K1200s Coolant refill 2005 model with Cyl Head bleed valve?

[Graham55]

Ok, sorry to bring this subject up, but I am really getting frustrated. I drained the coolant and took the rad off months ago so I could do ''routine servicing ''. I read up on how to refill the cooling system - need a vacuum pump system - must avoid airlocks in the head etc.
Haven't actually ridden the bike in a year, but decided months ago to buy equipment to refill the cooling system - Air compressor £120, Neilsen vacuum thingy £30 which sits in the top of the rad, pipe clamps £10. 
So now I have tried to get on with the job - the brass connector on the Neilsen vacuum thingy does not afford an air tight seal - loose fitting, and no means of making it any tighter - tried adding an o ring but that didn't work. Cannot return the Neilsen - it is too long since purchase. The rubber part just fits nicely in the radiator filler which was a bonus - took a chance on that one.
What I want to know is this ---- As mine is a 2005 K1200s it has a bleed valve on the right hand side of the cylinder head. This is at a lower level than the radiator filler. Am I right in hoping that because of this I may be able to refill the cooling system without vacuum equipment and just bleed air off through the 3 bleed valves on this model ? 
Knowledgeable assistance welcome. No more hair left to pull out. 

[Phmode]

OK, firstly I never did use the bleed nipple thingy on my 2004 K12S because I had already bought the vacuum wotsit kit by the time I discovered the nipple. From my research, it will work only if you keep the bike on its side-stand so that the air rushes to the top, right hand side of the head.

Personally I would get the kit fixed and use that.

On the other hand, wea are all waiting with bated breath to see how long your head lasts if it doesn't work, or how much your local engineering company charge to remove the never-before-used and now broken bleed nipple 

[Graham55]

Thanks for reply - Oh great ! I hadn't thought of that - bleed nipple snap off potential. That would be just my luck - to go also with ' using the correct tool to remove a coil but it still snapped the top off despite being careful ' scenario.

Any airlock is likely to lead to rapid overheating in my opinion. I want to get it right first time, but everything on this bike just seems so difficult to do without a heck of a lot of dismantling.
 
I was wondering what the reason is for the deletion of the Cylinder head bleed nipple on subsequent models - is it just that BMW found a more expensive way of filling the cooling system and wanted to discourage self service. ( I am discouraged ).   

[Phmode]

Erm! Not being cynical but - manufacturing cost?

Or, of course, bleed nipple snappage...

I doubt the latter as nipples in cooling systems do get badly corroded (dissimilar metals and water and heat) but not within the timeframe between 2004 and about 2006 when they disappeard.

Interestingly if you haven't got this far yet, they (or Bing) also 'disappeared' the vacuum take-off points on the throttle bodies which allowed for relative air flow measurement although of course there was never any individual static adjustment of idle on the bodies. As much use as teats on a boar as my grandma used to say...