R 1200 GS Teardown: Removing the Final Drive, Rear Shock, Swing Arm and Drive Shaft

[@davidoverby6868]

This was a great video for me to watch because I just bought a R1200GS, it has 111,257 miles on it so I know that there are things that I need to know because I do most of all my work on my bikes

[@MatthewMcClellan]

This is a big help, thanks. I need to replace a leaking output shaft seal on my '07 R1200RT.

[@KDFRxpo2]

Great video! Removing things to replace both mid and final drive boots as they are shot to pieces.

[@thegou]

Just did it on mine this afternoon. Thanks for all the tips. Highly usefull and apreciated!

[@mybibleandmybike]

Great video even years later it’s still relevant… I do have a question I have a 2013 gs and just wanted to know if I can still remove the swing arm without taking the rear shock off just taking the bottom shock bolt out and loosening up the top bolt?

[@BMWMOAorg]

You *should* be able to remove the swingarm without taking the rear shock all the way off. Removing the lower bolt and loosening the top one should give you enough wiggle room to get the swing arm off.

[@mybibleandmybike]

@ you are the man thanks….and going by your video I’ll get this done…

[@geordimaul5380]

Fantastic vid. Just what I needed to give me the how 2 for my bike. Any tips on reassemble? Like for the swing arm pivots

[@BMWMOAorg]

Sure - for the swingarm pivots especially, being able to keep the weight off the pivots while you're getting them threaded is tough, so having a helper (human or mechanical) goes a long way. I'd also suggest being really patient - the first time I reassembled a swingarm, I rushed and ended up cross-threading one side. It was a lot more work to recover from that mistake, and had I been a little more patient and slowed down, I could have avoided the extra work.

[@geordimaul5380]

@@BMWMOAorg thanks for the swift reply and the tips

[@bryancoombesart]

Wow, what an amazing video, thanks man. This looks very similar to my 2010 R1200GS, I just got it, I'm surveying what jobs I can take on.

[@charles080651]

So helpful. Thanks for your clear pleasant explanation

[@Choirnrd1]

Ground down 30mm 12pt! Great idea

[@georgerodriquez5568]

Helped me out big time ! Thx !

[@Zepe000]

Thanks for this! Very useful and great work!

[@TheOllymo]

Hi, great video. Just wondering, is it possible to remove the gear sensor, potentiometer on a r1200rt (2009) without removing the swing arm (and the rest..)?

[@BMWMOAorg]

yes it is possible ... but it ain't exactly easy!

[@TheOllymo]

@@BMWMOAorg Hi, is it a question of getting a small enough tool fabricated that fits in the limited space between the sensor and the swingarm, or is there a trick to loosen something (swingarm?) to allow for better access? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

[@BMWMOAorg]

@@TheOllymo you can use a box-end wrench of the correct size and fit that in there, but it's difficult to maneuver the unit itself out of its hole with the swingarm in place - the bolts that hold it in as well. It is definitely possible, but IMO easier to just remove the swingarm.

[@TheOllymo]

@@BMWMOAorg I will give it a go, see if I can remove it. Thank you for the advice.

[@TheOllymo]

@@BMWMOAorg Hi, thanks for the advice. It took me 30 minutes to remove the gear sensor, open it, clean it, seal it, put it back and re-calibrate it. Works again and it only cost me £7.80 (a set of etorx spanners).

[@sdevane75]

Great work. Very informative. You earned a sub from me

[@BMWMOAorg]

Awesome, thank you!

[@Eyezapart]

Hi there. Great video and great tips on the way. My GS from ´06 had a "fault" in the drive shaft and i have to repair it. I think its the output bearing from the transmission that has broken. It can shift gears but the drive shaft is wobbly and "touch" the sides of the swingarm. Do you think i need a replacement drive shaft? It has some wear from touching the sides but i have not been driving with the problem. Best regards

[@BMWMOAorg]

If your drive shaft is "wobbly" I recommend replacing it with a new or rebuilt one ASAP. It should have no wear from touching the sides.

