Fluid maintenance is key to the long life of any vehicle. Our Airhead Maintenance 101 series continues with changing the oil for the driveshaft, which is housed in the swingarm. Having said that, BMW puts the parts for this with the final drive, which they call the differential or bevel gear.
This series is meant for riders new to Airheads who may not have a lot of mechanical knowledge. In many cases, you’ll be learning right along with our host! The process shown in this video applies to BMWs from the 1970s and possibly the early 1980s and beyond. CHECK YOUR SHOP MANUAL FOR DETAILS associated with your particular motorcycle.
Tools needed:
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- Torque wrench!
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- 17mm socket
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- a 3″ or so extension may be helpful
Parts/supplies needed:
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- Two new crush washers
BMW p/n 07 11 9 963 130 Gasket Ring – A12x15,5 AL, $0.50 x 2
- Two new crush washers
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- 100 or 150 cc of the appropriate weight oil for your bike (refer to manual)
I used Lucas Oil Heavy Duty Gear Oil 80W90, it costs about $12 a quart. You can use any gear oil of this weight provided it “meets or exceeds” the API GL-5 standard.
- 100 or 150 cc of the appropriate weight oil for your bike (refer to manual)
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- Catch pan
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- Beauty bottle or angled funnel
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- Rags and contact/carb cleaner for tidying up
Unlike other MOA Garage videos, we provide torque values here because they’re unlikely to change – they’ve been in place for 50 years or more at this point, so we feel pretty confident stating them. Having said that, you should always look up the torque values appropriate for your specific motorcycle. There is some variance between models and even model years, so while the torque values and other information provided here definitely apply to a 1976 R 90/6, they may or may not apply to your motorcycle. ALWAYS USE A TORQUE WRENCH!
This video series is made possible by Morton’s BMW in Spotsylvania, Virginia. Help support your local BMW motorcycle dealer! Find out more about Morton’s BMW at mortonsbmw.com.
Thank you for visiting the MOA Garage. If you’re an MOA member in Virginia and would like to see your bike featured in an MOA Garage video, contact us through the MOA website.