Bought the bike on Sunday and made a 250 mile ride home.....all was well with the bike, no strange noises, no smells, no problems. Except today I am cruising down the freeway and I hear this horrible screeching noise. Not like a fan belt but not metal on metal. Bike starts to lose momentum and I pull over and give it gas, I get engine to rev but no output to rear wheel. I am now pulled over and engine runs fine but put it in gear and let the clutch out and the sound comes back. I am going to put it on the center stand and see what happens. Bike gad 42000 miles. Owner said it was due for a spline lube what am I facing?
-
Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password. If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?
-
Beginning April 1st, and running through April 30th, there is a new 2024 BMW MOA Election discussion area within The Club section of the forum. Within this forum area is also a sticky post that provides the ground rules for participating in the Election forum area. Also, the candidates statements are provided. Please read before joining the conversation, because the rules are very specific to maintain civility.
The Election forum is here: Election Forum
roger 04 rt
New member
Sorry, man. It sounds like you have stripped the splines. A big repair. That means a transmission input shaft, clutch disc and, if you want to do it right, a full clutch housing. Something like $1,212 in parts plus a lot of labor. Anton Largiader knows this repair well: http://www.largiader.com/shop/. RB
Read more about it here: http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?71138-Checking-for-spline-wear-1999-R1100S
Read more about it here: http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?71138-Checking-for-spline-wear-1999-R1100S
dieselyoda
Active member
Before I worried about big $$$$
It sure sounds like you blew a spline but you have three, tranny input, tranny output and final drive input. It could be as simple as you spun the rubber coupling in the driveshaft. The first thing I would do is get the bike on the center stand, put the tranny in fifth gear and try to spin the rear tire. If it spins, you might get lucky enough to hear where the noise is coming from, close anyway.
There was a great posting here about someone that described the identical scenario but I can't find it. His was easy, driveshaft coupling at the tranny? Maybe?
I'm sure someone can find it and post it. It described his entire process to find the problem.
It sure sounds like you blew a spline but you have three, tranny input, tranny output and final drive input. It could be as simple as you spun the rubber coupling in the driveshaft. The first thing I would do is get the bike on the center stand, put the tranny in fifth gear and try to spin the rear tire. If it spins, you might get lucky enough to hear where the noise is coming from, close anyway.
There was a great posting here about someone that described the identical scenario but I can't find it. His was easy, driveshaft coupling at the tranny? Maybe?
I'm sure someone can find it and post it. It described his entire process to find the problem.
Thanks for the input. I will try the fifth gear test and see what happens. I can't believe that it would blow out like that. My plan was to ride it home and then have the splines lubed. I had no idea that they exploded at exactly 40000 miles......I bought the bike for 3100 from a respectable guy, known in his community as a custom bicycle designer...called him about the issue and basically I am SOL. I guess I am about to take a crash course on how to tear the bike apart and see if I can pinpoint the problem. Should have bought a honda.
Well I put it in fifth hand spun the year wheel and it spins but makes noise like a roulette wheel but I can't tell where it is coming from. When the bike is running in neutral no noises but the moment I pull the clutch in it starts to make not quite a screeching sound but a whirring sound, whatever it is it sounds catastrophic. I really can't afford to spend 2 grand on a 3000 grand bike so I guess I will see if I can get back some money by parting it out. It really was a nice bike.
roger 04 rt
New member
Another option is to do all the work yourself and buy a $300 input shaft, a $170 clutch plate and call it a day. It'll get you going for 30-40K mikes most likely.
dieselyoda
Active member
Spin it again. You are on the right track.
Get something like a long screwdriver or a piece of hose. Place the screwdriver or hose on the driveline and listen. Put the screwdriver or hose right on to your ear. Start at the rear end and work forward. You'll know pretty quick the area of concern.
Don't get discouraged.
Keep something in mind, BMW, Honda, Kawasaki. Suzuki et al, there is always something, something.
By your description, you cooked the throw out shaft for the clutch. Piece of cake. Maybe it gets more than that but don't let the 'max-bad' throw you a loop. Take your time and sort it through.
I got a lot of bikes I take care of for friends, identical to mine and yours, it's always simple to find. The last one was no grease on the clutch throw out lever and wore right through at the pivot.
