U-joint failure on R1150R

[rockosmith]

I have a 2004 R1150R with 65000 miles on it and just suffered a u-joint failure. With the bike on the center stand, I noticed the rear wheel was hard to rotate and every 60 degrees or so it got really difficult to rotate. Some suggested a warped brake rotor but this was obviously something more serious. I pulled the final drive and could only move the shaft in one plane. I pulled the swingarm and the shaft and found the forward u-joint was normal in one plane but impossible to move by hand in the other plane. U-joints are not replaceable short of replacing the entire shaft. Big bucks!! It seems as if final drives are not our only concern any more.

[PGlaves]

I have a 2004 R1150R with 65000 miles on it and just suffered a u-joint failure. With the bike on the center stand, I noticed the rear wheel was hard to rotate and every 60 degrees or so it got really difficult to rotate. Some suggested a warped brake rotor but this was obviously something more serious. I pulled the final drive and could only move the shaft in one plane. I pulled the swingarm and the shaft and found the forward u-joint was normal in one plane but impossible to move by hand in the other plane. U-joints are not replaceable short of replacing the entire shaft. Big bucks!! It seems as if final drives are not our only concern any more.

Please let us know what the driveshaft cost turns out to be. Last time I bought one for an R1100RS it cost a little over $400, or not quite what two sets of chain/sprockets cost for my F650. That was over a year ago, so .....

[bmwmick]

rocko,
I just posted this for another K-bike owner in that section....

There IS a place in WI that will rebuild it:

Machine Service Industry
100 Ashwaubenon St.
Green Bay WI 54304

Tel# 1 800 677 8711

You can call them. Ask for Mitch , the shop foreman.
They offer the U-joint with or without the grease fitting. They use a German U-joint for replacement. Machine service is
a big agri./auto repair and paper industry repair shop.
__________________

[jduke]

Check with the used parts people, Beemerboneyard and RePsycle. And check out Ebay. I've seen used driveshafts for about $200.

[rockosmith]

Unfortunately, I was pressed on time. My u-joints failed on Sunday and I was scheduled to leave on vacation on Friday so I did not have the luxury of shopping very much for a used shaft. I got the new one from Bob's BMW in Maryland on Wednesday morning and was ready to roll by 2:00 Wed. afternoon. The new shaft and overnight freight to me was $713.95. A lot of money just because it was engineered to not have replaceable u-joints. Still, at 65700 miles that works out to just about 1 cent per mile.

I will contact the shop in Green Bay and get the old one repaired if it seems to be cost effective.