R12GS Final Drive Fluid Change

Photo instructions on changing the R12GS final drive oil

After removing the rear wheel, remove the bolt that holds the ABS sensor, then pull the sensor out of the FD housing. A little twisting motion helps, as the O-ring is a little stiff…

There is another bolt toward the front of the bike that holds the ABS sensor wire that needs removed as well…

Then carefully pull the ABS wire out of the clippy-do thing (wire retainer) on the torque arm…

Now remove the two bolts that hold the rear brake caliper to the FD housing…

Now let the caliper and ABS wire rest to the outside of the FD housing. Wrapping the caliper and ABS wire in a rag will prevent them from scratching the FD housing…

Remove the drain plug at the rear of the housing…

Loosen and remove the nut that holds the rear of the torque arm. Then, while supporting the FD housing with your hand, remove the bolt…

Letting the housing pivot downward to drain the oil…

It helps to have a very low drain pan.
After the fluid is drained, put a little Never-seeze on the drive shaft splines, pivot the housing up, and align the driveshaft u-joint with the input shaft of the FD. Then in stall the torque arm bolt and nut. Then install the brake caliper and ABS wire back the way you removed them, along with the drain plug. But, DO NOT install the ABS sensor yet. You must now pour in .25 litres of BMW 75w140 gear oil…

This is the hardest part of the procedure. I have a bottle with a spout that when I squeeze, it will dispense oil. You will have to find something similar or even use a turkey baster or some such. Take care not to spill any, as it should have the full amount specified.
I will mention, the drain plug is just that, and NOT a level plug. If you use it as such, you will have far less oil in the housing than needed.
Now install the ABS sensor and bolt, along with the wheel. Make sure to torque all fasteners to the required specs.
As a side note, this is the second time I have done this. I figured every 12k is sufficient. If for no other reason than to see what the oil looked like, because I had heard all the horror stories of FD failures. Both times, it looked a little dirty and had some metal shavings, just like all my other BMW’s. YMMV
Good luck, hope this helps.