K11 Owners Group

RobWheatley

Hi All.
On the way home from work today I pulled away frm traffic lights (a bit rapid to beat a car) got 50 yards from the line and BANG CLATTER SKID...... rear wheel locked up solid, managed to roll her back a foot then she would move forwards a bit, after much to-ing and fro-ing got to the side of the road and waited for recovery, 5 hours later when I finally got home I stripped the FD off and found this.....

Note how BLUE the bearing is.

Remains of the bearings and shavings from the FD housing......

This driveshaft was only fitted 6000 miles ago and although it was used it was from a 60,000 mile bike, it was smooth as silk when it went in, no roughness etc and it failed with out ANY warning at all, no noise, clunks nothing.
Luckily for me I had not reached the motorway or it would have been the end I fear.

Rob[/img]
_________________
1999 K1100LTIC Smooth and Quiet Smile

Cruise, BFD & HID
1996 K1100RS. dead but not forgotten.

Saltcreek · Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 7:03 pm Post subject:

Glad you survived this ok Rob.
_________________
Jim

1994 K1100LT Mystic Red, bfd, 37000 miles, sold Sad

2009 Wilderness Systems Zephyr 155 ST
2002 Litespeed titanium

Stoked Steve · Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 7:28 pm Post subject:

Damn, that's scary that it locked up on you, thank goodness you were able to keep it under control!

I'm curious why it was replaced in the first place, what happened to the original?

Something is going on here to have these driveshafts destructing. I wonder, as some other poster mentioned, about the pivot bearings going bad as a possible cause?
_________________
Steve
Virginia Beach, VA
93 K1100RS Mystic Red SOLD
12 Suzuki DL650A VStrom

Flying Duck · Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 7:44 pm Post subject:

Yikes! Good thing you able to keep it vertical.
_________________
93 LT (x2)
94 RS
86-97 K75F(K75/100/1100 Frankenbrick)
86 K75C w/paralever, hi perf cams,TURBO!
91 & 92 K75Ss
91 K1
86 custom K100
14 WR250R
IBA #17739 (SS1K, BBG, 50CC)
Buy parts HERE

RobWheatley · Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 7:57 pm Post subject:

The original driveshaft had done 104,000 miles and the joints had "rough spots" that I found when I rebuilt the engine output shaft last August, so I used the one off the donor engine/trans assembly.
Pivot bearings are fine, no wear and turn smoothly, the driveshaft was "phased" too (although I still have the original one and looking at it tonight it cannot be phased at all, the joints will not line up no matter how I try)
Looking at the bearings on the UJ that failed they are totally dry and clean apart from where they went for a swim in a bit of oil that ended up in the swinging arm, they also show signs of overheating. I have yet to pull the rest of the shaft so don't know how the UJ is gearbox end.
I do tend to ride hard and fast but would not think I could break the UJ (no wheelies here)

EDIT
ment to say there is no way of greasing the bearings that were dry, I guess the grease/lube could have been "cooked" off if it was overheating for a while.
_________________
1999 K1100LTIC Smooth and Quiet Smile

Cruise, BFD & HID
1996 K1100RS. dead but not forgotten.

drikko · Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 8:00 pm Post subject:

This really scares me! Are these UJs normally a maintenance thing ie should they be lubed? I'll look up the Clymer tonight after work.
_________________
K1100RS '97
Laverda RGS 1000 '84
Jim Young Trailer Sailer 5.7M WB

DISCLAIMER:- Anything I say may have been when I was drunk so please don't take it personally.

'Bigamy is having one wife/husband too many. Monogamy is the same.'
Oscar Wilde

RobWheatley · Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 8:02 pm Post subject:

SugarHillCTD · Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 8:45 pm Post subject:

Rob,

Good work keeping it up on 2 wheels.

Have to admit that is one of the reasons I have changed over to a UJM clone of the K-RS. Might be missing a soul BUT they just go on and on and on.....
_________________
John & Cathy

'92 K100RS4V Pearl White SOLD
'04 K1200GT
IBA Several-SS1k, BBG, 50CC NYC to S.F.

Flying Duck · Posted: Fri May 07, 2010 10:30 am Post subject:

So, what's the track record on these? Is there a particular year perhaps that has issues?
_________________
93 LT (x2)
94 RS
86-97 K75F(K75/100/1100 Frankenbrick)
86 K75C w/paralever, hi perf cams,TURBO!
91 & 92 K75Ss
91 K1
86 custom K100
14 WR250R
IBA #17739 (SS1K, BBG, 50CC)
Buy parts HERE

Shoganai · Posted: Fri May 07, 2010 11:42 am Post subject:

BTDT Glad you are alright.

