R1200GSw LC Wethead Final Drive change and Spline Lube Pictorial!

Thanks for the clear cut instructions Jim!

In poking around online, I'm not able to find SAF-XO 75W-90 for sale. It sounds like it's a castrol product though. I also see some people saying that any standard SAE 75W-90 gear oil will work as the specifications are the same. Can anyone confirm that this is true?

I was not able to find it except at my BMW dealer for $22/quart.

Thanks Mark!

www.beemerboneyard.com MUCH cheaper and comes with crush washers and O-rings when ordering the kit.

MAX BMW has it for sale. They offer it in two versions:

http://www.maxbmwmotorcycles.com/fiche/PartsDetails.aspx?source=catalog&diagram=ST_FLUIDS

Part# 07512293972. 8th product down on the list. $22.09 for a 1 Liter bottle.

and

Part #07512296486. 9th product down on the list. $9.00 for a 200ml bottle. Good for one FD oil change.

It looks like this might be the right stuff: http://www.beemerboneyard.com/lqmsgo1500ml.html

$20 for four changes worth.

Actually it has been cheaper to buy the BBY kit without oil for $60, get Castrol Power RS Racing 4T 5W-40 at Amazon for $30, and BMW gear oil for $22 (enough for 5 changes) for a total of under $100 vs. BBY kit with oil at $123. HOWEVER I just checked today and it seems that Castrol 5W-40 is out of stock pretty much everywhere. So next service I may be buying the full Liqui-Moly kit at BBY. Or maybe cross over to the dark side and get Shell Rotella diesel engine oil.

Shell Rotella diesel is not recommended for vehicles with catalytic converters.

Hm? First I've heard of this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_Rotella_T

Shell Rotella T is a line of heavy duty engine lubrication products produced by Shell Oil Company. The line includes engine oils, gear oils and coolants. The oil carries both the American Petroleum Institute diesel "C" rating as well as the API gasoline engine "S" rating. Ratings differ based on the oil. Rotella oils like T3 15w-40 meets both the API CJ-4 and SM specifications, and may be used in both gasoline and diesel engines. However, it is formulated specifically for vehicles without catalytic converters, containing phosphorus levels beyond the 600-800ppm range. Therefore, Rotella is not recommended for gasoline vehicles with catalytic converters due to the higher risk of damaging these emission controls. Newer formulations of Rotella T6 however are API SM rated as safe for pre-2011 gasoline vehicles.

Ok, and T6 most certainly is listed as meeting SM. So, it would appear your information is out of date. Add in it also lists Jaso-MA2 which has been discussed to death on here.

a post to say thanks to Jim for the always , excellent pictorial.

may your splines be forever greased.

.

Jim;
Thanks for an other excellent tutorial. Your DVD has saved me thousands of $$ in maintenance work on my '05 over the last 7 years.

I do have one edit: Gator vs. Gaiter A Gator lives in Florida and eats wayward children. A Google search of "gaiter" brings up many pictures of fabric sleeves to cover the gap between your boots and your pants. Our British cousins often use this term to describe a flexible part that covers a gap between moveable parts. It is very commonly used to describe the leather or rubber part that us 'Muricans call a "boot".

well the instructions and pictures were very clear...But after an hour of frustration trying to mate the splines ..I gave up.. I can kick myself for trying it but hey what doesn't kill you makes you stronger ....Supposedly . Anyway I think the key is you need to have three hands or two people. Friend will come tomorrow... and hopefully the extra hand will help make it slide right in..

Did you line it up and install it without the gater first?

couldn't even get that far..Question ..You keep it in Gear ? In neurtral just moved around too much,,,,,

I'll start fresh tomorrow and keep uou in the loop... Maybe just tired