(fairly) high mileage C14: how do they age?

[martin_14]

I drove my (60 000 miles) C14 this week for the first time in almost half a month because of a really bad storm here in the south of Germany (120 mph gusts were registered), with 10 people dead and all, that kept everybody on their toes.

Back to normal life, on Monday I washed the bike (sorry Jim please don't ban me!) and got under it to check the exhaust system, in particular the lower curve of the 4 exhaust pipes when they go from behind-the-radiator to under-the-engine, which is where all the road grime hits it. It looked a bit crappy and rusted, so I went with a polish paste that's supposed to take off rust and it actually looks absolutely perfect under that oxide looking patina, so no worries there. All the welds in the entire exhaust look like holding up well.

So I get out yesterday and start noticing that the bike has more play on the drivetrain than I recall. Between gears there's more slack, me thinks. Bearings, seals, etc. seem all perfect, however, with no noises (like in one post recently). My question is: have you guys with some mileage on their bikes noticed this increased slack? is this coming from worn out gear wheels in the gearbox, from the joints on the cardan? the bevel gears? the splines in the cardan? Has anybody tried to address it?

[VirginiaJim]

We don't tolerate slackers here, Martin.

But seriously folks, I've got 63k miles on mine and I haven't noticed any slack in the drive train.   What makes you feel like there's slack in it?  What are the symptoms?

[st2sam]

My question is: have you guys with some mileage on their bikes noticed this increased slack? is this coming from worn out gear wheels in the gearbox, from the joints on the cardan? the bevel gears? the splines in the cardan? Has anybody tried to address it?

How much increased slack?

I have almost 59,000mi. on my '09 and yes I can feel a little extra slack (very little) in my drive train.

IMO it's nothing to worry about, just normal wear, for that mileage.

Again, having said that, it really depends on how much slack your feeling?

[VirginiaJim]

It could be the damper (92161-0409) on the left side of the rear wheel.  It's part of the rear wheel assembly.  Not sure how easy it is to get to.  Has a large snap ring that has to be removed, then a coupling, and then you get to the damper.  It's not something we ordinarily look at but it is made of rubber.  I've included the page out of the service manual for your enjoyment.  One of the signs of a damper wearing is black rubber dust on the wheels....and coming to think about that, I've had some of that on the rear wheel.  As I'm going to take everything apart, I think I'm going to order one and a set of rear wheel bearings as I'll have everything off the rear of the bike.  I'll let you know what I find.  I can feel, some play when turning the back wheel by hand with it in first, but I don't know what's normal or not for that.

[lather]

At about 140,000 miles my 08 still feels fine as long as I am smooth with my shifts. Still no noise from the cardan  when I rotate the wheel by hand. Perhaps the clunk is slightly more pronounced when I do get sloppy with a shift but I am overde for a moly paste job. Usually do that to the splines on every rear tire change but skipped it last time

[VirginiaJim]

I've ordered the parts.  Cushy damper isn't that expensive from Kwackers.  There is also an O-ring involved.   So I'm going to do the damper, o-ring, bearings.  I'll let you know what I find.  I have seen black rubber dust and have wondered where it was coming from.  I'll take pictures of it as well.

[Scaffolder]

I've been running my 2010 with 56,000 miles and my 2012 with 14,000 miles and they feel almost identical. Maybe the 2012 is slightly stiffer in the steering department. Both strong as hell.

[VirginiaJim]

I can't really say that I feel anything different in the bike since I got it in 2007 but in doing some research on those cushy thingys, it's probably not a bad idea to at least look at it and since it's cheap have one on hand just in case.  I'll probably change it out anyway, though.  Some years back whilst riding with a group through Ohio, one of the riders had his let go so to speak.  That was the end of the ride for his bike.  His was a rear drive type of bike.  Don't remember what it was.

[datsaxman@hotmail.com]

I have two.  Higher mileage one has 103,000 now.  Regular collection of black rubber dust, so probably time for the damper to get refreshed.  I just try to stay on the gas and there is no problem with slack in any of the mechanism.

Just sayin.

[Gsun]

I'm also seeing that rubber dust. Thanks for the heads up!

[bbhzx12]

The damper is 1 piece too, nicer than the old chain drive bikes I've owned that had 6.  They were a pain to align and get back together.

[martin_14]

Jim, good point on the transmission damper, I'll have a look at it at the next chance.
I have to make a clarification: the day before driving, I had a go at a BMW i8, which is a hybrid, with an electric motor in series with the combustion engines, both moving the rear wheels. The front wheels are moved by a bigger, "serious" electric motor. Anyway, that little motor in series with the combustion engine takes all the slack of the drive train, always filling the gaps left by the turbo lag and gear changes. It really is a master piece, but it spoiled me. After driving my bike one more week now, I can say that the "slacky" feeling is mostly gone. Still, I'll talk to my dealer on Wednesday when I'm there for a new front tire, to see what he says. He's a good guy and has always been honest, as far as I can tell.