deilenberger
A bozo on the bus
Winter oil threads (and break-in threads) are always fun..
My prescription for breaking in a boxer:
1. Do the 600 mile change with dino oil (the dealer used the BMW stuff IIRC.. forget the viscosity, but I could look it up..)
2. Go for a weeks ride in West Virginia and along the Blue Ridge Parkway - sticking pretty much to the recommended 4k rev limit, but do a lot of downhill engine braking.
3. At 3,000 miles in Asheville - add 1/2 quart of oil (again dino)
4. When home at 6,000 miles, since the oil level hasn't changed significantly since topped off in Asheville - switch to BMW Synthetic.
Continue riding. Uses about 1/4 quart (top of window to bottom quarter) between 6,000 mile changes. Well within the expected use from an air/oil cooled engine that is often run fairly hard (RPMs not necessarily speed..)
Hey - guess what? My prescription pretty much sounds like what BMW described in their owners manual. Who'da thunk it?
FWIW - the bike the R1200R replaced, a '94 R1150RS - always used oil (and buzzed.) The first owner was a very well respected BMW mechanic (and fellow Ambassador - HI JOE!), but I suspect he was a bit gentle on the bike since he resides in Florida, and that's probably where it was "broken-in".. IMHO, it's the pressure on the rings caused by using the engine as a brake on downhill stretches of mountain in WV that did the break-in for me. Helps push the rings against the cylinder walls making them good friends with each other. At least that's my theory. Plus it's just a whole buncha fun riding in West Virginia.
My prescription for breaking in a boxer:
1. Do the 600 mile change with dino oil (the dealer used the BMW stuff IIRC.. forget the viscosity, but I could look it up..)
2. Go for a weeks ride in West Virginia and along the Blue Ridge Parkway - sticking pretty much to the recommended 4k rev limit, but do a lot of downhill engine braking.
3. At 3,000 miles in Asheville - add 1/2 quart of oil (again dino)
4. When home at 6,000 miles, since the oil level hasn't changed significantly since topped off in Asheville - switch to BMW Synthetic.
Continue riding. Uses about 1/4 quart (top of window to bottom quarter) between 6,000 mile changes. Well within the expected use from an air/oil cooled engine that is often run fairly hard (RPMs not necessarily speed..)
Hey - guess what? My prescription pretty much sounds like what BMW described in their owners manual. Who'da thunk it?
FWIW - the bike the R1200R replaced, a '94 R1150RS - always used oil (and buzzed.) The first owner was a very well respected BMW mechanic (and fellow Ambassador - HI JOE!), but I suspect he was a bit gentle on the bike since he resides in Florida, and that's probably where it was "broken-in".. IMHO, it's the pressure on the rings caused by using the engine as a brake on downhill stretches of mountain in WV that did the break-in for me. Helps push the rings against the cylinder walls making them good friends with each other. At least that's my theory. Plus it's just a whole buncha fun riding in West Virginia.