Tools / Recommendations needed for RS

[1010Eastwood]

Just bought a 2016 RS. I only have under seat tools and just bought a T-45 socket used for installation of Wunderlich Hwy pegs. What tools do you use frequently?

Torx, hex , sockets and the sizes etc...

Thank you.

[Grumpy Goat]

Just bought a 2016 RS. I only have under seat tools and just bought a T-45 socket used for installation of Wunderlich Hwy pegs. What tools do you use frequently?

Torx, hex , sockets and the sizes etc...

Welcome to the Forum Community and to BMW ownership. Before I forget, might I suggest you go over to the New Member Introductions section and tell us a little about yourself - nothing too personal, of course - just the typical stuff like where you're based and your experience with motorcycles and BMW.

To answer your question we'd have to know what expertise you do have and how far you're willing to "fiddle" with the bike. Sometimes fiddling when you really don't know what you're doing can be costly, and BMW stands for "Bring More Wallet". Soon as you show up at a dealer they tend to start thinking like a cash register - "cha-ching". If it is to fix mistakes by the owner then that ups the ante.

You said you just bought a T45 driver to install highway pegs - that suggests that you may not have a set of torx drivers, so you'll need to get some metric tools including a set of Torx drivers, as most fasteners on the bike are Torx and all are metric.

So tell us a little of what you are intending to do with the bike, your level of experience, and what tools you already have.

[1010Eastwood]

This is my first BMW motorcycle. Previously I have owned a few Japanese bikes and a few Harleys. I would not be so bold as to do any work much more technical than oil and fluid changes. Maybe swap out headlight lamps etc...That said, removal of body parts to access mechanicals would require a set of tools like? A set of torx drivers consisting of what range is practical? I own a socket set with metric sockets ( no torx other than the T-45 ) and a couple wrenches, but are there sizes that are often used? I will take my bike to BMW trained mechanic for any serious tune ups or mechanical issues in the future.
Thank you.

[Grumpy Goat]

What about tire changes? Some owners remove the wheels and bring the wheel with new tire to someone to get it changed. Do you do that or take the bike to the dealer and get them to remove the wheels and install the tires before remounting? There is a difference in cost. Depending on what you do you may need some other tools as well.

As I mentioned on the YouTube Channel, this is a great topic for a video and I have you to thank for that.

[Ray]

Just bought a 2016 RS. I only have under seat tools and just bought a T-45 socket used for installation of Wunderlich Hwy pegs. What tools do you use frequently?
Torx, hex , sockets and the sizes etc...
Thank you.

I have a list that I can send of a pretty complete tool kit, but I find that Lee's kit pretty much matches mine, even down to some of the brands selected. You can find a discussion here Lee's tool kit.

[Ray]

Here's some photos of my right pannier and tailbag/tankbag contents.

I also keep an extra tire plugger and CO2 in the saddle panels for thse rare local trips without luggage.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[Ray]

A lot of stuff.... You can pick and choose what you need and feel comfortable with. By the nature of your question, I suspect you already have much of this lying around in duplicate.

Since I deal with people daily at work, my trips are usually through places as desolate as possible.

You'll notice the tail/tank bag gets its own T30 driver to keep the body panels tight with frequent checks.

Here's the list of tools available - because I sold my motorcycle tool chests, these are also the tools I use around the garage if I need to do something - like remove a wheel or double check tolerances before a trip. I keep these tools separate from my bicycle and automotive tools - trying to find at the last minute the 4 mm hex wrench I last used on the bicycle, to complete the travelling motorcycle tool kit can be a real time waster.

Loaded - right pannier is 20.4 kg.

Headlamp
Magnifier
Underseat tools -BMW
Nitrile gloves
Repair manual CD
Tool roll - Wolfmann
T-bar driver ¼ inch
T-bar driver ½ inch
T bar driver 3/8 inch
Ratchet 3/8’/1/4 inch reversible
3 inch extension for ¼ inch
6 inch extension for 3/8 inch
Phillips bits
Flat driver bit

Torx bits (Bar ends, rear sheel, shock mount, caliper mount, exhaust, heds, discs, front end assembly, body panels) T20, T25, T30, T40, T45, T50, T55, T60.
Sockets (oil filter, Drive shaft, etc.) (8, 10, 12, 13mm (X2 for R&G front axle sliders), E8 Torx, E20 Torx (half inch drive), E12 Torx)

14 mm spark plug wrench – choice of long or short.
Coil puller - plastic
Shims
Tool for front axle

