Just finished my fluid changes and fork seals. One was leaking and the other only had about 200 CC of fluid in it. That was how it must have left the factory. Glad I found that out. I used 15W racing fork oil thinking that it might stiffen up the fork action. Really can't determine any difference. Thanks for the confidence building video. Has BMW ever offered to pay you for not putting out DIY videos? LOL.

I celebrated 420 yesterday and bought a 2002 BMW K 1200LT. $2500, 37K miles. clean. It had been serviced recently and the cost was $2000. Here are some numbers for service $50 air filter. fuel filter $40 valve cover gasket $65, oil filter $22 Labor to check valve clearance $170 flush brake system $390, change gear box oil $125.... to change out the fuel quick release stuff was $180, But the fork oil wasn't done. So that's why I'm here. They are nice bikes. But I always do my own labor, like the KX125 I just went thru, everything, everywhere, bearings, the engine, you name it, with tires, less than $1800. Plus labor. . But it was nice to buy a freshly serviced bike for the cost of the service!!

Kirk, thanks for the wealth of knowledge that you bestow upon us. I have an 02 lt with 86,000 miles. Failed final drive, Tupperware removal, and other items to mention a few, without your help I probably would not have taken on the mess I found myself in. It is still intimidating to approach but I mange to get through it all, with some scratches and lots of cursing 🤬, I mange to her running. Thanks for all you do, lm putting a new seal left side. Hope it goes smoothly. Especially the abs sensor. Had a bugger of a time with it. Keep your fingers crossed. Cheers Kirk.

I just did mine. But, it didnt take no 1hr and half(and I wasn't drinking). It took me about 5hrs. I did both and while there, I inspected the steering damper(it was fine). I was having a low speed wobble before. Now, wobble is hardly there and much more stable. One fork had a leak about the time I had brake line break(Spiegler to the rescue and your video). Fork fluid measured about 400ml. This should make my next weeks trip to Seattle area(800 miles) more pleasurable. Thank you again! (I just joined the $3 club)

Watched this a week or so ago. New seals arrived today for my newly acquired k1200rs. Had it done in 2.5 hours with no other reference but having watched this. Don't think anyone had been there for a while and certainly not with anti-sieze! Oil was more like brown water. Anyway, big thanks for doing these.

Hi Kirk, I watched with amazement. The mystique behind BMW makes one feel as if only the sacred BMW Pro Wrenchers are qualificed to 'safely' work on them. This showed me just exactly what I thought. This is not -in this case- rocket science. But still, your expertise is incredibly valuable. I will be doing my own leaky fork seal replacement now! Thanks, Kirk!

Wanted to say thank you again for your video. It was my time to brake it down and do my forks. I found that my right side had about 14oz and left had almost 16oz. My right was really showing the drip down the fork and for winter 2015 I thought I would do them now. A review of the steps and what was needed saved me lots of time and money. Wish you guys where closer to Cali would love to ride with you all some day. TY again.

Great KZfaq vid, this is excellent advice for 96 R110RT. I start a list & tag, parts removed front/back and left/right to keep order in disassembly/assembly and paper cups marked for bolts/nuts. Assembly, write which new parts have been assembled, just helps a crowded garage workshop.

Thanks a lot , many garage said to me " i could'nt repair bmw bikes" You show that's so simple Thanks a lot

I have two other bikes to finish work on before I go deep into my 06 K1200LT, remove tupperware, change all fluids, check final drive, and I never thought of chaning the fork seals or fluid because there's no spring in there, but yeah, that makes a lot of sense now. Thanks again.

Thanks for your video ,and narrative a huge help . I have all ready used your front wheel removal video ,and replaced my front tyre. Proud owner of k1200lt. Neil in Adelaide South Australia.

I just made my two forks. Thank you for your detailed explanations.

Now added onto my list of things to do at the end of this riding season.