I ain't dropping a coin for a repair based on any one opinion here. However, some good advice is available if you take into context who is providing it.
When all else fails, go back at 'er again.
Get something like a long screwdriver or a piece of hose. Place the screwdriver or hose on the driveline and listen. Put the screwdriver or hose right on to your ear. Start at the rear end and work forward. You'll know pretty quick the area of concern.
Don't get discouraged.
Keep something in mind, BMW, Honda, Kawasaki. Suzuki et al, there is always something, something.
By your description, you cooked the throw out shaft for the clutch. Piece of cake. Maybe it gets more than that but don't let the 'max-bad' throw you a loop. Take your time and sort it through.
I got a lot of bikes I take care of for friends, identical to mine and yours, it's always simple to find. The last one was no grease on the clutch throw out lever and wore right through at the pivot.
I ain't dropping a coin for a repair based on any one opinion here. However, some good advice is available if you take into context who is providing it.
When all else fails, go back at 'er again.
AntonLargiader
Active member
Sure sounds like stripped splines. I have to say, it is basically unheard of for that model to have stripped splines at 42,000 miles.
If parting it out makes sense, go for it. Then you won't have to worry about the problem coming back.
If parting it out makes sense, go for it. Then you won't have to worry about the problem coming back.
Either I am going to try a open the bike up and see what I can find if it is easy enough, or else I won't bother with it and try to recoup what I can and part it out. Even if I can get back a couple of thousand I would consider it to be an expensive weekend rental and I would move on. I figure for the engine, wheels, forks and Ohlins, along with bags and trunk and fairings and seats I could make back 2k alone. Am I being unrealistic in what I can get for these larger parts? I wouldn't plan to mess with any of the smaller parts and would just send those to the scrapper. I am sure I could sell the smaller items but I am not sure it would be worth extending my aggravation with this bike just to squeak out one more dollar. Is there a market for the frame? Or do I just toss that with all the other smaller items?
gsaddict
Pepperfool
Parts value depends on how clean they are, you should be able to make your money back but its a bit of work to sell/package/ship.
Mileage is low so that's good and the Ohlins will sell 4 sure.
Remember there are still a lot of ex police bikes out there so sales may not be as brisk as one would expect, especially at this time of year.
Good luck either way.
As has been the case for many years. The unfortunate part is that the seller probably had no idea this problem was about to occur. I'm guessing the buyer took the bike for a test ride before his purchase. Both agreed to the deal. I believe private sales are always "without warranty expressed or implied." They are where I'm from.
But back to the problem at hand. If the current owner likes the bike and has some mechanical ability (or friends who want to assist) I say dive in and see what surfaces. Worst case scenario is you get half way in and decide its too much of a challenge. You still have the option of parting it out to recoup your investment as best you can. Good luck whatever road you decide to travel.
jconway607
JohnWC
I am sensing a lot of frustration and anger with this situation. And very rightfully so. We would all feel the same way if this happened to us. For what it is worth, I would suggest putting a tarp over the bike and walking away from the situation for a while. Enjoy Christmas. Don't do anything on the spur of the moment in the heat of anger. Try going to a few motorcycle stores and look at the alternatives. If you see something that will work better for you, at least you will have a good reason for switching bikes.
Scrapping out the bike will, I would guess, in the end, be more effort than just fixing it. You will still have to take it all apart, in fact all of the bike rather than just half for the repair. Putting the ads in, replying to endless questions, boxing the parts, handling the payments, trips to the UPS office. Halfway through the dismantling you may wish you had just fixed the thing, but the needed parts will be gone.
I think that all of us who ride BMWs have come to have a uneasy truce with this unpleasant fault in their design: the splines. The bikes are great, they can run for hundreds of thousands of miles if cared for, and be a pleasure to ride during all of them. In return, we all agree to take half of the bike apart every 40,000 miles. It might seem crazy to people who don't ride BMWs, but something about the bikes makes them worth it to most of us. Although unfortunately you haven't been able to ride yours long enough to decide if you agree with that. And you may well not.
Check the threads on here before you do anything rash. As many people have said, doing the spline lube yourself is a doable job. Not easy, or short, but economical. It's a good bike, worth saving. I know; easy for me to say. Good luck.
