Great video - just done my own R1200 GSA and it helped me a great deal. What I learned was: - You'll need a 19mm spanner to hold the fork tube while undoing the upper retaining nut. My adjustable's jaws were too thick and they ended up scratching the area around the lower fork nut. - You'll also need a short extension bar on your socket ratchet to undo the upper 14mm retaining nut, in order to clear the handlebar tube. - The upper boot seal pops off easily enough, but you WILL need a seal removal tool to get the lower seal out. I tried screwdrivers etc to try to prise the things out, but the seal removal tool did the trick. Here in the UK, Machine Mart sell them for about £7. Don't get one that's more than about 10" long, as there's not much leverage space between the headlight and petrol tank. - I used one of those pump things to suck the oil out. I got 500ml of clean oil out of each fork. The oil is too thick to syphon, so you'll need some sort of pump. - I had to use a round tamp to push the lower seal in, as it was a tight fit and I couldn't push it in with my fingers. It tends to tilt and wouldn't slide into place evenly without some tamping. - Cover your bike with cloths. The oil goes everywhere...
I loved watching this, your honesty is so refreshing and made me laugh a few times. I'm a 60 yr old life long racer/mechanic/adventure rider and just enjoy watching videos like this by amateur guys, and like this guy don't be afraid to work on your bike that's how you learn. The valve check is harder, you should give yourself some credit for that. Thanks for the video.
Thanks! I’ve been working on Toyotas, Subarus, all other cars for 30 years now. A couple of fork seals aren’t exactly rocket science, even though they’re my first time around THIS block! 😆🙌🏻
Just finished doing mine similar to this technique. I did one side because only 3220 miles I had only one leaking and this technique is super simple. I put bike on center stand, strapped stand to skidplate so it couldn't kick up and I had concrete anchors in my garage floor for removable tire changing stand that I strapped rear tire down to floor so front was in the air. Then I wrapped clean rags around the brake caliper on the side of fork tube. Pop cap off top of fork, loosen top nut which 40Nm is something that can be removed fairly easily, I used a 7/8" wrench with 1 layer of Al tape in the jaw to hold top of fork because adjustable wrench is too wide and I had every metric wrench but the one I needed. My tube came down a little when nut removed then I removed the vent screw and then it dropped so fast I dropped the screw into the fairing and had to spend a few minutes to fish it out. Then I pulled the tube out with wrag over seals end because it draws out quite a bit of fluid. I have a hand pump oil suction device for cars so I used that to suck out the fork oil, it removed almost every drop in a few minutes. I dumped it and measured 470 ml of oil. Then I experimented with some hard plastic trim pulling tools, hard plastic bicycle tire changing tools to avoid scratching metal on metal, and then as a last resort I used the same seal puller as here to remove dust seal. I used a curved pick tool to remove the inside snap ring. The inside seal has 2 lips, one top, one bottom I made sure not to get steel seal puller up against fork tube. It can be used to pry the seal out controllably by hooking bottom lip of seal. I can also see that you can easily loose a seal spring inside the fork. When all seals are out there should be 3 springs I don't think it will be good to leave any of the springs inside the fork tube by mistake and with oil inside you may not see the spring sink. I was able to use my Al bearing race install tool to hand push the inner seal into place. Snap ring installs by hand, make sure it seats in groove. Then I filled the tube to 130-133 mm from tube top by marking a clear straw and checking fluid level. I put in about 480 ml off the bat and it was 5-7 mm off so I added about 500 ml total. My new BMW 10W fluid was slighty clearer than original stuff but probably a waste of money to change it. Reassembly was opposite procedure. Foolishly using BMW dealer stuff cost me $82 but it was in stock and I was impatient, I think you could order seals online from somewhere else and get 10W fork oil anywhere and have the same results for half the money or less. I checked my old seals against the new and the new had noticeable sharp edge touching fork whereas old seal no longer had sharp edge against fork rather it was worn away. Good luck and this video helped, tools helped a ton also like upgraded oil pump and seal puller.
Obrigado amigo. Você acabou de ajudar um motociclista brasileiro que com muita luta conseguiu conquistar sua bmw R 1200 GS. Seu vídeo me encorajou a encarar as bengalas da minha moto. Já desmontei e verifiquei o cardã, já troquei o líquido do arrefecimento, agora vou trocar o óleo dos garfos da minha preciosa 2017. Obrigado
Thanks so much. I did mine first time and would like to add a few things that came to me. I used a 150ml syringe and a firm plastic tube to remove/fill oil. I weighted it a few inches up the tube to insure it went all the way. I too found 650ml was way too much but found lots of forum ref to 60mm(2.36")down from the top of the inner seal so used that. Thanks again..
