M12 bolt but still doesn't come out. So I thought I have to remove the Circlip on the other side (so just ordered a pair of circlip plies) AND THEN........ I cam across your video THANK YOU!!! Tomorrow morning I will just push out that collar and try and repeat what you did! Thanks again PHEW!!

[@TheBikeStig]

You're welcome mate, glad I could provide some advice from my own experience.

[@androidemulator6952]

Buying an old 2005 GS - thanks for your informative video. Cheers mate !

[@TheBikeStig]

glad it might help mate, cheers

[@koendelvaux]

The correct torque spec for brake caliper to final drive is 24Nm. 38Nm is the spec for the M10 bolts on the front caliper and would shear the M8 bolts of the rear caliper.

[@TheBikeStig]

cheers mate, appreciate the information

[@briand4000]

PB Blaster penetrating oil is good stuff. If that doesn't get it, the drift punch as you show is plan B, and the nuclear option is torch heat. It'll come off. BMW is now offering a driveshaft replacement campaign for all the wet head R1200/1250 bikes. I fully expect some dealers will play dumb and will have to be "educated". Great video...short, concise and accurate.

[@TheBikeStig]

cheers mate, yeah I heard about the campaign, they rang me and asked if I was bringing it in ... told em I'd already fixed it.

[@briand4000]

I just pulled the trigger on one of the aftermarket, rebuildable universal joint drive shafts. Now I won't have to deal with the substandard BMW part, just lube and rebuild the new shaft if it ever needs it. Spendy part ($750) but it's worth it to me. I just have no trust in maintenance shops anymore and dealing with dealer nonsense.@@TheBikeStig

[@TheBikeStig]

@@briand4000 wow, didn't even know you could do that

[@StevenJones-ek8hy]

Awesome.... thank you. This has been my go too clip to do a rear gaiter change. Torque rates etc. Brilliant

[@TheBikeStig]

hey mate, thanks for watching, glad it helped you.

[@jamesrufer3036]

Thanks your video was very helpful I have 2018 1200 GS only 8000 miles and final Drive splines were frozen,hard to believe they are not lubed at the factory. Thanks again.

[@TheBikeStig]

crazy isn't it, I love the bike but it's this one thing they have not fixed. Cheers mate

[@LinearElasticity]

Bloody good explanation - keep up the good work 👍

[@TheBikeStig]

thanks mate

[@ohdeesa]

Thanks for a great video! I have used it several times over the past years to perform this maintenance chore. Today, however, I am having a very hard time getting the front yoke of the driveshaft onto the spline of the transmission output shaft. Don't know what I am doing wrong, but when I reviewed your video you just say to reinstall it, with no further advice... just do it! Guess I will have to find some other video for help with this problem. Thanks again.

[@TheBikeStig]

yeah sorry mate, I've never really had any issues getting it back in, I poke a screwdriver through the frame to lift the shaft up to align it and it seems to work ok

[@NoName-ds5uq]

Thanks mate, looks straightforward! I’m planning to do that with my 2016 R1200R soon.

[@TheBikeStig]

Cheers mate, I forgot this set up is on more than just the GS bikes.

[@thewelder9492]

Man thanks for the video. I’ll be tackling a 2018 RT. Just getting items together. I might as well pull the drive shaft out. Dreading trying to get shaft back on lol. Seen enough videos, it’s doable. It’s winter here in northern Alberta, so perfect time to do this. Thanks for the info

[@TheBikeStig]

go for it mate, funny thing is I never had any problems at all getting the shaft back in. All I did was make sure the end was parallel with the shaft it was going onto and wallah, slipped on easily. Have done it a number of times. Have fun :-)

[@thewelder9492]

@@TheBikeStig Everything went smooth till I found out the drive shaft is “welded” aka rusted onto the rear drive. There was water in the swing arm. U joint was rusted. Ugh. Warranty finished in October. I parked her in October for the Canadian winter. I’ll get some penetrant and try soaking her. A bit of “normal” rusting at transmission output. There was no factory moly on the splines. And very little sealant around the boots. Positive note: rear brakes look thin so I will order new ones all around lol.

