Another final drive going South?

[alanforn]

2003 LT, 49,000. Looking over the bike today, noticed slight oily residue around rubber gaiter. Grabbed the wheel @ 6 and 12 o'clock, movement felt. The movement resembles a slightly loose wheel, slight "clunk,clunk". Bike had been sitting about an hour. Am I gettin ready to be bit? Should I stop riding it now,(how quickly does is get worse), or is the damage already done?
I purchased an extended non BMW warranty through the dealer,(took over when the factory warranty expired). Appears to cover most ills, I assume/hope this would be covered....

[Dean_BMW]

I purchased an extended non BMW warranty through the dealer,(took over when the factory warranty expired). Appears to cover most ills, I assume/hope this would be covered....

Sounds like you need to just call your dealer and let him figure it out.

A leak in the drive shaft seal on the back of the tranny could also cause oil around the rubber boot on the front of the drive (oil could run down the inside of the swing arm into the boot), but it wouldn't cause any excessive movement in the final drive... so you may be dead on.

[JATownsend]

2003 LT, 49,000. Looking over the bike today, noticed slight oily residue around rubber gaiter. Grabbed the wheel @ 6 and 12 o'clock, movement felt. The movement resembles a slightly loose wheel, slight "clunk,clunk". Bike had been sitting about an hour. Am I gettin ready to be bit? Should I stop riding it now,(how quickly does is get worse), or is the damage already done?...
How lucky do you feel!? Rear wheel off-axial movement is NOT good.

Final drives, that are failing, tend to fail quickly if ridden. Reports vary, but some riders that 'felt' something odd did not make the next exit at speed.

I wish I could document all I've read, but that's what I remember.

How far away is your dealer?

Do you have access to a trailer or a nearby U-haul that has an M/C trailer?

After my FD started to leak (it turned out to be a bad seal) I hauled it 125 miles to a dealer.

The FD is an issue - call your nearest dealer. But, ask them if they have replaced FD bearings before and do they follow the BMW book on adjusting/replacing shims and DBL checking clearances.

Good luck and keep us posted.