Scrapping out the bike will, I would guess, in the end, be more effort than just fixing it. You will still have to take it all apart, in fact all of the bike rather than just half for the repair. Putting the ads in, replying to endless questions, boxing the parts, handling the payments, trips to the UPS office. Halfway through the dismantling you may wish you had just fixed the thing, but the needed parts will be gone.
I think that all of us who ride BMWs have come to have a uneasy truce with this unpleasant fault in their design: the splines. The bikes are great, they can run for hundreds of thousands of miles if cared for, and be a pleasure to ride during all of them. In return, we all agree to take half of the bike apart every 40,000 miles. It might seem crazy to people who don't ride BMWs, but something about the bikes makes them worth it to most of us. Although unfortunately you haven't been able to ride yours long enough to decide if you agree with that. And you may well not.
Check the threads on here before you do anything rash. As many people have said, doing the spline lube yourself is a doable job. Not easy, or short, but economical. It's a good bike, worth saving. I know; easy for me to say. Good luck.
dieselyoda
Active member
What jconway said.
Sometimes a little distance from the problem and good times with friends over the holidaze will take the edge off the frustration. Keep in mind, if you decide to tackle this adventure, there are lot of people here on these forums that will support your efforts.
Sometimes a little distance from the problem and good times with friends over the holidaze will take the edge off the frustration. Keep in mind, if you decide to tackle this adventure, there are lot of people here on these forums that will support your efforts.
nrpetersen
Curmudgeon
Before you anything rash, confirm that it is indeed the clutch spline by removing the starter and looking at that spline. Rotate the transmission shaft by turning the rear wheel with the transmission in 5th gear.
It does sound like it is though. Tough.
It does sound like it is though. Tough.
Considering that you purchased this bike for $3100, most people would consider this a bargain. If the bike didn't have the problem, it would be worth considerably more then what you paid. This Spring, you might be able to get $5k for the bike if it was fixed. So, even if you fix it, you can still get all your money back out of the bike. The 1999 year is considered to be one of the better years of the oilheads. So, you picked a good year.
You need to find out what is wrong with the bike. Most likely it is the input shaft. Here is how you would determine this: (1) Take off the left fairing side. There are a lot of screws, but it does come off. Some screws are hard to find. There is also a screw behind the left mirror. You can pop off the mirror assembly. (2) remove the starter. Removal is quite easy. Once the starter is off, you can easily see the input shaft and clutch. If the input shaft is gone, there will be red or grey matter around the shaft. You might even see metal shavings. You can also turn the rear wheel (in 5th gear). About 1/2 hour of time to do this. It might take you a little longer considering this is the first time you have done it.
If it is the input shaft, you have a couple of options: (1) Remove the transmission and have someone replace the input shaft for you ($1000-2000); (2) Remove the transmission and replace the shaft yourself ($500-1000). You will need to find a copy of the factory service manual on-line. If you can't find a free copy on-line, let me know, and I'll see if I can find a link for you; (3) Find a used transmission ($300-1000). You can find them in places like this site, ebay, craig's list, Boneyard, other BMW forums. If you find one, ask questions here on-line before buying. If you do this make sure you get the correct transmission. They changed them every couple of years. You will also need to buy a new clutch. (4) You can part out the bike.
There are a couple things to consider before parting out the bike. I have parted out 2 bikes over the past 30 years. The first bike I did was an old airhead. It took about six months to sell everything. I ended up with more money then the bike was worth as a whole. The second bike was parted out about two years ago. It took me 26 months to sell everything. Again, I got more money for the parts then the bike was worth as a whole. But, it took a very long time to sell everything. If you part out this bike, it will probably take at least 12-24 months to sell everything. Sell items as a whole. Like sell the fairing as a whole. Don't part out pieces of the fairing. Same thing for the engine. You can make more money by selling the individual pieces, but it can take years to sell everything. Every part of the bike has value. The frame usually needs the Title.
As for a Honda, let me tell you about my experience. I switched to a Honda many years ago. The cam shaft drive belt broke and wiped out the engine. Not too long after I purchased the bike. Went back to BMW. Bad things can happen to any bike. This just happen to be your unlucky day.
If you like the bike, I would fix it. The silver lining is that you paid a very low price for the bike. Even if you fix it, you will be able to get the money back out of it someday. BMW bike hold their value over time. I usually sell my bike for the same amount I purchased it for. There is no easy solution for you right now. As mentioned above, you need to take a break and determine the best path to get past this point. Don't panic and make a bad decision.
