R1200GS Tool Kit Information
What tools do you need?
I made the following list by trying to adjust/remove/install everything I'd be likely to do to my R1200GS along side the road, or in a campsite or motel parking lot. If you have these tools, you'll be pretty well covered:- Torx wrenches or sockets in sizes: T20, T25, T27, T30, T40, T45, T50 and T55.
- Torx E8 (for adjusting the shift lever), E10 (for the handlebar mounts). See trick below.
- Allen wrenches: 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8mm.
- Box wrenches: 8, 10, 11, 12 and 13mm.
- Rachet handle, etc. for the sockets.
- Tools from the stock toolkit as appropriate.
The stock R1200GS toolkit(s)
The original production run bikes came with a fairly complete toolkit, which was described in the owner's manual. Later build bikes came with a smaller toolkit, and I believe the owner's manual no longer mentions what should be in it. There is a rumor out of Germany that future R1200GS'es won't have a toolkit at all! My owners manual, page 111, lists:- (1) screwdriver, reversable blade
- (1) open-ended 17mm wrench (used w/spark plug & front axle sockets)
- (1) spark plug socket wrench (long skinny tube)
- (1) puller for direct ignition coil, aka "spark plug cap" (under tool tray)
- (5) Torx bits: T20, T25, T30, T45 and T50
- (1) hook wrench for suspension strut
- (1) extension for screwdriver
- (1) 22mm OD socket wrench (front axle tool w/white nylon collar)
- (1) tubeless tire repair kit (3 CO2 cartridges, 3 plugs, poker gizmo, glue)
Andy Tobin (aka Tobers) provided the above photo of the "original" stock R1200GS toolkit. The drawing to the left is from the owner's manual. This toolkit can still be ordered (P/N 71 11 7 683 716) from your BMW dealer for about $53US. |
The "new" R1200GS toolkit (photo by alecmuffett).
To rectify the situation with the new toolkit, buy yourself a set of Torx
sockets. You should already have enough metric tools to take care of the
few bolts/nuts that aren't Torx (most are either very large, or are Allen
head bolts).
The "new" kit includes an oil-filler cap removal tool (the black gizmo with the keyring in the photo above). The original kit uses the 17mm socket (19mm on the outside) for the same purpose. I made my own oil-filler cap tool.
My personal R1200GS toolkit
Here's what's in my kit:
- Box wrenches in sizes 8, 10, 11, 12 and 13mm
- Sockets in the same sizes (8, 10, 11, 12 and 13mm)
- A cut-down 19mm box-end wrench (see special tools below)
- A 3/8" rachet drive
- A 6" (150mm) 3/8" drive wobble extension
- A 4: (100mm) 1/4" drive wobble extension
- A 3/8" to 1/4" drive adaptor
- Allen wrenches in sizes: 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8
- Torx sockets in sizes: T20, T25, T27, T30, T40, T45, T50 and T55
- A 6" pair of needle nosed Vicegrips
- A 4" pair of diagonal cutters
- A nice Snap-On screwdriver handle
- Phillips screwdriver blades in sizes #1, 2 and 3
- Flat screwdriver blades in 3/16", 1/4" and 5/16"
- 0.15mm and 0.3mm feeler gauges
- An 8" Crescent wrench
- The stock BMW sparkplug tool
- A BMW spark-plug cap puller
- An Al Jesse oil filter wrench
- My custom tool for the front wheel axle
- My oil cap tool
- My custom oil filler cap tool
- A Jesse R1200GS oil filter wrench
Getting rid of the Torx E8 and E10
To deal with the handlebar mounts, and the shifter, you normally need Torx E10 and E8 sockets, respectively. The E-series Torx are not generally available, though I found a set a local autoMy home-made tools
The other tool is similar, but for it I welded a cut-down 3/8" socket to a 22mm bolt head. I got a little carried away with the amperage setting on my TIG welder, but even though it isn't pretty, it's strong! It's the one I carry now, instead of the green one. For about $21, Motion Pro makes a very nice version of this tool called the T-6 Hex Axle Tool. Rick Sterry reports that in the UK there's a similar tool available for £9.99 called a Spindle Key front spindle socket.
The real problem with the front axle, and the hardened T40 rear wheel mounting bolts, is that you can't really get either one torqued properly with a 3/8" drive socket wrench. I've measured it, and I can do about 30 ft-lbs (41 Nm) with the fairly short rachet handle I've got in my toolkit. However, the front axle requires 37 ft-lbs (50 Nm) and the rear wheel bolts require 44 ft-lbs (60 Nm). That means that I can't get those two things properly torqued with my toolkit, so I have to do my best, and make sure I get a torque wrench on them as soon as I get to "civilization".
A neat trick with epoxy
I picked 19mm above because it's the same size needed to remove the oil filler cap. The red gizmo in the leftmost photo above is an inexpensive faucet handle from the hardware store, with a thin 19mm nut epoxied to it. It makes a small and neat oil filler cap wrench! I keep mine in a side pocket of my tail bag (which I always have mounted on the rear of the bike), along with my air pressure gauge, garage door opener, flashlight, pen, etc.
Someone (I wish I could remember who) suggested another neat trick to me. Epoxy a thin 19mm nut to the bottom of your spare oil filters, then all you need to remove or install a new filter is a 19mm wrench. If you do that, you can even use a new filter (with nut epoxy'd on) to remove the oil filler cap, then use the 19mm wrench (or the 8" Crescent) to remove and replace the filter. After the oil has drained out of the old filter, and I've refilled the oil in the engine, you can use the old filter to tighten the oil filler cap.
Oil Filter Wrenches
Spark Plug Cap Puller
Promach Dual Tool
A Good Idea™
If you build up a custom toolkit like I did (yours will likely differ a bit), make a point of using it, and only it, every time you work on the bike. Avoid the temptation to use the roll-out toolchest in the garage. If you do that, then you'll quickly discover the few important tools you don't have in your on-bike toolkit, and can add them to it. Better to figure it out in your garage, than on the shoulder of some deserted mountain road at midnight, in the rain, 100 miles from the nearest open gas station...A customizable list of tools
Some years ago, I whipped up a Webpage to create lists of tools for a custom toolkit. They are customizable, and I provide three versions as starting points:- An R1200GS-specific version
- A dirtbike version
- A long-distance riding version (Ron Major's toolkit)
A spiffy toolkit for $40US
Ride West BMW in Seattle, Washington, USA sells the kit shown in the photos below for about $40. I have one (thanks to my friend Steve who lives in Seattle).- A small 1/4" drive rachet handle
- A 10cm 1/4" extension which doubles as a T-handle
- A 5cm 1/4" extension
- A 1/4" swivel
- A 1/4" drive with handle
- Metric sockets in sizes: 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6.5, 6, 5.5, 5, 4.5, and 4
- 5 small Metric allen wrenches in different sizes (probably not useful)
- Torx sockets in sizes: T30, T27, T25 and T20
- Hex allen sockets in sizes: 6mm, 5mm, 4mm and 3mm
- Flatblade screwdriver sockets in sizes: 5.5 and 4
- Phillips screwdriver sockets in sizes: 2 and 1
Dave Lapin wrote:
One little thing I've found useful is the tire inflation nipple that goes on the pneumatic hose end.
Numerous times I've stopped at a gas station to put air in my tires where they had an air hose,
but no inflator tip. It is such a small part that it's easy to carry one as a back-up.
Copyright © 2005-2007, by H. Marc Lewis.
All rights reserved.
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