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

I changed my fluid per instructions in FAQ.
I also switched from BMW to Red-Line Shockproof.
(No mention of Clutch bleeding there, so I didn't)

Will not bleeding the clutch cause any problems?

Should bleed it ASAP?

Also, can you use Red-Line in the final drive as well?

Bleeding the clutch fluid is a 24 month item. That's what the book says.
There is also a slave cylinder down underneath the bike that should be cleaned out occasionally. It requires the rear shock to be unattached at the bottom and the frame raised a half inch to get at it. If I ever get a new rear shock that will be a job I will need to do. No telling what kind of gunk is still inside that slave cylinder. It never all gets bled out either unless you perform the specialty CYCLEROB bleed procedure, which is outlined somewhere. He says to use the clutch grip to pump rapidly while the master cylinder cover up top is still off, then hold it down with a rubber band while bleeding. I think he said this needs to be done about 10 times to get all the fluid out of the slave reservoir and bled.

And yes you can use Redline in the final drive: I do.

What weight oil did you use and can you use the same stuff for the final drive as the trans? Just found this in the UK but there are a lot of variants.

Chris,

FWIW, I just changed the Final Driven and Gearbox oil on my R. I used Castrol EPX 80W90.

It meets the required spec and is about £9 per litre. Alternatively BMW will supply you with a fully synthetic oil for about £26 per litre.

You can both in under half-an-hour.

There are UK companies that sell Redline (CP Components to name one) which seems to be quite widely used.

My bad...for not posing full info.

Red-Line Shock-Proof 75w90 Gear Oil.

My real concern was changing Xmission fluid without bleeding the clutch.

And what is recommended for Clutch Fluid

MartinW wrote:Chris,

FWIW, I just changed the Final Driven and Gearbox oil on my R. I used Castrol EPX 80W90.

It meets the required spec and is about £9 per litre. Alternatively BMW will supply you with a fully synthetic oil for about £26 per litre.

You can both in under half-an-hour.

There are UK companies that sell Redline (CP Components to name one) which seems to be quite widely used.


My bad...for not posing full info.

Red-Line Shock-Proof 75w90 Gear Oil.

cheers, need to look up the instructions. Presuming the lower plug on the gearbox is the drain, any tips on how to catch it?!!

Dot 4 brake fluid is specified in the manual since it has a higher wet and dry boiling point than the DOT 3 normally used in cars. This is not as important for the clutch fluid as it is for the brake fluid! I used Castrol GTX (rated DOT3 + DOT 4) which the BMW dealer here told me BMW approved of. It's worked fine for 12000 miles, so far. I bleed my brakes and clutch with it every 12-18 months because it's so humid here in Florida.
NOTE: Do NOT use DOT 5 silicone fluid as it doesn't mix with the regular brake fluid in our systems.

BTW, the transmission oil change interval has nothing to do with the clutch bleeding interval since they are completely separate systems that are only related by the mechanical action of the clutch slave cylinder to release the clutch disc from the flywheel. No clutch fluid is supposed to ever get in your transmission.

Chris, I use a small piece of aluminum foil wrapped over the cat converter to catch the odd drip and a funnel to get it into a pan. Note that the manual specifies filling it while the bike is on the side-stand, whereas the final drive gets filled on the center stand. Strange, I would have thought it should be the other way around, but that's how I remember it!

Chris, I cut the top of a plastic milk bottle and initially held it under the drain plug while I removed it, then managed to position it to catch the small (.25l) flow of oil without it spilling on the tyre.


Slightly off-topic...

The only slightly tricky bit about doing an 'oil service' was removing the oil filter. For this, Halfords will furnish you with the appropriate 'cup' wrench for £4.99. It works a treat. I also bought the lubes in Halfords as well. A 4 litre container of Castrol GPS (for the engine) was about £25.

Here's the page from the manual.


I've always just changed them both out with the bike on the center stand. I don't see anywhere where it recommends putting it on the side stand. You may be thinking about how it says to check the clutch and brake fluid levels.

What special tools are needed to change / bleed the clutch or brake fluids and how do you do it? I know it can't be as simple as it seems. Be safe.

It is simple, I just did mine yesterday.

Short version:

There have been many recommendations for a vacuum bleeder (cheap and available at any auto parts store) but I found that it didn't help at all (on my non-ABS bike). All I really needed was a short length of aquarium tubing and a bleeder valve if you want to do the clutch (cheap and available at the dealer or auto store). A turkey baster or large syringe (available at your drug store) will help.

I simply sucked out the old fluid from the reservoir and filled with fresh DOT4. Then I attached some aquarium tubing to the bleed nipple on the caliper, opened the nut about 1/4 turn and pump the brake or clutch handle to expel the old fluid out of the caliper. Repeated, that is about it!!

Some tips:

It is important to put the cover on the reservoir first or the VERY corrosive brake fluid will squirt out when you squeeze the lever!! Pump the lever until fresh looking fluid is coming out. Be sure to keep the reservoir topped off so that you don't introduce any air in to the system. Continue until the fluid coming out is clear, and totally free of bubbles. This is where the aquarium tubing is also handy. When you are satisfied, squeeze the handle while turning the nut closed (this is to keep air from getting back in the system). Do this for each caliper. Then top off the reservoir the with amount listed in the owners manual.

The brake fluid will destroy your paint very quickly, so take appropriate precautions and be careful.

There are also helpful guides listed in the tech section of this web site.

Is Mobil 1 75/90 synthetic gear oil ok for this?

Rick Lee wrote:Is Mobil 1 75/90 synthetic gear oil ok for this?

I have been using harvest king 75-135w fully synthetic oil since the first change. 30k mi and everytime I change it it looks like new still. Every year I change mine after putting her away for the winter. I believe if you regularly change your fluids You will not have any problems with whatever oil you decide to run. Mobil 1 should be just fine.