I'm not sure if I'd get more responses here or in road warriors, but here goes. I'm looking to buy a K75 with 59,000 miles, pretty clean, good looking bike, good price, but the spline lube history is unknown. Guy who has it now has ridden it for 30,000-ish miles without having done it, the owner before him SAID that he did, but there is no documentation, so who knows. I rode it, and it shifted like butter, both up and down through the gears. I really like the bike, and want to buy it, but spline lube doubts have got me reconsidering. Any thoughts?
It doesn't take that much effort to slide the rear end back to take a look at the splines. Even if they are in poor shape the BMW shop in Medford Oregon rebuilds them better than new. I have a shaft and rear end from an '85 K100 that would make a great core to freshen so that you could ride while it is being done, if it came to that. They are such nice bikes that they are worth a little effort if the price is good. That one is just nicely broken in!
thanks. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get it, unless a bunch of folks say RUN, and back it up with personal tales of regret. I went to sleep last night feeling excited and optimistic about it, but woke at 5 with visions of expense and long hours in the shop.
Do you mean the clutch splines? Never done this to my R80GS during 22 years and 130.000 km. Then I needed to do rebuilt the gear box. Removed it without any problem, spline was OK. The workshop who did the rebuilding shipped it back with some klueber staburags. According to my genuine BMW handbook relubing the clutch spline is not included in regularly services. Only the splines of the paralever shaft need service lubrication.
I'm not sure the need or the procedure are the same between the K and the R bikes. I've had a couple of R bikes, but this is my first K-bike. Maybe someone will set me straight.
If it downshifts smoothly without throttle input, the clutch splines are probably fine, but I would lube them anyway. The final drive splines are more problematic. With the lube history, I would pull the final drive and inspect them before purchase, or assume that the splines will be worn, and figure the repair price into the sale price. Hansens does a good repair job for about $200 on the pinion splines, but you still need to get them out of the final drive and reseal it afterwards. You will also need a new driveshaft, which is another $400 or so.
I've heard it's more like $1000 to $1200 to fix. Not true? I could get my mind around $600, but any higher would be a deal breaker.
If it downshifts easily then the clutch splines are fine. Also if you can pull in the clutch lever smoothly when the bike is not running that is another indicator clutch splines are good. The fact is they seldom need attention. On the other hand the driveshaft where it meets the final drive should be lubed every tire change or at least every other tire change. Honda Moly 60 is what I use and recommend. About 8 bucks per tube and a tube lasts for a long time. A pronounced whine is a give away for dry splines in the rear. The greasing is about an hour to do first time out. Buy the bike, it sounds like a good deal. Other potential future problem areas are the ignition switch and the coolant fan. That said the K75 is a very durable machine. I'd do a valve check too.
If there is no documentation to support it was done, done right, with the right lube, then just do it. I was riding with a buddy through Iowa years back, he was on his K100RT. Middle of nowhere, pulled out from a stop, and ZGZGGZGZGGZZGGZGZ from the middle of the bike and no forward thrust. Found out later at a shop that the clutch spline hub had totally stripped out. He had never lubed it per the every 40K lube period, and paid for it on a trip. On the R bikes and K bikes of that era, the clutch hub and tranny input splines MUST be cleaned and lubed properly. Same for the final drive hub and driveshaft, because the 80's/90's vintage BMWs ran a dry driveshaft, unlike the wet driveshaft that my 76 R100RS has. My 94 R1100RS has the dry driveshaft and clutch, which both have splines that must be cleaned and lubed properly for long life. I have 178k on my 94 BMW, with the original final drive, and on it's second driveshaft and clutch.
Driveshaft is $383 from Max BMW. $200 plus shipping for Hansens. Figure between 1 and 2 hours shop rate to remove and reinstall the pinion gear in the final drive, along with $13 for the pinion seal, which is destroyed taking the pinion gear out. With you removing the driveshaft and final drive from the bike, and then putting it back together, it will be at least a $750 repair. If you have a shop do all of the work, add another two hours or so.
thanks for all the replies. It's on hold, for now, but i might pick it up this weekend, if it hasn't sold first.
My '85 K100 went 147000 miles with two valves needing different shims in that time! I also replaced the rear end and drive shaft once. I really loved that bike.....
Hey Ivantheterrible, if you buy the bike send me post and I'll walk you thru the spline lubing process, I did it on K75 and it wasn't any difficult task. If you can you should get a hold of a copy of haynes maintenance manual, it will explain what to do. I'd post pics but I am having very difficult times posting photos here on this site, I used to post pics but now I can't for some weird reason. I have pics on a k bike forum.
Had a k100rt that chewed through a clutch spline whilst doing 70km/h-it was getting hard/difficult to change down but l wasn't aware of the related symptoms. Had to split g/box-input shaft and fit new clutch which it needed anyway. Just bought a R100S outfit -previous owner said he recently did it (which they were) but l went and did it anyway, replacing whatever was half worn. Part of K ownership l think, just do it... I'm no mechanic but took my time, it was fairly easy-Clymer manual is easier to follow for the beginner and a bit of common-sense.
There are TWO SETS of spline on a k bike to consider. The clutch to transmission input shaft and the final drive to driveshaft splines. There is no oil in the driveshaft like on an airhead. Like everyone else says, if it shifts fine, the clutch splines are almost certainly fine. There is much less history of problems with clutch splines on K bikes. Not that problems don't occur, but the frequency is MUCH lover. The driveshaft to final drive splines are easy to check, 4 bolts slide it back, they are right there. There is NO comparison on the effort to do airhead clutch splines compared to K bike splines. The K bike is a lot more work. You have to remove the transmission and the center stand is bolted to the transmission, so you have to find another way to hold the bike up. It isn't awful, it is just more work. Eric
not that it matters, but I hate when a thread dead ends. i decided to pass on the bike. Too many k bikes to that a chance on one as sketchy as that one. The hunt continues.
