Final Drive Drain Plug T-45 NOT TorxPlus 40

[Boxflyer]

I thought about making a comment on a thread called "stripped final drive oil drain plug"  earlier today when it came up, but thought it was covered somewhere else....but I've been contacted by some other members that have taken away some mis-information posted.

 

If I was the cause of any of this mis-information about using a TorxPlus 40 on the Final Drive drain plug, SORRY!  I tried to edit and correct anyplace where I mentioned it before on other forums, but if that info has slipped thru the cracks, I wanted to get it straight once and for all.

 

The Final Drive drain plug for almost ALL of the bevel gear BMW bikes on the newer side of the 1150....so starting with 2008 HexHeads with drain plugs, and the Slant4 K bikes (NOT the LT, but for sure the K1300GT/R with drain plugs) and ALL the K1600 series, use a standard T-45 Torx bit to remove the Final Drive Drain plugs.

 

IF....IF....your Final Drive drain plug threads out very, very hard, it will most likely be difficult to get started straight and will possibly get cross threaded if that happens.  What happens is that since the actual sealing of the FD fluid is accomplished by the O-ring and not any crush washer or flange, when the drain plug is tightened down too hard, it flares IN the thread on the Final drive housing and hence you feel the resistance when extracting the drain plug.  

 

Rather than fight the "deformed threads" trying to get the drain plug started, I have a M12x1.0mm bottom TAP that I simply chase the threads in the FD housing with.

Amazon link to M12x1.0 bottom TAP

This TAP has the exact same threads as the plug and housing, but it has some "lead" teeth that allow you to get started without the same danger as trying to start a full thread on the drain plug.

You simply fill the chip flutes on the TAP with some common axle grease to capture any "swarf" that the TAP shaves off and that way no metal is introduced into the FD gears.

 

ALL the other fasteners on our bikes that have Torx (not E-Torx) fasteners follow a rule of 5....whereas if the bolt is listed as M5 (as in most all of the body panel screws) then the tool is a T-25.  The lugs for the rear wheels that are M10 will use a 

T-50 tool...the bolts that hold the engine crash bars that are M8....you got it will use a T-40.

 

Sorry for any confusion or troubles if any bad information about TorxPlus 40 came from me.

Brad

[MichiganBob]

Okay. Thanks. I believe I'm tracking. I have not gone out to check the rear drive on my 2018RT as Covid finally caught up to me on this last little motorcycle trip. So I'm laid up in bed and doing everything via internet. Today, I ordered a T40+ from NAPA. If I'm tracking, this is not necessary as I need a T45 to remove the drain plug.  I would go out in the garage to check it but my family is taking my quarantine very seriously. 

[migrant]

Thanks for coming forward with the correction Brad. One ripple in a sea of good work you've done for all of us.