[bosnjo]

BMW has just made one step forward in protecting our drive shafts. I was thinking of making the same modification myself, after the end of the warranty period.
This way I will let them do it as my bike is certainly candidate for the modification (January 2021).

 

[76GMX]

Mine was built 4/22 and it has a little rubber flapper drain valve on the lower swingarm.

 

[scarab1987]

Mine was built 4/22 and it has a little rubber flapper drain valve on the lower swingarm.

Could you please take a photo?

 

[MFA]

Mine is a March 2022 production date. Here is a picture.

 

[bosnjo]

Does it need to be open from time to time to drain the water or it has one-way valve?

 

[scarab1987]

Mine is a March 2022 production date. Here is a picture.

In ordwr to open it, you need to remove it? Or it has a hole between lips?

 

[MFA]

I have not tried removing or opening it. I figure I live in AZ, no off roading, so do not have to deal with the moisture.

 

[Daedalus]

Mine is a March 2022 production date. Here is a picture.

Carl, the gentleman who published the YouTube video, describes this modification as:
“drilling a small 6 or 8mm hole in the lower part of the drive shaft outer housing and installing a pressure / moisture relief valve.”
By looking closely at the picture posted by MFA it looks like it is just a simple rubber plug, and not a valve.
Therefore, someone will need to pull the rubber plug to drain any eventual moisture trapped inside the drive shaft outer housing. I guess this trapped moisture is something that can happen after having crossed a ford, pressure washed the bike, or driven under heavy rain. The point I would like to make is that this device called a “valve” will not drain the moisture by itself.

 

[scarab1987]

Carl, the gentleman who published the YouTube video, describes this modification as:
“drilling a small 6 or 8mm hole in the lower part of the drive shaft outer housing and installing a pressure / moisture relief valve.”
By looking closely at the picture posted by MFA it looks like it is just a simple rubber plug, and not a valve.
Therefore, someone will need to pull the rubber plug to drain any eventual moisture trapped inside the drive shaft outer housing. I guess this trapped moisture is something that can happen after having crossed a ford, pressure washed the bike, or driven under heavy rain. The point I would like to make is that this device called a “valve” will not drain the moisture by itself.

Yes. Seems that cannot do it by itself.

 

[Jeff in W.C.]

It looks like one of those rubber valves which could be opened by squeezing the long ends together. Kind of a low pressure one-way valve. Since the LC R1200 GS's have the same swing arm, I wonder if this applies to those bikes as well.

 

[bigjohnsd]

BMW has just made one step forward in protecting our drive shafts. I was thinking of making the same modification myself, after the end of the warranty period.
This way I will let them do it as my bike is certainly candidate for the modification (January 2021).

96 pages of Driveshaft/Spline Rust issues - R1200GSw LC Wethead Final Drive change and Spline Lube Pictorial!

 

[zekester63]

Using the UK site to check my VIN (Recall Lookup), it's showing that there's an "open technical enhancement" for my 2018 GSA.

My dilemma will be deciding whether or not to let the so-called "experts" at my local dealer do something like this to my bike or just keep checking/lubing it myself, as I have. Personally, I'm leaning towards the latter.

 

[bosnjo]

My dilemma will be deciding whether or not to let the so-called "experts" at my local dealer do something like this to my bike or just keep checking/lubing it myself, as I have.

I will let them do it on my bike but I will still open it up once a year and check and relube everything. You don't have a way of knowing if there was a water ingress unless you squeeze the valve. Checking and relubing is a good thing but I can´t stand the idea of possibly having water laying on the bottom of the housing for a long time.

 

[Jeff in W.C.]

Being in the US, here's the BWM page to search for open recalls

Safety and Emission Recalls

That being said, I would have no issues have a dealer perform recall service on my bike.

 

[zekester63]

Being in the US, here's the BWM page to search for open recalls

Safety and Emission Recalls

That being said, I would have no issues have a dealer perform recall service on my bike.

Likely won't find your VIN on the US site, as my guess is that it's not classified as a NHTSA "Safety and Emission Recall". However, it was on the UK site.

 

[jaxon]

So that's simply a small duckbill valve. You might need to gently squeeze it to release the water from the assembly. It may not do it automatically. It should prevent ingress through the valve, but since water could get in elsewhere it's simply a point of exit for anything that gets in. Installing it isn't going to change anything, you'd still need to release the water and periodically check and lube the splines.

I would note it could pop out or be pulled out. So it's another thing to check periodically.

Duckbill Valves, How they work!

Minivalve International supply miniature elastomeric valve components to OEM's in the medical, automotive, home appliance, water handling and food and packaging industry.

www.minivalve.com

 

[Jersey Boy]

In ordwr to open it, you need to remove it? Or it has a hole between lips?

It looks to me like a "flapper" valve. As water builds up on the inside the weight of it will allow the flappers to open enough for it to drip out. When no moisture is present it will stay closed preventing water from entering. This is very similar to a drain tube on a car A/C system.

 

[60Aviator]

Talked to my dealer today and the service manager called me back after reading the Technical Enhancement. He is ordering me a new drive shaft as he said the message says if more than 36,000 miles (72,000 on mine) replace the shaft.

 

[Big Ger]

Talked to my dealer today and the service manager called me back after reading the Technical Enhancement. He is ordering me a new drive shaft as he said the message says if more than 36,000 miles (72,000 on mine) replace the shaft.

Is the dealer going to cover the cost of the shaft & labor??

 

[scarab1987]

Talked to my dealer today and the service manager called me back after reading the Technical Enhancement. He is ordering me a new drive shaft as he said the message says if more than 36,000 miles (72,000 on mine) replace the shaft.

Even if the shaft is ok, they will replace it because of high mileage?