My R3 just ate ANOTHER final drive

[SausageCreature]

I bought a 2006 R3 Classic with about 30k miles from a local dealership last October. Thankfully, I bought a warranty along with it, because it's been beset with final drive issues.

In late December/early January the bike developed a clicking noise while rolling (engine on or off, in gear or in neutral). Based on my research, I figured it was either a rear wheel bearing or the final drive. Took it back to the dealership. After waiting a week and a half to get around to it, they came back and said the final drive was bad and would be replaced under warranty. That was fine with me...30k miles seems like a relatively short time for a final drive to go out on any bike without a BMW badge, but who knows how/if the P.O. maintained it, so whatever.

After another 3 weeks waiting for parts, I finally got the bike back last Tuesday. I put about 150 miles on it over the course of the week (mostly commuting) without issue. Last night (Sunday) the wife and I went out for an afternoon ride to St. Augustine, about a 25 mile trip taking the long way. Just as we pulled up to a parking spot, I noticed that the clicking and rattling from the rear wheel had returned...with a vengeance. It's even worse than it had been before the "repair". The 16 mile ride home was nervous, but thankfully uneventful.

I'm properly pissed off. I can only assume that they fixed the issue with a bag of gravel instead of a new unit, and that the extra two weeks "waiting for parts" was spent perfecting my forged signature on a suicide note. As much as I would like for this shop to eat the cost of fixing the problem again, I'm not sure I want them to touch this bike even one more time. However, there doesn't seem to be any other shops close to me that would handle warranty work on a Triumph, and the next closest Triumph dealership is about 80 miles away in Daytona Beach. So I guess I'm stuck taking it back to them.

Can anyone think of any other options?

 

[warp9.9]

I bought a 2006 R3 Classic with about 30k miles from a local dealership last October. Thankfully, I bought a warranty along with it, because it's been beset with final drive issues.

In late December/early January the bike developed a clicking noise while rolling (engine on or off, in gear or in neutral). Based on my research, I figured it was either a rear wheel bearing or the final drive. Took it back to the dealership. After waiting a week and a half to get around to it, they came back and said the final drive was bad and would be replaced under warranty. That was fine with me...30k miles seems like a relatively short time for a final drive to go out on any bike without a BMW badge, but who knows how/if the P.O. maintained it, so whatever.

After another 3 weeks waiting for parts, I finally got the bike back last Tuesday. I put about 150 miles on it over the course of the week (mostly commuting) without issue. Last night (Sunday) the wife and I went out for an afternoon ride to St. Augustine, about a 25 mile trip taking the long way. Just as we pulled up to a parking spot, I noticed that the clicking and rattling from the rear wheel had returned...with a vengeance. It's even worse than it had been before the "repair". The 16 mile ride home was nervous, but thankfully uneventful.

I'm properly pissed off. I can only assume that they fixed the issue with a bag of gravel instead of a new unit, and that the extra two weeks "waiting for parts" was spent perfecting my forged signature on a suicide note. As much as I would like for this shop to eat the cost of fixing the problem again, I'm not sure I want them to touch this bike even one more time. However, there doesn't seem to be any other shops close to me that would handle warranty work on a Triumph, and the next closest Triumph dealership is about 80 miles away in Daytona Beach. So I guess I'm stuck taking it back to them.

Can anyone think of any other options?

So the noise is back with a vengeance. I doubt the final drive went bad that quick unless the put a worn out one in. That being said I hoped they took a good look at the splines on the drive shaft before they installed it. other then that it sounds like you lost the rear output drive torsional damper bearings. Easy to check just drain the engine oil and drop the sump pan. look in the rear left area for parts of the bearing. The fragments will resemble this

I am betting this because yours is a 06 and I am betting it has not had the update kit which changed the torsional damper bearings and the cover of the output drive.

in the view above you can see the front damper bearing is on backwards which deprives oil from it (not good) and the rear which I suppose gets its oil by Osmosis or that's the only way I can guess it gets lubricated. Well long story short Osmosis was out to lunch during this engineering design phase

Make sure you pull the screen covers off the sump pan to clean them out. Some of the stuff you will find in there is machining swarf left over from production so do not freak out to much some will be there on all Rockets. its the bearing fragments your looking for which will stand out. the cage that separates the bearing rollers goes away

Note the above pictures were from Patrick and what he found when he when he asked about the noise coming from his 06. He did the repair himself.

 

[daytonageo]

I bought a 2006 R3 Classic with about 30k miles from a local dealership last October. Thankfully, I bought a warranty along with it, because it's been beset with final drive issues.

In late December/early January the bike developed a clicking noise while rolling (engine on or off, in gear or in neutral). Based on my research, I figured it was either a rear wheel bearing or the final drive. Took it back to the dealership. After waiting a week and a half to get around to it, they came back and said the final drive was bad and would be replaced under warranty. That was fine with me...30k miles seems like a relatively short time for a final drive to go out on any bike without a BMW badge, but who knows how/if the P.O. maintained it, so whatever.

