Reply from DOTARS

[fitzy79]

In case anyone is interested, I sent a complaint to the Department of Transport and Regional Services about the rear drive failure and below is the reply I got.

Subject: BMW rear wheel bearing

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Terry
BMW have confirmed that before the seal is damaged the rear wheel movement and noise becomes apparent from the bearing collapse. If the bad bearing condition is detected you should be able to stop safely.

They have also pointed out that the bike is not certified to tow anything and the dealers have been advised as such and of course that would adversely affect this bearings life.

The commercial issue of what is done for a vehicle when it is out of warranty is a commercial negotiation and not in the scope of this office. With the age and the history of this component the matter has obviously been reviewed very carefully around the world and by BMW. BMW have a very active recall program on many models for different issues and these bikes have done a lot of kms in many cases.

With your bike as a 2nd hand unit the matter also has a bit of an unknown history.

Motorbikes are always at risk of oil on the rear wheel from engine or transmission leaks and I believe that at 6 years old with considering fair wear and tear that a recall can not really be demanded.

I hope that you managed to stop safely when the incident occurred.

Kind regards
Ross Pettersson

[BkrK12]

I'm sure you feel much better now.

[Hilton]

Hi Fitzy, sorry to hear about the "brush off" Why am I not surprised ? As I'm about to join the ranks of "Trailer Haulers" too, all my attempts to quantify BMW's /Dealers (down under) response to warrantee issues once you attach a hitch have met with a similar answer. Unrelated issues (e.g. motronic, grip heaters, whatever) you may have a case. But if it's related to the "Drive Train" forget it. We are in the "twilight zone" (rear bearing, clutch, brakes, whatever) with these items. Seems rough to me though. Correctly loaded trailer (10%-15% hitch @ around 35lbs) factored into the total load capacity, careful clutch use etc, shouldn't "automatically cause things to break". If my pillion is say 150lbs, and the hitch is say 35lbs, isn't that the same as a 185lb passenger? Trailer inertia is a consideration sure, but we don't expect 6 sec gate times! Touring is the game, LT's the name.
Look forward to meeting you next year. Merry Christmas. Cheers

[Tom_Becker]

BMW have confirmed that before the seal is damaged the rear wheel movement and noise becomes apparent from the bearing collapse. If the bad bearing condition is detected you should be able to stop safely..



Fitzy,

I just happened to browsing around the site and noticed your thread regarding read drive failure. I'm impressed that you actually got a response from your Department of Transport and Regional Services (DOTARS). Here in the States we have the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration. To date, I'm not aware of any correspondence like yours from NHTSA on this subject.

What is of interest is that BMW argues that rear end noise and movement is sufficient warning for the driver to stop. I have not heard before that BMW has taken that position.

Sorry for your rear end failure but thanks for sharing your experience.