[@TheBikeStig]

@@thewelder9492 I feel for you mate, it's a friggin nightmare that could be so easily avoided if we only knew about it beforehand. Good luck with it mate

[@stevericci3308]

excellent video, I just picked up one and this is the 1st thing I will do

[@TheBikeStig]

worth doing, cheers

[@hectorvara750]

Great video, thank you. I inquired some time ago with my local dealer about service on the splines of the final drive and they told me at that time no service is required. I always thought that was odd and not correct. Since, I believe BMW has come out with a different view.

[@TheBikeStig]

yep, they got that wrong, I grease the splines now every time I service the bike.

[@alanrichardson1672]

You used the wrong grease for the spline 😮

[@TheBikeStig]

thanks for that mate, yep I got the message from a bunch of people, all fixed now lol. I might put a reference in the notes.

[@scottsarchitecturehildebra1761]

Excellent video, thanks for torque specifications!!!

[@TheBikeStig]

cheers mate, advice to me is I didn't get all of them correct, still worth checking the book for the settings just to be sure :-)

[@bradb2514]

Fantastic video. Well done. Subscribed!

[@TheBikeStig]

Thanks mate

[@Titan500J]

I did this maintenance on my 05 GS 1200, it took about 1.5 hrs being my 1st time.

[@TheBikeStig]

fantastic, not such a big deal when its kept maintained

[@dgomes265]

Well done, Interestingly, you use the waterproof grease on the splines where most BMW guys use a Moly or the bearing grease for the splines.

[@TheBikeStig]

cheers mate, yep I got told off by a few people about that, I ended getting a more appropriate grease as per recommendations that I have since used on the splines.

[@Lost1Byte]

Thank you so much. This helped me greatly for servicing my Final Drive. Cheers!

[@motocomfort_de]

The video is full of mistakes!!

[@Lt_Tragg]

I don't know about the 1200's onwards but rest assured, the 1150 series had huge failure rates from clutch splines all the way to the rear main bearing. I was lucky, my GS was good until I sold at 90k mi with only having to do a retorque of swing arm pivot. My g/f, not so much, her clutch splines failed at 33k. There was a thread on advrider some years ago and the respondents reports of 1150 driveline failures was over 25%. I'm on a Super Tenere now and g/f on F650GS; much more reliable and easier to live with and maintain.

[@TheBikeStig]

Really, i never knew that, I've heard of a few 1200 failures but I had a feeling it was because of poor maintenance, and this obvious failure to grease and service at the factory. I know I keep my eye (and ear) on it now.

[@timsbike4887]

DONT use this grease people! Its a $5 grease better suited to the garden gate hinge. You want Staburags NBU 30 PTM or similar that is more like $200 for the same amount. Thankfully you can buy the tiny amount needed on ebay . Its a very high pressure application and you dont want to be replacing the unit because of ware. Think twice also before running a thick gear oil. Ok for low speed and when hot but a thinner oil will take heat out of the gears better and flow into them better when cold. Basically just use what BMW recommend and not this vid.

[@jeffkeni]

Well done!

[@thundergrayF56]

Thank you. Good video. I have new 2021 RS with 20k Miles I saw how bad it was rusted. lucky not as rusted as this example. I was thinking about drilling drain holes. the whole tail was full of water. Not sure if it was from rains or what being a street bike. I think next time I will pull the whole unit and clean off all the rust like you did. all I did was add lots of grease.

[@timothyherweynen6210]

Excellent explanation, thank you! 👍🏻

[@TheBikeStig]

hope it helped mate

[@davidtop6242]

You should use high % MoS2 grease to lubricate the splines.

[@TheBikeStig]

cheers mate, thanks for the advice

[@henryarn]

great video, its very detailed. Please tell me how much time would it take to complete this procedure. I am also interested in GS and would like to do this myself, Thank you again sir.

