Saturday, Jun 21 2014 [12,072 miles]
A little cleaning
I hooked up my (beta) GS-911 to read any logged faults and found that the unit can’t talk to the bike. Last time I used the GS-911 was in April. All was well at that time. The only thing different is that the bike has more miles and the console is reminding me that a service is due. While thinking about things I could try to get more info for the vendor I wiped the bike down bit.
Update: problem resolved. There is an issue in the current beta when doing an autoscan. Resetting the unit and querying the devices one-by-one shows that there were no faults logged.
Bash plate bracket
Bracket and hardware
This works
I mentioned yesterday that the bracket that holds the bash plate looked like it had been tweaked by putting the jack under the plate to lift the bike. I removed the rear bracket and made it better. When removing the bracket I found that one of the three mounting screws was quite loose. A second mounting screw was chewed up where torx bit fit. I had to lightly hammer my bit into the fastener to get it to grab.
After fixing and re-installing the bracket I found some wood blocks that fit so I can lift the bike without damaging anything.
Air cleaner cover
Dirty air cleaner
Airbox before cleaning
New air filter installed
Getting the cover off to access the air filter is a pain when both side pannels are in place. It can be done (I did it) but requires some temporary warping of the plastic side pannels to get the cover off. The filter was noticeably dirty. The clean side of the airbox wasn’t. Guess the filter is doing its job. I wiped down the airbox with a damp rag before installing the new filter.
Check clutch fluid level
Level high
The clutch fluid in the reservoir rises as the clutch wears. Also, its been reported that BMW over filled some of these bikes. I put a paper towel around the reservoir before removing the (cleaned) lid in case of overflow. It was needed.
Brake fluid level, front
Rear brake pad
Front and rear brake reservoirs were fine. I bled the brakes last service. The front rotors measure 4.46mm on both sides. That’s down from 4.48mm at the 6K service. The pads are plenty thick.
The rear rotor measured 4.84mm. That’s down from 4.89mm at the 6K service, but less than the .01mm wear/thousand miles I got on my ‘05 GS. Looks like I can plan on a rear rotor at about the 50K mark. Rear pads are OK.
Tire pressure
Front tire OK
Rear tire almost at the wear bars
I set the tire pressure and checked the tires. I will very soon need a new rear. I’ve one on (back) order that is supposed to be here the end of the month. Hope so.
Drain oil
Remove oil filter
New filter, drain plug before cleaning
After adding 3 quarts
The bike was running enough when I was playing with the GS 911 to heat the engine oil. I drained it and replaced the filter. The magnetic drain plug was pretty much clean with just a hint of pasty residue. I installed it with a new crush ring and added just under 4 quarts of oil. The oil level is at the full indication but the filter is empty. I’ll top it off after a test ride. I need to do a test ride before changing the FD fluid, too.
Bash plate installed
I re-installed the bash plate after taking the bike off of the center stand. I also checked that the side and center stands swing free and are not loose. The coolant level was about 1/3 between the min and max marks. I didn’t note where it was on my 6K service so can’t tell if it changed. Lights are OK. The clutch/side stand switches work.
I check the battery by putting it on the charger. Normally the charger thinks for about 10 minutes then indicates the battery is fully charged. Today it thought then indicated the battery was 1/3 charged. About 10 minutes later the status changed to 2/3 charged. In another 25 minutes the status changed to fully charged. That’s pretty quick to charge an empty battery. I think the many times I started the bike and had the ignition on without starting for GS-911 testing may have contributed to the “not fully charged” indication.
Tomorrow my test ride will be the SMBC ride to breakfast. When I get home I’ll replace the FD fluid and complete the service.