BMW recall 440,000 bikes....moments of appreciation

Purificator81

ride until the end of endless road...
Joined
Apr 30, 2014
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375
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Morocco
Yes, the S10 is heavy, but so is the GS and the GSA is heavier and they sell rather well and no one seems to complain, so why is that?
Initially the GSA was slightly less heavy than the S10 but now they are almost at par....I really don't ask myself why since I learned the lesson from my wife when I asked her why people pay a lot for a rolex while they could check the clock on their phone....then I got the answer that clarified to me everything in this univers....
 

WJBertrand

Ventura Highway
Joined
Jun 20, 2015
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4,516
Location
Ventura, CA
What I don’t understand is, “Why is there a rubber boot in the middle of the the BMW driveshaft enclosure?” Compare that poor engineering/design to the rock solid Super Tenere design! Duh! What am I not seeing?
View attachment 93607
View attachment 93608
The articulated final drive that BMW uses is a means of isolating the torque reaction of the ring gear trying to climb the ring gear from the suspension. Most shaft drive bikes will rise on their suspension when torque/throttle is applied and drop when the throttle is closed, especially in lower gears. On paper this is a superior design for handling.

Yamaha addressed this “shaft jacking” a different way. They used a long swing arm and a hypoid design final drive. The hypoid design redirects some of the torque from the pinion gear so instead of trying to climb the ring gear, some of that torque pushes the ring gear rearward. This reduces the tendency for the torque to make the bike rise and fall on its suspension.


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Strummer

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Sep 11, 2020
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619
Location
Italy
Initially the GSA was slightly less heavy than the S10 but now they are almost at par....I really don't ask myself why since I learned the lesson from my wife when I asked her why people pay a lot for a rolex while they could check the clock on their phone....then I got the answer that clarified to me everything in this univers....
Oooh c'mon
You can't do this to me.
What's the answer??!
 

Jlq1969

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May 5, 2018
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1,749
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Argentina
Utilizaron un brazo oscilante largo
I think I have read that this is the problem….the length of the arm. The system is the same since that modification that they made in the second generation of the K series of the 90's... but in the GS, the arm is longer
43118DC1-3452-440A-8E22-C1859DF99D55.jpeg
 

WJBertrand

Ventura Highway
Joined
Jun 20, 2015
Messages
4,516
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Ventura, CA
I think I have read that this is the problem….the length of the arm. The system is the same since that modification that they made in the second generation of the K series of the 90's... but in the GS, the arm is longer
View attachment 93622
Yeah, the original K bikes had very short swing arms due to the long engine and the need to keep the wheelbase reasonable. They had non-articulating final drives and could be “amusing” to ride at lower speeds dialing the throttle on and off!

Even with a longer swing arm there are benefits to the articulated final drive. Notice the torque arm that feeds final drive torque into the frame instead of via the suspension, especially if using a non-hypoid final drive. I think the Concours 1400 has a set up like that.

Heavier, lower powered bikes also make this torque reaction less noticeable.


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WJBertrand

Ventura Highway
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Jun 20, 2015
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Ventura, CA
I had the impression most of the BMW final drive issues were within the gear case and not so much with the parallelogram (Paralever in BMW-speak) system. I recall iron butt competitors carrying an extra final drive gear case during the rally.


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TenereJourneyMan

Active Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2019
Messages
239
Location
Sacramento/NorCal, CA
I had the impression most of the BMW final drive issues were within the gear case and not so much with the parallelogram (Paralever in BMW-speak) system. I recall iron butt competitors carrying an extra final drive gear case during the rally.


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WJBertrand,

Did you mean that they carry around an extra case, like in this photo? What does that thing weigh?222E7C78-023F-4D6D-83EA-A7000F337495.jpeg
 

Fennellg

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Joined
Jun 28, 2015
Messages
607
Location
North Carolina
I am well aquatinted with BMW's and reliability issues. I take a trip with a bunch of my friends once or twice a year. Been doing it since 2005. We have had 3 or 4 trip interruptions due to mechanical failures. All were the BMW Riders in our crew. Harley, Yamaha, and Kawasaki have all been flawless.


The Harley ridders (I was one at the Time.) Got a kick out of escorting a RT on a tow truck to a dealership for repair. The owner of the dealership had drinks with us that night and was embarrassed as well.
 

RCinNC

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Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
2,816
Location
North Carolina
How much faith can you possibly have when riding a motorcycle if you have to lug around an extra final drive assembly "just in case'? I get how the IBR guys have a lot at stake when they're doing a ride, but if I had so little faith in what I was riding that I did that, my solution would be a more reliable bike, not carrying around a major subassembly. Can you imagine heading out on a cross country trip on a Super Tenere and hauling a final drive assembly with you?
 

Fennellg

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Joined
Jun 28, 2015
Messages
607
Location
North Carolina
I would be onboard an Africa Twin DCT should my ST need replacing. Provided Yamaha or someone else has not provided a more appropriate ride. I danced with the devil once having owned 2 Harleys over 10 years. I must admit I loved those bikes. But performance was sub par, and reliability started to become an issue. I describe the s10 to others as the Toyota of motorcycles. My S10 has been the most problem free bike I have ever owned.

On a side note that may have some bearing on future motorcycles, my printer copier scanner is giving me trouble. Giving its age was considering replacing it. There are no decent machines that I can find. They have gotten cheaper and far less reliable. I started out in the 80s and 90 selling computer equipment. The machines offered then were superior. I feel we are entering another period like the 70s. When everything you could buy was shit.
 
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