V85TT Transmission Drain Plug

[Kurt]

My apologies if this has been asked before (and I am sure it has been).  I did a search and did not find what I was looking for.

I am doing my first transmission oil change on my V85TT.  The drain plug removal was easy and straight forward.  I have been trying for over a day to get the plug reinserted due to the proximity of the cat.  I know a lot of you guys do your own maintenance and would like to know if you have any tricks/tips for getting the drain plug back in without dropping the exhaust.

Thanks in advance.

[yrunvs]

It's a fiddly job no doubt but I have done it a few times without removing anything. The idea (obviously) is you want to apply upward pressure while very casually trying to get the bolt started (a two handed/finger job). I have done this using one of those extension magnets for retrieving wayward nuts and bolts by attaching it to the flat head on the bolt then positioning it in place and then very softly rotating the bolt with the other hand/finger until started. The other way I've done it was to get the bolt as near into the threaded hole as possible and the with the other hand levering a 1 inch mudding spatula underneath it to apply upward pressure and then again carefully threading with the other hand/finger.
I'm sure others have better ways to do it but these ways did work for me.

[Vagrant]

It's a fiddly job no doubt but I have done it a few times without removing anything. The idea (obviously) is you want to apply upward pressure while very casually trying to get the bolt started (a two handed/finger job). I have done this using one of those extension magnets for retrieving wayward nuts and bolts by attaching it to the flat head on the bolt then positioning it in place and then very softly rotating the bolt with the other hand/finger until started. The other way I've done it was to get the bolt as near into the threaded hole as possible and the with the other hand levering a 1 inch mudding spatula underneath it to apply upward pressure and then again carefully threading with the other hand.
I'm sure others have better ways to do it but these ways did work for me.

Honestly I've never had an issue with it. Try a pop sickle stick under the plug then lift it up and use one or two fingers to start it. 

[keiths]

You might try placing a piece of foam, under the drain plug, to apply vertical pressure while you use your fingers to start it.

[Kurt]

Thanks all!  I finally got it in.  All I needed was a third hand.  I got the Frau to hold a paint stick with the plug on it while I started the drain plug.

She's German and she kept muttering something about Italian engineering compared to German.

[Dirk_S]

Thanks all!  I finally got it in.  All I needed was a third hand.  I got the Frau to hold a paint stick with the plug on it while I started the drain plug.

She's German and she kept muttering something about Italian engineering compared to German.

As an owner of both Moto Guzzis and a BMW airhead, I suspect she’s quite biased, lol. There are some things on this boxer that I find myself wondering what the Hale-Bopp they were thinking.

[Kurt]

As an owner of both Moto Guzzis and a BMW airhead, I suspect she’s quite biased, lol. There are some things on this boxer that I find myself wondering what the Hale-Bopp they were thinking.

Yeah. I have an R80RT and it is pretty easy to work on.  The fairing gets in the way sometimes. But changing fluids is pretty straight forward (except for fork oil because of said fairing).

I do like the way that the oil for the Guzzi is red like Chianti and the oil for the airhead is amber like beer.  Cultural differences I guess!

[Moparnut72]

BMW is the poster child for complexity. Just look at the throttle setup at the grip. A mishmash of bevel gears and a small chain, can you say over engineering. No wonder they are so expensive. I loved my Airheads though, /2, /5 and a /6.
kk

[Dirk_S]

BMW is the poster child for complexity. Just look at the throttle setup at the grip. A mishmash of bevel gears and a small chain, can you say over engineering. No wonder they are so expensive. I loved my Airheads though, /2, /5 and a /6.
kk

Can’t deny that it’s at least a nice, smooth pull! I think I’m mostly jaded by my leaking front brake master cylinder. You know—the one that sits UNDER the tank? Ended up buying a handlebar mounted version from another airhead model.

[Moparnut72]

My R75s throttle grip was pretty stiff to turn. I tried everything I could think of to lighten it up. I would have changed it but I couldn't figure how to make something work with two cables. Not having the internet in those days made finding parts to convert it to something else wasn't much of an option. Putting the master cylinder under the tank, what were they thinking? German mentality, let's make it as complicated as we can to show off our engineering expertise.
kk

[Cam3512]

Get a “Y” pipe and make it easy.