• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

1995 R1100RSL oil sight glass blowout on a trip

Hello -- I'm hoping Paul Glaves or others with infinitely more knowledge and experience on these matters sees this...

I'm crossing the country on a 95 R1100RSL -- 2400 miles in, only 720 left to go for home.

This morning I went to start the bike and heard the noise -- the oil sight glass blew out. I found it in the motel parking lot and it's intact. I made a bit of a mess on the motel's asphalt.

I noticed a fresh oil drip was getting somewhat worse the past several days -- so this is entirely my fault for not investigating the sight glass before it launched itself.

I cleaned it up with brake kleen added a very tiny amount of silicone adhesive to the edge (couldn't find Loctite Black Max) and was prepared to tap it in with a 30mm socket I'd just purchased for the task. As Paul has referenced in a previous post, it didn't need a socket to go back in -- just surprisingly light thumb pressure was enough. Had I known it would go in so easily, I might have used slightly more adhesive.

So here is the question -- I have a new sight glass on the way to my house, 720 miles away... the old sight glass is back in and doesn't appear to be overtly leaking, but I haven't stressed it beyond starting it a few times and doing a very short road test.

Any opinions on whether I should finish the ride home on the bike or if it should finish inside of a UHaul? The decision and repercussions are mine, of course -- but would appreciate any input. Surely someone has had to push an old sight glass back in while traveling? Decision time is first thing Tuesday morning.

Thanks so much!

Mitch
 
I had that happen on my ‘95 R1100RSL and did just as you did. I was 625 miles from home and rode the bike home with no problems. I did use some caution when starting the bike, especially cold, to make sure I didn’t get any backfires as some of these have popped out with a backfire. Personally, if this is the first time it’s popped out I’d mount up and ride it home.

Best,
DeVern
 
DeVern -- Thank you!

That is really good to know. In reading about it, it seems this happens almost exclusively at start up -- I appreciate the caution on that.

Again, thank you sincerely!

Mitch
 
Haven’t had this happen to my R1100 RS....yet. But, since your on the traveling, far from home, you might consider adding a small amount of silicone adhesive on th outer circumference. Just for a little piece of mind as you run down the road..
 
Last edited:
Haven’t had this happen to my R1100 RS....yet. But, since your on the traveling, far from home, you might consider adding a small amount of silicone adhesive on th router circumference. Just for a little piece of mind as you run down the road..

Thank you -- yes, I did add a very, very small amount of silicon adhesive before I popped it back in. Had I known how easy it was to press in, I probably would have used a little more of it.
 
I'd go around the outside circumference again with more adhesive. Let it set up and never think about it again.
 
Start your bike. Remove the oil fill plug. Listen carefully to that sound. Memorize that sound. Then while going home if you hear something like that sound stop and check immediately.
 
Start your bike. Remove the oil fill plug. Listen carefully to that sound. Memorize that sound. Then while going home if you hear something like that sound stop and check immediately.

Well that sounds...like I should think UHaul.

Definitely thank you for the input.
 
Here is what I did.
cf7c4a7520bd355339fa6273fd3ff436.jpg


Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Smitty -- that photo is impressive.

BC1100S -- a new sight glass should be delivered to my house today.

It is turning out less easy to find a UHaul in this part of Kentucky than expected, so I may be riding regardless. Obviously, I'd prefer to finish this ride on the bike, but don't want to hurt the bike, either.

Thank you all, sincerely, for the input. I'm grateful.
 
Perhaps one of these in your saddle bag would be a good idea. Auto Zone expandable rubber plug. Not sure if it would work but may be adaptable.
expandable rubber plug.jpg
 
Perhaps one of these in your saddle bag would be a good idea. Auto Zone expandable rubber plug. Not sure if it would work but may be adaptable.
View attachment 83351

Yes - if a proper size it would work.

Now to those early R1100RS bikes. The sight glass assembly is intended to be a dry, friction fit in the recess in the engine case. Some (most) early R1100RS bikes have a recess that is slightly too large. Instead of needing to drive the assembly into place it can be inserted with thumb pressure.

For these bikes only I recommend an adhesive. Permatex Black Max (a black rubberized super glue) is my choice if it can be found. I want strong adhesive qualities, not just sealant qualities. What I have done is apply the adhesive to the back (inside) rubber ring around the metal so that when the assembly is inserted it adheres to the circular area at the back of the recess in the engine case.

And my always final comment is that it is designed to be a clean and dry friction fit. When any oil manages to seep between the engine case and the rubber surround that oil will do what it is intended to do which is lubricate. So at the very first sign of any seepage at the sight glass it needs to be replaced as soon as possible.
 
Last edited:
I'm picking up a 94 1100rs in two days. One owner bike, and my information is that the sight glass has been changed once already. Is this a recurring issue and if so, any idea of mileage between failures or time? The bike has 56000 miles on her, but most of those miles were pre 2014 when he moved up to a 1200 GS, so the bike has sat in the garage for most of the last 7 years with enough miles just to barely keep the battery charged.
 
I'm picking up a 94 1100rs in two days. One owner bike, and my information is that the sight glass has been changed once already. Is this a recurring issue and if so, any idea of mileage between failures or time? The bike has 56000 miles on her, but most of those miles were pre 2014 when he moved up to a 1200 GS, so the bike has sat in the garage for most of the last 7 years with enough miles just to barely keep the battery charged.

The rubber has had time to harden and lose elasticity. I would replace it as preventative maintenance.
 
I'm picking up a 94 1100rs in two days. One owner bike, and my information is that the sight glass has been changed once already. Is this a recurring issue and if so, any idea of mileage between failures or time? The bike has 56000 miles on her, but most of those miles were pre 2014 when he moved up to a 1200 GS, so the bike has sat in the garage for most of the last 7 years with enough miles just to barely keep the battery charged.

I don’t think there is a pattern based upon time or mileage. Some blow out early, some late, and some never do blow out. I replaced the sight glass in my ‘95 R1100RSL at about 95k after it blew out when the bike backfired on a cold late September morning about 650 miles from home. I cleaned everything, drove the sight glass back in using a borrowed socket, and rode it home. If you are really concerned about it a preventative measure is shown in one of the photos above.

Best,
DeVern
 
Back
Top