Is there ANY warning for the input shaft failure

[1100s nut]

Originally Posted by markjenn

Where is YOUR data? Let's just leave it that I've been watching this issue for well over a decade now and there is no pattern I can tell. I have no interest in making a project of this and I doubt you do either so let's leave it at that.

- Mark

hahah. You are the one with data. I did not pull data out of my a$$ like you...so like you said, lets leave it at that!

Lane

[ckcarr]

I thought that during some prior discussions of this issue many years ago, we as a group, amongst ourselves and no one else, also and additionally, after drinking a lot of our internal Kool-Aid, determined that through extensive metallurgical testing and eyeballing, that there were some softer spline shafts being passed on through production. These were stockpiled and dispersed randomly among different BMW models. With the exception of the f650 series. I believe a thorough search will uncover this hideous secret. Look/search for "An uncomfortable yet inconvenient truth, BMW motorcycle manufacturing quality control and manufacturing tolorances" by Alfred GorE Neuman.

[Slowgo]

Everything said has some merit. Its 39 degrees and 10 percent chance of rain, I'm going riding.

[Corky]

Originally Posted by bikerfish1100

that might be "balancing" to you, but to the rest of the world, that sounds just like a basic transmission input shaft & clutch assembly repair/replacement.

Duh,

sorry I can't tell U exactly what my mechanic said. Something about the assembly.

Sorry dude. You'll never know. Cuz I forgot.

[Guest24]

Joe, how well balanced do you think the clutch disc is? When I get back to Das Bikehaus, I'm going put the old clutch disc that i have and see how it does on the wheel balancer.

[tjs]

BMW (or their supplier), mark the spring,pressure plate, and clutch cover with a paint mark. Usually white. These marks are supposed to be 120 degrees from each other. tjs

[tjs]

The very 1st 2002 R1150RT's were the most frequent model for clutch failure in the shop I worked at. Usually within 20K. tjs

[hellfishtat]

I could I went for a quick 80 mile romp Sunday afternoon and had two different incidents; the first happened running about 60 in 4th or 5th, when I changed directions in a turn the bike felt like it missed. I was low on fuel, but the light hadn't come on yet, so I hit the next station and filled up. About 30 miles later, going a steady 65 on a straight stretch of road in 5th, there was a 1/4 second where the the bike sounded/felt like it hit a neutral. I rode very gingerly home and hope to pull the starter this weekend.

I hope I'm not willing this thing to fail.

[markjenn]

Originally Posted by hellfishtat

About 30 miles later, going a steady 65 on a straight stretch of road in 5th, there was a 1/4 second where the the bike sounded/felt like it hit a neutral.

A bunch of us have had the bike pop into a "false neutral" from 5th (or perhaps 6th) while we're cruising around - if you don't catch it with the clutch, it will then go back into gear most of the time. My pet theory is that the ECU has a software glitch that causes it to go AWOL for a instant, interrupting power and hiccuping the tranny into a weird neutral.

In any event, it happened to my bike perhaps five times in 55K miles with no rhyme or reason and seemed to diminish with miles - did not happen in last 20K or so.

The symptoms of input shaft spline failure are typically not subtle nor progressive - the bike suddenly loses thrust and won't go from this point forward, accompanied by mechanical noises.

Your two incidents may be indicative of a problem (or problems), but I doubt it is THIS problem.

- Mark

[JGard]

Originally Posted by hellfishtat

I could I went for a quick 80 mile romp Sunday afternoon and had two different incidents; the first happened running about 60 in 4th or 5th, when I changed directions in a turn the bike felt like it missed. I was low on fuel, but the light hadn't come on yet, so I hit the next station and filled up. About 30 miles later, going a steady 65 on a straight stretch of road in 5th, there was a 1/4 second where the the bike sounded/felt like it hit a neutral. I rode very gingerly home and hope to pull the starter this weekend.

I hope I'm not willing this thing to fail.

Thank god for this forum/thread! :lol:

I just had this happen to me on my way home, and not for the first time. Cruising in 6th gear around 70mph and for about 1/4 second, it felt like the clutch let go and then caught again, of course causing a bit of a lurch forward.

The rest of my ride home was me convincing myself I need to hurry up and trade this bike in before the input shaft finally fails and I'm due a huge repair/parts bill.

However, it sounds like it's not related at all...bike just kinda fell out of gear, I guess. Very odd. I've had it happen thrice in the past 4-5 months, each one has gotten progressively more severe (longer duration of no power to the wheel)

[lkchris]

Your problem reads like ignition cut out.

[JGard]

Could be, tough to really say. I mean, the engine doesn't sputter or anything, it just speeds up as the connection to the rear wheel is lost momentarily.

[wswartzwel]

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/bmw-r1100s-r1200s-tech-forum/235823-mystery-shifting-clutch-skip.html

[dasbus]

So, after pulling the starter how do you tell if the splines are OK? I pulled my starter today to have a look at the splines and clean the starter. I can only see about 1/8 inch of the splines and the clutch hub. Nothing looks chewed up, rusty, oily or heat scorched. My bike has 35k on it.
Last weekend I helped my buddy pull the transmission on his R1150R and there is a good inch or so that I know I can't see. At 40k his splines look like new, he blew the rear main seal overfilling the crankcase and ruined the clutch. His slave cylinder leaked too, so we need to run it to the dealer to replace the seals. My slave cylinder failed, bad bearing - no leak, at 20k I'm replacing the current one at 40k.

[1%er]

The surest sign that you are about to have a spline failure the a slight tug at the pocket your wallet is in.

[signit98]

Originally Posted by 1%er

The surest sign that you are about to have a spline failure the a slight tug at the pocket your wallet is in.

Ah, yet another quality post....

[JimMoore]

Originally Posted by dasbus

So, after pulling the starter how do you tell if the splines are OK? I pulled my starter today to have a look at the splines and clean the starter.

Hi Doug,

Pull in the clutch lever and tie it off. Then, looking through the starter hole, find the edge of the clutch disk. Using a small tool of some sort rotate the clutch disk back and forth as you look into the slot at the splines. The splines and disk should move in unison. If the disk can move on the splines you have trouble.

If you have a problem you can measure the play at the edge of the disk. Once it gets to a quarter inch I'd be seriously shopping for a used known-good transmission.

[1%er]

Originally Posted by signit98

Ah, yet another quality post....

signit98...on that note, I am off to Surfing!

Just learning from another bull$hit artist.

[dasbus]

Originally Posted by JimMoore

Hi Doug,

Pull in the clutch lever and tie it off. Then, looking through the starter hole, find the edge of the clutch disk. Using a small tool of some sort rotate the clutch disk back and forth as you look into the slot at the splines. The splines and disk should move in unison. If the disk can move on the splines you have trouble.

If you have a problem you can measure the play at the edge of the disk. Once it gets to a quarter inch I'd be seriously shopping for a used known-good transmission.

Thanks Jim, I'll pull the starter again and see what I've got this weekend.

[signit98]

Originally Posted by 1%er

Just learning from another bull$hit artist.

The difference being that I am informing people of upcoming, interesting activities... and you are just posting your usual, idiotic stuff...

Carry on.