Repair Estimate: $2600

Well, the techs at Big Sky BMW-Kawasaki in Missoula MT had a look at my bike this morning, and the front u-joint on the drive shaft is definitely dead.  No ideas on why that happened.  The kicker is that the failing u-joint thrashed around inside the swing arm enough to ruin it as well.  The swing arm alone is about $1000.  The total estimate is $2600.

At first I asked them just to replace the drive shaft and get it running again; I'd ride home with the swing arm beat up and patch it up myself.  Then we rode to the dealership to have a look.  The swing arm is structurally sound, but the beat up portion won't allow a rubber boot to seal properly, which could allow water and debris to get in and possibly cause another failure in time.  The inside of the swing arm is hardly a clean environment, so I didn't think anything serious could happen in a week of riding even if the boot didn't seal perfectly.  I wanted to just ride home with the damaged swing arm and try to complete the seal with JB Weld or some other filler, but Dad thought that could be risky because debris might get in during the week's ride home.  The tech who was working on my bike seemed willing to discuss doing my JB Weld idea, but noted it'd take time to clean up the beat up swing arm and get the JB Weld set with the proper clip and rubber boot.  Even if he'd try it, we wouldn't be rolling until Monday.  The service manager didn't like the JB Weld idea at all, so I'm not sure if it was really an option.  I really didn't like the idea of replacing a $1000 swing arm that is still structurally OK, but a failed u-joint can be pretty dangerous, potentially causing a rear wheel lock up.  It was a tough decision, and I only had a few minutes to consider it because it was right at the deadline for ordering parts overnight.  In the end I decided to go with a new swing arm, at the cost of what Jess and I usually spend on a week's vacation per person.  No vacation in 2011, or rather, Jess will have to go by herself.

It may have been the fact that we hadn't eaten yet, but when I got the $2600 estimate around 13:30, I felt sick to my stomach.  I've never paid that much to repair any vehicle before.  I don't think I've spend that much on repairs in total for my 2001 Honda VF750 Magna with about 55,000 miles on it.  I'm not feeling any love for my Beemer right now.

The good news is that parts should arrive by tomorrow, and they'll do whatever is necessary to have it running by the end of the day.  They have two other bikes that are broken down right now, so they've got their hands full with emergency jobs.  I'm happy with Big Sky's service, but not my motorcycle or the situation.


Ug.