'03 K1200GT headlight bulb change question

I noticed the low beam was dead this morning, got out the manual and went to the auto parts store where I bought an H7 12V55W bulb.
I read the instructions in the owner's maintenance handbook and thought, "Ha! Piece of cake!"
After all, I'd replaced the bulb many times on my old '91 K100RS.
But damned if I'm not stuck on the first step.
The service manual says, "Press the retaining hoop down" to remove the housing cover over the back of the headlight.
The handbook says unfasten one side, then the other.
I stood in the hot midday sun and pushed til my fingers hurt. I called a dealer and the service guy said to pull out on the center of the hoop, then down. But still it won't budge. He said it isn't necessary to use a tool, but I'm thinking this may require a flat blade screwdriver to pry off.
Is there a technique to this? Some pressure point I'm missing?
It's 100 miles to the nearest dealer and I'd really like to do this myself without damaging the parts.

John, I took a quick snapshot of the underside of my LT headlight. I think its the same fastening concept as the RS/GT, and you can see that there's a pretty big lip to pull the hoop over.

Hopefully this will help. Say hi to Maria.

Wow, thanks for the quick and illustrated reply.
So can I pry it down with a screwdriver?

IndyGT said:

Wow, thanks for the quick and illustrated reply.
So can I pry it down with a screwdriver?

Click to expand...

I recall pulling it down with my fingers. No screwdriver needed. The big thing is to pull out, then down.

I'm impressed with how much space there is behind your headlight. It looks cavernous in there.
It's insanely tight behind the headlight of my GT. I levered the cover retainer off with the shaft of a crescent wrench, then wrestled with the cover for about 20 minutes to get it out of the fairing to give me a few extra millimeters to work.
I've spent an hour trying to get the retaining clips onto the new bulb and now I'm taking a break after spending a fruitless half-hour trying to thread the cover back into place. At the moment it's stuck in a crosswise position.
Trust me. I will never freaking never attempt a headlight bulb change on this bike again.
I'm covered with sweat and my hands are bleeding. Whoever designed this setup and believed owners could just pop old bulbs out and new bulbs out is absolutely deranged.

IndyGT said:

I'm impressed with how much space there is behind your headlight. It looks cavernous in there.
It's insanely tight behind the headlight of my GT. I levered the cover retainer off with the shaft of a crescent wrench, then wrestled with the cover for about 20 minutes to get it out of the fairing to give me a few extra millimeters to work.
I've spent an hour trying to get the retaining clips onto the new bulb and now I'm taking a break after spending a fruitless half-hour trying to thread the cover back into place. At the moment it's stuck in a crosswise position.
Trust me. I will never freaking never attempt a headlight bulb change on this bike again.
I'm covered with sweat and my hands are bleeding. Whoever designed this setup and believed owners could just pop old bulbs out and new bulbs out is absolutely deranged.

Click to expand...

The new K1200S and R are a dream to change. Takes about a minute. Everything on those bikes seems to speak "ease of maintenance".

IndyGT said:

It's insanely tight behind the headlight of my GT. I levered the cover retainer off with the shaft of a crescent wrench, then wrestled with the cover for about 20 minutes to get it out of the fairing to give me a few extra millimeters to work.
I've spent an hour trying to get the retaining clips onto the new bulb and now I'm taking a break after spending a fruitless half-hour trying to thread the cover back into place. At the moment it's stuck in a crosswise position.
Trust me. I will never freaking never attempt a headlight bulb change on this bike again.
I'm covered with sweat and my hands are bleeding. Whoever designed this setup and believed owners could just pop old bulbs out and new bulbs out is absolutely deranged.

Click to expand...

The GT has the electric windshield motor in the way making it much tighter than the RS. I would pop the nose cone off and remove the headlight assembly from the front. Takes much less than the hour you have already invested and gives you total access and lets you see what you are doing.

Also, be sure not to get skin oils on the bulb! If you do, wipe it down with alcohol and a soft rag.

Randy

Thanks, Randy.
I have a more mechanically inclined friend - who used to be the parts manager at Revard BMW - coming over tonight and I suspect that's the tack we'll take.
I knew I shoulda traded for that brand new GT when I was at Twin City BMW Motorcycles in Savoy, Ill., for service last month.

Phew!

My friend and I, with the assistance of our wives' smaller hands, finally got the bulb changed. All told, it took about 10 man/woman-hours.
A buddy who also has an '03 GT managed to do it himself in only two hours, which is also a totally unacceptable time frame.
Suffice it to say, I will never, ever, attempt a headlight bulb change on that bike again.
The next time a bulb blows, a dealer will get the job.

Tradin' for that new GT will mean the light bulb is $22K

IndyGT said:

My friend and I, with the assistance of our wives' smaller hands, finally got the bulb changed. All told, it took about 10 man/woman-hours.
A buddy who also has an '03 GT managed to do it himself in only two hours, which is also a totally unacceptable time frame.
Suffice it to say, I will never, ever, attempt a headlight bulb change on that bike again.
The next time a bulb blows, a dealer will get the job.

Click to expand...

Get familiar with removing the body work on your GT. You can pull the front nosepiece, remove the headlight assembly change the bulb and reassemble in 30 minutes. Use a digital camera, label & bag the screws as you go. It's really very easy if you take your timeand study it. This knowledge will pay off if you have to change a bulb on a trip.