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R1200RT home servicing


Ozzyal

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I'll shortly be due for a service on my recently purchased 2010 RT .

Is there any short cuts to removing the body work required to change the gearbox oil ?

I'd like to do this every time I change the engine oil if practical .

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I watched this just before I bought my Camhead. After two times I can pull off all the plastic (other than the tail cone) in ten minutes.

 

Bit Driver Set

 

This bit of kit is a little pricey but that ratchet (which is maybe 6 " long) is REALLY nice. It holds the bit securely and is perfect for getting the screws under the oil cooler that are a little hard to reach with a power driver. Plus, it has the T25 you'll need.

 

Finally, if you don't have one already, get a little powered screwdriver similar to the one the guy uses in the video.

 

If you have the right tools, a willingness to learn, and little patience you will be able to strip and reinstall all the tupperware in 15 minutes flat after one or two repetitions.

 

For the gearbox oil, you only have to remove the right side upper and right side engine fairing (which is one piece all the way from the right front footpeg, around and over the engine all the way to the tank bag mount rail. Its huge but it easy to remove that way. If I recall correctly one has 4 bolts and the other has 13 including the storage compartment lid. Watch the video and you'll see what I mean. I've got it down to the point where I pull off all the plastic to polish the thing. It really is that easy.

Edited by Pappy35
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Forgot that you also have to remove the tank bag mount frame to get the lower sides off but that's only four more screws and they are easy to get to.

Edited by Pappy35
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Thanks Pappy , I'll check it out .

I know this series doesn't have any major issues with the gearbox and final drive , but a litre of oil at each engine oil change just seems like good insurance .

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Excellent video .

Thanks , makes me feel much easier about removal of the body work .

 

Pity they didn't just make an access hole in the body work though 😉

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Yeah but trust me, those parts, despite the complaints you might read, are well engineered to come off and go on. The side trims, the ones blocking your access to the gearbox fill port, interlock with tank top trim (these are cleverly hidden under the tank bag frame) with molded hooks that fit into slots that the side fairing. These are used to hang the fairing in place while you busily drive all those screws back in. I suppose they could have perhaps done it with fewer bolts but I digress...

 

By removing the plastic, as opposed to drilling an access hole though it, you can put the gear oil bottle's nipple in the hole and fill. The thing with the transmission oil is that the volume needed to fill it can vary a little as, due to its viscosity, there's always some amount trapped in the case (it's stated to be 700ml) so what you're supposed to do is fill it to the bottom of the hole and stop when it starts dribbling out. One could just measure out 700ml and feed it in using a syringe or something like that but the panel will then be in the way of the case and your clean up rag. Get it?

 

Once you get the hang of it just those two panels on the right side can come off in less time than you'll spend to clean up the spilled oil.

Edited by Pappy35
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Yep , makes sense . The fact they're all the one size helps too .

The R1100RT had different bolts everywhere 😬

 

Appreciate the input Pappy .

I will attack when she's due . ðŸ‘

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Good video, I bought Denali brackets to add extra lighting made for the 05-13 RT and this will make life easy when removing the panels

 

 

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ATTENTION: The screws for the storage compartment lid are slightly shorter than the others. If you use the longer screws you could poke a hole in your fuel tank.

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  • 1 month later...

Sorry guys , one more question . What viscosity is the gearbox and final drive oil on a 2010 R1200RT ? I'm finding conflicting information online some state 75w90 some 75w140

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Sorry guys , one more question . What viscosity is the gearbox and final drive oil on a 2010 R1200RT ? I'm finding conflicting information online some state 75w90 some 75w140

 

Morning Ozzyal

 

The BMW manual calls for Castrol SAF-XO & Castrol SAF-XO is a 75w-90 gear oil.

 

Some BMW 1200RT riders use a 75w140 gear oil in the transmission (on some it helps shifting & on others it hurts shifting so if your gearbox shifts good now then probably stick with 75w90.

 

The final drive should definitely use a good quality non LS 75w90 gear oil.

 

I don't recommend an LS (Limited Slip) gear oil in either the trans or final drive so if possible try to find a good quality non LS gear oil.

 

The final drive only takes 180 ml for each service so you get a number of oil changes per quart or liter. (don't overfill)

 

 

 

 

 

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Thanks DR , you're a champion . Gearbox is shifting beautifully at the moment. I plan on doing gearbox and final drive oil change and spline lube every 10,000kms to keep it that way .

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  • 3 months later...

I did the full engine/gearbox/final drive  oil change the other day .

Yes very simple to remove the body work , also replaced air filter whilst I was in there . All pretty easy thankfully  . 

I'm really enjoying this bike , I have been toying with the idea of trading to a GS , but this bike is pretty damn hard to part with . 

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I'll be doing the 12,000 mile service soon and rather than slog through hundreds of posts about what gear oil to use I just bought a liter at my dealer. I figure no need to worry about the rating, limited-slip this or that, purgle, green, or pink, he said-she said, my oil's the best, yadda...yadda...yadda. He charged me $19. SO maybe a couple of dollars more than elsewhere but it was worth it to save the time and I dropped a few dollars in his coffers to help him stay in business. The next closest BMW dealer is 180 miles away.

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Doing pretty much any maintenance yourself should be accompanied by ownership of and reference to the DVD service manual available from your BMW dealer.

 

OTOH whenever I remove bodywork, I refer to the installation instructions which came with the BMW plastic plastic valve cover protectors that I've installed.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I may have missed it , but I don't remember seeing anything about servicing/ adjusting the cam chains on these bikes . 

Is this something that needs periodic attention ?

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13 minutes ago, Ozzyal said:

I may have missed it , but I don't remember seeing anything about servicing/ adjusting the cam chains on these bikes . 

Is this something that needs periodic attention ?

 

Afternoon   Ozzyal

 

No real cam chain service or adjustment as they are hydraulically tensioned so they self compensate as they wear.

 

It wouldn't hurt to do a cam timing check at least once in the early life of the bike though.  The good news is that once they are properly set they seem to hold timing without issue for many miles of service from then on.

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1 hour ago, Ozzyal said:

Thanks . 

Hopefully the dealer who has done all the servicing up till my ownership has checked that . 

 

 

Evening Ozzyal

 

I would be surprised if they did check it but you might call & see if they will look in their records to verify (more than likely they will tell you  that it isn't necessary).

 

You can look up the required service needed at what time frame or mileage on this web site__  Just scroll down to find your model & year.

 

https://www.ascycles.com/bmw_motorcycle_service_and_maintenance_schedules#RDOHC

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