Final Drive temperature??????????

[RBertalotto]

I just got a 2004 R1150RSL last week. When I bought it, it had slop in the rear wheel. I knew this going in, that's why I got it with full luggage and 16K miles for $6000. The movement was barely perceptable, but it was there. Mostly at 9-3 o-clock and very little at 12-6 o-clock.

It also had horrible handling. It simply would not stay down in a left hand turn. I had to lean on the bars to get it to hold anything approaching a line. The rear tire was severely cupped. So yesterday I adjusted the pivot bearings, but even with 10-12 nM on the left side pivot, I was getting movement. But when I applied the rear brake, the wobble was gone. So this led me to think FD bearings. But after a reasonably long ride tonight, the pivot bearings are making a clicking sound when the rear brake is applied and the rear wheel is manipulated at 9-3 O-clock, leading me to now believe the PB are suspect. (I ordered the Rubber Chicken bushings and I'm going to replace the PB as soon as they arrive). It seems quite difficult to diagnose whether it is FD or PB. Today a friend of mine came over with an 04 R1150R. Just for sh-ts and giggles, I put his bike on the lift to check the rear wheel for movement. Yup.....With the rear brake applied he has slop too. After he left I went by a friends house with an 2003 R1150GS. I checked his rear wheel.....you guessed it, wiggle with the brake applied. Are these Pivot Bearings all bad or in need of adjustment? The fellow with the GS just had the bike gone through last week for our ride to the National Rally in TN and the dealer reported that everything was fine.

 

Today I mounted a set of new tires. Took it out for a ride. All the weird handling sensation was gone! Bike now handles like it's on rails. The PO also had the rear shock set all the way to "low". As far as it would go. I think this led to the rear tire cupping. I adjusted it to the mid point.

 

When I got back from my ride tonight, I used a laser thermometer and measured 110 degrees on the right side of the FD housing. I have no idea if this is hot , cold or just right. Has anyone ever been this annal to measure the temperature of the final drive after a ride. Ambient temp was 68 degrees btw. I'm just curious if we could use the temperature of the FD to signal impending doom.

 

Thanks

[Ken H.]

Play at 9-3 and not 12-6 is almost always the pivot bearings. And yes, there are likely a lot of R bikes out there with play in the pivot bearings that the owner doesn't realize is there.

 

110 F isn't unusually hot for the FD. If you can’t put your hand on it, or the paint is pealing, then you have a problem! Besides, imminent failure of the FD on these bikes is rarely evidenced by overheating of the drive casing anyway. The bearings failing (the most common failure) just don’t generate that much heat as they’re going.

[RBertalotto]

Thanks!

[RT Pilot]

I've often thought about how hot is "too hot" for the final drive. I have an 04 RT with 38K+ miles and on the hottest summer days (90F+)after a long day of riding you cannot stand to put your hand on my final drive. I don't have any problems with the drive and the FD oil comes out looking like it went in, with nothing to mention on the magnetic plug.

 

I'm a pilot, and helicopters often utilize Teletemp recording strips for gearboxes, drive shafts etc.--I'm tempted to put one of these on the RT's final drive this summer. These are pretty accurate within their calibrated range. If I do, I'll let you know how it turns out. Here's a link to Teletemp: http://www.sisweb.com/vacuum/sis/telatemp.htm

[philbytx]

Yeah! I'm anal

Check it with my Fluke DMM with an IR temp sensor unit on it. IIRC, the hottest I've seen it is 126F and that on a 85F day.

 

[nrp]

How about just epoxying the outdoor sensor from an indoor/outdoor temperature gauge (cheap!) & put the display in a case. That will give a resettable Max reading.