Now the Rear Bearing?! REALLY?!
I just replaced the alternator belt on the road the other day and my first day back in Los Angeles the crown wheel output bearing in the final drive goes out while I'm on a Postmates delivery.
At first, as it was happening I had no idea what it was. But after delivering the Starbucks order I had just picked up I inspected the rear wheel and saw that the bike was leaking gear oil from the final drive. It was coming out fast so I went off duty with Postmates and quickly made my way back over the Hollywood hills via Laurel Canyon.
There was a distinct grinding noise coming from the rear wheel. Experience told me that a wheel seal had failed and probably a bearing too. The grinding, scrubbing sound was repetitious and sounded more damaging at speeds below 35 mph. So I did my best to race over the hill and maintain a speed of at least 40 mph. By the time I reached the north side of Laurel Canyon in the valley the noise had at least doubled in strength and I had to quickly decide whether getting on the 101 freeway was a wise choice. Since I knew it was more likely I'd be able to keep my speed up I went for it.
By the time I exited at Van Nuys Blvd. I still had about a mile and three quarters to go. I raced up side streets and carefully ran at least three stop signs. It felt like if I let my speed drop or came to a complete stop I'd be stuck on the side of the road. By the time I was half a mile from my buddy's apartment it seemed as though all the gear oil has escaped and I was running the final drive dry. The last hundred yards I remember thinking "This is where the real damage is going to take place." I quickly parked the bike on the side of the street and watched as the last few ounces of gear oil ran out onto the rim and tire.
While I'm not one to stick my head in the sand when the going gets tough, this was very discouraging and I needed to just step away from the bike for a bit and cool off.
The next morning I pulled Dolph Lungren around back to the parking garage under power so I could start stripping away parts and assess the damage. To my surprise there was no scrubbing or grinding.
Paul has a decent set of tools in his arsenal because he typically does all his own maintenance and repairs. He's got three cars and has performed all types of repairs on them. I remember when his Mazda needed a new wheel bearing several years back. He and I jumped up and down on that wheel like a couple of chimpanzees with rocks and sticks until the job was complete. He ended up having to rent and impact tool at some point, but he had most of the other tools we needed for the job. So I knew he would have everything I needed to work on my R1150GS.
Paul changed the oil on his little beater Yaris and I started pulling parts of my beater beamer. First the brake caliper, then the rear fender, the wheel, and finally the bearing housing. To my and Paul's great surprise there was zero damage to anything but the seal and the bearing. I'd ridden roughly ten or eleven miles on a completely spent bearing and there was zero internal damage.
After heating the crown wheel with a torch and trying to remove the bearing with a team of flathead screwdrivers, I called around and found a machine shop that would remove and replace the bearing for just fifty bucks. Paul and I might have gotten it eventually but sometimes it's best to leave this sort of thing up to the professionals so you don't wind up doing any more damage.
All I had to do now was source the parts. I called the local BMW Motorrad shop in Burbank seeking price and availability. They took over three hours to tell me the parts would cost more than two hundred dollars, they weren't in stock, and they wouldn't be able to get them till next week. So I did what any red blooded American would do, I turned to the internet. I found the bearing and the seal for about sixty dollars cheaper and was able to FedEx overnight the parts for less than the total BMW had quoted. Had Manny nat taken all day to tell me bad news, I would have had my bearing yesterday and I'd be back on the road today.
I just spoke with Tyler this morning and he and Rebecca will be on their way through to Mexico and I need to be ready to hitch onto their wagon at a moment's notice. We're all riding south on or around the eleventh of August and I've got a bunch of preparing to do before then.
At first, as it was happening I had no idea what it was. But after delivering the Starbucks order I had just picked up I inspected the rear wheel and saw that the bike was leaking gear oil from the final drive. It was coming out fast so I went off duty with Postmates and quickly made my way back over the Hollywood hills via Laurel Canyon.
There was a distinct grinding noise coming from the rear wheel. Experience told me that a wheel seal had failed and probably a bearing too. The grinding, scrubbing sound was repetitious and sounded more damaging at speeds below 35 mph. So I did my best to race over the hill and maintain a speed of at least 40 mph. By the time I reached the north side of Laurel Canyon in the valley the noise had at least doubled in strength and I had to quickly decide whether getting on the 101 freeway was a wise choice. Since I knew it was more likely I'd be able to keep my speed up I went for it.
By the time I exited at Van Nuys Blvd. I still had about a mile and three quarters to go. I raced up side streets and carefully ran at least three stop signs. It felt like if I let my speed drop or came to a complete stop I'd be stuck on the side of the road. By the time I was half a mile from my buddy's apartment it seemed as though all the gear oil has escaped and I was running the final drive dry. The last hundred yards I remember thinking "This is where the real damage is going to take place." I quickly parked the bike on the side of the street and watched as the last few ounces of gear oil ran out onto the rim and tire.
While I'm not one to stick my head in the sand when the going gets tough, this was very discouraging and I needed to just step away from the bike for a bit and cool off.
The next morning I pulled Dolph Lungren around back to the parking garage under power so I could start stripping away parts and assess the damage. To my surprise there was no scrubbing or grinding.
Paul has a decent set of tools in his arsenal because he typically does all his own maintenance and repairs. He's got three cars and has performed all types of repairs on them. I remember when his Mazda needed a new wheel bearing several years back. He and I jumped up and down on that wheel like a couple of chimpanzees with rocks and sticks until the job was complete. He ended up having to rent and impact tool at some point, but he had most of the other tools we needed for the job. So I knew he would have everything I needed to work on my R1150GS.
Paul changed the oil on his little beater Yaris and I started pulling parts of my beater beamer. First the brake caliper, then the rear fender, the wheel, and finally the bearing housing. To my and Paul's great surprise there was zero damage to anything but the seal and the bearing. I'd ridden roughly ten or eleven miles on a completely spent bearing and there was zero internal damage.
After heating the crown wheel with a torch and trying to remove the bearing with a team of flathead screwdrivers, I called around and found a machine shop that would remove and replace the bearing for just fifty bucks. Paul and I might have gotten it eventually but sometimes it's best to leave this sort of thing up to the professionals so you don't wind up doing any more damage.
All I had to do now was source the parts. I called the local BMW Motorrad shop in Burbank seeking price and availability. They took over three hours to tell me the parts would cost more than two hundred dollars, they weren't in stock, and they wouldn't be able to get them till next week. So I did what any red blooded American would do, I turned to the internet. I found the bearing and the seal for about sixty dollars cheaper and was able to FedEx overnight the parts for less than the total BMW had quoted. Had Manny nat taken all day to tell me bad news, I would have had my bearing yesterday and I'd be back on the road today.
I just spoke with Tyler this morning and he and Rebecca will be on their way through to Mexico and I need to be ready to hitch onto their wagon at a moment's notice. We're all riding south on or around the eleventh of August and I've got a bunch of preparing to do before then.
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