captainmarko
Member
Most of my riding is commuting from suburbs to urban setting in Las Vegas. Year round.
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2015 43,500 miles. Clutch life? How long before it needs replacing?
- Thread starter captainmarko
- Start date
Geekmaster
Member
It's a wet clutch, so if your riding style doesn't demand "extreme" usage, you'll probably get double the miles you already have (or more).
I have a 2014 RT with 60K miles. Lately my clutch has been slipping when I ride aggressively. If I'm doing 70 and want to accelerate hard when passing the RPM's will increase before the bike responds. I'm going to have the clutch replaced this fall. I checked with three different BMW motorcycle dealers about doing the repair and the prices varied wildly. The highest was $4000 and the lowest was $1100. I trust the dealer with the $1100 quote the most. The thing is it'll be a 1200 mile ride. I guess I'll be visiting my brother for a few days this fall!
captainmarko
Member
Thanks for the replies, folks.
SteveAikens
Proud Veteran
My '15 is at 50674. No concerns at all.
At those prices I would be highly motivated to replace the clutch myself. It is too easy a job to pay that much.
See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQqsR7pfdO4
Rekluse clutch pack for $659: https://rekluse.com/product/torq-drive-clutch-adventure/ . I am not necessarily endorsing their clutch kit, just using the price for reference. I do have a Rekluse on one of my dirt bikes.
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lee
Debbie's Servant
Maybe they got $4,000 by accidentally looking up the procedure for a 2013 R1200RT where you split the engine in two.
I have owned three RTs with a wet clutch: 14RT 109K+miles , 18RT 111K+ miles and my current 21RT with 54K miles and never have had a problem with the clutch on any of them. So I think you'll be fine.
I have 160,000+ still going strong
It depends on how many parts will need to be changed. At 60K miles I would suspect only the clutch plates need replacement. OEM plate kit can be bought for $500. The complete clutch is around $2,000. Add the price of oil and filter.
I would guess even an amateur mechanic could replace the complete clutch easily in an afternoon, someone with experience in less than a couple hours. All your quotes seem extreme to me. $500 for clutch plates, $50 for oil and filter. Out of $1100 that leaves over $500 for a couple hours labor!
I would do it myself!
Thanks for those links.
Both got bookmarked.
I have used Barnett Scorpion Packs on other bikes. They list nothing for a 1200 BMW, but 1000 CC is there.
The video proofs out to me that it is a very easy procedure for later year bikes. The compression of the front end answered the only question I had looking at it. How the heck do you get those top bolts? And the torque sequence was a bit of a eye opener also.
I never looked in my Service DVD or Haynes as I had never really heard that a clutch was an issue with these bikes. I don"t often read of a clutch failure or I just have missed it over the years.
I wonder if those BMW Demo guys go through clutches? I mean they do stuff on a lot of BMW bikes that is just amazing! I know they make you wonder if they are going to stop when your in the front row of one of those demos. I have flinched, not going to lie.
Well another week and some I can see if I will flinch this year at the 50th
What happened to the crusty old service managers that worked their way up to the service manager position because they had actually done work on vehicles and had ascended to the position?
It seems rather tough out there in the world of repair services.
OM
It seems rather tough out there in the world of repair services.
OM
I agree with that for sure.
In my day I watched guys work their way "up" in many trades.
That is the guy I want to do my work, or at least, look me in they eye and promise me that my service will be as expected.
As everyone ages out, in all the trades, we are going to see this more and more.
I will not beat a dead horse, but I am so happy I can keep and maintain what I drive, and what I ride. And I have the information to do so.
That said, there is NOTHING you need to do that is not in a You Tube video these days
pglaves
#13338
Today they are looking for electrical engineers or folks with a couple of years of electronics tech school. The guys who got hired away from John Deere or Case to come work on the new /5 series are mostly long gone. (Actually, the two I personally knew quit when the classic K bikes first came out.)
alegerlotz
Member
I looked at the procedure in the bmw repair manual and I did see a couple of special tools listed there.
For anyone who has actually done the job themselves: are those special tools actually needed? If so how much did you pay for them?
The job itself looks pretty easy to me. I do all of my own maintenance already, and as with that, the biggest challenge appears to be attention to detail and working methodically.
For anyone who has actually done the job themselves: are those special tools actually needed? If so how much did you pay for them?
The job itself looks pretty easy to me. I do all of my own maintenance already, and as with that, the biggest challenge appears to be attention to detail and working methodically.
I can't answer the question, but I have worked on all sorts of vehicles that listed special tools to do the job and very rarely needed any. Often it is a tool to keep the engine from spinning over, or a stubby socket, or some measuring device.
I would take a crack at it and not even look at the shop manual for anything other than bolt torques.