Thanks for the video! This is nowhere near as involed as I thought. I am looking at tackling this on my 2011 R1200GS. I couldn't help but notice the 100-series in the background. I've got a '08 200-series. I guess great minds think alike!
Awesome dude! Yep, I’ve got 5 Toyota’s! Check out my Adventure Teq channel for all the Cruiser content! Just got a Tundra so I’m afraid a 2 Hundo is on the back burner for a while! 🙌🏻
Nice job Jeremy, enjoyed the vid.It ain’t rocket science so good on you to tackle it on your own. Besides, Harrison will always sell you more parts if you screw something up!
Bro thanks for the back yard/first time doing this and the honesty. I appreciated it. My R1200RT has a leaky right seal. Not sure if it’s the same procedure. Your video won’t hurt.
@@CaptMaxADV so much easier than I had built up in my head. The thing that I liked about your vid was keeping the tubes on the bike. I didn't want to disassemble the front end to do it. Thanks again!
I have the Maint. CD for my 2014 R1200GSA WC Oil amount per BMW maint. CD: 485 ml / 16.4 oz. per leg -or- (measured from top edge of lower fork leg) 135mm ±2 / 5.31" ±.08 oil weight: SAE 10
Thx. I was not sure as I am going to change my seals. As there is no rod or spring in the BMW forks I am not sure of the purpose of the oil other than some basic lube and maybe some hydraulic pressure?. I posed my question before I heard your statement at the end. Before I could delete you had already responded.
to get correct amount of fluid to put back, you may want to measure the old fluid when you take it off......then just put that amount back in......just a thought....
Unfortunately I’m not 100% sure that when I last got it out of the dealer that they had put the correct amount back in. And just measuring with a “dipstick” is about 100 times easier than pouring the drip pan into a measuring beaker or otherwise trying to get a similar amount. Just my opinion.
@@CaptMaxADV well I guess that why you over-filled it.....the dealer said the 1L bottle would be enough....but you put 500ml in right and 500ml in left and both overfilled....true it was enough, but did you ever stop and think that maybe the bike does not need 500ml on each side? that is why you measure......just like the rear end gear oil......the bottle has 210ml, but you only need to add 180ml....yiou measure the oil drained out and I'll bet you get 18oml
I’m sorry, what??… Anyway, the proper way to do this would be to remove the lower assemblies, COMPLETELY drain them out and clean them. ONLY then would you know exactly how much fluid was in there. Fully clean and flush it out, replace with the specified amount. Done. Why are you trying to initiate an argument on a UA-cam comments section? “Did you ever stop to think…” types of attitude is just about as unhelpful as… anyway, done with this convo. Toodles.
Always take forks off, just makes life easier, would only take couple mins extra, normal forks still have fluid left in even if turned upside down so you have to pull stanchion in and out until its empty, if a seal goes then yeah replace all, why? because its all apart anyway so may as well, this is a good way to do it if caught out in middle of nowhere and have a spare seal handy however, so good video? yes, repaired? yes, proper job? no
Normal forks are also the damper and as such there are many galleries within the fork that oil can become trapped and needs to be pumped out, this is not the case with these forks, they are a reservoir for the oil used to lubricate the stanchions only.
Absolutely agree!!! I tried to do this job as per this video and ruined the new seals. There is also a lot more risk of scratching the forks when removing the old seals. Removing the forks is actually very easy and makes the job so much easier - for example draining the fluid and removing the old seals.
Great video - just done my own R1200 GSA and it helped me a great deal. What I learned was:
- You'll need a 19mm spanner to hold the fork tube while undoing the upper retaining nut. My adjustable's jaws were too thick and they ended up scratching the area around the lower fork nut.
- You'll also need a short extension bar on your socket ratchet to undo the upper 14mm retaining nut, in order to clear the handlebar tube.
- The upper boot seal pops off easily enough, but you WILL need a seal removal tool to get the lower seal out. I tried screwdrivers etc to try to prise the things out, but the seal removal tool did the trick. Here in the UK, Machine Mart sell them for about £7. Don't get one that's more than about 10" long, as there's not much leverage space between the headlight and petrol tank.
- I used one of those pump things to suck the oil out. I got 500ml of clean oil out of each fork. The oil is too thick to syphon, so you'll need some sort of pump.
- I had to use a round tamp to push the lower seal in, as it was a tight fit and I couldn't push it in with my fingers. It tends to tilt and wouldn't slide into place evenly without some tamping.
- Cover your bike with cloths. The oil goes everywhere...
I loved watching this, your honesty is so refreshing and made me laugh a few times. I'm a 60 yr old life long racer/mechanic/adventure rider and just enjoy watching videos like this by amateur guys, and like this guy don't be afraid to work on your bike that's how you learn. The valve check is harder, you should give yourself some credit for that. Thanks for the video.
