KTMphil
Senior member
10,000 km trip into the Mongolian desert, having the most likely repair parts with you is very important. You don't want to be waiting for a week for a Fedex package in the middle of nowhere, when its for an item that is know to be a weak link on that particular bike.
A friend had a contact at one of the biggest BMW parts dealers in the U.S , I gave him a list of what i thought would be best for a BMW F 800 gs, he then spoke to the best technicians and this was what he came back with:
As for your parts list, I went over it with a couple of our top technicians to get their view of what you’re likely to need or not need on your journey.
Notable comments were that you probably don’t need brake and shifter foot levers. The ones on the bike are quite resilient and can almost always be bent back into shape after a spill. Also, of the other parts you inquired about, they saw no need for any water pump parts or spare fasteners (nuts, bolts, etc.). The water pump is, unlike the ones on earlier models, a very robust unit and doesn’t really lend itself to repairing with serviceable parts anyway. The fasteners on the bike are not particularly prone to failure, and metric fasteners are easy to obtain almost anywhere in the world (except the US!).
The wheel bearings present a dilemma. They can be prone to failure – so a good idea to bring some along – BUT, they are almost impossible to get out of the wheel! Exceptionally difficult even for trained top mechanics in a fully equipped BMW service center, so imagine your luck by the side of the road or in some third world garage with a guy whose only tool is a big hammer. If there’s any good news in this, it’s that all four bearings are the same part (plus an additional one at the rear sprocket) so you could bring two spares which could be used front or rear, and maybe the sprocket bearing too, but then just hope you don’t need them. That’s barely confidence-inspiring, I know.
Strongly recommended also are a spare chain with master link (NOT BMW, but aftermarket, front and rear sprockets (also aftermarket), a spare set of cush drive rubbers, a shifting ratchet rod assembly - because when the bike tips over on the left the shift rod can easily bend and when it does, it binds up the transmission - and a clutch cover gasket. And a K&N air filter! Not the stock one – which they say is actually a better filter but once clogged becomes useless. A K&N will keep working when clogged and can be cleaned and reinstalled.As for your parts list, I went over it with a couple of our top technicians to get their view of what you’re likely to need or not need on your journey.
Notable comments were that you probably don’t need brake and shifter foot levers. The ones on the bike are quite resilient and can almost always be bent back into shape after a spill. Also, of the other parts you inquired about, they saw no need for any water pump parts or spare fasteners (nuts, bolts, etc.). The water pump is, unlike the ones on earlier models, a very robust unit and doesn’t really lend itself to repairing with serviceable parts anyway. The fasteners on the bike are not particularly prone to failure, and metric fasteners are easy to obtain almost anywhere in the world (except the US!).
The wheel bearings present a dilemma. They can be prone to failure – so a good idea to bring some along – BUT, they are almost impossible to get out of the wheel! Exceptionally difficult even for trained top mechanics in a fully equipped BMW service center, so imagine your luck by the side of the road or in some third world garage with a guy whose only tool is a big hammer. If there’s any good news in this, it’s that all four bearings are the same part (plus an additional one at the rear sprocket) so you could bring two spares which could be used front or rear, and maybe the sprocket bearing too, but then just hope you don’t need them. That’s barely confidence-inspiring, I know.
Strongly recommended also are a spare chain with master link (NOT BMW, but aftermarket, front and rear sprockets (also aftermarket), a spare set of cush drive rubbers, a shifting ratchet rod assembly - because when the bike tips over on the left the shift rod can easily bend and when it does, it binds up the transmission - and a clutch cover gasket. And a K&N air filter! Not the stock one – which they say is actually a better filter but once clogged becomes useless. A K&N will keep working when clogged and can be cleaned and reinstalled.
The gear shifting rod assembly is something I wouldnt have thought of & makes a lot of sense to take, the difficulty of getting the wheel bearings out is quite alarming.
Below is a cost estimate of the parts:
Screenshot (20) by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
more to come
A friend had a contact at one of the biggest BMW parts dealers in the U.S , I gave him a list of what i thought would be best for a BMW F 800 gs, he then spoke to the best technicians and this was what he came back with:
As for your parts list, I went over it with a couple of our top technicians to get their view of what you’re likely to need or not need on your journey.
Notable comments were that you probably don’t need brake and shifter foot levers. The ones on the bike are quite resilient and can almost always be bent back into shape after a spill. Also, of the other parts you inquired about, they saw no need for any water pump parts or spare fasteners (nuts, bolts, etc.). The water pump is, unlike the ones on earlier models, a very robust unit and doesn’t really lend itself to repairing with serviceable parts anyway. The fasteners on the bike are not particularly prone to failure, and metric fasteners are easy to obtain almost anywhere in the world (except the US!).
The wheel bearings present a dilemma. They can be prone to failure – so a good idea to bring some along – BUT, they are almost impossible to get out of the wheel! Exceptionally difficult even for trained top mechanics in a fully equipped BMW service center, so imagine your luck by the side of the road or in some third world garage with a guy whose only tool is a big hammer. If there’s any good news in this, it’s that all four bearings are the same part (plus an additional one at the rear sprocket) so you could bring two spares which could be used front or rear, and maybe the sprocket bearing too, but then just hope you don’t need them. That’s barely confidence-inspiring, I know.
Strongly recommended also are a spare chain with master link (NOT BMW, but aftermarket, front and rear sprockets (also aftermarket), a spare set of cush drive rubbers, a shifting ratchet rod assembly - because when the bike tips over on the left the shift rod can easily bend and when it does, it binds up the transmission - and a clutch cover gasket. And a K&N air filter! Not the stock one – which they say is actually a better filter but once clogged becomes useless. A K&N will keep working when clogged and can be cleaned and reinstalled.As for your parts list, I went over it with a couple of our top technicians to get their view of what you’re likely to need or not need on your journey.
Notable comments were that you probably don’t need brake and shifter foot levers. The ones on the bike are quite resilient and can almost always be bent back into shape after a spill. Also, of the other parts you inquired about, they saw no need for any water pump parts or spare fasteners (nuts, bolts, etc.). The water pump is, unlike the ones on earlier models, a very robust unit and doesn’t really lend itself to repairing with serviceable parts anyway. The fasteners on the bike are not particularly prone to failure, and metric fasteners are easy to obtain almost anywhere in the world (except the US!).
The wheel bearings present a dilemma. They can be prone to failure – so a good idea to bring some along – BUT, they are almost impossible to get out of the wheel! Exceptionally difficult even for trained top mechanics in a fully equipped BMW service center, so imagine your luck by the side of the road or in some third world garage with a guy whose only tool is a big hammer. If there’s any good news in this, it’s that all four bearings are the same part (plus an additional one at the rear sprocket) so you could bring two spares which could be used front or rear, and maybe the sprocket bearing too, but then just hope you don’t need them. That’s barely confidence-inspiring, I know.
Strongly recommended also are a spare chain with master link (NOT BMW, but aftermarket, front and rear sprockets (also aftermarket), a spare set of cush drive rubbers, a shifting ratchet rod assembly - because when the bike tips over on the left the shift rod can easily bend and when it does, it binds up the transmission - and a clutch cover gasket. And a K&N air filter! Not the stock one – which they say is actually a better filter but once clogged becomes useless. A K&N will keep working when clogged and can be cleaned and reinstalled.
The gear shifting rod assembly is something I wouldnt have thought of & makes a lot of sense to take, the difficulty of getting the wheel bearings out is quite alarming.
Below is a cost estimate of the parts:
Screenshot (20) by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickrmore to come
