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Final drive leak repair question.....

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Same here ... I overfilled my 'Chromehead' a bit and ended up with the same result as others has shown for the R18 ... it leaked and some of the oil ended up as 'Tiger Stripes' on the tire .. I completely disassembled it and found out that the seal was just fine ... put it back together and reduced the amount of oil slightly ... and the problem never came back ... Maybe BMW over fills it to make sure a bit comes out and the seal is properly lubed ... knowing the a lot of dealers will change the oil (with the correct amount) at the 600 mile / 1000 km service ... just my 2 ¢. ;)
Can you tell us what tools you use to disassemble the final drive? I would be happy to change the seal myself. Thanks
 
So BMW decided to remove and replace the entire final drive unit. Glad to get closure on this. First time I’ve had this problem after owning 4 boxer bikes and never a leak.
 
I have had the pinion/driveshaft seal replaced twice now. Still leaking and waiting for dealer or manufacturer to decide what the next move is. Mine only seems to leak on extended runs of two-to-three-hundred-mile rides. This makes me think it doesn't vent/breathe properly. All three seals exhibited same symptoms only leaking on extended runs. If I wash after long ride, I don't get the tiger stripes of oil on the tire.
 
Can you tell us what tools you use to disassemble the final drive? I would be happy to change the seal myself. Thanks
I answered you in the PM ... the disassembly was myR1200C not the R18 ... I don't think the 2 compare ... and I did not need any special tools for the R1200C
EDIT: for whatever it is worth ... slightly (50ml or so) underfill the final drive and see if that makes a difference ... it worked for me without any ill effects
 
I've said it before somewhere on this forum, but try under filling your final drive by several fl. oz.

This was a HUGE issue on the old R1200c line, and that community also came to the same solution. Because this is a non-ventilated gear system, it will heat the trapped air, and if there's not enough empty volume for the air to heat/cool, it will find a way to exit the housing. What this means is your output shaft seal, being made of rubber, will be the first to go, hence the oil slinging problem.

Let it go long enough and our final drives will likely experience the same catastrophic failures the R1200c final drives did.

Mike
 
I've said it before somewhere on this forum, but try under filling your final drive by several fl. oz.

This was a HUGE issue on the old R1200c line, and that community also came to the same solution. Because this is a non-ventilated gear system, it will heat the trapped air, and if there's not enough empty volume for the air to heat/cool, it will find a way to exit the housing. What this means is your output shaft seal, being made of rubber, will be the first to go, hence the oil slinging problem.

Let it go long enough and our final drives will likely experience the same catastrophic failures the R1200c final drives did.

Mike
^ What Keehn said!
 
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