BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Rather than resurrect an older Suzuki, I bought a 2004 r1150ra kind of on the spur of the moment when I saw one for a good price, about 25k miles. I had been interested in BMW's before, so jumped at a good deal.

Now I'm reading somewhat disturbing things about these models, and am wondering what the real likelihood of some of these happening are. I had always believed BMW's were well engineered and largely quite reliable.

One such item I've read about on this forum is the clutch spline problem - does that occur mainly from over zealous riding, or does it occur without abusing it?

Also, when did BMW start installing the 2 stage ABS modulator? Sounds like those are less prone to problems, I'm hoping that's what I've got.

And the final drive seal and bearing, what are the primary symptoms and it sounds like I maybe should change the oil and check the plug. I'm a big believer in synthetics from personal experience in both automotive and heavy equipment use, what's the consensus on that in these final drives?

What else should I watch for, such as the coil packs, etc?

I've already got a factory service manual - I do as much of my own work as I can on all my vehicles and am an old hot rodder, so will tackle just about anything that doesn't absolutely require some special service tool.

Thanks for any tips!

Clutch spline - no fault cause discovered yet but leans heavily toward poor metallurgy of the hub, misalignment at the factory between the engine block and the transmission bell housing resulting in axial misalignment of the crankshaft to the transmission input shaft of greater than 0.003". Despite what you might read, fewer than 0.1 percent cases so far. Sucks if it is you.

Final drives - two faults: crown bearing destruction due to faulty parts/poor shimming and failed seals. 3-5% of all models (older K and R mostly GS, RT, LT). Primary symptom is metal shavings on the drain plug, play in the rear wheel at rest, some give a grinding warning just before failure. Synthetics are the way to go.

Clutch slave cylinder - weeps, seeps, leaks, fouls clutch face and loss of function. Mostly due to long intervals between fluid bleed but also exacerbated by a design that pools corrosive fluid at a low point in the system. Happens but no true numbers of how many.

Stick coils on the dual sparks show signs of wear and need replacement at odd intervals - again no big numbers yet, but they are starting to get discussed. Hall sensors (and exposed ground wires) get fritzed for no reason with no warning. Some models handle various gas blends poorly.

EVO integral ABS with servo assist and partially linked brakes is what you have. All models through 02/2006 for the R1150RA. FAQ entry: http://r1150r.org/board/viewtopic.php?f ... 69#p118869

Wear and tear items, battery service and replacement, tires, valve adjustments, throttle body syncs.... all user servicable.

Do remember that these are longitudinal crank, dry clutch, tractor transmission, driveshaft powered, single swing arm supported bikes. They ride and shift differently than a wet clutch, cassette transmission, chain drive bike. Even if you did not get the memo, it pays to adjust your riding, shifting style accordingly.

Also watch out for Rider Fatigue because you will enjoy the bike so much you will spend hours in the saddle.

Croc

I clicked over 29000 miles yesterday on my 04 1150R/ABS, so far, no failures. I am disturbed by the clutch spline issue, I can only hope I'm not one of the unlucky ones who have had a problem, since I love riding this machine so much. I have had my fair share of motorcycles over the last 40 years, and plan to keep this one a long time. It is a keeper.
Don

Just ride the stink out of it and enjoy it. Any vehicle can have problems, so don't worry and deal with the problems if/when they occur.

Yeah, ride the stink out of it. Love that statement. The sentiment related to the spline issue and final drive has put a bit of a damper on the overall perception of the bike but does seem to be 'as of late' and not necessarily characteristic of the community. There's more positive than negative sentiment overall. Mikecam, I hate to push because I value all you're threads but where did you get the .01% on the spline issue? Was that just a way of saying that chances are slim or is that a real percentage?

New BMW owner, 2004 1150ra, 25k miles, what to expect?

Hmm...Lack of free time because you'll want to keep riding as much as you can. If you're married, you can expect your wife to be upset since she'll see less of you (unless she likes to ride). Expect to thoroughly enjoy the bike (unless you have one with a problem area). As for the problems, I'd ride it since there's really no telling if one of those ugly problems will rear it's head. My '04 R1150Ra (with ABS) hasn't had any major problems (minus a plug coil going bad around 38k miles) to speak of in the 64,000 miles it's nearing.

Just ride and enjoy the bike. If a problem pops up, then figure the best way to deal with it in your situation.

Fewer than 40 of 40,000 U.S. production.

Note: I edited the percent....damn, math conversions are hard.

MikeCam wrote: Final drives - two faults: crown bearing destruction due to faulty parts/poor shimming and failed seals. 3-5% of all models (older K and R mostly GS, RT, LT). Primary symptom is metal shavings on the drain plug, play in the rear wheel at rest, some give a grinding warning just before failure. Synthetics are the way to go.

