The Dreaded Front End Squeak!

Having completed nearly 13k on my glorious 20`5 K16GT, i have now acquired what appears to be a common issue, in the incessant front suspension squeak. I noticed it on a return from New Mexico, when entering small, quiet towns, and coming off cruise control as speed reduces to around 40, the wind noise allows the sound to penetrate the helmet. Its terrible!

So Google was employed to see if others had this same predicament, and of course i wasnt let down. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prs3wtrleZI


I reported it to my local dealer nearly 3 weeks ago, and am still waiting to hear what they intend to do about it, i refuse to hear that one of the most technically sophisticated companies in the world request that i spray the suspension bushings with Super Lubricant.

Not looking forward to this drawn out saga as my bike wakes the locals and sounds like a 1969 Buick (not that theirs anything wrong with that)

ukexile said:

... I refuse to hear that one of the most technically sophisticated companies in the world request that i spray the suspension bushings with Super Lubricant.

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That is your choice, so enjoy your squeak.

ukexile said:

i refuse to hear that one of the most technically sophisticated companies in the world request that i spray the suspension bushings with Super Lubricant.

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In my experience, sometimes lube advice is all you’re going to get from BMW. When transmission input shaft splines on airheads were failing with depressing regularity, we were advised to remove the transmission on a regular basis (!) and lube the splines with expensive imported German Staburags grease. The splines still failed of course but I think we all felt better about it for at least trying. The problem was never corrected and airhead owners still have to lube the splines regularly.

It is, after all, a consumer grade motorcycle, not the space shuttle, and it’s just a squeak.
If the spray lube takes care of it the problem is solved.

I have it as well.
Seems to be temperature related...the hotter it gets the more it squeaks.
Not a big issue for me here in MN.

Joe

61996 said:

I have it as well.
Seems to be temperature related...the hotter it gets the more it squeaks.
Not a big issue for me here in MN.

Joe

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On the early telelever Oilheads the lower front strut (shock) mount would squeak. BMW called for greasing the shank of the lower mounting bolt. It became a routine part of maintenance. I have never been surprised to learn that moving parts require lubrication. YMMV

Squeak-Squeak

Ye, my '94 RS had/has the squeak. An occasional dab of light grease at the Shack bolt mounts pretty much stops it. No Squeaks.

K16 squeak

Numerous threads on the squeak at the K1600 Forum. Noticed it more in warmer weather prior to getting my dealer supplied replacement shock this spring that didn't squeak going or coming from SLC!

Squeak Solution

My 2013 developed the squeak, people's heads would turn as I rode through small towns, they must of been thinking: well we don't like that Harley roar but this BMW squeak, now that's really annoying. Not good for the marque, you'd think they would have found a solution by now. I let my dealer work on it, squeak back in three weeks. Solution: bought an RT, no squeak.

MHRUTTER said:

My 2013 developed the squeak, people's heads would turn as I rode through small towns, they must of been thinking: well we don't like that Harley roar but this BMW squeak, now that's really annoying. Not good for the marque, you'd think they would have found a solution by now. I let my dealer work on it, squeak back in three weeks. Solution: bought an RT, no squeak.

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So is the squeak from the strut (shock) itself or is it from a hinged part of the suspension? Or don't the dealers know?

Some of these bikes are out if warranty, so it may not be practical to have a dealer look for a cause of the squeak.

Here’s an animated gif of how the front suspension works:

http://theneed4speed.com/Images/episode5_3_vis_l_01.gif

Hopefully, it might help someone troubleshoot the cause and find a fix for the problem.

There are numerous threads about lubricating the shock shaft and about replacing the shock bushing (silent block) or installing a new shock to eliminate the squeak. Here is a summary of the steps one rider had with his service dept.

According to the service dept. here, the squeak is NOT recognized as a real issue. In adddition, they are usually instructed from the mothership to do two steps. One, take the bushings out of the shock, test the shock for a squeak. If the shock squeaks, replace the entire unit. If the shock doesn't squeak, replace the bushings only (even though the dealership admittedly says the shock is a non servicable item).

I had this problem with my 2016 GT. The squeak always occurred after a ride when the bike was warm. The dealer was willing to replace the shock. Not being thrilled with the idea of major front end work on a nearly-new bike, I decided to experiment and see if I could locate the source of the noise. After riding one day this July, I carefully lubricated just the bottom of the coil spring where it comes in contact with the black cone-shaped metal stamping. I went right back out on the road, and the squeak was gone. It hasn't come back in the intervening months and about 2000 miles. Could be coincidence or plain luck, but it might be worth a try to anyone interested.