R1200RT gas tank removal

[bubbas45]

Howdy, folks. Any particular tips I should know about removing the tank?

 

I need to route an Autocom PTT cable from the left grip back to the Autocom under the seat. I just can't seem to snake it through. Unless the determined and persistent spousal unit manages to do so, I'll have to remove the tank to route the cable.

 

thanks, bws

[aggieengineer]

I guess the most useful thing to do is empty it as much as possible to make it lighter. All the attachments on the top left for fuel pump and sender are quick disconnect. If I remember correctly, there are four mounting screws holding it in place. Very easy to remove and reinstall.

[10ovr]

I assume you have the tupper wear off,,,You have 1 vac line on the front right side of the tank,there it a connector in the middle off the hose,disconnect,,Left front of tank you have 2 plugs and 2 fuel lines and i think 1 vac line,,disconnect,,remove the 2 Allen's at the back of the tank,,lift the rear of tank and pull back,the front Allen's dont have to be loosened,,make sure you lube the o/ring on the fuel line when you reinstall them,,O ya,,There is a screw at the front of the tank holding the top cover to the frame,,You do not take the fuel cap off,,Also watch out when you reinstall the tank,the back Allen's go through a sleeve with rubber washers on the ends,,the rubber on the inside tends to fold,,,

[Arizona_oldguy]

What do you lube them with?

 

Glenn

[10ovr]

What do you lube them with?

 

Glenn

Just a tiny bit of grease,just make them slippery so you dont pinch the o/ring

[ScottT]

Howdy, folks. Any particular tips I should know about removing the tank?

 

Get the manual and follow it? I'm just say'in. As for routing the PTT cable, trial and error. That's how I routed my stuff.

 

I'm sorry if I come off as a bit abrasive but working on these bikes is not rocket science. If you have some mechanical competence and can read it's a snap. If you don't, you can easily screw up your bike. Get the workshop manual either from BMW or Haynes and then take your time if you feel confident enough. If you have a good friend mechanically enclined with you enlist their help. Basing your plan on a forum isn't the best idea. Most here do mean well but in the end it's your bike. And the folks on the forum, are well, on the forum. Not in your garage. Best of luck BWS.

[10ovr]

Howdy, folks. Any particular tips I should know about removing the tank?

 

Get the manual and follow it? I'm just say'in. As for routing the PTT cable, trial and error. That's how I routed my stuff.

 

I'm sorry if I come off as a bit abrasive but working on these bikes is not rocket science. If you have some mechanical competence and can read it's a snap. If you don't, you can easily screw up your bike. Get the workshop manual either from BMW or Haynes and then take your time if you feel confident enough. If you have a good friend mechanically enclined with you enlist their help. Basing your plan on a forum isn't the best idea. Most here do mean well but in the end it's your bike. And the folks on the forum, are well, on the forum. Not in your garage. Best of luck BWS.

I get better info off this site then I do from a stink-en Haynes manual,,,,,,,,If you look at your 04 to 06 Haynes manual,,It only tells you how to take off a GS tank,,,,

[ScottT]

The Haynes isn't the best I admit. The BMW Rep_Rom maunual is pretty good though. I have both and I've had the BMW manual since it fist came out. It is a pretty good improvement over previous BMW manuals.

 

Most of the info here on this forum is good. But I've seen some bad too. Inexperienced folks will not know the difference. However, you cannot go wrong if you are using the official documentation from BMW. I've owned, ridden and maintained BMWs for 26 years but I still use the manual. All I'm saying is if you work on your BMW, buy the manual and follow it. Know what you are doing because you can very easily mess up your bike if you do something wrong. I suspect that much of the trouble reported on forums like this are a result of owners screwing up their bikes because they did something wrong. They realize they have done a great deal of monetary damgage and use boards like this to try and... well... get away with it. They blame it on BMW. Or they use boards like this to give them that last piece of approval to move forward into doing something on their bike they shouldn't be doing. Someone asking for advice on how to remove their tank on a forum probably shouldn't be doing it. For me it is an easy operation but if you've never done it... I'm just say'in...

[Limecreek]

The Haynes isn't the best I admit. The BMW Rep_Rom maunual is pretty good though. I have both and I've had the BMW manual since it fist came out. It is a pretty good improvement over previous BMW manuals.