My 1993 did the same thing, I don't recall now how many miles it had on it at the time.

It looked just like that too.
_________________
1993 K1100RS aka The Shop Whore
1994 K1100RS aka Blue Streak

The long road is a rainbow and the pot of gold lies there.
So slip the chain and I'm off again,
You'll find me everywhere. I'm a Rover. - JT

Nana korobi ya oki

RobWheatley · Posted: Fri May 07, 2010 12:29 pm Post subject:

It was scary when it went, the noise was so loud I thought the whole back end had come off Shocked

Got a replacement ordered, got to drive a 440 mile round trip to get it though but need her back on the road for monday. I did think about putting the original one back in until they could deliver but decided against it, no way I want that to happen again.

Rob
_________________
1999 K1100LTIC Smooth and Quiet Smile

Cruise, BFD & HID
1996 K1100RS. dead but not forgotten.

CrashBar · Joined: 17 Feb 2008 Posts: 17 Location: Sommerville MA

This is exactly what happened to me (93 K11, 99K miles) last summer. Blew on an on-ramp in NY state, en route from Boston to California. I replaced it (and re-did everything up to the main seal) and have bought a spare to throw in my saddlebag for future big trips. As long as I have a 12mm allen wrench and 27mm socket in addition to the usual tools it is a straitforward motel parking lot repair. I've also got a spare FD with a friend boxed and ready to ship if needed.
_________________
1993 K1100LT (116,000 miles and counting)
1973 Honda CB350F
1978 Honda CB550K
1973 Triumph TR5T

Scott_Anderson · Posted: Fri May 07, 2010 9:34 pm Post subject:

Sounds like to me that the commonality so far is the 1993 production year?

When did BMW start production on the two-joint paralever drive line?
_________________
Ride safe.

1995 K1100LT 0302044
2017 FLHTK Ultra Limited
Garmin StreetPilot 2820
Garmin Zumo 550
Garmin Zumo XT
"One who does not ask questions is ashamed to learn" Danish proverb
1997 K1100LT 0302488(R.I.P.)
1997 R1100RT ZC62149(sold)

Flying Duck · Posted: Fri May 07, 2010 10:08 pm Post subject:

1988 is when they were building the very first paralever Ks. Not sure on Rs.
_________________
93 LT (x2)
94 RS
86-97 K75F(K75/100/1100 Frankenbrick)
86 K75C w/paralever, hi perf cams,TURBO!
91 & 92 K75Ss
91 K1
86 custom K100
14 WR250R
IBA #17739 (SS1K, BBG, 50CC)
Buy parts HERE

SugarHillCTD · Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 6:14 am Post subject:

joeangi · Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 1:12 pm Post subject:

Having one boxed and ready to be shipped at a friends house, now that is what I called being prepared.....WOW.

Joe
_________________
1994 K1100RS
1986 K100RS

RobWheatley · Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 1:27 pm Post subject:

Well the new shaft is in and working but when I took the back (front?) half of the shaft out of the swinging arm I found the rubber had started to break up, don't know if that was as a result of the joint failure or if it was maybe the cause but there are big lumps of it hanging out, will sort out a picture of it tomorrow.

I also have a spare FD tucked away, now going to buy another driveshaft too, that can live in the topbox I think.

Scott, Mine is a 1999 and the shaft that failed came of a 1997 so not the year I don't think, maybe just the load they have to take, there is not a lot of metal around the bearings and it wouldn't take alot to crack it and after all there is 100bhp going through it.....

Rob
_________________
1999 K1100LTIC Smooth and Quiet Smile

Cruise, BFD & HID
1996 K1100RS. dead but not forgotten.

markmack · Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 5:08 pm Post subject:

WOW!! Sure am glad you are OK!
Well sorry to welcome you to the club Crying or Very sad

http://k11og.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7787&highlight=

1993 w/ 70K miles.
_________________
markmack
R100RT 1979..First road bike, spoiled me on BMW's and a touring fairing, moved had to sell.
K75C ..Spoiled me on the K motor, smooth, sold.
K1100LT 1993..Best tour bike for me.
K1200LT 2003..Happy wife..Happy life.

beemeerr11 · Flying Brick Rider Joined: 05 Mar 2006 Posts: 168

robleyd · Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 9:43 am Post subject:

Man those B-doubles are fast though if you have to redline a brick to get in front of them Very Happy

Must be a different breed from the ones in South Oz !!
_________________
David, owner of:
1996 K1100 LT