After another 3 weeks waiting for parts, I finally got the bike back last Tuesday. I put about 150 miles on it over the course of the week (mostly commuting) without issue. Last night (Sunday) the wife and I went out for an afternoon ride to St. Augustine, about a 25 mile trip taking the long way. Just as we pulled up to a parking spot, I noticed that the clicking and rattling from the rear wheel had returned...with a vengeance. It's even worse than it had been before the "repair". The 16 mile ride home was nervous, but thankfully uneventful.

I'm properly pissed off. I can only assume that they fixed the issue with a bag of gravel instead of a new unit, and that the extra two weeks "waiting for parts" was spent perfecting my forged signature on a suicide note. As much as I would like for this shop to eat the cost of fixing the problem again, I'm not sure I want them to touch this bike even one more time. However, there doesn't seem to be any other shops close to me that would handle warranty work on a Triumph, and the next closest Triumph dealership is about 80 miles away in Daytona Beach. So I guess I'm stuck taking it back to them.

Can anyone think of any other options?

Take it to Daytona Triumph. They will do a better job.

 

[SausageCreature]

Note the above pictures were from Patrick and what he found when he when he asked about the noise coming from his 06. He did the repair himself.

Do you have a link to that thread? I can't seem to find it.

Edit: Nevermind, I found it

 

[Rocket3Pilot]

Thankfully I don't have this issue and hopefully never will but I really appreciate the pictures and info none the less. Every little bit helps understanding the design and limitations of the Rocket.
Sounds like you nailed the problem right on the head. Thanks for posting and good luck too SausageCreature. Don't give up, these are awesome bikes!

 

[skydog1000]

Daytona Beach I have talked to a few times and seamed to know what they were talking about. If your warranty will transfer I would take it there.

 

[SausageCreature]

Thankfully I don't have this issue and hopefully never will but I really appreciate the pictures and info none the less. Every little bit helps understanding the design and limitations of the Rocket.
Sounds like you nailed the problem right on the head. Thanks for posting and good luck too SausageCreature. Don't give up, these are awesome bikes!

Hrmmm...not so sure that the torsional damper bearing is the problem. From the original thread, it looks like that unit is in the back side of the engine case, and I'm pretty sure the sounds I'm hearing are coming from the rear wheel and/or bevel box. Also, the bike rolls fine without any binding or resistance from the rear wheel as described.

I'll roll it around a bit tonight to try to better isolate where the clicks and rattles are coming from. If it seems like it's coming from the torsional damper area, I'll have a look at the oil pan.

Either way, it looks like I'll have to find a way to trailer it down to Daytona to get it fixed.

 

[Idaho Red Rocket 3]

U-Haul has a rental motorcycle trailer the Rocket fits on. I used theirs to trailered my Rocket from Reno to Nampa 400 miles when I bought it new down there.

 

[IMFASTTOO]

I bought a 2006 R3 Classic with about 30k miles from a local dealership last October. Thankfully, I bought a warranty along with it, because it's been beset with final drive issues.

In late December/early January the bike developed a clicking noise while rolling (engine on or off, in gear or in neutral). Based on my research, I figured it was either a rear wheel bearing or the final drive. Took it back to the dealership. After waiting a week and a half to get around to it, they came back and said the final drive was bad and would be replaced under warranty. That was fine with me...30k miles seems like a relatively short time for a final drive to go out on any bike without a BMW badge, but who knows how/if the P.O. maintained it, so whatever.

After another 3 weeks waiting for parts, I finally got the bike back last Tuesday. I put about 150 miles on it over the course of the week (mostly commuting) without issue. Last night (Sunday) the wife and I went out for an afternoon ride to St. Augustine, about a 25 mile trip taking the long way. Just as we pulled up to a parking spot, I noticed that the clicking and rattling from the rear wheel had returned...with a vengeance. It's even worse than it had been before the "repair". The 16 mile ride home was nervous, but thankfully uneventful.

I'm properly pissed off. I can only assume that they fixed the issue with a bag of gravel instead of a new unit, and that the extra two weeks "waiting for parts" was spent perfecting my forged signature on a suicide note. As much as I would like for this shop to eat the cost of fixing the problem again, I'm not sure I want them to touch this bike even one more time. However, there doesn't seem to be any other shops close to me that would handle warranty work on a Triumph, and the next closest Triumph dealership is about 80 miles away in Daytona Beach. So I guess I'm stuck taking it back to them.

Can anyone think of any other options?

No doubt they didnt fix the problem the first time and a new rear is not going to fail in 150miles someones playing games did you see the old rear like warp said it could be the splines that are bad since some owners never lube them >

 

[IMFASTTOO]

Hrmmm...not so sure that the torsional damper bearing is the problem. From the original thread, it looks like that unit is in the back side of the engine case, and I'm pretty sure the sounds I'm hearing are coming from the rear wheel and/or bevel box. Also, the bike rolls fine without any binding or resistance from the rear wheel as described.

I'll roll it around a bit tonight to try to better isolate where the clicks and rattles are coming from. If it seems like it's coming from the torsional damper area, I'll have a look at the oil pan.

Either way, it looks like I'll have to find a way to trailer it down to Daytona to get it fixed.

jack up the bike so you can spin the back wheel by hand in neutral then you can isolate the noise