2010 R1200RT: final drive leaks and other issues

[D-Mac]

Hi all,

I'm back home from the 2011 Iron Butt Rally. While I'm happy that I finished, and pleased overall with the RT, my bike wasn't entirely problem-free.

It started at the start line with a failed stepper motor (happened during my 12,000 mile service appointment, which I did at 11,500 miles). The bike wouldn't idle properly. Dealer was up much of the night getting it fixed. After the motor was replaced it ran ok, although it does stall once in a while when first fired up (it did something similar when new).

As I arrived at the finish line (about 9000 miles later) I discovered that my final drive was leaking (!) It looked like the seal had failed, so I took it to a local dealer (in LA). They confirmed the seal failure and replaced it (along with the fluid of course). They told me I probably would have lost the final drive within another 50 miles. I then rode 1000 miles over the following two days and discovered the new seal leaking again (just inside Utah it started spewing out lots of oil in a motel parking lot). I had the bike towed to Salt Lake and waited 1 1/2 days for the dealership to open. They said it was just another seal, but that it seemed like a little more oil than normal came out when they drained the final drive (so perhaps it was overfilled, causing the second failure). New seal #2 was installed. By this point you could see a lot of marring around the hub from prying off the plastic ring....

About 1700 miles later I arrived home. The bike has about 23,000 miles on it now and it's about 10 months old. I hear they added a vent on the 2011s to keep pressure from causing a seal failure. My riding buddy who has a 2009 GSA he bought new a year ago has nearly 60,000 miles on it has never had a seal fail, although he's seen three failures on other bikes this year and he just ordered the seal driver from BMW for his tool kit. It looks like seal replacement could be done on the road without much trouble. Anyone ever do this?

I also had some electrical issues during the rally. Canbus now shuts off power to my GPS accessory port at regular intervals (generally about 5-15 minutes after the bike is on). My rear accessory port has also stopped working. I have been using the BMW GPS plug for switched power to my fuseblock, but it looks like I'll be tapping the park lights instead. I'm also going to convert the accessory plugs to draw power from my fuseblock and bypass the bike.

 

[Ponch1]

Hi all,

I'm back home from the 2011 Iron Butt Rally. While I'm happy that I finished, and pleased overall with the RT, my bike wasn't entirely problem-free.

It started at the start line with a failed stepper motor (happened during my 12,000 mile service appointment, which I did at 11,500 miles). The bike wouldn't idle properly. Dealer was up much of the night getting it fixed. After the motor was replaced it ran ok, although it does stall once in a while when first fired up (it did something similar when new).

As I arrived at the finish line (about 9000 miles later) I discovered that my final drive was leaking (!) It looked like the seal had failed, so I took it to a local dealer (in LA). They confirmed the seal failure and replaced it (along with the fluid of course). They told me I probably would have lost the final drive within another 50 miles. I then rode 1000 miles over the following two days and discovered the new seal leaking again (just inside Utah it started spewing out lots of oil in a motel parking lot). I had the bike towed to Salt Lake and waited 1 1/2 days for the dealership to open. They said it was just another seal, but that it seemed like a little more oil than normal came out when they drained the final drive (so perhaps it was overfilled, causing the second failure). New seal #2 was installed. By this point you could see a lot of marring around the hub from prying off the plastic ring....

About 1700 miles later I arrived home. The bike has about 23,000 miles on it now and it's about 10 months old. I hear they added a vent on the 2011s to keep pressure from causing a seal failure. My riding buddy who has a 2009 GSA he bought new a year ago has nearly 60,000 miles on it has never had a seal fail, although he's seen three failures on other bikes this year and he just ordered the seal driver from BMW for his tool kit. It looks like seal replacement could be done on the road without much trouble. Anyone ever do this?

I also had some electrical issues during the rally. Canbus now shuts off power to my GPS accessory port at regular intervals (generally about 5-15 minutes after the bike is on). My rear accessory port has also stopped working. I have been using the BMW GPS plug for switched power to my fuseblock, but it looks like I'll be tapping the park lights instead. I'm also going to convert the accessory plugs to draw power from my fuseblock and bypass the bike.