[@Visionery1]

Great video! I've been looking into this problem. It seems the rear UJ fails for the following reason: moisture enters the casing, then the needle rollers, corrosion sets in and they deteriorate from there ... that coupled with excessive articulation of the UJ quickly leads to failure. Rebuilding with another UJ addresses the symptom, but not the cause. This is a serious design flaw which BMW could address by replacing the rear UJ with a CV joint (as found on the outside wheel of FWD cars, but smaller). The CV joint could deal with the articulation, and being covered, the only maintenance remaining would be a periodic greasing of the final drive splines with a suitable high-pressure marine grease.

[@BMWMOAorg]

Keep in mind this is a 2005 model, not one of the 2014+ ones covered by the recent service bulletin addressing encroaching moisture. I'm not saying the problem didn't exist in 2005, just want to make sure everybody reading is clear this isn't one of the models recently addressed by that service bulletin.

[@Visionery1]

@@BMWMOAorg was the suspension travel the same on the earlier models? Besides moisture, the Service Bulletin also mentions excessive articulation of the rear joint (using a UJ was a poor choice).

[@mmw78]

excelente gracias por la informacion saludos,

[@CarlosTilbury]

Hi Chaps, questions, I want to remove the rear frame on my gsa because of corrosion and get it powder coated, whats the minimal amount of parts I need to take off. Great video's by the way.

[@BMWMOAorg]

Carlos - start at the rear shock mounting point and work your way back. There will be mechanical and electrical connectors to deal with. The upside is you won't have to remove any of the drivetrain components, they can stay in place. I would think at a minimum, you'll need to remove your side/top cases, seat, rear shock upper mounting bolt, and the internal plastic & metal parts connected to the subframe. Removing the rear rack would probably be a good idea as well; it's plastic so can't be powder-coated anyway. We've got a rear shock video coming soon that may help you - stay tuned!

[@CarlosTilbury]

@@BMWMOAorg you Sir, are a bearded sex god, thats really helpful, I will look forward to the latest video.

[@vicentebenitez8903]

Hi Sir, the process it's the same for 2003 K1200 Gt?

[@BMWMOAorg]

Similar, but not exactly the same. The steps will be pretty close, and some of the tools the same as well, but the fine details may vary since the bikes are different years, different platforms and different models.

[@benontheroadnl]

Helpfull! Thanks man

[@zubin1993007]

Sir When are you coming out with the next video?

[@BMWMOAorg]

We'll be tearing into the engine and transmission in April 2021.

[@geraldfitzgibbon7428]

Nice clear helpful video. Just a thot.would a home made slide hammer work to take out that fixed swingarm pivot.rather than using tape on frame and 2 old screwdrivers.?

[@BMWMOAorg]

Yes, that would probably work pretty well and I've done something similar in the past.

[@dinoordona]

Can you remove the DS without removing the swing arm?

[@BMWMOAorg]

On a GS of this era, you can. On an R, RS or RT, you cannot.

[@dinoordona]

@@BMWMOAorg thanks for your response. How about for a 2018 r ninet? Does the swing arm need to be removed? Thanks again

[@BMWMOAorg]

@@dinoordona I've never worked on an R9T so I don't know for sure, but my guess would be no, since its design goes back to the early hexheads (sort of) and the same GS but not R/RS/RT applied to that era, and the R9T is more like the R than the GS, if that makes sense. Again, not 100% sure about it either way.

[@ORCA1911]

Hello, can you tell me, in your expert opinion, if it's possible to use a bmw shaft drive on a bmw rr engine? Worth noting is that i intend to swap it in a tiny cca 550kg car.

[@BMWMOAorg]

If you can somehow get them to mate together - the transmission and the driveshaft - there's no reason you couldn't. However, the driveshafts used for the boxers and K-bikes might not be up to the stresses put on them by the superbike engine.

