Rubber parts deteriorating

[Acpantera]

My 07 has just under 36,000 miles on it, and I noticed while cleaning it up after a day trip around lake Ontario, that all the rubber parts are dry rotted and cracking. Particularly the boot between the swing arm and transmission, it's actually torn at each pleat. The boots at the fork tubes are looking sad too. Is anyone else seeing this on your bikes?? I think 4 years old is a little young to be showing this kind of wear.

[deilenberger]

No sign at all of that. That's usually a sign of ozone attack... either from the atmosphere, or in your garage (something like a brush type motor - which sparks - makes lots of ozone..)

I'd be looking for an environmental reason. I just drained/filled my rear drive as part of the 48k service last week - I examined both driveshaft boots, both looked perfect.

[boxermoose]

What kind of cleaners are you using on the bike?

[R12RnHouston]

Acpantera, I am (have been) seeing the very same thing in the same places on my 07. I pointed it out to one of the mechanics at my dealer and he didn't seem too concerned. He said it was cosmetic, not a problem. I live in Houston, and we have a reputation when it comes to ozone and air quality.

[Acpantera]

No sign at all of that. That's usually a sign of ozone attack... either from the atmosphere, or in your garage (something like a brush type motor - which sparks - makes lots of ozone..)

I'd be looking for an environmental reason. I just drained/filled my rear drive as part of the 48k service last week - I examined both driveshaft boots, both looked perfect.

I have a two car/two bike one car garage and I use very little brush motors (grinder, drill and a fan) like just a couple times a year each and the doors are almost always open.
what year is your bike Don?

What kind of cleaners are you using on the bike?

honda cleaner, plexis and regular car soap when I wash it.

[deilenberger]

Mine is an '07.

One thing that can help protect the rubber against environmental attacks (ozone..) is a coating of silicone oil/grease. Many trim enhancers are basically a thin silicone grease, and will work well.. or you can buy some Dow Corning Silicone Grease (google it..) as either high-vacuum grease or (heheh!) stopcock grease. Rub it in well and then rub off the excess. Rubber lasts lots longer if treated regularly - especially BMW rubber.

[Acpantera]

Nice to know now. I never knew that bmw rubber was so fragile. I have kept it clean and it is stored inside. What a bummer. I've seen cv joint boots on autos last 20 years or more. Seems that bmw is using some really cheap materials. 4 years and rotting rubber....sad.

[Anyname]

I agree with Don, I think something exceptional is happening to your bike. I have had an 85 K100, an 86 R80 and a 2005 R1200 and none suffered any rubber deterioration.

[Acpantera]

What sort of exceptionable thing could be happening to the bike? We have a 2003 vw beetle that resides in the same garage and has seen every wny winter since it was new, I have recently been all over that car and not one door seal. window seal,deck lid seal, caliper slider boot or caliper piston boot has the type of rot that the beemer shows on it's rubber parts. I'm very disturbed about this. Is it my fault for not treating the rubber parts with special products? or is it a poor choice of materials on the manufacturers part? I wish I have noticed this last year while it was still under warranty. I urge all members to inspect their bikes.

[hjsbmw]

Is it my fault for not treating the rubber parts with special products? or is it a poor choice of materials on the manufacturers part?

I have an '07 and no problems. I haven't special treated the rubber parts either.
Are you the first owner, and can you be sure regarding the bike's history? Rubber does deteriorate, but it should not happen that quickly.
Besides the mentioned ozone, what comes to mind are UV rays, and certain solvents. Certain rubbers handle oil and gasoline, but they don't handle alcohols that well, for instance. Can you think of a significant difference in usage between your car and bike, trips taken, places parked for extended periods, etc.?
I don't know if all rubber parts on a bike can come from a bad batch of rubber stock, but that may be a possibility. I have a feeling though that it wouldn't only be so for your bike, and we would have heard other such reports from other owners.

[Acpantera]

Yeah, I am the first owner. I bought it just after I test rode it (wife hates that story). Most the things are easy to change out, but the boot between the swing arm and tranny looks like a bugger. Maybe I'll freshen up the worn looking peg and toe gear rubbers too.

[R12RnHouston]

Acpantera, if you decide to tackle the two boots on the swing arm, keep us posted. I may follow your lead. Heck, if you don't mind, keep us posted on any replacements.

Thanks,

David

[BLAIR1200R]

As I said in my earlier post, when I got home with my new bike I read through the owner's manual and came across this:
https://picasaweb.google.com/PicasaBlair/WhatToUse

It states that, "Using silicone sprays for the care of rubber seals can cause damage..."

I suppose it could be specific to "seals" (fork, etc.) and not the rubber bumpers/spacers ...thoughts?

[deilenberger]

As I said in my earlier post, when I got home with my new bike I read through the owner's manual and came across this:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/f ... feat=email

It states that, "Using silicone sprays for the care of rubber seals can cause damage..."

I suppose it could be specific to "seals" (fork, etc.) and not the rubber bumpers/spacers ...thoughts?

Sounds like some great misinformation from BMW. Note that they alternate between "silicone" - which is a grease/fluid type product, generally considered to be completely inert (boob implants are made of a silicone shell filled with silicone fluid and "personal lubricants" are often silicone based), and "silicon", which is a crystaline metalloid ELEMENT - rather widely used in the manufacture of semiconductors which you're using to read this message.

It is possible if you used silicone on seals (such as fork sliders) it could capture some dirt that might form a damaging paste, causing seal damage.. but it is very commonly used for protecting rubber (and other products) from environmental attacks like from ozone. Using SILICON would not only be impractical, but immediately destructive to any rubber product you attempted to apply it to..

SILICON: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon
SILICONE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicone

Big difference.

[BLAIR1200R]

Looks like their English language editor missed this or they produced the final version during Oktoberfest...

[R12RnHouston]

A very useful video, especially if you're contemplating replacing both swing-arm boots.

http://youtu.be/BsS8y6YlbkM

[Bill Stevenson]

Rubber, both natural and synthetic, usually deteriorates for environmental reasons. Ozone can be the cause, but based on your car stored in the same garage with no sign of trouble it can't be there. Another common cause for rubber degradation is UV light. Either way, previous recommendations notwithstanding, the protectant of choice is a product marketed as 303. This was originally developed by 3M for the aerospace industry and is widely marketed for marine and other outdoor uses. There are actually two types of 303, one for rubber/vinyl, and one for synthetic fabrics like Sunbrella. It is the one for rubber that we all should use. This thread is a wake up call for me, as my bike hasn't been treated ever. Thanks for the heads up.

Bill

[Acpantera]

Must be the uv. I tend to park my bike facing east, leaving the shaft boots facing south from dawn till 1pm. The next gen roadster will have the shaft on the left side, sounds like a good excuse to get one asap when they come out.

[Lost Rider]

Some of my rubber bits are cracking, I see them as like the grey hairs that have been creeping on my head recently.... signs of maturity.
I thought it was from being in the sun so much and have replaced my FD boot, but the rest I haven't replaced and probably won't.
I don't use anything but the occasion normal car wash soap on the bike, maybe something with UV protection would have helped.

[Acpantera]

Well, I finally got around to replacing the paralever boots and the ball joint boot. All went well, did a lot of research and took my time, pretty easy job. Along with that, I just renewed the heated grips, all the fluids, spark plugs, brake pads, air filter and tires. Time to call the dealer to get the recall done. 48k miles, thinking of a new GS but might wait to see what the new roadster looks like.