Try to avoid the 75-140 oil in the FD, some of the wrenches on the MOA board are recommending using the 80-90 dino, or the 75-90 synth. They think that the 75-140 is too thick.

Howdy new rider. I too am new to the beemer and found a low mile 02 model a few months ago and I've put over 6000 brutal mountain twisties miles on mine before I even heard of the failure problem on some bikes. I was alset to throw down on a new 1200 when it dawned on me, these bikes are not all lemons and people do their own maintenance sometimes and all sorts of things can lead to problems.

I decided to just keep going to the dealer , I have two good ones to choose from and get the scheduled maintenance down , ride it like I stole it, and depend on the BMW legendary performance to give me a good season . If it breaks I am out less money than I'd lose driving the new one off the lot and will still have enough parts to sell to buy a nice rice rocket.

I think reading this and the many other forums is a great way to get to know potential friends and learn about the bikes but it also can foster paranoia about potential problems. If the Bikes were as bad as all that you couldn't give them away. So that is just one newbee to another.

Let's ride..................... Push it off a mountain if it breaks down and go buy another one.

MikeCam wrote:Fewer than 40 of 40,000 U.S. production.

This is pure speculation. Nobody knows the real numbers... which is part of the frustration.

Thanks so much for all the replies!!

Nothing like first hand experience, which is why I asked.

Also very good to hear that these problems seem to strike a
small % of the bikes, restores my perception of a well engineered,
reliable bike which is why I bought it in the first place.

I'm 61 years old and have most of the "hot rodder" aged out of me,
so now just looking for a sporty cruiser which is what I've read about
this particular model. Thanks for all that encouragement!

I would tend to agree with using 75-90 synth in the FD rather than
the heavier weight - I have extensive high perf automotive and heavy equipment
experience and would tend to think there's not enuf stress on those parts
to warrant the heavier weight, although of course it also depends somewhat
on design, clearances, quantity of lube in the cavity, etc. I do know that in
many high perf automotive straight transmissions lighter lube is recommended as
it better penetrates small passages and gets into small spaces in bearings, etc,
easier, esp before the lube warms up. So, I'll check the plug on my Fd and probly change
it to the 75-90 right away. Of couse, the synth also has higher heat resistance and
better lubricity at high temps than dino. I'll also carefully look over the seal areas for any
seepage, also on the clutch slave cyl.

Sounds like I'm in for a treat! Bike is being shipped to me in KC from CA where I bought it
while on a trip visiting my older daughter. Like I said, definitely spur of the moment!
Or should I call it a weak moment! No matter, gonna enjoy it.

Thanks again!!

Hey! Just enjoy the ride.

According to experienced riders of this forum, spline failures do happen. But on the other hand, we are still awaiting hard scientific data from a large sample size, about the percentage of failures.

I was worried a bit in the beginning, because my bike has 62 K miles. I thought it would happen tomorrow. However, the bike performs wonderfully.

Yes, it could happen, but what the f----. It is the price we pay for a good ride.

In any case, I really love this machine. It is a fine well put together bike. I can say with some confidence since I started riding in 1976.

If the splines fail, it won’t be a life and death situation, like the ones that happened to many a hapless Henderson-Excelsior bike owner where, the tranny froze and they skidded on the road praying there was no one behind them.

Most things, inevitably, will go wrong in life. Can you winter proof life?

Have fun, stop worrying, and enjoy the best bike ever built.

A newbie's less than 1 cent.

M Khan

macx wrote: I would tend to agree with using 75-90 synth in the FD rather than
the heavier weight - I have extensive high perf automotive and heavy equipment
experience and would tend to think there's not enuf stress on those parts
to warrant the heavier weight, although of course it also depends somewhat
on design, clearances, quantity of lube in the cavity, etc. I do know that in
many high perf automotive straight transmissions lighter lube is recommended as
it better penetrates small passages and gets into small spaces in bearings, etc,
easier, esp before the lube warms up. So, I'll check the plug on my Fd and probly change
it to the 75-90 right away. Of couse, the synth also has higher heat resistance and
better lubricity at high temps than dino. I'll also carefully look over the seal areas for any
seepage, also on the clutch slave cyl.

The shop manual (07/2001 version) says for the final drive:
Brand-name hypoid gear oil, SAE 90 GL 5

That's probably the best bet.

My only advice would be to immediately see about new fuel tank/fuel line quick disconnects. Mine disintegrated while I was parked in my garage so not much harm done but had it been on the road it would have been upsetting. Do a search on this issue and you'll get all the information you need and more. Other than that, just ride it and enjoy--it's a fantastic motorcycle. My mother always used to say "worrying is paying interest on a loan that might never come due." Smart lady, my mom.