[@ORCA1911]

@@BMWMOAorg Okay, thank you for the help :)

[@colewhitney1]

Awesome video! I have a random question, why cant I get the front swingarm gaitor to seal back up? And now that it is open for water to get in, will the water drain from my swingarm somehow? Thanks man!

[@BMWMOAorg]

Cole ... that front swing arm boot can be a real bear to reattach, especially if you haven't removed the swing arm all the way. You could try hitting it with a bit of heat (not a heat gun, more like a hair dryer on high) to make it (temporarily) a little more pliable, but in the end it's going to take patience, a flathead screwdriver (or 2) and more patience. Once it's in place, you need a LONG zip tie to secure it. You definitely want to get it in place and secured. Water will not drain from the bottom of the swing arm without your intervention (such as removing the lower boot and letting it drain out) and could cause rust on your drive shaft. You don't want that happening!

[@colewhitney1]

@@BMWMOAorg thanks for the reply!!

[@koen06660]

Awesome video! Very clear, but I do have a question; what does it take to remove just the rear shock? Is it necessary to remove the rear wheel and swingarm? The rear shock of my GSA 2010 is leaking oil and it needs a fix. Keep up the good work bearded man

[@BMWMOAorg]

On most GSes, you don't have to remove the swingarm to get the rear shock off. I would recommend removing the rear wheel just to manage the weight better - it's heavy and would definitely get in the way.

[@rodx5571]

WHAT YEAR MODEL?

[@BMWMOAorg]

2005

[@KDFRxpo2]

2010 R1200GS 82,000 miles and running like a scalded cat.

[@TheClintmeister]

That bike sounds like my 05. I got 35K mi and it locked up (trans or clutch??). Motor will start but release the clutch and motor dies. Got any ideas? Thx for the help.

[@BMWMOAorg]

My first guess would be something with the transmission. If it was the clutch, I think you'd either get one of two results - the engine would run but the transmission wouldn't move the bike forward, or the bike wouldn't start at all. Of course, it could be beyond the transmission, too - if the drive shaft or FD are preventing the power from flowing. If the engine dies with the trans in N this isn't likely. You could probably benefit from consulting a real mechanic! Good luck.

[@claudioaguilar2383]

Where did you sent your drive shaft for repairing??

[@bmike666]

I would like to know who rebuilds driveshaft

[@crisandrey777]

Hello Man, That was amazing. You have a lot of strength to loosen up the swing arm so easy. Thanks for the video, It was helpful to check with a friend a bmw r1200gs 2009. Greetings from Costa Rica.

[@BMWMOAorg]

I'm King Kong & Godzilla wrapped in flannel :) Just kidding of course. The only one of the swing arm mounting parts that is really tight is the pivot on the left side. The lock nut on that side and the small bolts on the right side are all low-torque items and not difficult to remove.

[@Choirnrd1]

Two BFS! BIG screwdrivers! Lol

[@caerleon9176]

Interesting about lubing the output shaft. On an RT you would need to remove the swinging arm to do that, and if it is fixed and doesnt move as it is designed why would you need to lube it? the other end is free floating and does move, which does require lubing. Just had mine fail today bike has 52k on it. The end of the drive shaft was completed rounded off and because it failed while riding, the pinion on the FD is also toasted. Looking at parts here in the UK im looking at £1k for parts alone on what is now a £3k bike. £700 for the drive shaft alone! Found another in the US which is rebuildable for £500, sold here by motorworks thankfully. BMW you suck!

[@BMWMOAorg]

Stinks about the failure. You're 100% correct in that on the RT, you cannot get the driveshaft out with the swingarm in place. My first & so far only driveshaft/final drive failure was at 55k, which is why I'm now fastidious about driveshaft maintenance.

[@caerleon9176]

@@BMWMOAorg I'm thinking a slide hammer effect will work as it's simply a slide pin on the engine side and rubber mallet it back on as you see in this vid.Thanks for posting!

[@Choirnrd1]

Wes!

[@WiekingderViking]

“Inappropriate tool” --no shite, Sherlock.