My BMW R1250GS goes in for 5th service: Overall cost & experience

Due to the low mileage it had been nearly 3.5 years since it’s last service.

BHPian dkaile recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

5th Year Service – 3rd Service @8402 kms – 13-05-2025

So the bike had been last serviced on 28-10-2021 @4035 kms. It is officially supposed to be serviced every 10,000 kms or every year, as the case may be. BTW I was keeping a keen eye on the oil quality in the meantime. However, due to the low mileage it had been nearly 3.5 years since it’s last service and with more than 4000kms already done post last service, it was time not to linger it on any further. The only thing holding me till now was the 75 km ‘maddening’ ride to the Lutyens BMW, Okhla service station.

So with 8327 kms on the odoI started from my residence in Meerut for New Delhi, promptly at 6am in the morning, to beat the heat as well as the rush hour traffic –

I reached Lutyens at 7.30 am. The dealership/service station does not open till 10am. But the guard was kind enough to get my bike inside and opened the showroom for me to sit comfortably in AC –

My bike in their service station corridor, quite a mess –

The odo was at 8402kmsso it was exactly 4367kms from the last full service in Oct’2021 –

Meanwhile, I checked out the 1300GS while waiting for the showroom staff to appear. Found it quite underwhelming and seems like it had lost it’s street credence. However the DNA was all there and I am sure it will gain acceptance slowly. This barebones bike was nearly 26 Lacs on road Delhi now (without accessories) and the GSAwhich is to be launched shortly, starts at nearly 28 Lacs, on-road Delhi (without accessories) going all the way upto 30 Lacs for the Option 719, on road. Add 2~3 lacs of accessories, which are a must for any Beemer, and the GS Adventure now starts truly at 30 Lacs, on-road Delhi with accessories. No wonder, I got offered 18 Lacs for my bike, then and there! –

Finally the staff arrived and my Bike was the first one on the service lift –

The service advisor advised me that there were 4 campaigns for my bike, which were compulsory to proceed further for the service. Most essential of these were “Retrofitting Rear Wheel Swinging Arm Drainage” of the drive shaft or the cardan shaft, as they call it in BMW terminology and “Checking (Testing) of the Cardan Shaft” and 2nd was the “Replacing Throttle Grip” even though mine was working perfectly, besides updating the software etc. My bike was under extended 5 year warranty till 05-08-2025 and all these work were supposed to be done FREE of cost –

I gave my approval and the work started. All service parts were procured –

MRP of the throttle grip that they were changing FOC at Rs. 27,217/=. In all they changed more than Rs. 40,000 worth of parts and labour, absolutely free of cost!!

The Oil Filter part# and priced at Rs. 1942/= –

DOT 4 Brake Fluid priced at 675/- for 250 ml (for both front and rear brakes) –

Hypoid Axle Oilor gear oil in layman terms, 500 ml at Rs. 3947/- for 500 ml. However the bike uses on 180ml of this oil and I was charged pro-rata only for that volume. Thumbs Up to BMW –

The Bash plate was removed and the engine oil was drained and it was time to remove the oil filter –

The engine oil drained was not in a much bad state, as confirmed by the technicians, as it had been used for less than half of it’s service life –

The Air Filterwhich I had somehow been lured to replace in the last service, was also quite OK, as the service life is 20K kms and it was just cleaned and re-attached –

The new Gasket Rings and O-Ring to be used for the engine and gear oil plugs –

Engine Oil was replaced. It’s specs are SAE 5W40, API SN grade, JASO MA2 and costs 1091/- per liter. 4 liter oil is used –

The Hypoid Axle (Gear Oil) drain plug being removed, which uses a new O-ring. Notice the already opened Gear Oil filler plug which uses a copper washer –

Gear Oil being drained –

Exact 180 ml gear (hypoid axle) oil was measured. Its grade is G3 SAE 70W80 GL5 –

And it was filled in by a special syringe arrangement –

Now it was time to change the Throttle Grippro-actively under warranty –

The old (on the left) and the new one’s, side by side –

The old one removed –

And the new one fitted. PS – The bike feels snappier with the new throttle grip and these are heated one’s as before –

Time for “Retrofitting Rear Wheel Swinging Arm Drainage“, the 2nd pro-active under warranty job –

This requires drilling a hole (Oh My GOD!!) with this custom made contraption, with detailed procedure sent by BMW Germany. Notice the drill bit!! –

Here is this contraption fittedto exact specifications, on the rear wheel swinging arm –

It is Made in Germany by Bosch. BMW doesn’t do anything half-heartedly! –

The drill bit attached to the specified drill –

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