Baseline maintenance

[Bgarceau]

I bought my '08 1200 Sport just last month with 3k miles on it. The maintenance record from the PO was just a list of oil changes. I saw no indication of any other maintenance, which milage-wise made sense. Six years with virtually no maintenance however is not good. I found that the brake and hydraulic clutch fluids were well broken down.

I like to do my own wrenching, at least within my knowledge and comfortability limits. Most of my experience has been on classic era BMW's, and the cool thing with the Sport is that as modern as it is, it's still a 2-valve, pushrod twin cylinder engine, with shaft drive and a dry clutch! Other than the carburation and ignition, it looks like I should be right at home.

When I buy a new bike I feel I need to perform a baseline, front-2-back maintenance. This allows me to get the bike on a maintenance schedule, while at the same time makes me more familiar with the thing.

The bike now has 4.5k miles on it. I have some time coming up. I have already replaced all of the fluids.

Next up would be to do tune-up steps, which usually begins with a cold engine and valve clearance adjustment. Before I get started I recall reading about certain parts and fittings that are not well made. Maybe these would be good candidates for upgrade.

One example is the fuel tank fittings. Over time, with many tank removals my concern is that these fitting may not hold up. Has anyone come up with good quality fuel line quick disconnect replacements? Are there other (non maintenance item) parts I should consider replacing/upgrading when I'm in there?

Are there special tools that I need for basic maintenance? I bought the TR Centurion-S from Todd for tweaking the electronic components, and my BMW oil filter wrench fits the oil filter. Other specialized tools?

Thanks!

Bg

 

[dbarb3]

Have the same bike, probably need to do a valve adjustment. No special tools needed for that. It is also recommended to replace the fuel filter because it is part plastic and has failed on some bikes. The fuel line connection is a pain when you remove the tank. In 25K I have done fluids, rear brake pads and valve adjustments. Replaced the air filter at 20k but didn't really need to.

 

[PP-1753]

Bg,

Easy Peesy to do all you need to! The owners manual has everything you need to cover and when. A good basic metric toolkit is mostly what you need. You seem to have this sorted anyway.

However there are a few gotchas...
- The fuel tank connection is a pain in the butt. However there is an easy way around it. Disconnect the electrical plug to the fuel pump/gauge, try and start the engine (turn it over for about 5 seconds) and the fuel pressure will disappear. Then it is a simple matter of disconnecting the fuel connector. Now easy because the pressure has gone from it.

- The rocker cover gaskets are too thin and generally can't be reused - often they will leak because they want to AND they tend to stick to the mating surfaces. Easy solution is to purchase gaskets for the 1100 - they are exactly the same except they are thinker and can be reused (mine are up to their 4th reuse) without any gasket goop.

- Unless you have an issue with the fuel filter (mainly on 2006 models I think) don't go there unless you have to or want to.

- Steering head bearing may or may not come with grease - depending on how Luigi was feeling at the time. Check this out and do it to stop deterioration of the bearings due to ingress of moisture - details on this website somewhere.

- Swing arm bearings may also have or have not grease in them - do the same treatment, again instructions on this website.

- You may or may not have the "startus interruptus" problem. This happens on most, but not all bikes. Again easy to fix - instruction on this website.

- Front forks seem to come from the factory with insufficient oil in them. Mine came with 360ml instead of the recommended 480ml. Stick with the 5 weight oil but put the right quantity in and it will make a big difference.

- Rear shock is ordinary - Todd has some nice options that will sort out the arse end.

- Other little issues come up from time to time but are all easily fixed.

Use the correct grade oil at all times and change it every 5000 km

Enhancements:
- New exhaust - highly recommended - Todd has a most excellent Reverse Cone Megaphone for sale that is simply AWESOME.
- I believe the standard air filter is up to the task, though others will argue against it for a freer flowing filter - up to you.
- Fuelling changes are mandatory - you can see Todd for his stuff or you can do it yourself - up to you.
- Suspension tuning is necessary - see above - though you might be happy

need any advice, just post here or PM me. Enjoy!

 

[toma nova]

Tony covered most everything.

I upgraded fork springs for 200# with gear and went to 10W oil - big improvement, especially under braking.

I also removed the evap canister - it's not needed and gives some usable storage space under the seat once gone.

I'm using Mobil 1 20W50 for V-Twins and Mobil 1 75W90 gear oil every 5k miles; your bike will self-level the oil, mine is happy at the Min mark on the dipstick.

When you replace a valve cover gasket with the thicker one from MG Cycle, don't over-torque the bolts. The trick is to use the short end of the allen wrench in your fingers - the pressure on your skin will limit the amount of torque you can apply. No leaks in 4k miles since going to the better gasket.

Look for a free online factory service manual (I forgot where I downloaded mine from) - it details everything Tony mentioned above. Of course, there are some great tutorials here too!

Tom

 

[john zibell]

The Sport service manual is available in the Resources section.