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2012 RT with high oil consumption

okspit

New member
I'm new to the air cooled RT model. I just purchased mine in January with 1500 miles on it. I now have just over 4000 miles and have had to add 2 quarts of oil over this span. Is it normal to have this high an oil consumption rate? Is this something that will diminish over time or is this something that I will have to live with. I have never had a bike use this much oil either Japanese or my K 1200 GT. Thanks
 
oil use

Have a 2012 RT also purchased in Mar. had 200 miles on it, first service done at 800 miles now has 3,500 and has used
0ne quart so far. In the past my 1100 RT and 1200 GS used oil till about 10,000 miles. Amounts varied depending on how they were run [ highway or in town] an outside temp. Hope this helps.
 
Take it to the mountains and ride it like you stole it.... Keep the rpms up... don't lug it around...

My 2012 stopped using oil between 15,000 and 18,000 miles... Now at 32,000 it runs like a sewing machine... shifts smooth.... what a machine...
 
My amateur diagnosis...

I'm new to the air cooled RT model. I just purchased mine in January with 1500 miles on it. I now have just over 4000 miles and have had to add 2 quarts of oil over this span. Is it normal to have this high an oil consumption rate? Is this something that will diminish over time or is this something that I will have to live with. I have never had a bike use this much oil either Japanese or my K 1200 GT. Thanks

Sir, obviously I'm not a professional, but I'm sure you know where to find them, I hope a BMW Motorcycle dealership is near you, to get professional advice. I think that most motorcycle engines, at least all bmw engines that I know of use a "little bit" of oil, i.e. 2 or 3 ounces every 3000 miles. Make sure you are complying with the operators manual instructions for proper oil level, sight glass, center stand, fully warmed, 5 minute wait, (2005 R1200RT operators manual) and the full verses less than full picture on the sight glass. at 2 quarts for 2500 miles I definitely think that is excessive. I recommend you come off the forum and take my amateur advice and call your local bmw dealership and ask their maintenance tech. A good BMW dealership will always have their techs shoot straight over the phone, they'll probably have you come in for a diagnosis of their own. Good luck and safe riding.
 
2 Quarts in 2500 miles is NOT normal. It may be that the bike was never broken in properly, but your first stop should be your local dealer.

These bikes use some oil as the engine breaks in but nothing like what you're talking about. Mine used 4 - 6 ounces every 3000 miles which was when I changed my oil, but that seems to have stopped now that I'm approaching 9000 miles.

You might have to go through the break in according to the manual again.

I've heard people say that day long spirited rides keeping the revs up will help, but I don't know that to be fact. I did run mine right up to redline according to the book as I reached break in, and still do occasionally. No harm to the engine and no significant oil consumption either. Mine seems to be getting smoother as the miles add up as well.

Good luck!
 
Sir, obviously I'm not a professional, but I'm sure you know where to find them, I hope a BMW Motorcycle dealership is near you, to get professional advice. I think that most motorcycle engines, at least all bmw engines that I know of use a "little bit" of oil, i.e. 2 or 3 ounces every 3000 miles. Make sure you are complying with the operators manual instructions for proper oil level, sight glass, center stand, fully warmed, 5 minute wait, (2005 R1200RT operators manual) and the full verses less than full picture on the sight glass. at 2 quarts for 2500 miles I definitely think that is excessive. I recommend you come off the forum and take my amateur advice and call your local bmw dealership and ask their maintenance tech. A good BMW dealership will always have their techs shoot straight over the phone, they'll probably have you come in for a diagnosis of their own. Good luck and safe riding.

What he said! :deal
 
2 Quarts in 2500 miles is NOT normal.

BMW will disagree with you. AFAIK the BMW line is anything up to 1 liter/1000 km is acceptable use. It's been that way for decades. I'm not agreeing with BMW, just telling you what their published info says.
 
My first bmw was a 2004 1150RT and I rode home before I ever looked at the book. It was 125 miles from dealer to home and I "rode it like I stole it" several trips to redline and never gentle on the throttle. That bike never used an ounce of oil. My current 2006 RT runs 6000 miles between changes (Mobil One) and uses no oil either. The gentleman I bought it from claims he "rode heck out of it" from day one. These bikes need to be ridden not pampered.
 
