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Sorry Everyone '95 K75 Oil?

argent brick

New member
I have not owned my 1995 K75 for very long. The PO told my that he put synthetic oil in the last time the oil was changed but would not do it again. I should of ask him why, but I did not. Anyone have an idea as to why someone would run dino oil over synthetic?

Sorry everyone, I know you have been ask what is the best oil thousands of times, but I am a newbie when it comes to K bikes. I want to replace all of the fluids so I have a baseline to work from.

Also, I am not crazy about having to drive to a dealer to buy my oil. I will if that is what is best for the bike, but it is about 2 hours round trip plus a bridge toll. Surely I can find quality oil locally. Should I stay away from certain brands?
What weight of oil should you run in in your K bike (synthetic or dinosaur) and why?
 
Some feel that synthetic oil in older machines results in oil leaks at seals.

You've opened a can of worms, you know?

No need to drive further than your local auto parts store to buy oil. Which oil is a matter of never ending debate, but I don't think you can go wrong using an oil desgined for motorcycles (some additional zinc additive in it); Castrol and Valvoline both make such a product in dyno and synthetic. Both have a 10W 40 and a 20W 50 which seem to be the common weights for BMWs. Check your owner's manual for which weight to use in your riding conditions. What to avoid???? Snake oil.

A famous man on this forum oft says... "Some oil is better than no oil and clean oil is better than dirty oil", I can only add that free oil is the best yet.

This, of course, is the final word on the subject and no one else will see the need to comment on oil.

Oh, and send wine......
 
Mobil 1 15w-50 synthetic car oil meets all the requirements of your bike and can be purchased at WalMart in a 5 quart container for $25.



:dance:dance:dance
 
Hi Aargent Brick (real name? We're friendly sorts here..)

Please read: http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=46057 - I'll add the info to the thread title, but perhaps you'd like the title changed to something more descriptive.. like "Dino or Synthetic? '95 K75S" ?

I saw Lee posted the Wally mart price of Mobil 1.. Wally-Mart is on my list of places I simply won't shop at (for lots of reasons I won't get into here..) but - what surprised me was, I bought BMW 15W-50 Synthetic oil in a 4 quart (gallon) container yesterday at our friendly local dealer, for less then WallyMart is charging for Mobil-1. Admittely WallyMarts container is 5 quarts, but you don't need 5 quarts for an oil change, so..

BMW oil was only a few cents less, but buying it from the dealer helps them make a profit which helps them stay in business, plus it gave me an excuse to browse the dealership (which led to me also buying some BMW brake-fluid so I can do my semi-annual brake flush.)

I'd look at the dealer being that far away as a good excuse for a nice ride, add a lunch stop in there and you have a perfect "chore" for Saturday.. any excuse for a ride sort of thing works for me. ;)
 
Mobil 1 15w-50 synthetic car oil meets all the requirements of your bike and can be purchased at WalMart in a 5 quart container for $25.



:dance:dance:dance

I used to buy Mobil 1 15w-50 at Wal-Mart for my 92 K75RT.
Here in S. Oregon, they have not had it on their shelves for close to two years now.
The explanation is that they sell whatever the distributor sends them, looks like some
parts of the country get it and some don't.
 
When the K bikes came out, then as now BMW sold their own branded oil. By law (I think) they did list the oil as being "packaged" by Spectro oils. This relationship still exists today, just checked my left over partial bottle of BMW "Super Synthetic" oil and is plainly marked that it is formulated and packed by Spectro Oils.

So, back then, I found out that the recommended oil was Spectro Golden (this is what was in the BMW-branded bottle), which is a semi-synthetic (blend of dino oil and synthetic oil).
So if you do have a cycle shop nearby that sells Spectro Oils I would recommend the Spectro Golden 4, I believe this would be the best stuff you can run in a brick K Bike, and yet typically costs much less than the BMW-branded oil.
http://www.spectro-oils.com/?p=64

If you do want to run a synthetic, that is the "Platimum 4":
http://www.spectro-oils.com/?p=7986

Dealer locator
http://www.spectro-oils.com/dealer-locator/
 
Autozone and advance auto always run specials. Advance Auto has one now, 5 quarts of Mobil-1 and a Mobil-1 oil filter for $29.99. Even if you toss the filter, and many prefer to use the BMW eom oil filter, it is a pretty good deal.

Plenty of 15/50 silver cap, and at least the one near me takes used oil so you can empty your drain pan from the last oil change at the same time :)
 
When the K bikes came out, then as now BMW sold their own branded oil. By law (I think) they did list the oil as being "packaged" by Spectro oils. This relationship still exists today, just checked my left over partial bottle of BMW "Super Synthetic" oil and is plainly marked that it is formulated and packed by Spectro Oils.