[@TheBikeStig]

doesn't take that long really, I can't tell you exactly how long but if it's not seized onto the spline it's not that big a job to drop the diff down and grease it.

[@outlander5678]

Tq good Info and knowledge.

[@TheBikeStig]

Cheers mate

[@johnbrookes4885]

Great vid and extremely helpful, thank you 👍

[@TheBikeStig]

cheers mate, interestingly BMW have initiated a check of the final drive because of this ... they offer it here in Australia when someone brings the bike in for a service at no charge. I think the problems with rusted splines is so common they're finally doing something about it.

[@franksikes1195]

I've seen lots of videos on lubing the final drive splines, but why do I not see videos that include the transmission end splines. Isn't that equally important?

[@TheBikeStig]

definitely agree, I guess its because that's not the end with the problem. I know I lube both ends.

[@stanm2.0]

Very good video....thanks

[@TheBikeStig]

cheers mate

[@davebader35]

Gday mate. Excellent work very knowledgeable 💯

[@TheBikeStig]

cheers mate, hope it helps

[@lovinglife3675]

Absolute GOLD 🙏 thanks again

[@TheBikeStig]

cheers mate

[@bradb2514]

I’m watching this again for a refresher. So very helpful. One thought…Once the driveshaft is removed and lubed, does the rear part of the driveshaft have to meet up with the front half of the driveshaft in any particular way? In other words, do the splines have to be keyed to each other exactly the same? I keep reading about “phasing” and I don’t really understand it. I’m not sure if this is something we worry about here. Thanks!

[@TheBikeStig]

Hey Brad, I am not the expert on this. However I do know that the phasing of the shaft relates to the phasing of the universal joints and yokes. And provided you do not split the drive shaft and it is left set up as it was from the factory, you won't have any problems or what they refer to as secondary vibrations. The shafts out of the gear box and the final drive are straight forward rotating shafts that are not a part of this phasing issue. There are plenty of articles out there about this, check this simple one out - www.drivelinesnw.com/part-trouble-shooting/vibration-analysis/phasing/

[@bradb2514]

Ok, that makes sense. Thanks for holding my hand during this brief moment of panic! 😜

[@TheBikeStig]

@@bradb2514 haha, cheers mate

[@tanguyadriaenssen9755]

You should be using high moly spline lube on the splines, not just waterproof grease.

[@TheBikeStig]

I actually changed to the grease recommended by some people in the know, for the life of me I can't remember it but once I get it from the shed ill confirm which one it is. Cheers mate

[@DEA-vy4bh]

This is a great video regarding the Shaft Drive. I own a 1300s and I want to service mine as whell. Don't you do the front part? I think the front part is very difficult because of two wires that run by the booth. Or is it ok to just only clean the tale of the drive?

[@TheBikeStig]

You're right, and yes I actually did do the front part. The reason only the back end is covered here is because that's where the problem is and it gets rusted onto the spline. Cheers mate

[@d1daveoh]

Great video! thanks. I had the same problem. I put some WD40 on the stuck spine as soon as there was access. Once I had the differential loose and started to pull it away from the bike the drive shaft popped free. Just as well as the pivot bearing looked like it needed fresh grease. I use high moly Loctite grease and silicon paste to seal the rubber boots. In the future I plan to check the drive line splines and drive shaft universals every time I change the differential oil.

[@TheBikeStig]

Good stuff, good move with the servicing too … i do the checks every time now myself.

[@WiekingderViking]

The word is siliconE.

[@cdrseabee]

Shouldn't you use high temp moly grease on the splines like honda77? Lithium grease on the boots.

[@TheBikeStig]

thats a fair question, I am not sure the high temperature grease is necessary on this given it's not a high temperature component, I believe water proofing is the bigger issue. I checked mine after 10k kilometres and no issues at all.

[@motocomfort_de]

@@TheBikeStig It is absolutely necessary to use molybdenum paste! I can't believe that someone makes such a video and doesn't even know the basics and what BMW recommends.

