R1100 Transmission(s)...

[Mcathcart]

Humm... First post and maybe not a good one.

Just bought a '99 R1100 RT from Daytona BMW with 31k. During the 420 mile ride home, I notice the transmission is not shifting clean in second and worse in third. Since I am a master-mechanic I know the dogs are not going into the gear clean and possibly going in on the second rotation. So I came here to find out if this is "normal" for the '99 R's. Running a search, I'm begining to think that BMW missed something on the transmissions. My old R75 sounds like a truck gearbox but it shifts.

Should I go ahead and pull the transmission and repair the damage now or any idea how long it should last? (Naturally I have No history on the bike from the dealer and no warranty.) If there's a transmission guru in the house have you tried dove-tailing the dogs?

What's the Best Shop Manual?

Thanks,

Mike

[breyfogle]

'99 R1100 transmissions are generally considered as good as R1100 trannies get. The very early (1994-1996) ones had reliability problems that got fixed in 1997 and later models. At 31 Kmiles your '99 should be OK. People who have their early trannies rebuilt sometimes have the gear dogs undercut and seem to think this helps alot.

You did not mention how much experience you have with R1100's so this may be restating the obvious but two things come to mind: (1) these trannies like to be shifted above 4000 RPM - the higher the better and (2) "preloading" the shift lever (beginning to apply pressure on the shifter a fraction of a second before the clutch is fully disengaged) also helps at lower RPM.

[glwestcott]

What he said. I would agree that you should try preloading if your not, and see what that does. I had similar thoughts when I first rode my 2001 RT, but no problems with 71,000 miles to date. These are robust, but clunky and anything but smooth transmissions.

[Mcathcart]

Thanks!

My experience with the "new" R's. N O N E. I've ridden the new R1100 a total of 489 miles Friday and Saturday and that's it. I tried shifting a couple different ways, on the power and off the power and at lower RPM's but never reved it during shifting. I'd say I never shifter it above 3,000 RPM during the 465 miles home (I stopped in Savannah and rode about 40 miles but from home to the dealer 420). FYI I've owned a couple of K100's (too heavy and Buzzy), a R60/5, R75/6 *still own it, R100S, R100RS and rode the 1981 R100RS more than any of the other bikes. So... with the older R's I'd normally shift at lower RPM's.

So....? Does the gearbox sound like it's OK or should I pull it?

I like the new Oilhead but I will say this... with very little ridding in the past 5 years, the 460 mile ride home was R O U G H on my rear-end yesterday. I was totally ready to jack it up to a hundred the last 60 miles and let it roool. I didn't find the Cruise Control until I was 20 miles from home!

Mike

[rinty]

Mike:

As Breyfogle says, the transmissions were fixed in 1997, so your bike will have the improved version. For more information, go into Anton Largiader's website and look at the transmission section. The other guru is Tom Cutter, and he may have a website.

Sounds like there is something going on in your box that may have to be fixed.

My oiler, and all the others I have ridden, have had nice light shift actions with no pre - loading required.

At least you can wrench it yourself. If you do some searches on this site, Bikers Oracle, and the RT specific sites, you should be able to find some useful transmission removal tips that will save you some work.

Give us a post op when you're done.

Rinty

[breyfogle]

I'd say I never shifter it above 3,000 RPM during the 465 miles home

Try moving your up-shift point to 4500-5000 RPM.

[j-budimlya]

Shifting at 3000 rpm does not mean reving the engine when shifting, it means running in gear up to 3000+ rpm, before shifting, and preloading means applying slight pressure to the shift pedal prior to pulling in the clutch, if you do this the transmission should very cleanly shift to the next gear, from which you must release the shift pedal to do the next shift....if you don't release the pedal pressure you cannot shift again....

BTW, sometimes adjusting the shift pedal position is all it takes to eliminate shifting problems....if the pedal is in the wrong position in relation to your toe....consistent shifts are problematic.....

Welcome back and good luck...

[barryg]

This is not an easy post to respond to. Transmission problems are a common complaint to these bikes. I have a 94 RS and have not had a problem with it. That bike is suppose to have all sorts of problems with tranny with several upgrades. After all the upgrades, I remember reading several articles where people in the know recommended the original trans. over the the ones with the upgrades. U might get a hold of Leo Goff at Memphis Motorwerks in Memphis, Tn. He has rebuilt quite a few BMW trans. and keeps up with all the factory upgrades and changes. 901-757-1009.

[Mcathcart]

Just rode the bike (R1100RT) and shifted it at 4,500 RPM. Amazing, it shifts much better. A couple of times there was no "ka-bang" just "bang". The "ka-bang" was much less when it happened. I'm going to experiment with shifting it at a higher RPM before I make the decision to dove-tail the gears.

Jimbud know what a Shift Light is? It's more fun to hit the rev-limiter and jam the next gear. Something about small V-8's that will turn 7,500 rpm very quickly. http://media.putfile.com/Cobra-Drive-3 No the clutch is not slipping the both rear tires are. It was tooo dangerous to hold it on with wet spots in the road.

I'll keep you posted on the gear box.

[Troutluck]

Ditto on the 4-5k rpm shift point. Although oilheads don't have a particularly high redline, they work better if ridden in the upper-mid range of rpms. I have also found that clutch-lever freeplay adjustment has some effect on the quality and consistency of shifts. Shopping for used bikes, I saw a very wide margin of adjustment, from none to way-too-much.

I should also add that I like 80-90 gear oil (as originally-specced) better than the 75-150 stuff that seems to be universally used. Valvoline makes a semi-synthetic in this range that I have used in a k75 and my current R1100R with good results. YMMV, of course, but I trust Getrag more than the Internets.

http://www.micapeak.com/bmw-gs/trans.html

[Mcathcart]

See this is why I like BMW owners.

The clutch feels fine but I'll check the adjustment. From the article he says to keep the lever loaded a couple of seconds after the shift. This makes good sense too.

Going to wash it for the first time right now.

Thanks for all the excellent information.

Mike