 

Most of the info here on this forum is good. But I've seen some bad too. Inexperienced folks will not know the difference. However, you cannot go wrong if you are using the official documentation from BMW. I've owned, ridden and maintained BMWs for 26 years but I still use the manual. All I'm saying is if you work on your BMW, buy the manual and follow it. Know what you are doing because you can very easily mess up your bike if you do something wrong. I suspect that much of the trouble reported on forums like this are a result of owners screwing up their bikes because they did something wrong. They realize they have done a great deal of monetary damgage and use boards like this to try and... well... get away with it. They blame it on BMW. Or they use boards like this to give them that last piece of approval to move forward into doing something on their bike they shouldn't be doing. Someone asking for advice on how to remove their tank on a forum probably shouldn't be doing it. For me it is an easy operation but if you've never done it... I'm just say'in...

 

I think you are reading way too much into an innocent request for advice. Using several references prior to attempting something new is sound judgement in my book. How do you know he doesn't have a manual? He may have read the manual and is asking is there anything else I should know before I move forward?

 

The manual may leave a few critical items on the sidelines, like taking care to not pinch the vent hose during installation of the tank--the manual leaves that little detail out.

 

From the Manual

Working from the rear, slide the fuel tank into the holder on the frame while paying attention to fuel lines and connection cable.

Check that the clutch line and the throttle cable are not trapped between the fuel tank and the frame.

Connect breather hose (4).

Install screws (2) together with washers (3) on left and right.

 

By the way, I agree that if you plan to work on your bike; purchase a manual. But I'd also advise the novice to ask lots of questions and compare the answers.

 

 

[10ovr]

+ 1

[RoadJunkie]

Getting back to the problem of snaking cables:

 

I used a straighted hanger to fish cables through the tank tunnel with no problems. In fact I've done this several times. But then maybe you're running a larger diameter cable then me?

[brick_haus]

+2

[keithb]

"I used a straighted hanger to fish cables through the tank tunnel with no problems."

 

+1. I also used the corrugated tubing with the split in the length of the tube to protect the wires.

[bubbas45]

I think you are reading way too much into an innocent request for advice. Using several references prior to attempting something new is sound judgement in my book. How do you know he doesn't have a manual? He may have read the manual and is asking is there anything else I should know before I move forward?

 

The manual may leave a few critical items on the sidelines, like taking care to not pinch the vent hose during installation of the tank--the manual leaves that little detail out.

Thanks for describing my precise intentions. I do have a manual. OF course I have a manual. I like the manual pretty well. But my frequent experience is that people who have done something a number of times often describe things better than a manual. More importantly, I thought my actual question, "Any particular tips I should know about removing the tank?" was a fair indication I was seeking something I might not find in a manual. Manuals often don't have the neat trick that someone has figured out.

 

It isn't as though I was asking how to reattach....someone's head to his neck with garage tools. Or how to reassemble a Swiss chronometer with a dinner fork in the dark.

 

Thanks to everyone else for your useful advice.

 

For those curious about why this is difficult to snake--I have snaked a number of comm cables under the tank before. This isn't some skinny little wire. It has two DIN connectors connected by a short length of cable at one end; the other end has a nonremovable bulky PTT switch. Whichever way I go, it's rather too large to fit by pulling. I have a guide string already snaked; the connectors are just too bulky to pull without being able to manipulate everything else out of the way. I guess if I had a 7-year-old who could reach up in there, that might work. But I don't.

 

bws

[Lawman]

I guess if I had a 7-year-old who could reach up in there, that might work. But I don't.

 

bws

 

 

I have one at the elementary school here I can send you..

[Mike T]

Tank removal is fairly straight forward. Mechanical advice given above is all good. One thing to watch for on re-assembly is that you do not "pinch" the rubber vacuum hose under the tank. One of the hoses attaches to the charcoal canister on the upper right side of the bike. This hose allows air to flow into the tank as gas is dispersed so that a vacuum is not formed inside the tank.

 

There have been reports of this hose getting "pinched off" during tank installation and causing a vacuum inside the tank which actually can cause the plastic tank to collapse and move out of position and interfere with the front forks.

[Ken H.]

I'm sorry if I come off as a bit abrasive

A bit???

 

All questions are welcome here regardless of level of expertise of the poster. (Except maybe the 10,000 and first, "What oil should I use?" question. )

 

Give the guy a break - lighten up a bit.

[BenRussoUSA]

I removed my tank the other night to install a touratech TPS-15 switched 15AMP bus with spade connectors. Removing the tank was fairly easy. The only issue I had was that there is a little rectangular plastic clip on the fairing that attached to the left body panel over the tank. I couldn't find that rectangular clip when re-installing. Oh well, a little zip tie did the trick.