You need to find out what is wrong with the bike. Most likely it is the input shaft. Here is how you would determine this: (1) Take off the left fairing side. There are a lot of screws, but it does come off. Some screws are hard to find. There is also a screw behind the left mirror. You can pop off the mirror assembly. (2) remove the starter. Removal is quite easy. Once the starter is off, you can easily see the input shaft and clutch. If the input shaft is gone, there will be red or grey matter around the shaft. You might even see metal shavings. You can also turn the rear wheel (in 5th gear). About 1/2 hour of time to do this. It might take you a little longer considering this is the first time you have done it.
If it is the input shaft, you have a couple of options: (1) Remove the transmission and have someone replace the input shaft for you ($1000-2000); (2) Remove the transmission and replace the shaft yourself ($500-1000). You will need to find a copy of the factory service manual on-line. If you can't find a free copy on-line, let me know, and I'll see if I can find a link for you; (3) Find a used transmission ($300-1000). You can find them in places like this site, ebay, craig's list, Boneyard, other BMW forums. If you find one, ask questions here on-line before buying. If you do this make sure you get the correct transmission. They changed them every couple of years. You will also need to buy a new clutch. (4) You can part out the bike.
There are a couple things to consider before parting out the bike. I have parted out 2 bikes over the past 30 years. The first bike I did was an old airhead. It took about six months to sell everything. I ended up with more money then the bike was worth as a whole. The second bike was parted out about two years ago. It took me 26 months to sell everything. Again, I got more money for the parts then the bike was worth as a whole. But, it took a very long time to sell everything. If you part out this bike, it will probably take at least 12-24 months to sell everything. Sell items as a whole. Like sell the fairing as a whole. Don't part out pieces of the fairing. Same thing for the engine. You can make more money by selling the individual pieces, but it can take years to sell everything. Every part of the bike has value. The frame usually needs the Title.
As for a Honda, let me tell you about my experience. I switched to a Honda many years ago. The cam shaft drive belt broke and wiped out the engine. Not too long after I purchased the bike. Went back to BMW. Bad things can happen to any bike. This just happen to be your unlucky day.
If you like the bike, I would fix it. The silver lining is that you paid a very low price for the bike. Even if you fix it, you will be able to get the money back out of it someday. BMW bike hold their value over time. I usually sell my bike for the same amount I purchased it for. There is no easy solution for you right now. As mentioned above, you need to take a break and determine the best path to get past this point. Don't panic and make a bad decision.
Thanks for all the feedback and support. I may sound frustrated in my musings but honestly I am over the angst. I know there are a bunch of options I just need to decide and will take time to think them through over the next couple of weeks while on Christmas vacation. I am a school teacher so I will have the time to decide. I guess the most disappointing thing for me is that if I repair the bike what is to keep it from happening again if the problem is an inherent design flaw? And yes now days everything is caveat emptor. I did talk to the seller and he says are you sure it is not something else. And I did test ride the bike and the bike had no noises or clutch issues. I guess it was not my day. By no means am I wealthy.....that just does not happen on a teacher's salary, but I am not destitute or living paycheck to pay check. But it does take me more time than perhaps others to build up a nest egg and putting out close to 2500 bucks cuts a little too deep into my next egg right now. But once past the holidays I will get back on track and will either fix it or dispose of it. I did look at other bikes for 5000 dollars but I tried to find a bargain thinking I did...oh well it really is a nice looking bike. But now it is just a place keeper in the garage for now. If I take the time to build my war chest back up I should be in good shape to have the bike fixed by the time school lets out in May. The only problem will be the constant reminder to the wife that I messed up once again.
.
.Attachments
happy wanderer
Day Dreaming ...
Man... feeling your pain from over 2000 miles away. Lots of good suggestions so far and plenty of great pictorial help here. If you are at all mechanically inclined and it is the input shaft to clutch hub splines that are stripped pulling out the drive train and repairing it with a known good used transmission would be my choice were it my bike. It's too low mileage and great condition to let go. And maybe, just maybe you have a drive shaft that let go. In that case, very easy and not that expensive to fix. Here's hoping.
