Home › Forums › Motorcycle Tech Talk › R1150XX pivot bearings
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Hmm, my pivot bearings are loose again. I can wiggle the rear wheel. This bike eats pivot bearings for breakfast. At Experience it's a $300 plus job and the bearings have only been lasting for about 15-20000km. A chain would be cheaper. I'd like to learn how to do it myself. Is there anyone here who has done this before and is willing to supervise while holding a beer? I usually do something stupid at the first attempt and a second pair of eyes should help to avoid this.
Anonymous
Guest27/08/2011 at 10:12 pmPost count: 2134I'd probably contribute another beer: this is a shining example of yet another piss-poor BMW design fault, the number of bikes it seems to affect.Beats me why they manage to sell the things, or why we like them.Later: Have you seen this guy's step-by-step, Alex? http://rvbprecision.com/motorcycles/bmw-pivot-bearing-replacement.html
Thanks for the link Bwucie. Looks like he is using the rubber chicken bronze bushings. I've just ordered a set of bearings. Hopefully I can source the loctite and the moly grease locally. I like the idea of using a threaded rod to help seat the bearings. I should have one of those at work. I think I'll do this job sooner rather than later. On Monday the bike will tick over to 150000km. To be fair, it has had no major issues, apart from a dodgy exhaust valve. I think this will be the fifth or sixth pivot bearing. I have had to install a new starter motor and a secondhand alternator. Other than that just regular service items. The shocks are desperate for a service. Most people don't keep their bike for long enough to need these repairs. But if you work out the dollar per km ratio, I think I am still ahead of guys who sell perfectly good bikes to get a new one. Depreciation is fierce on a new bike and BMWs are no exception. I think someone will buy my next bike fairly soon, so I can have a good deal in a couple of years time. Ideally and elderly gentlemen who has always wanted a 2012 R1200GS. I can live with a few scratches on the valve covers, saves me from adding them myself. ;D
My two cents, When you replace the bearings also replace the pins. I have done mine on the RS and the GS and have never used loctite. In my humble opinion a fine thread toqued up that tight wont come loose. Hasnt so far so I may be right. The risk with Loctite is you can end up pulling the thread out of the alloy housing. Especially if heat is applied also.I have lubed the threads on mine then assembled them, and they are still in there!!! A simple scribe line will tell you instantly if the pins have started to move.Adjustment of the bearings is critical. Ever noticed its the same for the front wheel bearings of Te Moto Ka? And how do we adjust them you arks? With a handpowered feelo meter ;D Go get some Moly 60 grease from the Honda (can I say that word here?) Shop and give the bearings some of that.Then drink beer ;D
Thanks, I'll take your advice. If the pivot pins show any wear I'll replace them as well. I don't know why mine keeps failing, this can't be normal. The bike should be able to handle a bit of gravel riding without thrashing a bearing every time.
They wont show wear but replace em anyway Koko, Its cheaper in the long run ;D
Alex buy your bearings from moto bins cheap as chips and easy to install. They will take about 6 days to get here and cost about $10 freight they just through them and an envelope. Not excessive packaging. If I remember rightly you tighten the inner pivot bolt to 4Nm then mark it and tighten the lock nut up I wouldn't worry about replacing the the pins unless they are showing real signs of wear just Loctite the bearings to the pins making sure they are fully seated on the pins. The standard bearings are easy as they can come out through the swingarm for removal when the need replacing. Heat will break the Loctite I have got a set of the Racing Chicken bush's in the Ruffy but would just use standard bearings in the future or make my own bush's.boGSer
They wont show wear but replace em anyway Koko, Its cheaper in the long run ;D
They often show wear, I've seen lots of them.
Alex buy your bearings from moto bins cheap as chips and easy to install. They will take about 6 days to get here and cost about $10 freight they just through them and an envelope. Not excessive packaging. If I remember rightly you tighten the inner pivot bolt to 4Nm then mark it and tighten the lock nut up I wouldn't worry about replacing the the pins unless they are showing real signs of wear just Loctite the bearings to the pins making sure they are fully seated on the pins. The standard bearings are easy as they can come out through the swingarm for removal when the need replacing. Heat will break the Loctite I have got a set of the Racing Chicken bush's in the Ruffy but would just use standard bearings in the future or make my own bush's.boGSer
Yep, Motobins is where I buy stuff as well. The manual mentions 7Nm, but that's neither here nor there. I think someone mentioned to tighten it to 9Nm and then back it off to 7. I guess that's hand tight at best. I have a couple of torque wrenches so I should be able to get into the ball park. So you would only loctite the bearings to the pins, but not loctite the thread. I suppose if they can't turn on the pins, they won't wear the pins.Thanks for your input, much appreciated
Yeah looked it up 7Nm is correct but don't overtighten as this could mark the bearing cup. you can get molly paste from Blackwoods / Paykels it used to be about 70% but they have updated back to 50% because it lubricates better and is not as dry. You could put a drop of loctite on the thread but not to much it just makes it to hard to remove next time. Its any easy job really.boGSer
Looks like it's all go, I am now actually looking forward to doing the job. I've also just realized that I should have posted this in Tech Talk. 🙂
Guest29/08/2011 at 3:23 amPost count: 2134Looks like it's all go, I am now actually looking forward to doing the job. I've also just realized that I should have posted this in Tech Talk. 🙂
I'll arrange that later, so I will. (Later: see, done! :P)My pavement only (normally) scooter seems to need this operation every 20 to 30 thousand klicks: I think I might mail order me some bushes for next time, they definitely make more sense to me in that application than roller bearings do.
Inactive29/08/2011 at 10:56 amPost count: 72All advice looks good to me from an engineering perspective, and for a threepence worth, as with any tapered bearing as one aproaches contact point when tightening. Move the housing through it's range to “feel” into place the bearings as you finally bring up to torque. This can finally seat the cups up to the shoulders and preventing readjustment further down the track.
Are you volunteering to hold the beer? 🙂
Having read all the above I had a check of mine on the R1100s with almost 80,000km on the clock. I could find no movement at all.How come some pivot bearings need replacing so often? I did however just have to fit new oil seals in the final drive. Oil was being thrown all over the back wheel. Really helps with grip on the corners ::)
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