Sounds like you are ready for a different/new bike.

 

[SteveAikens]

First off Dean - please correct your IBA number...

I recall your mention of the seal in Ontario but wasn't aware of the other issues.

My 2007 has been rock solid with the exception of the fuel level sensor heading for parts unknown a couple times. I'm at 72,000 on it and have both front and rear disks and pads on order - the ride finalized their lifespan.

Considering the number of issues you're having, I'd be having a pretty aggressive talk with my dealer and BMW to get you on a bike that's not plagued like this one is.

Ride safe my friend.....

 

[racer7]

???
I don't see any proof of major problems here- just a bunch of annoying niggles that can handled by a decent tech. Mybe that's the problem...No obvious reason for a stepper to fail coinicident with a service, for example.

A leaky seal (twice) might easily have been caused by overfill- something dealers do frequently based on my experience. Draining hot, meaasuring what comes out and replacing with measured 180 is the proper procedure and no more effort than a "goof off" method. Another possible cause is inept replacement first time- scarring of the contact surface, etc. And of course the FD might be on the verge of failure or the rear caliper may be hanging up transferring extra heat to the FD. All should be easy to check.

The shutoff of the fuseblock trigger wire simply suggests the circuit is pulling a bit more than the ZFE allows for some reason (possibly even an intermittent connection) so relo or possibly testing of the load is in order. I've got mine triggered off the "starter relay" - no problems. As you know some use the diagnostic plug, parking light, rear accessory harness, etc.

The rear outlet (only?) going bad after a brief run would suggest a simple connection problem of some sort- its on the same circuit as the front and subject to the amperage limit the ZFE allows (if both are dead but reset on startup that limit has been exceeded).
Putting the rear on the fuseblock is a good idea if for no other reason than the factory limit set in the ZFE is too low- I added a 3rd to my bike and just put it on the opposite side across from the factory rear one. As that fuseblock load goes up it would be wise to ensure that main wires carrying power to it (and ground) are of sufficient gauge.

Congrats to both of you for your IB efforts and results!

 

[D-Mac]

???
I don't see any proof of major problems here- just a bunch of annoying niggles that can handled by a decent tech. Mybe that's the problem...No obvious reason for a stepper to fail coinicident with a service, for example.

A leaky seal (twice) might easily have been caused by overfill- something dealers do frequently based on my experience. Draining hot, meaasuring what comes out and replacing with measured 180 is the proper procedure and no more effort than a "goof off" method. Another possible cause is inept replacement first time- scarring of the contact surface, etc. And of course the FD might be on the verge of failure or the rear caliper may be hanging up transferring extra heat to the FD. All should be easy to check.

The shutoff of the fuseblock trigger wire simply suggests the circuit is pulling a bit more than the ZFE allows for some reason (possibly even an intermittent connection) so relo or possibly testing of the load is in order. I've got mine triggered off the "starter relay" - no problems. As you know some use the diagnostic plug, parking light, rear accessory harness, etc.

The rear outlet (only?) going bad after a brief run would suggest a simple connection problem of some sort- its on the same circuit as the front and subject to the amperage limit the ZFE allows (if both are dead but reset on startup that limit has been exceeded).
Putting the rear on the fuseblock is a good idea if for no other reason than the factory limit set in the ZFE is too low- I added a 3rd to my bike and just put it on the opposite side across from the factory rear one. As that fuseblock load goes up it would be wise to ensure that main wires carrying power to it (and ground) are of sufficient gauge.

Congrats to both of you for your IB efforts and results!

Yup. I think you nailed it. No need to dump the bike - just a little bad luck and a sign that I need to tweak things a little with my electrical accessories.

It was annoying to lose 2 days and a hundred bucks on the road (hotel, transportation, food), but stuff happens. If the bike had died during the rally I'm sure I would have a different view of things, but I'm feeling ok about it now.

Next spring I will consider trading it in on a GS (I think it's time to do some off-road trips), but I might wait until the new boxers come out before making any moves.

Overall, the RT is a fantastic bike. Easily the best bike I've ever owned.