Hi all,
I just bought a BMW R1150RT off a guy which was standing in his garage for two years. It doesnt start and had the air sensor wire chewed up. the battery's are flat and it has two of them which was connected to sirens and radio for the police(its an Ex-police bike). i have noticed that the fuel tank has white deposits on it and the oil level is low. i have started stripping the bike down to do the neccesary repairs as it has 70000k's on it and i am not sure what all i should replace and check. also the discs are rusted and the wheels dont move easily as i suspect the brake pads are rubbing against the discs. this is the first time im owning a BMW and would love to get some info on what all i should do. the previous owner said that the bike stalled on a trip and he changed the battery and it cranked up for a few rides and then refused start again after which he never rode the bike for two years.i had a look at the fuel pump and it is in immaculate condition. thanks in advance for all the help!

Hi again, i have taken all the Tupperware off the bike and stripped the fuel tank off as well as there was some deposits in it. tomorrow i will buy new batteries and join the oxygen sensor with new wires. i have do an oil change as well but am not sure if i have to change the rear shaft oil. is there anyway to find this and also to find if the pulley needs replacing?

Hi and welcome. I am the owner of an R1100RT that is also an ex RT-P police bike. I will try to give you a laundry list based on what I have learned in the last two years as soon as I get to work and have access to a keyboard because I am riding a bus at the moment and it would be type on my phone. But in the mean time change ALL the fluids. Crankcase, transmission, and final drive. Them I will address the brakes, electricals and fuel system. -John

Meanwhile i have taken your advice and drained the two year old gas from the tank,which kind of looked like varnish. took a look inside the tank which looks clean but i will be cleaning the tank with actone tomorrow for good measure. put in the charged battery and tried cranking the bike which it did but there was a whirring sound, not sure if it is supposed to start like that. anyways will get the rest done tomorrow. I will be waiting for that list and thanks for that in advance.
Cheers

Where to start.
Bike that was sitting and not running when parked.
You're off to a good start.
With fuel tank apart I'd replace filter and all in tank lines with the correct OEM or comparable rated.
Quick disconnects on gas lines a weak point, replace.
But before anything like that I might jump into the brakes.
A bad ABS is $$$$$, you can bypass it if needed.
Complete flush and cleaning.
Final drive and trans pretty straightforward to drain refill.
Check FAQ's here and here. There are plenty of online sources.
The second battery is not necessary but can be used on an ex P bike.
If the tires were ?? years old when parked, check date of manufacture.
Often the police wiring is circuitously circumspect so post specific to that model and owners here will provide great links.
I'd Start a new thread wrt that.
Good luck.

Thanks for jumping in folks... all great advice.

If the "charged" battery has not been load tested, it may not have sufficient voltage for the starting cycle... I would take it out and have it tested at an Autozone or similar store that tests for free.

The RT model is difficult if not impossible to safely jump start, so I would start with a verified battery. Since you have the tupperware off already for the battery check, pull the starter and thoroughly clean and lightly lubricate it. Chances are after 70K miles, it is caked with clutch dust. Cleaning it will breathe new life into it.

If the brake hoses are the originals, replace them with new stainless steel braided hoses... Look at Apexbrakes.com for a real deal... They advertise on ebay. I just replaced my rear hose and had the new one in less than two days... cost? $34.00 including shipping. More later, I have to get back to work.

Not sure if Acetone and plastic tank is a good idea

No, it is not.
Why would you use acetone on it?

i heard the same too about acetone and plastic, but i left the acetone in for 20 min on each side with 40 nuts and gave it a good shake, i checked the inside after clearing it all out and voila the tank is in pristine condition. but try as i may i couldn't get the fuel filter out as it was coupled with non reusable pipes and i was too lazy to go to BMW to get the parts(they are kind of stuck up and ignorant). but all in all i got the tank back on again and connected the tank up again. the transmission and shaft oil has not been changed as the bolts are very stubborn and i almost broke my allen keys trying to open it. it was kind of sad since i had bought all the oils and filters to replace. Also is there a way to open the oil filter without that fancy wrench that BMW supplies. it was simple hard to get at it with a piece of cloth and i could not locate the oil drain nut. I will replacing the battery with the AGM odyssey Pc680 battery tomorrow which set me back by about 250 Australian. the oil filter is aftermarket and cost $23. Air filter kind of looked fine so i just air blasted it and used as is until i get the bike to work and i can get my hands on a K&N filter. Parts for the bike is very rare even in BMW as Darwin sucks at the whole biking scene which is mostly dominated by cheap dirt bikes.

link to fuel filter advice

The ADV rider link has great pictures and instructions.