Free! Oilhead maintenance manuals

[Ken/OC]

I have posted for download three excellent resources for those doing valve adjusts and other sundry violences to their oilheads. These are very good manuals, three to be exact:

 

1 - Oilhead Maintenance Manual, edited by Carl Kulow

 

2 - Oilhead Valve Adjustment for Dummies, by Javarilla, Johnjen, and Marc

 

3 - Official-Unofficial R-bike Tech Daze Manual, compiled and edited by Mitchell P. Patrie ("Joe Frickin' Friday")

 

There are no copyright warnings, so I guess this is OK. If you need these, please bookmark the page as I'll be adding more things later. Or simply right-click and download the PDF files. Here's the page:

 

http://kenharlow.com/BMW/

 

Maybe I'll make the page look pretty one of these days!

[beemerman2k]

Downloaded my copies! Thanks!

 

I could stand to be more attentive to my bike maintenance. I don't even think about my valves until 20K has gone by. And Oil? A change every 15K or so. My bike has over 80K miles on it and my engine runs great. Probably would have lasted a million miles or so if I were more anal about maintenance.

 

I do run all synthetic oils, though.

[Ken/OC]

Valves every 20K? Oil at 15K??? EVIL EVIL EVIL! I bet you don't even do the official chant and ceremonial gestures before checking your oil.

 

We BMW analysts (get it?) need to shun Beemerman2k and consign him to Oprah-land! Just kidding I think...

[Voyager]

Cool. Thanks Ken, I hadn't seen two of these before.

[W8NONU]

Thanks for the post. I bought my 1100RT this past June and have been satisfied with the performance and ride of the bike. I rode those (SHHHHH, is it ok to say it!) Hondas, (there I said it) for years. There is more maintenance to the BMW which is a lot more expensive if you take it to the dealer each time. I have been interested in doing more of my own maintenance with two kids in college to keep cost down and have more money for trips. This information will assist me in this.

I put on 14,000 miles in the first 5 months of owning the RT and expect to increase the average miles/year by several thousand if I get to make the rides I want to go on. Hence, the reason for trying the BMW. After owning the RT I would find it difficult to purchase another tourer on the market to match the overall satisfaction with this bike for the way I like to ride.

Again, thanks for the info.

Jim L.

[Mainuh]

I have posted for download three excellent resources for those doing valve adjusts and other sundry violences to their oilheads. These are very good manuals, three to be exact:

Here's the page: http://kenharlow.com/BMW/

 

Maybe I'll make the page look pretty one of these days!

 

That's awesome Ken! Thanks a million from a brand new oilhead owner (after a long line of K bikes). A test ride on the new RT got me and I love to do as much work as possible myself. Thanks again for posting! Best thing that's happened today! (roads too crappy to ride) Sent the link to a few oilhead club members too! I'll have fun warming the toner cartridge on the laser printer at work tomorrow morning! Always good to have a hard copy at the bike.

[George Brown]

I could stand to be more attentive to my bike maintenance. I don't even think about my valves until 20K has gone by. And Oil? A change every 15K or so. My bike has over 80K miles on it and my engine runs great. Probably would have lasted a million miles or so if I were more anal about maintenance.

 

Besides your taste in music, I like your maintenance schedule.

I often get a chuckle over those who seem a little anal about oil (type, oil change frequency, etc). Since I rarely keep a vehicle for more than 250k miles I make my only priority insuring that something slippery is in the crankcase.

[rfc1992]

... And Oil? A change every 15K or so.

 

Choke! Sputter! Gag! Spurt!

 

I am a member of the 3000 mile parish of oil changes. I even do the dance and ceremony.

[Ken/OC]

I am a member of the 3000 mile parish of oil changes. I even do the dance and ceremony.

 

Hope you are aware that BMWNA has issued a recall on Ceremonial Oil Inspection Chants 3 and 7 for R1150RTs of all years. It seems that they can induce a variance of up to 2.7 mm from the red dot. An authorized dealer must bless the replacement chants for your bike and serial number.

[LMorley]

Thanks from a new member.

[HappyMan]

Thanks a bunch Ken!! They will be quite useful.

[rfc1992]

I was not aware of that! I do know the R1100RT chants are unchanged.

[DouglasR]

Awesome, Ken, thanks! I now have in my e-library about six different ways to adjust my valves. I live in central Wyoming (the State without a single BMW dealership) and am therefore responsible for all my own maintenance. It's about 300 miles one way to the nearest dealership, and usually a two to three day ordeal (travel and shop time) to get any service accomplished, not to mention the cost. Much appreciated!

 

I'm still grinning about this tag line:

 

'97 Amarena R1100RT - I Don't Need NO STINK'N GS

 

Luke, you must explore the Dark Side!

 

I have two oilheads, a 1997 R1100RT which is a gem & joy and a 2001 R1150GS which is a joy & gem! I've also got a 1994 K75 which will outlive my great-grandchildren, I believe, what a sweet bike! The RT and GS are very similar in some ways, very different in others. I must admit I love all of them equally, like my non-mechanical kids.

[Ken/OC]

I do know the R1100RT chants are unchanged.

 

BMWNA has decided to offer no more updates to the R1100RT chants for economic reasons. Kind of like firmware updates for my digital camera, which became obsolete in about 4 months, 13 days, and 12.376 hours after purchase.... Welcome to Century 21!

[velomoto]

Anyone on this forum familiar with the status of 12RT chants - the hexheads on "the other" forum ain't talkin'...

 

Greg

[greer]

I'm new here except I have an R1150R posted for sale. I am glad to hear from George and beemerman2k. I just bought an '01 1150GS with BMW crashbars; talk about a pain to change the oil. I run synthetic and was hoping to stretch oil change intervals. Thanks, Sarah