[@TheBikeStig]

@@motocomfort_de thanks

[@wadeblake3451]

I appreciate this video. I found your video particularly informative and instructive. I had a hell of a time lining up the front end of the drive shaft with the front spline on my 2018 RT. Any insights on how to get that front of the drive shaft onto the gear box spline would be greatly appreciated 😐

[@kanaisk]

Great and informative video…. Subbed.👍☘️

[@TheBikeStig]

cheers mate, thanks

[@tomlong957]

Excellent video

[@TheBikeStig]

cheers mate

[@TuzzaB]

Awesome video and very well explained, thanks. The driveshaft you show in your vid is a shaft with the uni's phased as you would normally expect (parallel) my driveshaft, which was rusted at the diff end the same as yours, is phased out of normal alignment by 45 degrees. Another shaft I have seen is the same as mine, how is yours phased, or has mine been shock loaded out of alignment through the cush drive? Thanks again.

[@TheBikeStig]

wow, you got me there mate, I am not that technically knowledgeable unfortunately. the shaft on mine is the stock one that came on the bike and I never took notice of uni phasing ... sorry about that

[@szymonbrociek6474]

How about front end (gearbox side) of the shaft? Does it not need cleaning and grease applied at thew same time?

[@TheBikeStig]

Yep, I didn't focus on it in this video but I do both ends when I do a service. I see BMW has a full campaign to check these shafts now, seems the problem is now recognised.

[@kevinroberts2395]

Your videos are always concise, clear and informative. Off topic, but I'm new to the BMW brand and wondering if a 'clunky' gearbox is normal? Selecting 1st while stationary is embarrassing, not to mention the changes up and down to 3rd is just awful, both with clutch or quickshifter. 3rd to 6th is fine, in both directions. Any hints?

[@TheBikeStig]

haha, yep that clunkyness seems to be a part of the GS ... I know the later bikes 2018 onwards are better as is the quick shifter on those models. I only use the quick shifter from 3rd gear upwards and know it seems to be good at lower revs than higher revs. I avoid 2nd to 1st downshift with the quick shifter, its horrendous ... that said, I do love the GS

[@markh3629]

Try selecting 1st immediately the engine fires on startup. It doesn't help if for some reason you need to select neutral for a while when stationary with the engine running, but will save embarrassment in startup situations. For unassisted gear changes, always preload the clutch lever then preload the gear lever; the gear lever will slip quietly through as soon as you dab the clutch. And for 'manual' down-shifts, always blip the engine to match the revs.

[@afhostie]

Anything special with getting the shaft onto the gearbox side?

[@TheBikeStig]

I didn't have too much trouble, just aligned the shaft by lifting it with a screwdriver from the side and in it went. Ive had it out multiple times and no issues.

[@daithimurphy1832]

Amazing and to think a buyer wouldn't entertain a bike that doesn't have a dealer service history 🤔do all your own maintenance people,then you know it has actually been done

[@TheBikeStig]

yeah crazy ay

[@listairgin]

Great video! Thank you so very much. 🌌🌅🌠👌🏻

[@TheBikeStig]

cheers mate, hope it helps

[@geoffseed6593]

Fantastic video. Just wondering if there were any symptoms beforehand? Did gear changes improve afterwards?

[@TheBikeStig]

Thanks mate, yeah I started to hear something that wasn't right. It didn't affect gear changes but I know the differential works much better after doing this lubrication and an oil change.

[@stephenparsons5039]

Confused with the gl5 oil rated gear oil , my dealer says it should be gl3 rated 75w/90 ?

[@TheBikeStig]

yeah mate, I'd go with what the dealer says, I've seen multiple opinions on what oil ... I chose to run a Penrite GL5 fully synthetic oil 80W-140 gear oil and it has been perfect for over 15,000 ks now.

[@dylanrichards9984]

Very useful video, cheers

[@thomasbednar7475]

The dealership did a great job...of billing for service that was never performed.

