OH NO pivot bearing click click when hot???
 

Yeah i know this has been beat to death and i have read all i could find with search, so heres my problem...


went out this weekend for a short run covered 2000kms, stopped on saturday afternoon for fuel and did a quick check of the final drive/pivot bearings. my check earlier this spring (at 17500 km) had no movement.

now at 24000km i got a click - click when hot (after riding 600km) but its tight when cold.:eek:

i suppose that this is normal?, loosens up when hot and gets looser over time till its finally detectable when cold.

"click click" is a bit vague. do you get movement of the swing arm assembly with the bike on the centerstand while tugging on the tire at 3 and 9?

click click
 

when its hot, it moved enough to go click click...

I may have seen the same thing on mine recently...but I can still feel some play when it is cold. I haven't pinpointed the play yet to determine if it is pivot bearings or swingarm bearings.

I have replaced the pivot bearings so many times it makes me sick.

best,

Dave
99 R11S 68k miles

What about the bronze bushings (replacing the needle bearings) that Tom Cutter (Rubber Chicken Racing Garage) has been selling for years?

mmmm I think JonyRR was touting those.

yeah, I have the rubber chicken bushings and they're the schizt.
My 1100S has most all that fancy stuff in the engine, suspension, etc.
It's STILL just an air-cooled pushrod twin. After flogging a K1200R-S for an hour on real-world roads......I'm trying to find the love in my old baby Brunhilda.
Power corrupts. (I also got to ride a 05 FZ-1 Yamaha. that thing kicks some serious azz as well. effortless wheelies).
Absolute power would be a K1200R-s with a turbo!..and it would definitely corrupt absolutely!

How long have the bushings been installed - any issues, have you had to re-adjust them at all?

How does the initial adjustment work?

best,

Dave
99 R11S

What does that mean?


Tom Cutter was a BMW factory team wrench, instructor for BMW mechanics, runs a high-quality shop, and rides an R1100S.

Pictures and write-up for this $119 oilite bronze kit (I think it is for both bearings) is at his website:

http://rubberchickenracinggarage.com/upgrades.htm

Another skilled S rider has been planning to make these bushings in self-oiling nylon.

bought my set a month or 2 ago, yet to install. both bushings for the price. Tom claims (and i have no reason to not believe him) 150K on his, and still tight as a virgin.

Yeah, I know moybin has been kicking around the idea of UHMWP bushings.
Personally, I think they'd suck at this application.
In the old days jap dirtbikes came with plastic swingarm bushings and oillite bronze was the preffered material...for a reason.

I use UHMWP (ultrahigh molecular weight polyetheline) for lots of things but it has way too much 'give' in myu opinion for this particular application