Hit in rear but okay

[BeemerBERN]

Yesterday a 300 Km ride was spoilt 2 Km from home when my 2004 R1150RT was hit in the rear by an elderly cage driver at a compulsory stop. Impact speed differential not great - I kept bike up & pillion not hurt. Impact was into rear guard/tyre - rear light lense broken, car bumper damaged. Question is, what is the chance of damage to rim & shaft drive mechanism which is not visually evident?

[T__]

BeemerBERN, the usual thing that happens is a bend or ding in the rear rim.. If the rim isn’t bent (give it a spin on the center stand & look for wobble or dents) then probably no other damage.. Also look for a bent rear sub frame (checking or cracking paint near the welds,, off center,, etc)..

 

Maybe look at the rear torque tube for signs of cracks (they usually crack or break not bend) & check the rear torque reaction strut for bending or signs of distress.. Also look for play in the rear wheel & pivots..

 

Doesn’t sound like a very hard hit but look it over at all areas for signs of bending or cracking paint..

 

 

Twisty

 

[BeemerBERN]

Thanks for that Twisty 1

[AndyS]

Impact was into rear guard/tyre - rear light lense broken, car bumper damaged. Question is, what is the chance of damage to rim & shaft drive mechanism which is not visually evident?

Remove seats, check rear subframe carefully for bending and also for cracking at attachment points.

Pay particular attention around subframe to transmission/engine mount point to ensure casings have not cracked.

Check black side panel have not had their engagement tongue sheared off. Check left and right tupperware around engagement to foot plates. When the rear plastic got thumped in may well have rammed the rest forward.

Andy

[Unhofliche_Gesundheit]

not to divert the post as it is always good to be one's own expert but as as side note - what about insurance?

 

here it would be a no-brainer to take the bike to a pro for full assessment....

 

under our no-fault insurance system- if someone hits you like that from behind at a stop the fault is 100% theirs and you get any and all damages fixed by your insurer with no negative impact on your premium or record

 

if you inspect but fail to note damage now that is found later you will be left with the tab....

 

 

 

[BeemerBERN]

Hi Cameron,

 

My thinking is totally in line with you at this point. The bike is to be transported to the Melbourne BMW Bike service representative for a full inspection and rectificiation where required. Unfortunately they have a four week backlog so I won't see my beloved bike for 6-8 weeks.

 

I do appreciate the feedback from the other guys as this is helping my understanding of what to expect from the inspection.

 

I have also received expert advice from a cousin rider who highlighted possible damage to the final drive. I quote "The final drive will have received a significant loading; the wheel is cantilevered off of a steel flange which comes out of the rear drive unit. Here, a dial gauge must be used to check the trueness of that steel flange. To discover any internal damage a BMW mechanic should pull the unit and open it up to check for internal damage and proper mesh of the crown wheel with the driving gear. It is unlikely that the bearings or the gears suffered, but the flange might have. I would still insist on a visual check by opening the unit. If the final drive unit checks out as having a true flange and there are no meshing problems noted with the gears then there is probably no problem".

 

BeemerBERN 2004 R1150RT Melbourne, Australia

[rocks]

Insurance here would cover a loaner or rental as well while your bike is tied up... just a thought and it might be a "dangerous" route as you might then very well end up with a new bike