A fine video! and about what I did to change mine. Indeed it is one of the easier jobs. However when I did mine, the hex bolt on the brake hose crossover bridge rounded so I had to cut and stretch the bracket holding the hose. My recommendation is to always copper grease those bolts (and practically every bolt I come across!). Whilst the oil is only used for lubrication you don't want to leave it too long before changing the seal. I ran mine for about 1500 miles before changing and whilst I didn't really notice too much difference in handling it flattened one side of the front tyre so required replacing.

Thank you...!!! I'm going to replace it on my r1100s. it is necessary the same 475 ml oil fork for my motorcycle ???

I got bold with my selection of oil weight at W15 fork oil. Works good in the LT. I think it may have stiffened up the front end although I don't know why it would. Doesn't seem to dive as much with heavy braking.

Great video thank you I have to do this job and I was dreading it as I was thinking they had to come out the top like my old Honda. This looks much much simpler.

Nice job! Lucky for me I replaced the seals on my 2002 K1200rs from the top without taking the legs or wheel off. Took about an hour! Just slacken the bar clamp bolts and top bracket Bolt and push chrome tube down pass the mount them remove toward the top.

Thanks enjoyed that, no longer have my LT but just refurbishing the forks on my C1, same principle though interested to hear what you said about the oil weight. Keep it up right.

Used this to help me change seals on my 2017 1200RT. Was able to do it from above without removing the wheel - for others considering it, just need a 22mm open wrench and a 14mm socket. Pop off the plastic cap on top, remove the nut, and the fork tube can be pressed down and it will move independently and you’ll be able to slide it up and out. $7 seal puller from Harbor Freight was a must. A large socket to hammer the seal back in is a must. Too small and it’ll damage the rubber tracks in the seal. Did not change the oil since only 17k on the bike, but it seems it could just be pumped out. 30 minute job per side tops.

Thank you very much, excellent video. I like your DIY tools very much.

Thanks for the welcome DIY video. Wishing you all the very best from downunder oz au.

Excellent video. I am seeing a small amount of fluid on the aft side of my left sliding tube on my 2003 K1200GT for a few inches below the boot seal. I just purchased a 36mm socket, Loctite 243, a 500mL graduated cylinder, and Belray fork oil. I will probably purchase the seals and boots from BMW because I will do the remove/replace the same day and I do not know the part numbers for the seals. The spec's that I have found specify 7.5W fork oil. I have a K1200LT and a K1200RS manual that applies to most things on my K1200GT ( the original owner gave me the K1200LT manual and I found a complete RS manual online). The LT and RS both show plugs at the top of the fork tubes and drain plugs at the bottoms of the sliding tubes. My GT definitley does NOT have these, so I believe that your video is the most accurate video that I have seen. If anybody has the aftermarket part numbers for the fork tube seals on my 2003 K1200GT, then I would welcome this information. Where do I place my floor jack to tip the front end of the bike up? If the rear tire is on the floor, is does this give me enough clearance to pull off the sliding tubes? Should I place the center stand on a piece of 2X6 wood? TIA. --Neal

Many Tks it helps me to replace front fork oils of (1984) K100RS(2V). BMW Japan estimated me $1000 and 1 month waiting but it could be done at my garage.

I have a 1992 bmw k100rs 4 valve i got after it sat wet for 14 years. ive followed your videos to get it up and going bc most stuff was exactly the same for the K bikes. issue im having now is i have everyrhing off and the forks are stuck on there, they do not remove easily at all as yours did. I was wondering if I should got at it w a hammer so see if they would loosen but now im looking into it further and it looks like theres a drain plug for the oil and you have to go in through the top. im pretty nervous to proceed as I watched this video a dozen times to get ready (you have the best most informative videos) and now im stuck. Do you have any experience or can you give any advice on this bike? Thank you.

Hey man, you make great videos, Thank you!

Very good my friend. Congratulations from Brazil.

Great stuff indeed Kirk.