[@Tenerisius]

They never had this service on their scedule.

[@TheBikeStig]

I think they are on to this now at the dealerships, I noticed a recent check on all models coming through to fix what ended up being a super common problem

[@philipgriffin7136]

Thanks for a really helpful video, I have same problem, a stuck final drive. Are you able to remove the boot with the driveshaft attached, even the boot seems tight?

[@TheBikeStig]

I think you can do that, as long as the final drive is removed from the swing arm then it should be removable. I have a torn one and just got a replacement, so I have to replace mine now too.

[@philipgriffin7136]

@@TheBikeStig thanks for reply, I got the boot off, but despite heating and good amount of force with a cold chisel and slide hammer it's not moving, letting it sit with some penetrating oil, I'm guessing it's going to be a bit of a workout getting them apart, how long did it take you? Finding it difficult to place drift on top of driveshaft as not wanting to put any force through uj joint itself, any tips? Bit of a nightmare job, no idea why it's not on service schedule as really a half hour job when free.

[@TheBikeStig]

@@philipgriffin7136 yeah its a goddam shit fight when it seizes on. I used a brass drift and found a hole though which I could hit onto the top of the shaft. I did a bit of the same, let penetrating fluid sit for a while. I agree with you, how could this not be a service item list.

[@ohdirtracer]

Thank you very much! My 2019 RT with 6,000 miles has this very issue. 😡😡

[@TheBikeStig]

cheers mate, BMW are now doing something about the issue I believe, next time you go to BMW ask them about it

[@Life.rider79]

Thank you very much. Great Video:) What is the period of checking the FD according to your experience unless you do river crossing etc.

[@TheBikeStig]

I'm into servicing the FD every time I do an oil change on the engine. For me it's pretty much a matter of changing the oil, and making sure the splines are lubed. I know I tend to do my oil changes more frequently than other people.

[@raimzmoto]

Awesome video!!! I have the same problem and no wd40 is helping. Shaft is solid tot he final drive splines!!! Could you explain a little more how you managed to release it??

[@TheBikeStig]

Yeah its a problem.

[@gixer08]

Hi Ramon , I have the same issue with my GS , did you ever get yours released and if so how did you manage it ? Thanks

[@raimzmoto]

@@gixer08 unfortunately no. I ended up taking the shaft and final drove all as one piece and showed the dealership. This os caused by water in the tunnel not being able to exit, a recall situation that's ongoing, so they gave me a new shaft, fibal drive and boot

[@gixer08]

@@raimzmoto do you mind me asking if the bike was under warranty? Mine still has a couple of months left but I thought if I took the shaft and hub back to the dealer they wouldn't honour the replacement as I'd taken it apart myself

[@raimzmoto]

@@gixer08 yep I was still up for warranty, but that error is on bmws bill as a recall!!! It's shouldn't matter if you took it apart or not! And of that's the case then put it back on and take ot there. I just took the part and they replaced it. You taking it apart has no effect on it being rusted together. It's their fault and they need to honor it. No only that but do the test and place the drain on the tunnel afterwards.

[@wildwoodovensbbqs]

Nice job mate!

[@TheBikeStig]

Thanks mate

[@zeusjuice70]

On the average, how often do I need to service?

[@TheBikeStig]

It's only my opinion but it will depend on how you use it. If you do a lot of off road, then I'd be looking every time I do a service. If note, maybe annually. thats only my thoughts.

[@mikescott9213]

How often would you need to do this service?

[@TheBikeStig]

I don't know what the standard is as this is not a serviced item on the bike if you follow the service manual. I drop the diff when I service the bike every time now and grease the spline. Have not had an issue since I started doing that.

[@mikescott9213]

Thanks. I don't own one but have been thinking about getting one

[@keyboarddancers7751]

Years ago I had a Suzuki GS 650 Katana. Kept it as my sole transport (summer and winter) for 6 years. I changed the shaft drive oil once. BMW should hang their heads over such a fundamental design issue.

