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Rear wheel bearing failure

99991

New member
I have a 2008 F800ST that has performed great through its 32000 miles - until now. The rear bearings destroyed themselves and took out the shaft, etc to a tune of $1,800. Has anyone had problems with the rear bearings? Am I the only one? I ride gently and take care of the bike. My previous bike was an R850R that was bullet proof. BMW isn't interested in helping defray the cost.

Bud
 
I had the same bike with the same issue.
I pulled the old one and replaced it with a replacement unit, all new, assembled at my local BMW motorcycle dealer. I forget the total cost, but at least $1,200, or more, none of which, no, wait, $910 or so. But I did the labor. And paid all the $910.
It's a hokey press fit, with no real pressure, no key, no nothing. Not a good design at all.

But there is no "fix" on it. It must be replaced. Don't let anyone sell you a "fixed" one.
dc
 
Didn't Paul Glaves publish an article in ON about some sort of spool failures on these bikes due to inadequate hardening- which then took out the bearings? Is that the failure being talked about or are there 2 diffferent ones?
 
I only read about 2 million words on the thing when I had my issues, both before and after. I don't remember Paul Glaves.
No.
On mine the failure was a faulty press fit. The total press fit, instead of using 12 ton press, uses hot and cold. Heat one part and cool the other.
The most ambiguous joining of metal possible. What happens then is the inner race on the bearing starts to rotate. And destroys the axle, too.
I had sold my bike before I repaired it, but seeing how the repair worked, I was happy to be into a different bike.
Like the R1200RT. We all know they never had a rear end problem.
dc
 
well documented on advrider for the GS models as well.

i change my own tires, and religiously check bearing action each time (~6-8K miles). they felt just a bit gritty around 24K, so i bought replacement bearings and selas from a bearing local supply store. cost was about 1/3 compared to getting them from BMW.
 
In our case (and my article) the axle tube was too soft and hammered and deformed. The end result was that the bearings then became loose on the shaft. This allowed wheel wobble and wear on the ID of the inner races. The bearings were worn - but the root cause was the shaft was too soft and deformed. This was the case of 2007 models and some later models. The replacement axle tube/wheel flange was noticably different in design, and material too I'm sure.

As for the method of assembly, everything is an interference fit. The bearings are cooled and the hub is heated to fit the outer races. The shaft is cooled and the bearings are heated to fit the tube to the bearings. This is pretty much the way BMW has fit wheel bearings and steering head bearings and other bearings for as long as I can remember.
 
BMW NA refused any financial help stating that it was outside warranty.
I filed a Vehicle Safety Complaint.
I'll show the dealer the Service Bulletin and make sure that they have used the proper parts.
Thanks for the advice.
 
Had the same problem on my 09

I had the same thing happen on my 09 GS 800. It was actually caught at the time I purchased the bike used from a BMW Dealer. I was about to take delivery on the bike when a tech noticed a nail in the rear tire. When he took the wheel off to repair the the problem the bearing parts fell out of the wheel. The dealer didn't have any parts .........but I took delivery of the bike anyway and trailered it back home to an another state. At the time I was working for a company that had a large machine shop and I had those folks check out the problem. The problem centered on an improper fit for the bearing,I believe a 2014?. It was an easy fix to correct the fit however and the dealer expressed mailed the replacement parts. This problem occurred at 23,000 miles. The bike now has another 10,000 miles on it and there has been no recurrence of the problem. I was fortunate in that the problem was caught early and did not do any further damage.
 
The GS is a very different setup than the ST. The GS uses three small bearings in the wheel hub and a double sided swingarm with chain drive. The ST has a single large bearing in a single sided swingarm with a large diameter axle with splined hub flange onto which the wheel is bolted and the pulley for the belt drive on the other end. Though there were some complaints about bearing failures in the GS line, this recall is totally separate issue and completely unrelated to what you experienced.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4
 
mcm
Recall. What recall?
I don't think there was any recall on this, was there? Just a new axle. And warranty fixes, if you were still under warranty.
Or goodwill.
dc
 
Rear Wheel Bearings F800 st

Hello ,
What specifically did you use for bearing replacement : Timkins? Do you have Brand and part numbers for the seals and bearings?
Thanks ,
Mark

well documented on advrider for the GS models as well.

i change my own tires, and religiously check bearing action each time (~6-8K miles). they felt just a bit gritty around 24K, so i bought replacement bearings and selas from a bearing local supply store. cost was about 1/3 compared to getting them from BMW.
 
Receipt says 5 sealed bearings, 62042RS, sized 30x47x7, and one (for the front) at 25x47x7, and 4 seals (3 at 30x57x7, one at 25x47x7).
Seals happened to be Timkin, the bearings were ZVL, a Slovakian made bearing. I had been told to use eastern Euro bearings, NOT Chinese!
total price for 5 bearings and 4 seals was $60.

OEM original front bearings are still good at 35K.
 
Here's what I used in the rear

[URL=http://s388.photobucket.com/user/tofire409/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20140429_195321_zps79928ba4.jpg.html][/URL]

Added a bit more grease as most are shipped with very little.

[URL=http://s388.photobucket.com/user/tofire409/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20140429_195721_zpsa0a98604.jpg.html][/URL]

The front bearings seem to last far longer than the rear...less weight, stress and general abuse I assume.

And stick to Japanese or European made. Most good bearing shops will have what you need!
 
Welcome to the forum! Kinda scary how little grease is in a sealed bearing. I haven't done the fronts yet but a wheel-on check seems good. I bought all 5 bearings and seals + 1 extra of each for around $100.00
OM
 
Welcome to the forum! Kinda scary how little grease is in a sealed bearing. I haven't done the fronts yet but a wheel-on check seems good. I bought all 5 bearings and seals + 1 extra of each for around $100.00
OM

Thanks! Finally decided to join here...

Just got the Anonymous book, I had no idea it was the resource that it is :bliss

I was surprized as well at the lack of grease. I ended up getting the bearings for about $15 each. Have yet to touch the fronts other than to check. I end up checking the rear set at least twice a year and every time I take the rear tire off.
 
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