I have a r1100r abs that i need to change the seals on , i started to remove the front wheel and discovered i can't slide the breaks away from the wheel because the rim is too close even if i manage to take out the break pads there's still not enough place to remove it , i am not a mechanic and i'm sure there's a easy way to do it , i see a lot of hassle just to change the tire lol , i got this bike yesterday and it's my first BMW so i would be grateful for any help :)

thank you so much, your video's are such a help to me,

Hej .Czy na górze amortyzatorów posiadasz zaworki ? .Trzeba je pompować ?

thanks for the vidéo red from lyon France

Is it the same procedure for k1200gt under 2005 models? Thank you for all great videos...

Thanks 👍

Thank you

Thank you for the video, they wanted to charge me almost $600 to do this job. Anyway thanks.

how many cc of fluid on the fork?

Great videos.

Meantime I decided to buy larger house with working space.

great informative video

"Bel-Ray High Performance Fork Oil : 10W - 1 Liter" *Fork Oil 5w or 10w , 470 ml or 15.89 oz or 0.993287 Pints. ( round up a little - 16oz or 1 Pint for each side)

can anyone tell me where to get that seal driver he uses?

nice job

Many thanks from Kris UK, You help me so much with service me LT,

Great video Kirk, I keep an index of most of your stuff. Quick question about the string in the forks when reassembling. I did this when pushing the fork leg back up into position. After all the steps and torquing the legs back into place I removed the string. The fork still fells a bit stiff like there is still excess air pressure in the tube. Will this work itself out on its own, sitting for a day - or riding? Is it necessary to pull the handlebars and get to the air bleeder screw?

How much is it 4 a clutch job

Just wondering if you have found any of the upper forks loose? I have a vibration around 40mph and I was rechecking everything, found that the left upper fork had some of play in the upper triple tree, curious if you have came across this or not.

Question:: The fork tubes just pull of. Usually there is a bolt at the bottom of the tube that connects to the internal stanchion rod. These forks just slide apart?? I did a wheelie on my Ducati 250....that bolt,was sheared.....the wheel and tube stayed on the ground and I went forward.....Then my nose hit the handlebars, yadda yadda yah, hospital trip, stiches, etc. SO, did I miss something on the fork sliders??

Hello, would this be the same process for a 2008 BMW R1200RT?

My front shock stuffed on my R1100RT not too sure about rear but purchased Hyperro springs on a sale.While I am repairing shocks I will replace fork oil.Thanks for your video.It makes things alot easier.Bmw dealers ripoff artists.Bring more wallet.lol.

What am I missing? With no dampening rods, why do they even have oil in them?

is good for k1200lt 2007 is same job

Hi, if there's a vent in the fork tube, why do you need the string?

The first time i took mine apart my brain commited suicide... i was wait what? it just falls apart on its own? i was used to classic forks where you needed to unscrew the bolt on the bottom ;then the springs..so on so on.

Show me how you draw these strings?

this is not the correct installation of the plug, after replacing the oil seals and oil. it is necessary to bleed air through the drain hole at the highest point, and this is impossible without disassembling the front of the motorcycle. (bmw service Ukraine)

BMW: Bring My Wallet Bring More Wallet Big Money Wasted Big Mans Wallet

No genius you remove the tube through the top.

That’s gonna take more than an hour .. I PROMISE YOU.. Take Your Time To Smash Things,, & Loose Screws,Nuts,& Especially Those Tiny Washers & Clips Properly .. Stop the camera So I’m gonna get off it here.. 1hr off camera.. & so on ..& sometimes there worse then airplanes.. BMW S Are Simple Compared to some others.. POINT IS ITS NOT A 1 HR JOB.. Start early on it .. ride it to lunch…BET .. Possibly Dinner.. Takes An Hour To Clean Up All The Parts & Hardware .. That’s Left Since You Spilled That tray.. near the floor drain.. no problem..