[@TheBikeStig]

I agree, funny thing is they recommend a particular grease for this but I can't see any evidence they actually put some on it.

[@fritzf0001]

I had a 2005 GS for 15 years, never serviced the shaft, did not know it was needed. No problems with it untill a wrote of the bike ion an accident. Now busy buying another GS. Will definitely service the drive shaft yearly with the service.

[@TheBikeStig]

@@fritzf0001 we all learn this one the hard way, I am still at a loss to understand why it isn't serviced at dealers.

[@jimwms1able]

What about the other end of the drive shaft? Is that usually needed as well or is it not because it is closest to the engine and less chance for water? Thanks

[@TheBikeStig]

I'm not sure why, but I think you hit it on the head ... it doesn't seem to get the same level of corrosion because there's less chance of water getting, mine was perfect as was the front end of the shaft for everyone I know. I did grease it though.

[@naemrohman587]

great video. thank you

[@TheBikeStig]

no worries mate, hope it helped

[@colincollier5107]

Hi. Thanks for the video. I'm not technical - so sorry if this is a dumb question. My 21,000 mile 2015 GS rear drive bearings have failed and I have been sent a picture of a rusted shaft drive which apparently also needs replacing. It looks like the rear drive/shaft drive part of the bike is badly designed and the service regime does not stipulate checking or greasing. BMW Motorrad Munich does not want to support me - which I think is ducking their obligations . My (dumb?) question is what is the impact of a rusted final drive? Apart from it being rusted - and even rusted to the rear drive, can this cause any other failures - or is it just a nice to have?

[@TheBikeStig]

yeah it sucks they don't have this as part of normal maintenance. I'm not really qualified to comment about this, I do know that some noise has gone away on mine after I freed it up and greased it. Could it contribute to other failures including bearing failure, im not sure mate but I'd rather have it sliding freely. Sorry im not much help mate.

[@MichaelKallelisOn2Wheels]

A bit out of my realm here, but splined shafts are designed to "ride" in and out of the female yoke. When the swing arm flexes the spline allow it to move in and out, as needed, to relieve stress. If it's rusted and frozen, the movement cannot occur and eventually there will be a failure of the yoke or splined shaft. This is the same with any rear differential splined shaft, in cars, trucks, or motorcycles.

[@markh3629]

@@MichaelKallelisOn2Wheels In theory, the Paralever design means the splines do not move with suspension movement. I suspect, though, that given the parallelogram isn't perfectly manufactured, there would be some tiny movement required to avoid all stresses

[@memewizard8372]

Torque at 5:56 is 56nm, not 60nm, and loctite 271/high strength

[@TheBikeStig]

thanks for the advice mate, appreciate it

[@felixhauser9948]

Could you give a little more detail on how to remove the shaft from the final drive spline?? Mine is stuck too and even with a heat gun and plenty of WD40 it doesn't budge a single bit. Did you use some penetration oil?, did you heat? how hard do you have to hit? I'm afraid to damage the final drive if I hit too hard

[@TheBikeStig]

I ended up using a brass drift. I was able to poke it through an opening and positioned it so that I could hit on the end of the drive shaft and push it off the differential spline. I ended up hitting it quite hard but once it moved all was good. I didn't use any penetration spray but maybe it would help. Once it moves a bit it should move easily after that. When you do get it off, make sure you really clean it good with wire brushes.

[@felixhauser9948]

@@TheBikeStig Thanks a lot for your reply. I also finally managed to pull it out, but it took me 3 days of hammering with a steel drift. For the first 2 days it didn’t budge. I finally left the assembly in the freezer overnight and the morning after I heated the drive shaft with a small propane torch. It was not easy. Bad news is that the yoke on the final drive end got damaged after all the hitting. In one of the directions doesn‘t move freely and one can feel frictions…

[@TheBikeStig]

@@felixhauser9948 wow, real rusted on ay, thats crazy. Glad you finally got it off mate.

