rear wheel came off

Thanks all. Wilco!

This is an interesting thread! Congratulations on surviving this.

Does anyone have a measurement of the length of new OEM lug bolts?

I have done all the wheel removals/installs myself, using 110 Nm. I wonder if I am safe continuing to use the original bolts if they haven't stretched? (22,000 miles on the bike now.)

Moto

moto  you should be ok with original bolts...but ....I would paint  mark them so you can check them for backing off..also I would get rid of the hub cap...it hides the bolt heads for inspection.
My new bolts are not in yet otherwise I would let you know on the length ..

I am kinda anal on this now.. as having your wheel fall off is not so easy to forget ..

keen, didn't you notice anything amiss well before the wheel came off? All of the bolts would have to have backed right off to the point where they fell out (and they are quite long). Didn't you get some odd rear-wheel steer effects quite early on in the bolt-unwinding process?

Vince C wrote:

keen, didn't you notice anything amiss well before the wheel came off? All of the bolts would have to have backed right off to the point where they fell out (and they are quite long). Didn't you get some odd rear-wheel steer effects quite early on in the bolt-unwinding process?

Oh yeah I did mention this at the beginning of the thread but...it felt like I was getting a rear wheel flat ..like the tire was moving around on the rim ...it got worse as the wheel became looser , like a blowout.. by then I was nearly stopped ..and when I stopped the wheel just fell off into the fender well ...feels pretty strange to look at your bike like that ..I was on the shoulder of the road so I could put the stand down and pull the wheel out of the rear frame ...

Pardon me for butting in as a newbie, but there was a case of this happening on a BMW forum I used to frequent many years ago,
The wheels bolts snapped, and the wheel came off.
The theory arrived at, was that after the last tyre change, the wheel (which is an identical arrangement to that of the GRiSO), was not torqued properly, and may have only been finger tight.
Over time, play developed, which ultimately caused the damage.
That guy was not quite so lucky as the OP
I have a BMW single sider too, and it pays to regularly check the torque in those bolts

Can never be too cautious... because of this thread I checked the wheel bolts after my GRiSO's first service since I had them crack open the CARC to grease the bearings. Turns out all four bolts were well below torque spec...Like a full revolution short of spec. That was a nasty feeling in the pit of the stomach knowing I rode it home that way.

Errrr? There are no bearings that need greasing in the CARC.

As for the wheel bolts? If they come loose it's because they aren't tightened sufficiently. If they are damaged and deformed it's because they have been tightened beyond their limits of elasticity. No ifs or buts, that's the entirety of it.

Pete

No one touches my rear wheel but this little black duck.

Pete Roper wrote:

Errrr? There are no bearings that need greasing in the CARC.

Pete

I mis-spoke, but I wasn't being literal either. I was just referring to the swing arm bearings and the rear wheel needing to come off to do that. I don't believe the mechanic torqued the wheel bolts when he re-installed the wheel. They've remained tight since then.

Ah! Gotcha! I misunderstood.

Pete

I think it would be good to bump this thread every so often or something similar,so every one can be aware...just saying..
I would hate for it to happen to anybody..like it did me and I got away with it ..still shaking my head over that one..and its fricken expensive to boot
i know we should all be checking all the fasteners as per usual but then again ......WTF ..eh

I agree kk07. There would be a few owners who don't do any of their own maintenance and they need to be aware of 'gotcha's' like this.

Thought you might be interested to read of a similar thing on a BMW forum I used to frequent, involving a single sider like ours.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I'm guessing the torque settings are identical on both G11 and 8V?

I think they are. 110 Nm

Got my torque settings for wheel and calliper bolts painted on the inside of the removable centre cap.

Appreciate the bump on this as had missed the original part of the thread....

Glad OP Keener got away with this - Nice to hear that other bikes stopped to offer help as well.

Off to garage later with my torque wrench.

Update and bump for this thread..
I am on the road again all work is done replaced with new parts as needed , Bolts have been safety wired and marked ..
Shop charged me cost on all parts and 50% off on labor.. so not too bad ..
Remember to check your wheel bolts every so often ,
ride safe
Keener

Thank you for the bump, Keener. I haven't visited the Ghetto in quite awhile, so did not see your hair raising story until today.

Will check my rear wheel bolts on my very next ride. <----

happened to see this thread and decided to check my bike as well. 1800 miles and the lug bolts on my bike weren't exactly 110nm. one of them took a full 1/3 of a turn before my torque wrench clicked. the others were about a 1/4 of a turn. that was a scary feeling!

Good find Brad. That there is while all GRiSO owners should check their wheel bolts if they never have.

bump for  all

Really weird, not to mention embarrassing, this happened to Mark S's bike this morning in Bungendore!

I'd already taken it for a shakedown flog to Tarago and back with no issues and no weirdness. He picks it up and within a Km all the bolts had backed right out!

I have no explanation! Anyway now sorted but it fucked his speedo sensor so I'll have to flick one to him but it's really weird!

Pete