Swingarm boot, anyone tried the Max version?

[steve hawkins]

I think we should create a club with in a club:

"The Order of the Airhead Drive Shaft Boot"

Members may wear a t-shirt proclaiming how many times they have successfully removed and refitted a boot without damaging it.

Special handshake, secret dinners at posh venues, and everything    

Better have another one for removal of head set bearings, though.

But perhaps not for setting up ATE swinging calipers.....

Cheers

Rev Light

[Matt Chapter]

I think we should create a club with in a club:

"The Order of the Airhead Drive Shaft Boot"

Damn I just missed my chance to join. But the good news is that my final drive AND transmission both need attention.  :-/

[Tony Smith]

Get all four (generally new) screws threaded into their respective CLEAN threads and all snugged up evenly.

Whilst I absolutely agree with 99% of what you say (I am actually having a great discussion in a car forum atm trying to convince someone that in general it is far far more preferable to have bolts in drive flanges, cylinder heads etc as near the same torque as possible than it is to be within a bull's roar of the quote torque figure (within reason of course).

The one thing I do disagree with you on is the use of second hand bolts. These bolts are correctly torqued to or just beyond their yield point, they therefore really only have one "safe" use in them. For the minimal cost involved I would always use new bolts here (and I never spend a cent unless I really think it is necessary). The other thing I'd mention is that in spite of what the various shop manuals tell you, and indeed in spite of what BMW says, there have been a number of different types of bolts used on the gearbox drive flange - some with washers, some without. some of the bolts that came with washers, appear to the same as the bolts that do not.
 
I do agree with BMW's findings that you are better off using a chemical retention solution than a washer, please do not reuse bolts and if you happen to buy a set that come with washers, send them back, do not simply use them w/o washers.
 
I clean the blue locking compound off and fit to clean dry threads using Loctite "super studlock" - but that is personal preference.
 
I've never had a bolt I did up come out, but I ended up with a driveshaft full of bolts and washers courtesy of faulty workmanship by a BMW dealer way, way back when my R100 was new - It went in for a warranty on the gearbox and 2000km later the flange bolts fell out.

Mind you, a few thousand kilometers later the flange came off the output shaft as well. I fixed that myself as I did not trust the dealer to properly re-lap the shaft and flange to restore the taper. Took most of a day until the coat of Prussian blue said that the taper was as near as dammit perfect, I bolted it up and it has stayed together since so I must have got it right.
 
Marked the last time my R100 darkened the door of a dealership workshop too.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Didn't you see "generally new"?

I never used them twice.  I never used thread locking compound, either.

[Luca]

Al,

a little bit of oil on the boot will help things slide along, but you have to be careful and keep the oil away from surfaces that you want to grip.

I had pulled the front of the boot from the trans when I got my bike to look inside and had a bit of a time getting it back in.  As I recall the method that ending up working (might help with the swingarm end too) involved pressing my thumbs into the outside of the boot to both try to make the boot yawn a little and to use my thumbs like hooks to pull the boot over the flange.

Performing a couple 12oz curls  [smiley=beer.gif] will help get you into shape for this one



Now if only those Bavarian engineers had had a look over at the Japanese.  They'd have put a couple tabs at the ends of the boot that you can grab to pull the boot over the flanges.

[AlfromNH]

Ok, I'm back. I got longer screws at the hardware store:


Using one of those I was able to get the clamp on easily. I can't see it ever pulling off, and I doubt it will leak, but I still don't like that the swingarm's mating surface is more conical than cylindrical. I tried to get a picture showing the way the clamp distorts trying to conform to the swing arm profile:


Looking at pictures of other swing arms for sale on eBay, it seems like at some point the "flange" was made more cylindrical.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Mine was not round.  No biggie.  The clamp can take it.