aftermarket alternatives

[Dr. Strangelove]

notwithstanding the arguments for and against using oem products, is there a list of filters, washers, etc that work on our r1200r s?
Ideally, let's assume the OEM is best, but there could be situations when another filter, oil/air, may be needed "now" and a dealer or awaiting delivery from beemerboneyard is not an option. There is such a list on this site for the 1150...is there one for the 1200?

Thanks
John

[omg1010]

John, there are plenty of alternatives. Air filter you could use a replacement from K&N (model BM1204). The best replacement airfilter I know of is the Pipercross MPX098. Oilfilter maybe use CHAMPION COF064.

However what do you mean by washers? The one used for the oil drain screw? That is a simple aluminium washer which you can get everywhere (don't use other metal).

Brgds
Oliver

[Dr. Strangelove]

I meant crush washers.
Are they the same size as on the 1150?
Got a bunch of them

[roger l]

The drain plug on the R1200R is 16mm, (.629") diameter. If the ID of the cruch washer is a little larger than 16mm you should be good to go.

Roger L

[mogu83]

I often wonder why people are reluctant to use non OEM parts.
This past summer I was on a ride and noticed another riders brake light was out. We pulled over and figured it was a bad bulb. He was in the process of pulling out his Anonymous Book (MOA) to look for the nearest BMW dealer when I stopped him and informed him we were in the parking lot of an Auto Zone. He was hesitant to use a non OEM part, but for $4.99 he got two 1157ll bulbs, one to put in and one for a spare. The BMW price, $3.95 for one and a bunch of miles away.
Another time a rider was in a panic because the oil level was at the bottom of the sight glass. He didn't want to ride it that way but he also didn't want to add (maybe 8oz) of regular 20/50 MC oil (all that was available) because he had BMW synthetic in it. I convinced him to ride it the 50 miles to the National rally where he could get the high priced BMW stuff, but he was very uncomfortable.

Maybe it comes from years of riding Guzzis and Airheads that I took the time to fine 'other' places to get parts, but a little research can save a lot of time, worry and money. My /5 has had a $5 relay from Radio Shack in it for at least ten years instead of the $57 BMW starter relay, still works just fine.

[Dr. Strangelove]

I often wonder why people are reluctant to use non OEM parts.

Yes, but those arguments get pretty heated. My dealer is 75 miles of I 10 away and would involve using a precious Saturday. Maybe the OEM filters are in fact better, but how much is open to even wilder speculation. And the real question is are they "significantly" better? It would seem that riders of the 1150 are more willing to use aftermarket alternatives than 1200 riders. Not drawing any conclusions from that, but the fact that there is a full page of after market alternatives for the 1150, not only including oil and air filters , but alternator belts, headlight bulbs, you name it. And it's on this site. I guess there is nothing similar here. It could well be that as the 1150 is a more mature model there has been more time to "experiment" with alternatives.
Your experience with the unnamed rider is striking, but far from uncommon. I was in Max's in Troy this past summer looking for a clutch lever as mine broke on a New England ride in a 0mph tipover. They had none, so I was asking what do you have that fits? Just wanted something to work, you know? Wound up using a used lever from an old RT, paying full new price for it. It works though.
And there was a guy in there completely fretting over the level of the meniscus of oil in the sight glass. My God! it was at the top of the window. Not overfilled, but at the top. NO amount of reassurance from the staff there would convince him that he was ok. He wanted to drain some oil out. The staff only shook their heads when he finally left afraid to ride his bike. Bmw riders tend to be a bit provincial. And maybe with good cause.

I will not abuse my scoot, I will use a product that I believe from my and other's experience will function properly, and if that means ordering online and paying a little more, then fine, but not to only have the roundel on the part.
I sure as he!! wish there were an aftermarket fuel sensor strip.

But anyway, that is why I prefaced the request for info the way I did.
Just want to know what my options are if I am 1500 miles from home, in the middle of nowhere and feel it necessary to change something.

Thanks for the info, Roger. Yup 16mm on the 1150's crush washers. And Oliver, Blanche came with a K&N air filter. But here is my prejudice coming through. I might swap it out for a Mann paper filter. An argument against using the K&N is that, by letting more air through, it also lets through more crap and thereby taxing the cleanliness of the oil more than usual. The differences these things make are who knows what. Just checking on options.

John

[omg1010]

K&N are no worse than the original as they are being "oiled" and thus keep back whatever might want to enter through the intake. In fact dyno checks show that there is no gain over the OEM paper filter thus there is no additional airflow passing by the filter ... However the K&N can be cleaned and can stay on your bike forever.

Brgds
Oliver

[KMalo]

K&N are no worse than the original as they are being "oiled" and thus keep back whatever might want to enter through the intake. In fact dyno checks show that there is no gain over the OEM paper filter thus there is no additional airflow passing by the filter ... However the K&N can be cleaned and can stay on your bike forever.

Brgds
Oliver

Paging Mr. Eilenberger to the white courtesy phone . . .

Chuck

[mogu83]

Dons out right now I'll try to answer for him:

We're all big boys here. When it comes to aftermarket stuff you just gather all the information you can and make a decision. Some of us want cheap, some want super dependable, and some just want the newest or shiniest.
What is it that Don always includes ---- YMMV.

I think we went through K&N filters ad-nauseum a bunch of posts ago.

[deilenberger]

K&N are no worse than the original as they are being "oiled" and thus keep back whatever might want to enter through the intake. In fact dyno checks show that there is no gain over the OEM paper filter thus there is no additional airflow passing by the filter ... However the K&N can be cleaned and can stay on your bike forever.

Brgds
Oliver

Paging Mr. Eilenberger to the white courtesy phone . . .

Chuck

I can verify the no change in power on the BMW bikes I tested on the dyno - K&N vs NO filter vs a used BMW paper filter. I'm the one who did the dyno tests. I haven't done an R1200xx - but I wouldn't expect the results to be any different. The incremental cost to BMW to put an adequately sized filter on the bike is nothing, so they have no reason not to. If the filter will pass the amount of air pumped through the engine without causing a restriction, no gain will be seen by using a "less restrictive" filter. In the case of our dyno tests - no filter at all was no improvement over a used factory filter.

I've also seen tests done by reputable sources - oil analysis of equipment engines (in this case heavy construction equipment) run with K&N filters vs standard paper filters. There was a considerable increase in silica (sand) particles found in the engine oil on this equipment when run with the K&N filters. The person doing the tests had hoped that the K&N would at least be equal to the paper filters since over time the cost to run the equipment would be less - but with the amount of dirt they K&N filter was allowing through, they decided factory filters were cheaper then engines. There have also been tests that can be found on the Interwebz using a flow bench and calibrated dirt (specifically sized lab dirt) which showed much more of the calibrated dirt made it though the K&N vs a paper (or even oiled-foam) filter.

Bottom line - I wouldn't have a K&N in my bike, and I'd think twice about buying a bike that had one. One bike I bought (THE K75S) did have a K&N in it when I bought it. It was removed and replaced with a factory filter as quickly as I could, and I gave away the K&N.

As Harry said - YMMV.. but not a lot (he left out that part..)

[Dr. Strangelove]

What Don said is what I have read.
Plus you have to buy the cleaner and oil to refurbish it, plus the hassle of doing it.
I read the instructions for it and it sounds like it would take some time to clean. At least an hour or so
I ordered paper filters from beemerboneyard.