BMW starters are not too difficult to remove and install, but some care in fitting, and some hints are helpful

1. Disconnect any and all battery negative (-) cables. Make sure they are well out of the way and won’t make contact with the battery (-) terminal.
2. Remove fuel tank.
3. Remove top engine cover.
4. Remove front engine cover.
5. Remove all feed wires to the starter solenoid unit.
6. Remove the two (2) main starter mounting bolts. You may need a 1/4″ drive to get a skinny enough socket onto the nuts/bolts.  Some starters do not fit all that well, and interchanging Valeo and Bosch or Denso starters CAN BE particular problems.  Very little work is needed to make for a good safe installation, however.
   An article that covers some overhaul work, but near the end has photos of what the fit problems are, and how to fix it, is here:
   http://bmwmotorcycletech.info/boschvaleostarter.htm The heads are 13mm and sometimes difficult to get a box end or ratchet wrench on. Some replace these bolts with Allen head bolts because it is easier to insert an Allen wrench between the engine case and the starter to hold the head of the bolt.
7. As you are facing the front of the bike, look at the timing chain cover to the upper right of the diode board and you may see an Allen head (usually) small bolt. Sometimes the diode board tube of wires are blocking your view of this mounting bolt so gently push them aside. This bolt is used with the BOSCH starters to hold the front plate of the starter in place and must be removed in order to remove the starter.
8. Lift the starter out of the top engine cavityReassemble in reverse order noting the following:
9. Make sure the “nose cone”  cover on the rear end of the starter is in good condition and not broken. Many people think that this part serves little or no purpose but it does. Besides keeping debris from entering the flywheel area, it also serves to keep suspended clutch dust from rising and clogging the air filter. If anyone does not have a nose cone cover and you are constantly replacing air filters, this is the reason for it.
10. Make sure that you use the proper “stepped” nuts on the main starter mounting bolts to hold the retention clip in place. The retention clip looks like a wire bent in a funny shape with holes for mounting nuts on each side. The stepped nuts must be used or you will damage and distort the retaining ring.
11. Be sure to install the extra grounding wire to the starter mounting bolt head and run it to an Allen head bolt inside the front cover on the timing chain cover.
12. BE CAREFUL NOT TO STRIP THE THREADS ON THE FRONT STARTER MOUNTING BOLT. This is easy to do and if you do it simply run a drill bit through the stepped hole and use a larger Allen head bolt to secure the front end of the starter. A stainless steel or Grade 8 bolt will cut through the aluminum timing chain cover and cut new threads without a tap and die set.

That’s about it. On some bikes with excessively high compression (i.e. 11 or 11.5 to 1) a second positive battery cable can be fabricated and run along the frame back bone through the rubber breather opening in the top engine cover to the starter. Again, this is only for high compression models only.

Roy Truelsen #4363