New 2008 R1200GS seaping oil

Hello fellow enthusiasts, I just bought my second BMW, this one's a '08 R1200GS. During the first 200 or so miles I noticed a burned oil smell after coming to every stop. There was also some oil on the top of the skid plate. I brought it to the dealer and they told me it was normal and it will stop doing that during the first 600 to 1000 miles. I'm almost sure they said it was coming from the main seal Has anyone heard of this as a normal occurance for these new bikes? Thanks!

I am on a new GS Adventure.. 2,500 miles since Oct.. No leaks, but I thought a time or two when I pulled in to the garage that I could smell hot oil..
I think I remember a thread on ADVRider about someone else having a oil leak on a new GS.. Did you post there too? You would think for what they charge for a new bike it would be 100%, 100% of the time..

Hope it stops.. If it was my bike, I would want it resolved before spring, and I want to ride every other day..

A leak in the main seal will not repair itself. It won't go away at 600, 6000, or 60,000 miles. Oil leaks are never normal. Good luck with this dealer.

robert airheads and an oilhead

JeffRCampbell said:

Hello fellow enthusiasts, I just bought my second BMW, this one's a '08 R1200GS. During the first 200 or so miles I noticed a burned oil smell after coming to every stop. There was also some oil on the top of the skid plate. I brought it to the dealer and they told me it was normal and it will stop doing that during the first 600 to 1000 miles. I'm almost sure they said it was coming from the main seal Has anyone heard of this as a normal occurance for these new bikes? Thanks!

Click to expand...

Yes, but I can't remember the context. A guy at a dealer I trust a whole lot told me about the seals and break-in and a little oil seep thing... I didn't pay a lot of attention because my bike never seeped any oil. But I do trust this guy to the ends of the earth and he said it was routine.

Oh, by the by, it wouldn't matter to me. I'd take the bike back and tell them I'll pick it up when it stops leaking oil!

Some rubber lip seals (the kind used on BMWs) do seat and stop leaking after a bit of use when the lip wears to the shaft it's on.. but this isn't normal. The seals are designed to seal from day-1, and if I had a leaker I'd want it fixed.

I assume a GS from 2005 and 50k would be pertinent...NO oil leaks there ever...

And since the FD failure hype, I look close at everything almost every ride...

Oil leaks

I have a 07 Hexhead R1200S that is rode briskly on the road along with some track days and does not leak a drop or have any oil odors. These are not designed to drip, leak any fluids. If the dealer is telling you this is normal and it will go away, you need to go away and find another dealer that will take care of the problem.

Is it possible it's not leaking, but you're smelling oil that was dribbled out while it was being filled, and it collected on the skid plate? I am not much of a mechanic, hence I get used to the burning oil smell every time I change the oil.

I too have an 08 R1200GS and for the first 600 miles before the break in service I could catch a whiff of oil when I would come to a stop like at a light or sign. I brought this to the dealers attention and they told me that may be normal during break in because the bikes tend to be over filled with oil and the oil used is a special blend for the break in period. And because of the over fill it may have been a little blow back in the airbox which is right under the tank and thus the airflow would catch these fumes where you could faintly smell them. But, I have never seen a leak and sure enough after the 600 mile service, the odor went away. No smell since, I guess they were right. The bike now has 7000 miles on it with no trouble.

JR, you may well have a major problem that requires warranty work to correct. I'll offer another possibility to explain your leak. This sounds very similar to the oil leak on my 2006 RT at 400 miles. The casting cap off point on the left cylinder developed an oil leak. No repair possible. The left cylinder had to be replaced. A failed casting cap off implies a faulty casting of the cyclinder. Don't be alarmed. The fix was to replace the cyclinder with piston already installed. All under warranty. The only action on my part was to ride the RT another 500 miles before the initial service. This rarely happens but it is something that should be checked. The oil leak was very minor, but there nontheless. Each time I stopped the bike there was a drop on the ground after about 5 minutes. In any event, your leak is not acceptable and needs to be properly diagnosed. Keep us posted. Moose

Thanks for the replies. I took the GS in for the 600 mile service Friday and asked them to check out the odor. They said they did a thorough inspection and found no leak. The explanation they gave me was that while it is in the factory the engine is coated with a mineral based substance called Cosmolien. This is a corrosion inhibitor that does not always get completely cleaned prior to delivery. It takes some time to burn off, just part of the "new bike smell". This seems like a logical explanation to me since I also caught an occasional whiff of the same thing from the R1200RT I rode that day. The RT had 3000 miles and the odor was much less frequent and more faint. I feel good about the explanation an the bike as this shop (Scottdale AZ) has been on the level with me and I feel I've been treated well. I have not seen any oil dripping anywhere either.
Thanks again...

Just for future reference its Cosmoline. Gun guys love the stuff. Anyway, what you're talking about is what I call the dead monkey smell. All new bikes have it, don't worry about it. Leaks are leaks smells are smells and pretty normal for stuff to burn off on a new bike.

Leak

More that likely the oil you are smelling and finding on the engine guard is from the output seal on the back of the transmission. This has happend on many hexheads including mine. Was repaired under warranty. Im very supprised your dealer said this would correct itself. Sounds like he didn't want to lose a sale. You might check the seam on the right side of the bike where the transmission meets the engine block. See if there is any oil stain on that seam. This usually indicates a bad output seal.

The heaxhead engine is painted. Why put cosmoline over paint? That story doesn't add up.