K100 shaft wear ?

Is there any easy way to check big mileage K100 BMs' for wear in the
drive shaft? Is putting it in gear ( engine stopped of course) and
rocking the bike back and fwd. a good indication ?
Melchizedek.

 

Turning the rear wheel by hand while the 'box is in neutral will tell
you a lot. It's not so much shaft wear as in the uni joints tightening
up once the needle bearings start to go. Any stiffness indicates worn unis.
The shaft-drive driveline is usually pretty direct, and what you do at
the throttle is almost immediately reflected at the back wheel.
The shaft drive is the least of your worries, tho.
- sanbar

 

Not really, the only way to be sure of the condition of the splines is to
remove the rear drive and look at them. There is always some play if you
rock them back and forward.

By Big miles, you mean how many?

Al

 

over 100,000 K.
M.

 

100,000 is nothing on a properly maintained K100. Many do 300,000km without
major repairs of any sort. At 100,000kms though the splines on the shaft
could be worn, UJs aren't much of an issue on K's unlike paralever
R80/100GS's. I've changed around 4 shafts due to spline/pinion wear over 4
different bikes(mine/my wifes), lubrication seems to help, but if you've got
a bike that chews splines cause of some misalignment(bent swingarm or
something not fitted right), it will chew splines.

The last K series I bought had 140,000kms on it, I bought it after a brief
testride only, sold it 50,000km later fitted with a sidecar still running
beautifully.

Al

 

Can you have the oil analized for comtaminants, metal?

I've never owned a shaftie, just putting up a suggestion ... might be too
costly to do as an exersise?

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