S1000RR with damaged Rear Linkage Bearings (Delivery Mileage ONLY '7 miles').
Took the swingarm, wheels and tank off for painting, (Thunder Grey colour looks crap with matt grey wheels, Tank & Swingarm), found the linkage Bearings clicking.
Felt like worn/corroded headstock bearings, after they have been tightened.
The joint that I had split, I pulled the inner Races/Bushes out of them to find all of them marked with straight lines from the needle roller bearings.
BMW UK & my dealer Ryder of Cardiff didn't exactly fall over themselves to sort me out a warranty claim. So a quick e-mail to Motor Cycle News (UK) soon had them rushing to sort my problem.
Good old BMW replaced the whole rear suspension linkage under warranty after a call from MCN!! I hadn't even riden my bike and BMW were stalling!!!
You guys that are replacing the rear shock may want to check your linkages!!
I thought that the bearings had been damaged at fit, i.e. shrinking them in liquid nitrogen for fit with the inner races in (as the outer race shrink it crushes into the inner race). But after I fitted the new bits I thought the torque of the bolts seems way over the top. 100nm would surely stretch the bolts and crush the inner bearing/bushes, which could cause them to swell.
My bike is a 2011 model.
S1000RR Rear Suspension Linkage Shot from NEW!!
Linear Mode