Thanks! I’ve been working on Toyotas, Subarus, all other cars for 30 years now. A couple of fork seals aren’t exactly rocket science, even though they’re my first time around THIS block! 😆🙌🏻
Just finished doing mine similar to this technique. I did one side because only 3220 miles I had only one leaking and this technique is super simple. I put bike on center stand, strapped stand to skidplate so it couldn't kick up and I had concrete anchors in my garage floor for removable tire changing stand that I strapped rear tire down to floor so front was in the air. Then I wrapped clean rags around the brake caliper on the side of fork tube. Pop cap off top of fork, loosen top nut which 40Nm is something that can be removed fairly easily, I used a 7/8" wrench with 1 layer of Al tape in the jaw to hold top of fork because adjustable wrench is too wide and I had every metric wrench but the one I needed. My tube came down a little when nut removed then I removed the vent screw and then it dropped so fast I dropped the screw into the fairing and had to spend a few minutes to fish it out. Then I pulled the tube out with wrag over seals end because it draws out quite a bit of fluid.
I have a hand pump oil suction device for cars so I used that to suck out the fork oil, it removed almost every drop in a few minutes. I dumped it and measured 470 ml of oil. Then I experimented with some hard plastic trim pulling tools, hard plastic bicycle tire changing tools to avoid scratching metal on metal, and then as a last resort I used the same seal puller as here to remove dust seal. I used a curved pick tool to remove the inside snap ring. The inside seal has 2 lips, one top, one bottom I made sure not to get steel seal puller up against fork tube. It can be used to pry the seal out controllably by hooking bottom lip of seal. I can also see that you can easily loose a seal spring inside the fork. When all seals are out there should be 3 springs I don't think it will be good to leave any of the springs inside the fork tube by mistake and with oil inside you may not see the spring sink. I was able to use my Al bearing race install tool to hand push the inner seal into place. Snap ring installs by hand, make sure it seats in groove. Then I filled the tube to 130-133 mm from tube top by marking a clear straw and checking fluid level. I put in about 480 ml off the bat and it was 5-7 mm off so I added about 500 ml total. My new BMW 10W fluid was slighty clearer than original stuff but probably a waste of money to change it. Reassembly was opposite procedure. Foolishly using BMW dealer stuff cost me $82 but it was in stock and I was impatient, I think you could order seals online from somewhere else and get 10W fork oil anywhere and have the same results for half the money or less.
I checked my old seals against the new and the new had noticeable sharp edge touching fork whereas old seal no longer had sharp edge against fork rather it was worn away.
Good luck and this video helped, tools helped a ton also like upgraded oil pump and seal puller.
Thank you for the VERY detailed posting! Your efforts are probably worth documenting and creating its own video! 🙌🏻
Great Job, gave me the confidence to do it myself. Thanks
Obrigado amigo. Você acabou de ajudar um motociclista brasileiro que com muita luta conseguiu conquistar sua bmw R 1200 GS. Seu vídeo me encorajou a encarar as bengalas da minha moto. Já desmontei e verifiquei o cardã, já troquei o líquido do arrefecimento, agora vou trocar o óleo dos garfos da minha preciosa 2017. Obrigado
Awesome! 🤘🏻
I love it! I am in the same shoe as you are regarding riding a GSA and donig my own maintenance. Life, indeed is an adventure. Go for it!
Thanks my guy!
Good instructional video, I think if I'd gone that far I would have replaced the bushing as well even if it didn't look worn.
This was a great video. Thanks for learning this for me. Changing my seals on tuesday
You bet! 🙌🏻
Some manual specs that may help the next guy: 485ml for 13-16 gs…but they also instruct you to fill until 133 to 137 mm from top of tube.
Thanks for this!
Obrigado por ajudar
Great video Love the sense of humor. And always is an adventure.
🙌🏻
Thanks so much. I did mine first time and would like to add a few things that came to me. I used a 150ml syringe and a firm plastic tube to remove/fill oil. I weighted it a few inches up the tube to insure it went all the way. I too found 650ml was way too much but found lots of forum ref to 60mm(2.36")down from the top of the inner seal so used that. Thanks again..
Thanks, very informative and useful! Cheers!
Thanks for the video! This is nowhere near as involed as I thought. I am looking at tackling this on my 2011 R1200GS. I couldn't help but notice the 100-series in the background. I've got a '08 200-series. I guess great minds think alike!
Awesome dude! Yep, I’ve got 5 Toyota’s! Check out my Adventure Teq channel for all the Cruiser content! Just got a Tundra so I’m afraid a 2 Hundo is on the back burner for a while! 🙌🏻
My R1200RT wants one of these changed. Thanks for the video.
👍🏻
Thanks dude, helped me a lot 👍🏻
Nice job Jeremy, enjoyed the vid.It ain’t rocket science so good on you to tackle it on your own. Besides, Harrison will always sell you more parts if you screw something up!
