How To: Change Final Drive Oil on your R1200 GS Adventure 

After the 1st change the oil wont look that dark. BMW adds a bit of molly lubricant in there to break in the gears. It's not required, but I change my final drive fluid at the same time as the engine oil. It comes out to just over $5(US) including o-ring and copper washer. Another tip, clean the area before doing this as you don't want dirt in there. The syringe idea that YAYA and Nigel gave I find is the best. No mess and very accurate.

as a tip it is always a good idea to remove the fill plug first to make sure that it will come loose. I have seen people drain fluid and not be able to remove the filler plug and have to deal with a seized bolt. I understand this is a new bike so it should not be an issue but as they get older it is good practice. thank you for the video

Life is so much easier when filling to the bottom of the filler plug as it is on my R80 G/S PD, R100 GS and R1150 GSA. No measuring tools required. And as someone has already mentioned, I am sure BMW used a MoS2 in the initial fill which is why it could be so black in a mere 600 miles. I use Dow Corning M Gear Oil Additive (MoS2) at 5% in the final drive in the rest of my BMWs and there is zero metal on the magnetic drain plug between changes. By the way, the drain plug on our R1200 GSA have a magnet set deep into the drain plug. And wash the bike before doing any maintenance. lol

I got hold of some 60ml syringes and used that with some rubber tubing. You can be really precise with the oil measurements then.

Good one Adam, You got to start somewhere.. I think a good wash first and also move the camera and then cut the movement in your editing its less shaky and more presentable. But well done for taking the time to share this with us.. for what its worth.. counting pumps is not a great idea as we could hear air being sucked up hence the reason I think you went for the other method.. A small funnel or syringe would be my choice..

You can use a old gearbox plastic bottle with the pull out thin neck tube , cut a hole in the side of the bottle and use it like a funnel and the neck fits in the filler .

I would wash the bike first. Thanks for the video - I was unsure of what I needed to get those plugs loose; now I know. Also, would it be possible to do the job without removing the mud guard?

Best video tutorial..thanks man!!! Nice bike...dirty looks better

Like the syringe idea! even if you had a 100ml syringe you could do it in 2 goes. Less mess and fuss too.

Personally, I wouldn't trust a pump like that to give me the correct volume, they too often short stroke or similar. I've had plenty of practice filling my boat final drive. I don't know why they couldn't do a combined filler/level plug like my older BMW has that way there's no guessing and it can be easily checked subsequently before a long ride. Not everything on my new BMW is better than my old one that I still have, certainly not when it comes to serviceability.

I use a 200ml Salon Hair Dye Coloring Applicator bottle .

I am a total new to me BMW owner. What size is the oring and copper washer?

It’s much easier to use a drill adapter to fill and remove oil It’s available at Home Depot go 13.00

Graduated Syringes are so cheap ($10 for a 3 pack on Amazon) and much easier.

Hi adam do you have a link on maintenance guide on 2016 gs? I would like to work on my own bike ty

hi,.. where is drain plug locate for transmission oil (gearbox) ?

Adam - do you have links for the O ring and copper ring??

Dealership keeps stressing using the bmw brand oil, which is a nightmare getting hold off. Everybody ok with using oil as long as it meets these specs 75W90 gl5?

Why don't you wash the bike first? :)

Refilling gear oil on other bikes means pouring until it was level with the bottom of the intake hole. Curious if the spec volume came close to that.

Thanks for these good tutorials , saves me a fortune by not paying main dealer servicing rates , just out of interest , have you ACF50’d your bike ? If not I highly recommend it .

I am beginning to do some basic maintenance on my 18 GSA. Your videos have been helpful, thanks for posting them. Do you also do the other 12k service requirements yourself --> check valve clearance, change spark plugs and run a dx scan?

Torque values for the bolts??? Thanks for the video

Good video, thank you....

Why use pumping method to measure the oil???

Hi Adam - do know where I can order the rubber O ring and the copper gasket??. . . . .JC

can you tell me what size the o ring and washer are..im unable to find the correct size anywhere. thanks

damn , what camera did you use? really HD thanks

Brake fluid is not corrosive but, it can damage painted surfaces. Also gear oil is not corrosive either.

no veo muy normal que salga tan oscuro el aceite del cardan......creo que hay un problema serio.

use a big syringe

He said every 600 miles. Did he mean every 6000 miles? I'm about to do a 1200 mile trip on a 2013 I'm picking up. Doubt I see my self doing this midtrip. However, 6000 miles is BMW's regularly scheduled service regime. ???

What year is bike In video?

Bmw stressing to use their oil is political bull shit! Use any make as long as the specification is right .they used to recommend Castrol till they fell out with them ,