I am in Atyrau, the russian part did the job for the 2000km I needed.

Picked up the part at the DHL office, paid 1500 tenge (10$) for customs.

After inspection, the russian U-Link has developped play, in one direction at least 0.5mm, maybe even more. The welding is still ok, I think the part could have done a couple of thousand kilometers more probably. But I think it was the right decision not to take any risk and change the shaft, I still have 5000-6000km to go before home...

zimi

you got mail

dansky

doh
I keep on forgetting that BMW have later issues of shafts that by some unexplicable reason runs dry, i.e. not in oil...
:censored:

Guess I just have to get one of these weird contraptions (post "proper" /7 issues boxers), just to test my point of view on them as I have on the K-bikes... i.e. that a shaft should run in an oil-bath, so that splines and u-joints are constantly lubricated.
On the "proper" /7 issues I have yet to encounter any broken shaft or u-joint that is run in oil...
Mind you, when I asked a garage once about the /7 GS/PD monolever, the reply I got from them was "give it (the u-joint/-s) a good squirt of oil (hypoid) every now and then, and they'll be ok".

Why not test my point of view - to prove me wrong if anything ;)
Fill-up the shaft with hypoid or automatic gearoil (kind to the rubber shock-absorbers) - and see what happens -:)
beer

by the way, if it can help somebody in central asia, I put the picture of the U link they used for my shaft. It's a part from steering for Uaz jeep or Gazelle minibus

By the way the old G/S shaft was completely in oil, and do they suffer for the same problems? I don't think so. How where the U joint on the old one? Same or different? And what about the new GS's 1100-1150-1200, how is the shaft? They have this problem as well...

For me, I'm going back to a bike with a chain after this trip...

My point Zimi...

I did ask our best BMW garage in Stockholm in the mid 1990:ties about the u-joint and splines problem. They reply that they got one (1) broken u-joint in over 30 years of working with beemers... reason - owner of a R75 had forgotten to fill the shaft with oil at an overhaul...
Then they described the yearly breaking of the mono-lever crappy construction not to say the 1100's... To say the least, they were no supporters of dry-running shafts...

I will take a small leaking of oil over broken u-joints and splines - if that it the only down-side of filling the newer bikes shafts with oil.
The K-bike I did this operation to in 2002 - is still running with the same oil in its shaft; and this is some 70 000km later - no break-down.

Point is - things that run dry, will brake.
The cost/price is far higher when it brakes down vs the very limited leaking (if any) of oil from the shaft should it be oil-filled.