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

I've peeled back the rubber cover at both ends of the bleed assembly, allen wrench in black outer end and an open end wrench on the bright inner end but nothing budges. Does the allen wrench plug unscrew (making way for a bleeder) or does the whole assembly unscrew under the rubber in the middle?

I just did mine in March? installed a speed bleeder. If I remember right, (I know just weeks ago) I think the allen plug unscrews, I went out to check the toolbox but I may have pitched it.. Mine was easy to remove, I might have read to apply a hair dryer if it's tough. Isn't it mandatory that you have to install a bleeder? I think the allen is just a plug for factory fill.
If no one comes along soon with the answer, I'll cut the zip tie & pull the sleeve off tomorrow.
Clutch speed bleeder available from 'Speed Bleeder Products" part SB1010S.

Radical, Thanks for your reply. I can see that heat would expand the outer housing around the allen screw. I've got a heat gun but would like to work the rubber sleeve off, maybe work a lubricant under it first. Yes, clearly the bleeder is necessary; I ordered the one you recommend. I figure on using the Mighty-Vac, sucking most of the old oil out of the reservoir first.

Under the allen screw in the black anodized housing (inside the rubber sheath) is a ball check-valve that has to be pushed in by the end of a (speed)bleeder nipple to release hydraulic fluid (it's not a wide open tube once you remove the allen screw). It helps to remove the cover of the clutch master cylinder before trying screw in a bleeder to push the ball check-valve in.

There is the question about whether to remove the anodized housing/check-valve assembly and replace it with a bleeder screw, but I could never get it unscrewed from the plastic tubing coupler (which is not a good place to apply heat), so I've always bled my clutch through the check-valve and replaced the allen screw afterward. It's a belt and suspenders approach, and I've never had a clutch failure (knock wood!)

Hope that's helpful.

Back in the day, the guys in the factory with the mullet hairstyles used to call the item a
"Werkstück" - meaning factory piece, 'cos it was only ever used in the assembly process to save a few minutes labour time by whizzing the DOT4 in from the bottom upwards.

After that process, the item was of no further practical use, but that didn't stop the firm ignoring the issue for the future flushing jobs required to be done by the rider or dealer.

Even in those early naughties, the Berliners, Turks and Roumanian assembly workers on the shop floor were full of the gossip about how the complete boxer engine was soon going to be totally remodelled by the guys in the design offices upstairs and in München, in the process abandoning the decades-old single-plate dry-clutch design. BMW used that out-dated system ever since the Wehrmacht days of the 2nd W.W. So were they bovvered ? Absolutely not.

Here's the vodiodi showing how to discard the Werkstück and replace it on the end of the bleeder hose with a Goodridge SpeedBleeder for much simpler but absolutely essential regular DOT4 fluid flushings.

https://youtu.be/cYPAmrUyiyA

Good vodiodi, but getting that hose off to get the werkstuck loose tisn't trivial!

Don’t get the fitting too hot. It will melt the plastic line going into it.

Well, I got the plug out with a allen drive on a 3/8 rachet, and a 12mm flare open end wrench on the bottom, no heat. An audible crack aid it was loose. With some persuasion the rubber wrap will roll toward the center at both ends and stay there. The bleeder's in the mail headed my way. This is a weird, frustrating enough problem to have generated some colorful language above. A benefit in itself! Thanks all.

As soon as I get access to a bike-lift table I'm going to shoot a How-To video showing the procedure for accessing the slave cylinder without having to lift the tail of the bike as is necessary for complete clutch refurb / replacement.

Removing the 'Werkstück' safely without melting the plastic hose material in the process is only seamlessly possible with the slave removed from the gearbox for cleaning / greasing / replacement and with the short bleeder hose disconnected from the unit and held in a bench vice ( US = vise ) , ready to fit the SpeedBleeder.

The theory is to do more riding and less wrenching, thus the investment in an elevating platform table for raising the bike to sensible height for maintenance attention cannot get past the Her Indoors Spending Control Committee.

Steve, I still have a question about accessing the speed bleeder. I have an SB1010S in hand (in fact 2) but it won't thread into the bleeder unit because the point on the bleeder bottoms out before the threads make contact. Is that typical? Did you have to grind off some of its point?

I didn't have that problem, but have read of others that have. "Slightly" grinding the point of the bleed screw fix's it.
I don't know why one would work & not another.
Search R1150R clutch speed bleeder screw, brings up a lot of discussion & photos.
Steve. let me know.

Sorry, I'm not quite clear on what you're doing Keppelj...
¿ Removing the Werkstück and replacing it with a SpeedBleeder ?





That's what you need to do - lifting the end of that bleed hose up if it's still connected to the circuit, to avoid DOT4 splurging out when you manage to crack open the thread holding the Werkstück. This method gets rid of the OEM ball valve.

The SB contains a non-return ball valve under spring pressure, so in order to carry out future annual or bi-annual fluid bleeds, you just open the SB and pump the lever until all the old fluid, plus bubbles, etc., are gone.

Goodrige new-style SpeedBleeder cross-section diagram :-

AL, no, I didn't separate the two major parts in your photo. I unscrewed the allen screw, and used a couple different bleeders screwed in to replace it. Then replaced the allen screw. I'm sure I was able to flush the clutch fluid that way and I doubt there's any air bubbles though I haven't ridden it. To separate the two you're holding I wanted to put the hex bit in a vise. Otherwise I feared for the hose which connects them.

OK, now I'm with you...I'm glad that partial solution worked.
But maybe next year it might be an idea to do what Chris Harris does here :-

https://alansykes.smugmug.com/Rockster- ... /i-X2nW37K

Maybe you're right, yes. Thanks for the video reference. I did think of that though in the end the process is the same: crack the bleeder to flush or bleed, pump or Mity-Vac which I used. CH is tugging (and swearing at BMW) to separate the parts using a vice. I'd really be swearing if I kinked or broken the feed line using wrenches!