Very well done Sir... you, in my opinion, have just the right amount of discussion during your demonstration, sharing all the small things that one might not normally pay attention to...well done!!

Important tip: after you lubricate the splines and are ready to close everything up, put white lithium grease around the boot edges, push the boot into place on the rear wheel side of the boot, then loop a strong piece of string under the drive shaft right behind the pivot (the engine side). Have a person lift the drive shaft up about 1/2 inch by holding the string as you lift the final drive/brake rotor up. This will help align the female and male splines. Once they slide into each other, remove the string, install the final drive support bolt and nut, then use your finger to push the engine side of the boot into place. If you don't lift the drive shaft you will have a very difficult time getting the splines to slide into each other.

I’ve been scared to do my own 2012 RT but armed with your vid, I feel a lot more confident, thanks.

Great video and you have now made the job easier for me. Why ! Because having done this job previously someone told me that you needed to remove the speedo drive and use that hole to refill the oil. I did that and discovered on my first ride out after 50 miles from home I had split the small rubber ring and found my rear wheel covered in oil. Now thankfully with your advice this will never happen again. I also re-greased the final drive joint and I have got to say I found getting them remeshed was more awkward than you experienced. Thanks again.

Great video's! I just purchased a 2011 last fall and will be doing the 24k mile maintenance myself. This bike seems to be easy to work on so far. Thank you!

Very good instructions thank you

As another reviewer person mentioned, with those rear crash bars, simply replace the OE muffler hanger bolt with a hex headed bolt and you never have to loosen the crash bars again.

Important: run a ratchet strap around the center stand up through the front wheel to make certain the bike won’t come off the stand.

John, if you replace your rear muffler mount torx bolt with a hex bolt, you will be able to remove your muffler with out needing to move your rear saddle bag guard. You will be able to remove the bolt with an open end wrench along with the clamp at the front of the muffler and drop it down or remove it all together. Then remove your rear wheel.

Very helpful video, congrats on the BMW. I just purchased an 08 and will be doing this in the next month, really appreciate the info shared.

Nice video, happy to tackle this job myself now....

I agree, your easy explanation is really confidence inspiring and the little tips regarding filling stuff will be helpful, thanks :^)

Good vlog but don't forget there are splines at the gearbox end too - These "can" be done without removing the swingarm but oh boy are those splines a bitch to get back together!! I find it easier to undo the swingarm, done it a few times now as mine has done 70,000 miles! The final drive I measure out the amount required for refill and when the wife is not around I heat it to about 70degC in the oven and then pour it in via the hole for the ABS sensor - bigger than the filler hole (no new washer required here) and pours in nice and easy via a funnel and tube, so long as you don't try to go too fast! Much easier than a syringe or squeezy bottle. Happy days!

By the way you are supposed to use "NBU 30 PTM" grease on the rubber boot. It's crazy expensive, and I don't know what is so special about it. I think I will try lots of silicone grease myself and see it that's okay

In 2023 this bike still has appeal. 80mm narrower than the current model and lighter but with all the riding tech (apart from the widescreen tv). They are a bargain now but what about that clutch? Is 80,000km too much for a dry clutch?

Great video thank you. I have a k1600 and will help me do my.

Nice video! AFAIK, on the camheads, you no longer need to drop the FD and re-lube the splines. You had to on the older models because of the drain plug being horizontal, but now with the proper drain plug and fill plug, the official FD service (according to BMW) is to just drain and refill the oil. I've done this for the last 98,000 miles on my 2013 R1200RT with zero problems. I recently had to take the drive shaft and swingarm off (to replace a seal) and found all the splines, FD parts, and drive shaft to look like they are brand new. New design = less maintenance. If you do choose to drop the FD anyways, really make sure you get the boot sealed (I use marine grease) since in my experience most driveshafts on BMWs are killed from moisture getting in and causing rust.

Real world spannering from a common sense man...Nice....

Great video, need to replace my gear oil and this will sure help. Didn’t know it was this involved. Not like some other bikes I’ve owned. Do you have any videos on the valve adjustment for this year? I have the exact bike. Thanks, GM

Great video. Thank you very much for sharing. Is really necessary to remove the wheel to access the plug for the filling of the driveshaft?

Nice job 👍

What product are you using to seal the boot? Read people calling for NLGI3 grade, but couldnt find it anywhere. thanks

What would you prefer instead of Torx?

May I ask.why you absolutely hate torx head set screws - I find this a rather strange opinion since I and my engineering colleagues like them. 😊

Does anyone anywhere know what the hell the oil is that goes in the shaft? I only know it's 180ml. Cannot find this info anywhere. Thanks

What kind of hideous design is it, you need to remove the tyre, muffler to get access to the fill plug. German engineering are mend to make life complicated. At least on the R1200GS the fill plug is outside and easier for a oil change job.

Why BMW did not made completely closed drive shaft as Honda did is a riddle to me...those rubber boots are complete trash as a solution to make that whole shaft.

I'd like to point out that all of my Honda shaft drive bikes had a drain plug at the bottom of the housing, and a fill plug at the top. Changing the rear drive fluid is a 5-minute affair. You BMW owners should really be angry at how difficult BMW makes this process for you and demand that they re-do the design.

Raise the bike with a 2X6 under the center stand.