So, back then, I found out that the recommended oil was Spectro Golden (this is what was in the BMW-branded bottle), which is a semi-synthetic (blend of dino oil and synthetic oil).
So if you do have a cycle shop nearby that sells Spectro Oils I would recommend the Spectro Golden 4, I believe this would be the best stuff you can run in a brick K Bike, and yet typically costs much less than the BMW-branded oil.
http://www.spectro-oils.com/?p=64

If you do want to run a synthetic, that is the "Platimum 4":
http://www.spectro-oils.com/?p=7986

Dealer locator
http://www.spectro-oils.com/dealer-locator/

I'm not so certain the formulations are exactly the same (Golden-Spectro vs BMW's package/blended oil..)

At a national rally a decade or so ago, the Golden-Spectro guy was there, and was taking questions on oil. His claim at that time (things may have changed) was that BMW specified a different additive package in the oil they packaged for BMW.

There was a great article in the MOA-ON around the same time, done by a friend (Jeff DeCarlo), who had virgin samples of all sorts of oils tested to see how the viscosity (new) was, and what the additive packages were. Those tests showed a different additive package (proportions of the additives mostly) being used on the BMW oil then the Golden-Spectro oil.

Just a FWIW -
 
His claim at that time (things may have changed) was that BMW specified a different additive package in the oil they packaged for BMW.

Assuming you mean the additive package in Spectro Golden 4 is different than the oil that is produced for BMW. Very credible info coming from you Don, esp if Spectro themselves say this.
Spectro is really in to the motorcycle market and that holds a lot of cred to me, even if it isn't in the BMW packaging and the additive package varies somewhat, it it still made with motorcycle engines in mind, which says a lot, vs say Mobil1, which i think is a fine product, but would think twice about using it with a wet clutch bike.
Worries about leaking or swapping back and forth between synth and dino I think are unfounded.
With the slant4 engine I have to be careful about buying a product that will work with a wet clutch, which I never had to consider with the brick.
I haven't had a chance to compare pricing on the BMW super synth vs Spectro Platinum4
 
Synthetic not a problem for me

Regarding your question on dino vs syn, I offer my 3 year experience with my one and only bike (i.e. I am not experienced or tech-based), a 1995 K75RT acquired in 2009 with 33,000 miles on the odometer.
Since then, I have put 41,000 miles on it, changed the oil and filter every 5,000 miles with Mobil 1 15-50W, and the bike uses absolutely zero oil between changes. The only time I have to put oil in it is when I change it, never in between changes.
So, my limited experience says "No" to the idea that using syn oil is prone to leaks in an older bike. Leaks are going to occur because of other factors and not the type of oil you use. Regarding weight, not sure why that is a question since 15-50W seems to be universally suggested.
BTW, I agree with the sentiment that I will never set foot in WallyWorld. :thumb
 
I didn't say I buy my oil there (too far to go and too many Walmartians there).

Walmartian:
Walmartian.jpg

I just used it as a price point because I could look up the price on my computer. I buy in bulk when it's on sale at the local Monument Cart Parts store (3 miles).:dunno



:dance:dance:dance
 
I simply wade through the hordes of Wal-Martians and buy the 5 qt. jug of Mobil 1 15-50. I've been using it in my K75S for the last four years without any seepage.

I must be lucky as they stocked it in Hawaii when I lived there and they also stock it here in New Mexico.

To complete my full 2 cent's worth; I feel that synthetic is worth the extra cost as it doesn't break down as quickly as dino does. It seems a lot slippier to the touch, too.

Bottom line, though---ANY oil will do and it's always better to have oil in your crankcase than no oil at all.:brad
 
I agree, the biggest difference I ever noticed with synthetic was with my Triumph Spitfire back in the 70's & 80's. When it was 10 below zero, with Mobil 1 it cranked much easier and started without knocking for the first minute or so. Credit the ability of synthetic oil to flow easier when cold. Made the difference between go and no go. Now I used it in my 1.8 5v Jetta for the sake of the turbo, but feel it's overkill with the bikes and van since the oil gets changed regularly and they're not heavily stressed.
 
Any idea why the PO of my bike would not recommend synthetic oil?

Also, what do you guys have against Wal Mart? I do not like them because of the way they treat their employees.
 
Possibly because he let the bike set for a long time and the seals dried out thereby causing what some blame on the synthetic oil, a leak.:dunno

Or he's cheap?

Or he doesn't care about the benefits of synthetics?

Or that he's not aware that MOST modern oils have had their anti wear additive package (zinc and phosphorous) reduced to WAY below the recommended minimum requirements of your bike?:deal

Or he is sitting on an oil field and doesn't want anything to hurt his future profits?


:dance:dance:dance
 
I always heard that if you don't us genuine BMW oil, your engine will explode within 1000 miles after you change it.
 
Some feel that synthetic oil in older machines results in oil leaks at seals.

And some of us experienced it personally. I didn't have the problem once. I had the experience on two different bikes. No problem with my newer bikes. I think it more age than miles because the newer bikes had higher miles than the older bikes. Seals harden due to age and/or heat.
 
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