Hex bits (3, 4, 5, 6, 8mm) second small 4mm wrench (Darlas and license plate)

Needle nose plier
snap ring pliers
Vice Grip
Wire cutter (in needle nose)
Oil filter wrench
Blue Thread locker
LED magnifying glass
Stainless steel wire – safety wire
Electrical pliers - optional
Magnet on extension with light
Lighter
Shrink wrap
Packing straps
JB quick weld
WD 40 - small
Tire repair kit
12 V Stop n GO compressor
CO2 Cartridges (~90 g total)
Tire levers/bead breaker and rim protector
Pressure gauge
Valve stem core tool
Valve stem caps
(Rem. – 48 g CO2 and plugger in saddle panels)
rag
Antigravity micro start XP-3 battery
Folding funnel optional
Spark plugs
Fuses - 1 x 7.5A, 1 x 10A both contained in a plug under the front seat and 1 x 50A
New CPC Brass Fuel Line Quick Disconnect Set
Zip ties
Duct tape
Electrical tape
Thick rubber tape
Super glue
Gas can
LED emergency beacon

Finally - here's a list one of the Australian R1200RS riders provided for me a few years ago along with a little philosophy. An Aussie's tolerance for sitting around in the desert waiting for a tow is less than ours:

G'day Ray,
I don't have it digitised Ray, but I carry a 35 piece TengTools Bit Socket Set that contains Allen Sockets, Torx Sockets, Screw Driver Sockets and adaptor sockets (3/8" - 1/4" & 1/4"-3/8"), a 1/4" drive socket set, 1/2" drive ratchet handle, adaptor sockets (1/2" - 3/8"), 12" shifter, the trusty torque wrench and don't forget the Leatherman. I also carry a couple of spare spark plugs. Depending on where I am going I may also include a litre of engine oil and a litre of coolant for the bike and 4 litres of water for me. Remember, this is in addition to the other essential tools I carry on the bike at all times.

This is enough to get me out of the most foreseeable troubles. It is bulky and heavy to carry, but might just save my life (or some one else's) one day.

[runnerhiker]

Welcome to the forum, your bike looks familiar! The crashers are distinctive, though.

The basic tools I never leave home without are: smart phone and credit card! On a more serious note, I carry a small subset of what's above: tire plug kit and air pump, anti gravity battery/jumper, and maybe 5 or 6 other hand tools. These bikes are pretty reliable, but tires and battery can fail at any time.

[Lee]

Welcome to the forum.
If you look the bike over you'll see most of the fasteners are Torx.
There's a few Hex and bolts needing sockets.
Instead of buying certain sizes it's probably cheaper to buy sets.
My Torx bit set has seven sizes, ranging from 15 to 50. I also bought a 60 in case I have to remove the rear brake petal.
My Hex bit set has six sizes, 4mm to 10mm.

If you look at the front brake reservoir cover you'll notice the fastener are different than the clutch reservoir cover. The brake reservoir cover takes a Torx Plus size 20.

Some of the locations you need a Allen wrench or Hex bit are:
Oil drain plug is 10mm
Final drive fill plug is 6mm
Rt side of front axle is 22mm
Lt side of front axle is 12mm (I use a Allen wrench in this location)

A stick coil puller was needed. The coil snaps to the end of the spark plug and it best to use a puller when you change plugs.
You can get one from Amazon.
https://smile.amazon.com/AUTOVIC-Removal...273&sr=1-9

On trips I carry a Promach Dual Tool. This tool is a coil puller and front axle tool.
https://stores.promachdualtool.com/promach-dual-tool/

In one of Ray's pictures he shows a multi size front axle tool that most bike shops carry.

Instead of a axle tool for the right side, some spark plug sockets are the correct size when you flip it around.
   

[Lee]

This is my first BMW motorcycle. Previously I have owned a few Japanese bikes and a few Harleys. I would not be so bold as to do any work much more technical than oil and fluid changes.

Your bike probably shipped from the factory with a oil filter with dimples around the outside.
At the first oil change (600 miles) it's replaced with a slightly larger oil filter with flats around the outside.
The new filter looks like this.
   

Part number if you buy from the dealer.
   

If you buy from Beemerboneyard the filter is Mahle OC 619
This is the same filter as OEM
https://www.beemerboneyard.com/11427721779wc.html

I like using a cup type oil filter wrench.
   

   

I buy my filters from the BMW dealer and Beemerboneyard.

