'04 K1200GT: cable ties for Final Drive boot

[corey61]

The final drive pinion seal on my '04 K1200GT has been leaking for some time, and it's been pretty minor and manageable. Periodically, I peel back the FD boot and inspect the state of things inside, looking for FD and/or transmission gear oil. I run two different color gear oils in the FD and tranny, so I can tell where any leakage has come from.

It's time to do the 24k service and I'll pull the wheels, too, to get new tires while I'm at it. This is a good time to inspect and clean inside the FD boot.

Question: another MOA member mentioned several years ago that the zip ties holding the FD boot in place are available in a version with stainless steel tabs (see below).
Does anyone know where to source these? I can't find them anywhere.

 

[akbeemer]

Will these work?

https://smile.amazon.com/Cable-Stai...14+x+0.18+,+black,+100+pieces,aps,1297&sr=8-3

There are other lengths.

 

[corey61]

Will these work?

https://smile.amazon.com/Cable-Stai...14+x+0.18+,+black,+100+pieces,aps,1297&sr=8-3

There are other lengths.

Unfortunately, I don't think so. Last time I did this, I searched high and low (on Amazon, etc.) for equivalent cable ties. I bought a number of them, thinking they'd be the thing. But... no.

Apparently, the BMW OEM part is metric size - and this matters with regard to the width of the plastic, so that it sits snugly in the grooves in the boot. The English-unit-sized cable ties I bought and tried just didn't keep the boot in place as well - resulting in higher likelihood of the seeping gear oil getting past it and creating a mess. In the end, I sucked it up and bought the BMW OEM part.

... BUT, if there's an OEM equivalent (i.e., metric sized) that has the SS tabs, I'd be interested. I measured the width of the OEM tie last time I did this but I don't recall what it is; either 5mm or 6mm, I believe.

 

[gregfeeler]

Are you having trouble with the non-steel tab zip ties coming loose? I've used standard zip ties in many applications on my bikes without them coming loose. Thanks.

 

[drneo66]

The English-unit-sized cable ties I bought and tried just didn't keep the boot in place as well - resulting in higher likelihood of the seeping gear oil getting past it and creating a mess. In the end, I sucked it up and bought the BMW OEM part.

... BUT, if there's an OEM equivalent (i.e., metric sized) that has the SS tabs, I'd be interested. I measured the width of the OEM tie last time I did this but I don't recall what it is; either 5mm or 6mm, I believe.

Also... I think I'd want to know if I have a lot of oil seeping past a seal sooner rather than later...


3M does list their steel-tabbed zips as 4.8mm - think that's close enough to 5mm?
https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1694931O/steel-barb-cable-ties-data-sheet-2019.pdf

 

[corey61]

Are you having trouble with the non-steel tab zip ties coming loose? I've used standard zip ties in many applications on my bikes without them coming loose. Thanks.

No, not so far. I'm interested in this because another MOA member mentioned that the ties with the metal tabs can be tightened harder and can help contain any leaked gear oil inside the boot. When it does get out, just a little bit can create a pretty big mess in a hurry...

 

[gregfeeler]

No, not so far. I'm interested in this because another MOA member mentioned that the ties with the metal tabs can be tightened harder and can help contain any leaked gear oil inside the boot. When it does get out, just a little bit can create a pretty big mess in a hurry...

To be candid, it sounds a bit like you are looking for a better Band Aide rather than addressing the problem. If I had a leaky seal like that, I would pull rear drive this fall/winter and take it or send it to be repaired. It could continue to leak a little for a long time - or rather suddenly just fail, which could be a big problem on any kind of trip. Besides, if you haven't checked the pivot bearings on the Paralever joint where the rear drive pivots, it's probably time, and there's a good chance they will need replacing.

 

[AntonLargiader]

Yeah, just get the leak fixed. The boot is not intended to contain oil. The swingarm should be dry inside.

 

[corey61]

To be candid, it sounds a bit like you are looking for a better Band Aide rather than addressing the problem. If I had a leaky seal like that, I would pull rear drive this fall/winter and take it or send it to be repaired. It could continue to leak a little for a long time - or rather suddenly just fail, which could be a big problem on any kind of trip. Besides, if you haven't checked the pivot bearings on the Paralever joint where the rear drive pivots, it's probably time, and there's a good chance they will need replacing.

Greg,

Thanks. This is generally sound advice and typically the path I'd follow. No question, I'm looking for a better band-aid. But only because I'm about to change the wound dressing, so to speak. I'm not getting much leakage, as is.

I engaged in a long discussion on this forum about this very issue about two years ago, when after a 10-day tour it looked like the leak was sufficiently serious that I should just go get it fixed. I received a fairly wide range of viewpoints, ranging from go-get-it-fixed to no-big-deal-just-monitor-and-top-off-your-FD-oil-as-needed. These opinions were from people such yourself who are respected on this forum.

Subsequent to that, I changed the FD gear oil and before draining it, very carefully inspected to see how much gear oil I'd lost. As far as I could tell, the answer was close to zero. That eased my mind and steered me toward the latter viewpoint above.

As it is, I'm not leaking much at all - I monitor it frequently when I'm riding a lot, which is sporadic. But I have a long trip planned for early Fall and have thought about the prospect of an outright failure during that adventure. Which would be bad...

As for the pivot bearing, as it happens I stopped by the local dealership a couple weeks ago to ask about how to fix a pesky problem with the microswitch under the rear brake pedal. They are a busy big-city shop, but one of the senior people came out to look at the bike and offer his suggestions. In doing so, he checked for play in the rear wheel and to my surprise, there was a tiny bit. He told me it could be tightened (didn't need replacement) and said it'd be about $450. I've read through the DIY procedure given in the Clymer and I don't want to purchase or fabricate the necessary special tooling req'd, so I'd let a shop do this. There are several fine independent motorcycle shops here in the South Bay Area, which is my preference. But for this, I'll probably have to take it to the BMW dealer, I would think. Any thoughts about that...? Thanks again for your dialoguing here.

 

[corey61]

Yeah, just get the leak fixed. The boot is not intended to contain oil. The swingarm should be dry inside.

Yes, I certainly know this. See my separate response to Greg telling about my previous forum discussions of this leak. The only reason I'm looking for a snugger-fitting zip tie is because it came up in the in-forum conversation generated by my post about the leaky FD two years ago. Someone suggested it then. And, it's now time to see how much oil I really have inside the boot, as I drop the rear wheel to get some fresh tires mounted. I've found that with the wheel removed, it's much easier to pull back the boot and inspect carefully all the way around the swingarm.

It's not like I have a steady flow of oil emerging from the boot; it looks like the seal is kinda 'weeping' rather than 'leaking.' That said, maybe it's time to put this issue to bed...

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[corey61]

So, if I DO decide to get the leaky pinion seal fixed...

Further to the discussion above, does anyone have a ballpark cost for tearing down the FD and replacing the leaky pinion seal? If I bring it to a shop, ride-in/ride-out, what would it cost, roughly?

2nd question: If I do the work myself to remove the FD from the bike and bring the unit in, roughly how much shop-labor time would that save me? I'm thinking about doing the removal / re-installation myself, but in reading through the procedure in the Clymer it seems a bit involved for my level of skills, available tools, and garage workspace. In other words... intimidating.
But it would be a learning experience and if the cost savings are compelling, I might be motivated to get the tools and invest the time.