Pokie'

Pokie's BMW Cruiser Tech Page

I've written a series of technical articles concerning BMW Cruisers. Be sure to read the FAQ first!

Cruiser FAQ	Here's the questions I'm frequently asked about the Cruiser. Got a question about your bike? Look here to see if I've answered it!
Service notes	Notes I've created so that you too can perform simple maintenance tasks on your BMW cruiser.
Cruiser notes	Notes I've put together about your BMW Cruiser.
Dealer notes	Ever wonder what happens at the dealer? These notes try to explain what to expect.

Service Notes:

Service Schedule	What gets done when: BMW's service list (in my order).
Changing Your Own Oils	The care and feeding of your Cruiser. Cleaning and oiling your trusty mount is key to its long-term life. Here are the methods I use to change engine, transmission, and rear drive oils.
You and Your Valves	Altering the Cruiser Tick. Valve adjustments are an important maintenance step for the boxer engine. Here are my tricks.
Plug Cap Tools	Useing the tool from the bikes tool kit or the BMW special tool, here's how I remove the plug caps.
Quickie Belt Check	A quickie way to check the tension of your alternator drive belt.
Tank Off!	Whether you only have to check the battery, put on a set of heated grips or change the fuel filter, at some point you are going to need to pull your tank. Here is the method I use to remove the fuel tank.
Check That Battery Level	Keeping your battery topped up is not easy but here is how I do it.
Air Filter	Want to make your bike breathe easier? Here's how to change your air filter.
Change your fuel filter	I changed my fuel filter, now you can too!
Draining your Airbox	Got a miss? Here's the fix! Fluid in your airbox will cause poor starting and poor running, so here's how to deal with it.
Changing brake and clutch fluids	You should change your brake and clutch fluids at least once a year. Here's the way I do it.
Changing your Brake Pads	Need to change your brake pads? Here's how I did mine.
Swapping Discs	Got some new wheels, or just need to swap a disc? Here's how I did mine.
Remove your Grips	Need to get a grip? Here is how I removed my grips.
Torque that bolt!	Keeping your Cruiser's fasteners tight.
Storage	Going to store your Cruiser over the winter? Here's some things to consider.
Coming out	Of storage, silly.
Oil Leak!	James got a timing cover oil leak, this is how I fixed it.
Off/On Exhaust	Getting the exhaust system off, then back on.
Off/On Shocks	I remove and refit James's shocks.
Shift Linkage	Starting to have shifting problems or need to adjust your shift lever? Here's what I did.
Ignition Timing	Here I check and adjust the ignition timing.
Swingarm/ Driveshaft	I had to replace the swingarm on my bike, so while it was off I also lubed my drive splines.
Removing the charcoal canister	If you need to remove your charcoal canister, here's how I removed mine.
Handle bar adjustment	Adjusting the handle bars is easy, see how I did it.
The Dreaded Spline Lube	Yes, the dreaded spline lube. Here's how I did it on my bike.

Cruiser Notes:

Jumper Cables	Fitting jumper cables to your Cruiser.
Jump Start	Jump starting your Cruiser.
Your Toolkit	What should be in your tool kit.
Adjusting your Rear Shock	I will (hopefully) clarify rear shock spring preload adjustment.
Idle Plug	How to put it in and what to expect. Is this really the answer to all of your stalling and running woes? Read my impressions and decide for yourself.
Idle Plug Jumper	If you don't have the High Idle Plug but still want to reap the advantages of it, here's how you can do it with just a wire and a couple of spade terminals.
Plugging a Tubeless Tire	Got a flat? Well, here's how I deal with a tubeless tire.

Dealer Notes:

The Fork Stem Recall

Here's what will happen to your Cruiser if the Fork Stem Recall needs to be done to it.

Pokie started working professionally on BMW motorcycles back in 1970. There are few bikes in the interim that he hasn't worked on.

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