BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Hey all: I am taking the newbie R-12R in for the first and only service at the dealer tomorrow. I have next week off and am planning on riding somewere towards the sun!! I have been surfing the site and gathering up all the information I can and I must say it's a wealth of info!!! I would like any info regarding service tools for the R! I enjoy doing my own thing.If I can and if i can keep a Harley running for ten years and only one trip to the dealer I am looking forward to the same challenge with my new Beemer. If you don't mind me calling it that.
I am in SE Iowa and if anyone needs a hand or directions in my neck of the woods just give a shout and I will be glad to assist. I have packages arriving in the next couple days with stuff to keep me comfortable in my travels and, I feel like a kid in a candy store. So wish me luck and I hope to run into some, if not all of you this endless summer!

Later Rokin

rokinrider wrote:I would like any info regarding service tools for the R!

Search is your friend on this one. Assuming you mean tools while on the road, I found 75 hits searching for "tool kit." I also recall reading here about riders here who liked the Adventure Designs R1200 tool kit.

Simple enough to service. You need and oil filter removal tool, a spark plug socket, an oil filler cap removal tool (in the bike's tool kit I think) and a spark plug cap removal tool. Later, you will need a manometer for balancing the fuel/air intake for each cylinder. Haynes publish a workshop manual that covers this model.

Welcome and good luck.
Here is a good place to start.
http://www.marcparnes.com/BMW_Plug_Tool.htm

Mark

Mate, dont forget to take many many pics in your travels (& then post them here )

Davin
from a winter coming ever so closer

Is there anything special about the spark plug socket?

If you are asking about the tool to remove the spark plug , it needs to be long and thin walled. If you search on this forum or google r1200 valve adjust or the like you will find the tool that many use. I just can't remember the name of the store where I got mine. It is a store I don't use often.

Mark

celticus wrote:If you are asking about the tool to remove the spark plug , it needs to be long and thin walled. If you search on this forum or google r1200 valve adjust or the like you will find the tool that many use. I just can't remember the name of the store where I got mine. It is a store I don't use often.

Mark

Are you referring to Marc Parnes? His tool works well for me at least.

I saved some money and never bought the spark plug cap removal tool. Even the aftermarket ones aren't cheap. I just use a couple of flat bladed screwdrivers, top and bottom, and carefully pry the spark plug caps out by inserting the ends of the screwdrivers into the grooves meant for the special tool, and levering against the valve cover. Wide bladed screwdrivers are best, and you need to be gentle and careful. A bit of tape at the points on the valve cover where you're levering will prevent any scratches, but I've done it with no tape and not scratched anything. I've never had a sticky spark plug cap, and never had any trouble getting one off. Some people put some silicone lube in the cap where it goes over the plug to make it even easier, but I've never found that necessary.

I just bought a deep socket at Sears, nothing special, and have no trouble getting it into the spark plug through the tunnel. I do need an extender for the drive.

Get a DVD at WWW.JVBProductions.com. It's a DVD of all the service items that you'll ever need to do on the R12R. Jim Von Baden goes thru each work process and gives a detail list of each tool needed for each job. The functions he goes thru are the oil changes, value adjustments, spark plug changes, final drive fluid change, brake fluid change, tire changes, etc.

The motorcycle he uses to demo is a GS but most everything applies to the GS as well. The DVD is around $30. I found it to be a great help.

Or join the BMW-MOA and read the tech articles under the hexhead forum (you have to be a member to access these..)

did you buy your bike from gina?

dhgeyer wrote:I I just bought a deep socket at Sears, nothing special, and have no trouble getting it into the spark plug through the tunnel. I do need an extender for the drive.

I found I had lots of issues with the extension pulling out of the socket before the socket would come off the plug. Ended up going on eBay and buying some used Mac extensions that have a collar that locks them into place. Problem solved.