[@markh3629]

I wonder what hammering does to the rear drive input shaft bearing races. 😬

[@therock8610]

Domanda Vedo che molti usano olio cardano 80w140....altri 75w90....come mai ? Non dovrebbe essere una gradazione sola ?

[@TheBikeStig]

Non so abbastanza su questa roba amico, sto ricordando il mio nome in questi giorni lol

[@kevinraabe457]

What year is that bike and how many miles are on it if I may ask? Thanks

[@TheBikeStig]

this is a 2015 triple black (December 2015) ... It now has 35,000 kms on it, had around 25,000 on it when I did this work

[@wrigman]

Good video! The only thing I miss(because the propshaft isn’t rusted to the final drive) is the pivot bearing. Guess I have to get on this! The bike has 63,000 miles on it.......😮

[@TheBikeStig]

yep, get on it mate

[@tanguyadriaenssen9755]

Dealerships suck! They’ll do the minimum and charge the maximum! You want it done right, do it yourself!

[@TheBikeStig]

I can't argue with you on that one 🙂

[@SeanRuddy-z7l]

BMW now has a maintenance recall as of Oct 2023 that requires the shaft to be replaced every 36k miles! Under warranty! See your dealer for details

[@TheBikeStig]

thanks mate, yeah I saw something about that

[@TheDervMan]

Great stuff, thanks for sharing :-)

[@TheBikeStig]

Hey not a problem mate, hope its useful to you

[@Jungleland33]

BMW again! How come this doesn't surprise me anymore?

[@TheBikeStig]

I noticed they have now finally picked up on the problem and are doing a campaign to fix it.

[@DunateoRom8v37]

Love your chinese safety boots

[@motocomfort_de]

Wrong oil (70W-80 Hypo), wrong grease for the splines (Castrol Molub-Alloy Paste TA), wrong NM (56) for the main torx screw on the Paralever and forgotten to fix it with green Loctite. Never grease the rubber parts facing the Final Drive. No blue Loctite used to fix the rear break caliper torx and absolutely wrong NM (24). No word how to reinstall and fix the Cardan Shaft on the upper splines. And so on and so forth. Sorry, but I don't recommend to follow your wrong and incomplete instructions.

[@timphoto83ec]

I was wondering about the shaft being out of balance if it dosnt go back the way it came out. Do you know if these are balanced shafts like a car?

[@motocomfort_de]

@@timphoto83ec They are, but with a simple cardan drive, especially with larger articulation angles, a uniform power transmission is not possible, since the angular speed of the drive axis with respect to the output axis is subject to a periodic fluctuation. That's what the Paralever is for. The Paralever system, which combines the tasks of rear wheel guidance and power transmission, largely eliminates the forces induced by the cardan drive. Reinstallation can be difficult. This is due to the tightness of the cardan tunnel and the location of the upper splines.

[@TheBikeStig]

I appreciate the advice and you sharing your knowledge mate.

[@ownyourworld]

Always grease your shaft 🙃

[@TheBikeStig]

haha, wish I'd thought of that

[@dcxplant]

The boots are ridiculous. They need a hose clamp setup to keep them sealed properly. All of this nonsense is because of a cheap piece of rubber. Unreal this is happening to motorcycles costing around $25,000 US dollars. Completely mental.

[@TheBikeStig]

it's strange, thats for sure

[@philipp2258]

🤦‍♂️👎🏻

[@roadwarrior8560]

What a bad design.

[@TheBikeStig]

yeah its interesting, yet its been around for a long time now. The upside is its pretty easy to service the pieces of the drive train including the tail shaft.

[@doofwop]

Not a bad design. Just no lube and no specific instruction to apply lube. If lubed, it's a fine design.

[@zoleezolee5419]

No 38NM better 24NM ☝🏽☝🏽☝🏽

[@Lost1Byte]

Thank you so much. This helped me greatly for servicing my Final Drive. Cheers!

[@TheBikeStig]

awesome, glad to help out mate