BMW G650X Challenge Thread Index

i've bled the coolant circuit on an f650gs single a while ago and found the bleed nipple on the engine quite easy to use. the X however seems to just have a bolt where the nipple should be. can anyone confirm my suspicion? and if I am, how about I get a nipple from an f650gs and just replace the bolt. would it fit? seems like a good idea in order to keep the coolant circuit healthy

The bleed is very easy to do as is. I would think a bleed nipple would just hold some dirt so it may end up in the engine.

<table cellspacing="0" border="0" cellpadding="0" width="299"><colgroup><col style="mso-width-source:userset;mso-width-alt:8594;width:176pt" width="235"> <col style="width:48pt" width="64"> </colgroup><tbody><tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt;width:176pt" height="17" width="235">Fairing</td> <td style="width:48pt" align="right" width="64">900</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Alloy bracket</td> <td align="right">1030</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Projector mounting plate</td> <td align="right">130</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Stainless steel headstock brackets</td> <td align="right">810</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Dashboard</td> <td align="right">385</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Projector per 2</td> <td align="right">1100</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Ballast per 2</td> <td align="right">640</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">
</td> <td>
</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td class="xl24" style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Total approximate weight in grams</td> <td class="xl24" align="right">4995</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
So reckon a bit over 5 kgs bolts and nuts included

Cable is long enough for the position as per standard cutout in the dash

6 screws to take off the fairing and then you have access to the rear of the dash

It is although it's a bit messier without one.
It is a dirty place on the bike so i get your concern about dirt getting in there.

Erik wrote

"Fairing 900
Alloy bracket 1030
Projector mounting plate 130
Stainless steel headstock brackets 810
Dashboard 385
Projector per 2 1100
Ballast per 2 640


Total approximate weight in grams 4995

So reckon a bit over 5 kgs bolts and nuts included"

Excellent, just about what the new exhaust saves in weight. A good trade, I think!

Are you replacing also header pipe?
What space material will they be made from?

My exhaust did 5.3 kgs on the scales if I remember well. So I agree with our Russian youngster

The Scorpion Carbon on my bike weighs 1350 grams, just for info.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/c5ckm1m7hpmwfmd/P1000362.JPG

Akrapovik titanium no cat. Keeping the OEM header for now.

hhoos,
What kind of tankbag is that? How are the "winglets" supported or tied down?

It is the old style GiantLoop Buckin' Roll. The long parts are tied down.

Obviously installation of an auxiliary tank is much easier hooking into the main tank air vent, but there seems to be many reports of leaking issues with the main tank gas cap. For those who installed the Touratech tank per instructions (drilling main tank), did you also experience these same overflow issues?

I'm just wondering if there is a better solution than making the gas cap more robust.

I'm sticking with my theory that all leaking issues are caused by people leaving their main tank overfull overnight or longer. It's easy for the fuel pump to pull in from the aux tank enough fuel to fill the main tank above the cap, submerging it. It wasn't designed for submersion. (Why would it be?) So far I'm two years in on my xtank with zero leaking issues. I might be wrong but so far I think I'm right. I'm not worried about leaking because I never leave the bike overnight with more fuel in the main than it was designed to hold.

Well I just noticed my main tank cap was leaking. Installed a Baja tank about a year ago and no prior leaks. I will agree about leaving the aux tank being full too long. Dust will also affect the seal of main cap. I will say that I had the bike on craftman floor jack and was very much tilted up in the back which I believe had a major influince on the leak noticed tonight. Wiped the excess off the bike and will check again in the morning before my very chilly ride. As far a submersion......

I'm sorry, but this seems like a contradiction. Maybe I'm not understanding this correctly...

How do you control the level of fuel in the main tank when you are running an Xtank that constantly tops it off with more fuel?

Gas cap would need to be designed equally for sumbersion in fuel as for being in constant contact with petrol vapour, which it is. It must also absolutely not allow water or dust in, because there's a breather for that...

Whether BMW has designed it in this way is a different question. Evidently, not, as the barrel rubbers start to leak...
So is it a matter of unsuitable rubber material? Aggressive fuel (read=ethanol)?

Someone reported replacing the seals with viton...someting to try?

I'd not be surprised to learn that most gas caps leak after a while and only those of us filling from an aux tank via the vent ever discover it. If the Touratech method doesn't leak as frequently it could be because the stock gas cap is rarely actuated since it doesn't need to be removed to fill both tanks.


Added the Pro Screen last weekend and really like it.

So far so good with my TT tank setup. The gas cap never leaked, not even on the occasional drop.

I did a little mod to the gas cap seal however. It seemed that the rubber seal wont seat equally all around the circumference of the gas cap seat, so I heated it a little and re shaped it very carefully so the seal protrudes about 1mm from the gas cap seat edge.

jabroka, I love your build and your graphics are killer. So did you connect your fuel line by drilling the main tank?

I plan on adding another tank and I don't mind using the touratech technique if it takes pressure off the gas cap. My other thought was to put a valve between the main tank and the auxiliary tank. One direction would go to the auxiliary and the other to a air vent. Yea it's better to drain the auxiliary first but it gives you options. Maybe I'm putting too much thought into a minor issue? Just not a fan of leaking fuel.

Hey Ridin', thanks for the compliments.

I'm in the process of changing some graphics to make it a little more dakar ish , will post pics soon

I connected the TT tank through the tank vent with a visu filter in line and a couple of dual shut off quick disconnect couplings. As I mentioned, I also modded a little the gas cap seal and also applied a think layer of fuel resistant rtv to the tank vent cap seal to make sure the fuel pump would produce enough vacuum to transfer fuel from the TT tank to the main tank.

I tested the system with mityvac (the metal one with the vacuum gauge on it) to make sure it was perfectly sealed. No leaks whatsoever.

I evaluated the idea of using the TT method, but after reading several threads of guy complaining about leaks on the banjo hose ends-bolts-washers, figured that it would be much easier to fix a gas cap leakage in the middle of nowhere, than having to remove the whole sub frame to get proper access to the banjo ends.

To avoid storing with submerged main gas cap, just a) ride at least ~120 miles after filling main+aux, or b) don't fill the aux, just fill the main when you know you're near done for the day. It's simple.

Designing for submersion is absolutely different from designing for vapor only. I designed my house for vapor, wind-driven rain. Excellent. No way it is submersible! For gas caps this means inside of the cap is submerged in fuel, filled above the cap. You know it when you open the cap to check and fuel pours out! Serious.

Ethanol = bad, I run only ethanol-free fuel. See "pure-gas.org" for nationwide crowdsourced directory of ethanol-free fuel stations. BMW engineers say several problems are US-only thanks to ethanol here.