Great advice

Take it to the mountains and ride it like you stole it.... Keep the rpms up... don't lug it around...

My 2012 stopped using oil between 15,000 and 18,000 miles... Now at 32,000 it runs like a sewing machine... shifts smooth.... what a machine...

I couldn't agree more. My 2012 RT @ 17K has burned 1200cc of oil in the last 4K miles. Oil usage is improving as the miles rack up. The up and down and on/off throttle of mountain driving is the best thing you can do for it. Run conventional mineral oil and keep it at half way up the sight glass. Run it hard and use up a set of tires. Come back and tell us what happens.
 
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2012 RT Here...

And I now have just over 8k miles. The usage appears to be slowing but between my 600 mile service and the 6k mile service the bike consumed two liters. My dealer did use BMW 15w-50 full synthetic at the 600 mile service, as suggested by BMW.

Although this went against what I have historically practiced I went along with it thinking it would be best in the event there was a warranty issue. Either way I suspect that as the miles continue to build the consumption will decline.

Scot
 
Thank you all for your input. While I have no idea how the original owner broke the bike in, I really don't think that he was the type of rider to charge down mountain roads running up to redline. I however am just the opposite and have gone through the original set of tires and just put a set of road pilot 2's on it. So while I am not beating the thing, I do ride it as hard as I rode the GT. I will check with the dealer for their input but I guess that I will just have to keep a close eye on the level and see what happens as the miles add up.
 
My dealer said to use the on-ramps as a place to get the bike close to redline in order to shorten the time that oil is used. The "ride it like you stole it" approach will stop the oil usage that occurs with a new engine.
 
I have a 2011 R1200GS that I bought brand new. It now has about 71,000 km on it. I was absolutely anal about following BMW's break-in instructions regarding RPM limitations during the break-in period. For the first 30,000 km or so, on 10W-40 dino oil, it used some oil between oil changes, to the point where I had to add some. After about 30,000 km I changed to 10W-40 full synthetic. Now, it uses less than 500 ml during the 10,000 km between oil changes, i.e. I don't have to add any oil between oil changes. I thought Kawasaki had a good line in the manuals that I had for a couple of their bikes, "you can break it in, or you can break it down", the choice is yours, depending in large part on maintaing reasonable RPM limits during the break in period.
 
My first bmw was a 2004 1150RT and I rode home before I ever looked at the book. It was 125 miles from dealer to home and I "rode it like I stole it" several trips to redline and never gentle on the throttle. That bike never used an ounce of oil. My current 2006 RT runs 6000 miles between changes (Mobil One) and uses no oil either. The gentleman I bought it from claims he "rode heck out of it" from day one. These bikes need to be ridden not pampered.

Ding ding, there is your answer.
 
Let's see...had a friend with 37 miles on his new GS and rode it like he stole it...and ruined a big end bearing....the owner always knows best.
 
And I now have just over 8k miles. The usage appears to be slowing but between my 600 mile service and the 6k mile service the bike consumed two liters. My dealer did use BMW 15w-50 full synthetic at the 600 mile service, as suggested by BMW.

Although this went against what I have historically practiced I went along with it thinking it would be best in the event there was a warranty issue. Either way I suspect that as the miles continue to build the consumption will decline.

Scot

What have you normally done? 20w50?
 
So you check the oil after the bike is warm, wait 10 minutes with it on the center stand, and maintain an oil level at the halfway level in the window, eh?
 
So you check the oil after the bike is warm, wait 10 minutes with it on the center stand, and maintain an oil level at the halfway level in the window, eh?

No, at end of day of riding I stop in neutral with engine idling and press the button to verify there is oil in there and always get a "check" mark.

No worries.
 
I picked mine up as slightly used at 2000 miles, I could tell by looking at the tires it had probably been babied. It gulped oil at first, I did a 1700 mile weekend to Ft. Davis and a quart barely got me home. I read this forum and stuck with it ! Miles in the low 34000 range now and I do not have to add between service intervals. I didn't ride it like a maniac but I didn't baby it either. Stick with it .
 
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