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

This past weekend I went out for a long ride. I was running through some twisties in the local mounts when suddenly it felt like I was getting a flat rear tire. The back end felt loose and there was a vibration. I was sure the tire was going flat so I found a spot and pulled over. The pressure in the back tire was fine. I tried rocking the back tire side to side and there was a very small bit of play. Checked the lug nuts and they were tight.

I took the bike out for a ride again yesterday and it felt okay – no play in the rear wheel. Very strange.

Not sure what the problem is so I called the dealer and made an appointment for Friday. The service guy said it is normal for there to be a little play in the rear wheel. I won’t trust the bike though until I get it checked out. Anyone else have this happen?

Mike...

Ah... no... the rear wheel should not have any play in it... If you can move it, you have a problem...

Ves wrote:Ah... no... the rear wheel should not have any play in it... If you can move it, you have a problem...

Actually - BMW allows something like 1mm at the edge of the rim. The design of the new rear-drive (EVO) doesn't have the bearings under compression, and the outer bearing is a simple needle bearing, so some tiny bit of play is allowable.

But - you shouldn't feel it whilst riding. They did have a problem with early EVO drives with the pressed/heated/shrunk aluminum wheel mount coming loose from the splined output shaft of the drive unit - fixing it required replacing the drives. This was supposed to be a non-issue by the time the R12R was released.

I'd see the dealer and have it very carefully checked.

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to get it checked out.

I had the bike checked out by the dealer and they couldn't find anything wrong. I've since taken the bike out for some runs through the canyons and it feels tight. Not sure what happened that day. Maybe it was the mushrooms I had on my pizza before the ride.