Bro thanks for the back yard/first time doing this and the honesty. I appreciated it. My R1200RT has a leaky right seal. Not sure if it’s the same procedure. Your video won’t hurt.
Hope it helped! 🙌🏻
Thanks for this video. I'm tackling this job tomorrow.
How did it go?!
@@CaptMaxADV so much easier than I had built up in my head. The thing that I liked about your vid was keeping the tubes on the bike. I didn't want to disassemble the front end to do it. Thanks again!
Whether right or wrong, I give you credit for diving into it. Nice work!
By the way, my 2017 right seal is leaking with less than 12,000 miles with almost zero time off road. These must be some crap seals on our bikes.
The ones I changed have held up fine for years now. 👌🏻
Thanks bro i will do this soon on my k50 🤙🏻
Good vid. Thanks for sharing.
super, knowing what can go wrong is pretty d important ... good job done
Thanks!
Nice detailed video, is the Part number matching?
Thanks man
EXCELLENT!
thanks for the video. why would they recommend taking off the wheel and calipers to do this job? is there a screw to bleed the air out?
Yes. The tiny torx screw at the top of each stanchion allows for air bleeding.
@@CaptMaxADV At what point in the compression did you bleed, fully compressed or at the level of the top yoke when reassembled?
I have the Maint. CD for my 2014 R1200GSA WC
Oil amount per BMW maint. CD:
485 ml / 16.4 oz. per leg -or- (measured from top edge of lower fork leg) 135mm ±2 / 5.31" ±.08
oil weight: SAE 10
Awesome! Thanks!
Hello great video, do you now the torque values ?
Sorry but you’ll have to check the manual for those. I don’t have the manual. ☹️
Fork bridge, top leg nut M10x1,25 40Nm, small air bleed screw 2,5Nm,
@@leonidbreshnew401 Thanks a lot
Я думаю, что 470 миллилитров было бы достаточно))
Why did you change the fork oil?
Just because I was changing the seals and thought it would be low. Figured I’d freshen it all up. No reason other than that!
Thx. I was not sure as I am going to change my seals. As there is no rod or spring in the BMW forks I am not sure of the purpose of the oil other than some basic lube and maybe some hydraulic pressure?. I posed my question before I heard your statement at the end. Before I could delete you had already responded.
No problems! Yep, only if needed. It’s basic lubricant. 👍🏻
Adventure motor cycle maintenance 101
to get correct amount of fluid to put back, you may want to measure the old fluid when you take it off......then just put that amount back in......just a thought....
Unfortunately I’m not 100% sure that when I last got it out of the dealer that they had put the correct amount back in.
And just measuring with a “dipstick” is about 100 times easier than pouring the drip pan into a measuring beaker or otherwise trying to get a similar amount. Just my opinion.
@@CaptMaxADV well I guess that why you over-filled it.....the dealer said the 1L bottle would be enough....but you put 500ml in right and 500ml in left and both overfilled....true it was enough, but did you ever stop and think that maybe the bike does not need 500ml on each side? that is why you measure......just like the rear end gear oil......the bottle has 210ml, but you only need to add 180ml....yiou measure the oil drained out and I'll bet you get 18oml
I’m sorry, what??…
Anyway, the proper way to do this would be to remove the lower assemblies, COMPLETELY drain them out and clean them. ONLY then would you know exactly how much fluid was in there. Fully clean and flush it out, replace with the specified amount. Done.
Why are you trying to initiate an argument on a UA-cam comments section?
“Did you ever stop to think…” types of attitude is just about as unhelpful as… anyway, done with this convo.
Toodles.
No way you pushed those down with your thumbs. Need help 😅
It’s a fact! 🏋🏼
Always take forks off, just makes life easier, would only take couple mins extra, normal forks still have fluid left in even if turned upside down so you have to pull stanchion in and out until its empty, if a seal goes then yeah replace all, why? because its all apart anyway so may as well, this is a good way to do it if caught out in middle of nowhere and have a spare seal handy however, so good video? yes, repaired? yes, proper job? no
Meh. I ain’t no expert. Good to know. Thanks for your participation.
Normal forks are also the damper and as such there are many galleries within the fork that oil can become trapped and needs to be pumped out, this is not the case with these forks, they are a reservoir for the oil used to lubricate the stanchions only.
Absolutely agree!!! I tried to do this job as per this video and ruined the new seals. There is also a lot more risk of scratching the forks when removing the old seals. Removing the forks is actually very easy and makes the job so much easier - for example draining the fluid and removing the old seals.
Is there a video on fork removal somewhere?
@@DanPaulDrums I used the Haynes manual. I posted a time lapse - but it's not a "how to" video: ua-cam.com/video/kkFtK5iw7SY/v-deo.html