Right-angled valve extension
G’day from sunny Q’ld, Frank.
This is a real PITA, isn’t it! My 2010 GS was afflicted in the same way. I was recently interested in the new F800GT from BMW, and when having a demo ride was delighted that the tyre valve stems both came out at right angles to a spoke, front and back, figuring that it would make inflation and checking so very easy.
Then moved my choice of new bike to the R1200 R, expecting to find the same, but NO! – front valve-stem as you describe, rear – unchanged - still mission impossible. Madness!
Anyway, to answer your query – I found the right-angled adaptor a bit tricky to use and seemed to lose more air removing it after inflation than I had put in.
My solution was to cut the hose from a $14 K Mart electric tyre pump and adapt that. At one end there is a very handy ‘toggle’ inlet valve (cannot think of a better word) type of fitting that simply clips onto the stem on the tyre. At the other (cut-off) end of the hose, which is about 300mm long (say a foot), the local industrial air-hoses (Pirtek or similar) guy swaged-on a small brass fitting that is attached to the servo air-hose. He charged me $2!!!
So it’s now a simple matter: attach the ‘toggle’ to the stem on the tyre, insert the other end’s fitting into the servo hose, add air! Works every time. I carry this item curled up under the seat towards the back of the under-seat space there. Oh – and I carry the right-angle adaptor with me in the same place, just in case!
I did write to BMW HQ about this absurdity but got the usual pathetic PR-speak response.
Cheers – hope this assists.
L of S
Outer Brisbane, south-east Queensland, Australia