GARAGE
The Garage Page

MOTORCYCLES  

Buying a used BMW
Selling a used BMW
New Owner FAQ

Rants & Raves

The BMW K75

My K75RT
My K11RS
My K75S

Insurance FAQ
Motorcycle Links

CAR 

SITE
HOME
GARAGE
STUDY
ENTRY
REC ROOM
OFFICE
HEAD
KITCHEN
PATIO

March 25, 2010
What's in my tool roll anyway?

"I just bought a K75 and the tool roll looks like it is missing a few things, what should be in there anyway?"

Here is a photo of the official BMW K75 tool roll. Too often new owners buy bikes with missing or incomplete tool rolls, I say "unfortunately" because the tool roll is wonderfully complete with almost everything you need to do most of the regular maintenance on your bike. All the tools are high-quality German-made. Let's go over the Official BMW contents, see notes for what actually came with these bikes:

1. Your tool roll - grey vinyl with blue trim and straps
2. 10mm x 12mm Box-end Wrench
3. 17mm x 19mm Box-end Wrench
4. 10mm x 13mm Open-end Wrench
5. 17mm x 19mm Open-end Wrench
6. Pliers
7. 8mm Hex Allen Wrench
8. 6mm Hex Allen Wrench
9. 5mm Hex Allen Wrench
10. 4mm Hex Allen Wrench
11. 3mm Hex Allen Wrench
12. Reversible Screwdriver
13. Small screwdriver
14. Hook Wrench (aka Shock Tool, doubles as the transmission fluid level dipstick on 8v K-bikes, notice the line at the bottom?)
15. Socket Wrench (aka lug nut remover)
16. Extension - picture is wrong, it is actually a round pipe-looking thing about 6" long, flattened on one end and decreased on the other, it fits over the lug nut tool to give you leverage in removing tough nuts.
17. Spark Plug Wrench - does not have holes indivated and comes with a sliding white, vinyl collar
18. Tool bag - grey vinyl with blue trim and straps - it actually comes with 7 pockets for tools and two overlapping pockets for allen wrenches and such.
19. Fuse (always missing - you do carry a bulb/fuse kit don't you?)
20. "Pin" no idea, has not been in any tool roll I have ever seen
21. See 17, this is not in any tool roll I have ever seen
22. Feeler Guages - almost always missing, easy to replace.
23. K11-specific, transmission fluid level guage

So, what BMW tools should be in your bag? Well, certainly items #2 through #17. You can get excellent quality replacement spanners, hex allen wrenches and pliers at Sears for a few dollars each. The lug wrench, extension, spark plug wrench and shock tool are BMW-sprecific and you should try BMW breakers like KBikeParts, BeemerBoneyard, and Re-Psycle, the BMW MOA Classified, IBMWR Marketplace, eBay or even Craig's list for replacements.

What else should be in your bag?

• 11mm Box-end Wrench. You will need this to bleed the brakes.
• Short (4') piece of 16g wire - useful for repairs and needed for an ABS reset.
• Feeler Guages with measurement gradiant on the side - I know yours are probably missing, you'll need them and the mm/cm measurement for gapping spark plugs and properly adjusting the Clutch cable.
• The tool roll is also an excellent place to hide a copy of your travel documents like drivers license, insurance, registration, etc. in case you should lose your while on travel - get it all on one piece of paper and put it in a small zip-loc baggies at the bottom of one of the tool slots.

That's it for today - Happy Motoring!

(Thanks to RobB for this one :))