I bought my filter socket from the dealer back in the 80s but I see Amazon has the same one.
https://smile.amazon.com/Hazet-2169-Oil-...328&sr=8-1

The screw driver under your seat is the tool to remove the oil filler plug on the right cylinder. Remove the shank and use the handle.

For a few bucks you can also buy a little plastic tool from the dealer that looks like this.
   

[Ray]

This is my first BMW motorcycle. Previously I have owned a few Japanese bikes and a few Harleys. I would not be so bold as to do any work much more technical than oil and fluid changes. Maybe swap out headlight lamps etc...That said, removal of body parts to access mechanicals would require a set of tools like? A set of torx drivers consisting of what range is practical? I own a socket set with metric sockets ( no torx other than the T-45 ) and a couple wrenches, but are there sizes that are often used? I will take my bike to BMW trained mechanic for any serious tune ups or mechanical issues in the future.
Thank you.

Good man. My mantra the last 5 years has been, Wrench less; ride more.

In this context, I apologize for posting my list - not what you had in mind. (My colleagues will tell you that I'm off the bike for two months to recover from an injury from mountain bike training, so I'm falling into the trap of posting too much junk online.)

Although the under-seat toolkit has been much maligned by old BMW airhead riders (who used to carry spare drive shafts in grease-packed PVC pipes and perform all sorts of on-road mechanical service with their OEM tool kits) I believe you'll find the kit has enough to address the fasteners for the body work.

That said, Lee's addition of a 6 mm hex for the final drive oil, a 10 mm hex for the oil drain plug, and a filter remover with appropriate wrench seems appropriate for your stated needs. (Note that the driver can be inserted through the handle to give extra leverage while removing the oil fill plug.)

Might be good to take the tools you have under the seat, and run around the bike to see what you might want. Unless you have a lot of aftermarket bits, doesn't sound like it would take long or result in much, if any, extra tools.


   

If you want a good torx set - here's a photo of the one Lee keeps under his seat and references above. (Not a bad idea to invest. You might find it useful around the home.)

   

[fr8dogjoe]

Hi Ray. Referencing the torx set you have pictured: where could one purchase this set?

[Grumpy Goat]

To the OP - I have not forgotten about the video and intend to be doing that over the Christmas holidays. The ideas I have in my head for what to cover suggests that a proper video is not as easy to "whip up" as one might think. The balance between level of effort and potential viewership also has to be balanced, especially since all my work here and on YT is for free.

That said I still think that this is a very good topic and challenge. Riding is all well and good, but maintenance of the bike is half of the bargain, aside from saving a lot of cash for the tasks that are better done by the experts.

[Ray]

Hi Ray. Referencing the torx set you have pictured: where could one purchase this set?

Not sure where Lee got his set.

This is the Bondhus 6- piece torx swivel set. You can look it up for best prices.

Here's an example:
https://tooldepot247.com/bondhus-6-pc-he...set-00015h

[Lee]

Hi Ray. Referencing the torx set you have pictured: where could one purchase this set?

They were made by Motion Pro but they no longer make the torx set, only hex sets.

https://www.motionpro.com/c/tools

[Liteitup]

Chapman Mfg has some cool stuff.

https://chapmanmfg.com/pages/motorcycle-...river-sets

https://chapmanmfg.com/

[Ray]

Hi Ray. Referencing the torx set you have pictured: where could one purchase this set?

They were made by Motion Pro but they no longer make the torx set, only hex sets.

https://www.motionpro.com/c/tools

Thinking they were sold by Motion Pro (one of my favorite sources for tools).

Here's the Bondhus roll, currently available. (see above)

   

[ChapmanMFG]

Chapman Mfg has some cool stuff.

https://chapmanmfg.com/pages/motorcycle-...river-sets

https://chapmanmfg.com/

Thanks so much for recommending our tools! We're a small company and most of our new customers are referred by happy customers, so posting our tools online really makes a difference for us. We've been getting traffic on the links you posted so I was able to trace it back to here.

Thanks again,
Joel
VP - Chapman MFG

[Grumpy Goat]

Thanks so much for recommending our tools! We're a small company and most of our new customers are referred by happy customers, so posting our tools online really makes a difference for us. We've been getting traffic on the links you posted so I was able to trace it back to here.

Thanks again,
Joel
VP - Chapman MFG

Joel - Welcome to the Forum. I will have a look at your tools myself. I have sent you a PM you may find useful.

[Lee]

Thinking they were sold by Motion Pro (one of my favorite sources for tools).

Here's the Bondhus roll, currently available. (see above)

Hard to know for sure. The cases are exactly the same.
There's a big difference in price between the two.