Jump to this comment for the DIY fix
I have joined the weeping weep hole crowd with my 2021 S1000RR @ 6000 miles.
I'll try to be brief but here is my timeline, and then a couple questions:
After a lot of reading on the issue I plan to call my nearest dealer (4 hours away) and discuss scheduling the bike in. I wouldn't mind tackling it myself because the cost is less of an issue to me compared to the stress of leaving my bike at a shop for what is no doubt going to be a long time. But that challenge aside, a couple of questions...
I have joined the weeping weep hole crowd with my 2021 S1000RR @ 6000 miles.
I'll try to be brief but here is my timeline, and then a couple questions:
- At 2000 miles I upgraded my exhaust and noticed while the panels were off that my coolant was near the low line. Never saw a leak and everything underneath was dry at the time, so I honestly chalked it up to the dealer giving me a minimal amount of coolant when new. I topped it off, everything seemed fine.
- At 6000 miles as I noticed the first drop of coolant on my garage floor after a ride. I noticed it was coming from the weep hole, but had not yet researched the issue so just assumed it was a normal vent of some kind. I thought maybe when I topped off at 2000 that it didn't like it and burped it out or something. Reservoir is showing exactly mid-point between max and min at this time. So again, I didn't really think much of it.
- Then after a ride this weekend I noticed a couple more drops on the floor, and a small but much more obvious drip from the weep hole. I clean it, and it doesn't drip while sitting. Only after a ride.
After a lot of reading on the issue I plan to call my nearest dealer (4 hours away) and discuss scheduling the bike in. I wouldn't mind tackling it myself because the cost is less of an issue to me compared to the stress of leaving my bike at a shop for what is no doubt going to be a long time. But that challenge aside, a couple of questions...
- I understand this is likely a seal on the pump shaft or housing that is leaking coolant. How exactly is the coolant getting from the leak to the weep hole? Is there some kind of void space between the pump housing and the outer wall of the sump? My bike is too new for me to jump in and remove the sump just to peek, especially if it might be going to the dealer for this anyway. I'm just really curious what is going on inside. What is the path of travel for the leak from source to weep hole? I've seen the weep hole assembly on BMW's parts diagram, but it's just not making sense to me.
- How bad is this issue? I would assume my bike is grounded until I can get the issue resolved. But I always assume the worst! Since I don't know enough about exactly how the leaking fluid can travel I am assuming the worst risk is the possibility of cross-contaminating oil and coolant. I've read many many posts of different generations of models of BMW and other bikes, even cars, having this issue for decades. In most cases, people are continuing to ride/drive their vehicle until a repair can be scheduled. Can I ride my bike before this is fixed or is it better to park it? It's clearly not a big leak, because it's only a few drops after the ride and then nothing else comes out. But...it's still a leak so I'm concerned about making things worse.
