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My R1150RT Maintenance Schedule

OK so you bought the bike at 36,200 miles and the final drive went at 37,000 miles. This will be hard for you to believe obviously given your convictions however it probably had nothing to do with the oil and everything to do with incorrect bearing shimming or severely abusive loading or riding. That black puddle you found is from the seal deteriorating after the bearing goes and melts it and very likely not from the oil itself. This is pretty well documented elsewhere. If you had owned the bike since new you would have changed your final drive oil over 14 times at that point. Guess what? It probably would have failed anyway.

It is also dead obvious that despite what you may think you are over doing the service intervals with products not intended for use in your bike by the people who designed it. The forums are great places to learn but a terrible place to preach as I'm sure you've noticed. You should at a minimum consider the advice of those with just as many (or more) years of experience as yourself. Riding and wrenching on cars and bikes for 40 years is nothing special around here, trust me. I have to wonder how much of that experience was just changing fluids?

Even though the best advice here agrees with you that changing the final drive oil more often than recommended is a good idea you are so far beyond that it makes no sense. More really isn't always better. Having cheap access to Amsoil products is no reason to over use them. Maybe save a few quarts for the kids eh?

From the factory manual for YOUR bike:

00 11 229 Changing the oil in the rear wheel drive
(Inspections I, III and IV)
every 40,000 km (24,000 miles) or at the latest every 2 years
? Change the gear oil at operating temperature.
Quantity:
to bottom of thread in oil filler hole
...... approx. 0.25 l (0.44 Imp. pints/0.26 US quarts)
Oil grade for rear wheel drive:
Brand name hypoid-gear lubricant SAE 90 API GL 5
 
Regardless of "years of experience" guys like you can't hold a candle to someone with a viable engineering degree and experience in design and production of BMW motorcycles. .

+1!

Just think about that the vehicles we buy - in this case motorcycles - aren't just produced according to a drawing in an office. Once they reach a prototype or pre-production status they go through extensive field tests on the road and the components are submitted to rigorous lab tests that are designed to simulate years of use in order to verify designs and determine durability.
Just think about how long before you see a bike that you can buy on the showroom floor have you seen pictures of disguised models on the internet caught during test rides.
 
Forgot to mention that I also clean my KN air filter and re-oil every 2,000 miles whether it needs it or not. I also vacuum out any debris from the air box.

I've also added N48 Neodymium magnets to the bottom of my oil filer, oil drain plug, transmission drain plug and FD drain plug. You'd be surprised how much crap they collect. Highly recommend doing this to a new bike and especially to an older bike you just purchased since in most cases, you have no good means of determining how well the bike was maintained (unless of course the last owner keeps meticulous records and receipts like I do).

Lets burn some gas, use more oil, leave rubber on the road and increase our carbon footprint today! That should piss off NObama, Boxer and Feinstein really well.


Sent from my iPhone
 
Forgot to mention that I also clean my KN air filter and re-oil every 2,000 miles whether it needs it or not.
Sent from my iPhone

If you really do this, it's very clear you do not understand how those filters work.
I am not even going to explain, someday you may understand.
 
Forgot to mention that I also clean my KN air filter and re-oil every 2,000 miles whether it needs it or not.

Lets burn some gas, use more oil, leave rubber on the road and increase our carbon footprint today! That should piss off NObama, Boxer and Feinstein really well.


Sent from my iPhone

wow, this could be a record on this forum.

From "worthwhile", then "reasonable", then "credible", followed by a notable downgrade to "possibly believable", on to "valueless", then to "foolish", right onto "pointedly ignorant", and culminating in "just another useless internet troll" in 22 posts.
 
wow, this could be a record on this forum.

From "worthwhile", then "reasonable", then "credible", followed by a notable downgrade to "possibly believable", on to "valueless", then to "foolish", right onto "pointedly ignorant", and culminating in "just another useless internet troll" in 22 posts.

Plus an injection of personal political views as his (hopefully) last shot...:brow
 
If per your maintenance schedule you want to over-wrench, go right ahead. Me I prefer to ride more.

Maybe I'm just dumb lucky with 94 RS, untouched original injectors, fuel pump, fuel regulator. Original final drive untouched in 175,000 miles, running synthetic 75W90 changed every 20k. replaced the driveshaft. 3rd clutch (2nd one was my screw-up). Engine internals untouched, running synthetic oil changed every 5k. I rebuilt the alternator, rebuilt the TB's, replaced the starter, replaced the timing chain tensioners. Done all my own maintenance, and I'm no mechanic. Bike still runs great,

I have though, for years, run a bottle of Techron through the fuel system at least twice per 10,000 miles. Have used Marvel oil in the past too. Don't see any need to change MY maintenance program now.
 
Final drive only/no oils

GSAddict - I bought my RT with 36,200 miles on it and the FD gave out at 37,000+. It was already ruined by the last owner. When I first drained the final drive it came out like melted licorice. That's abuse and non-maintenance. Using 75W140 Severe Gear had nothing to do with it. I'd like to know what your basis is for claiming the use of heavy gear oil has caused problems. Lets see the stories and the evidence. As stated before, I've used Amsoil in all of my dozens of motorcycles and always used a heavier gear oil. No issues in 40 years. You were saying?


Sent from my iPhone

This bike is 10+ years old with 37,000 miles on it. At some time, this bike sat for a long time. The final drive is vented and will attract stuff; water, vapors and dust. The oil you changed out of it was most likely after bringing it home after a short test ride. Some one started off with a dry upper half of the final drive. Rusting and pitting and flaking into the oil you changed out.
These bikes NEED to be ridden! I see more seal failures from bikes that have low mileage for there age. The upper half of the seal goes dry and scores till lubed again.

Good Luck with the bike, but I see a main seal, transmission input seal and a final drive pinion seal in your future..it's not a thing about the oil you use, this bike sat and rotating things on dry seals will score them....

My two cents.................
 
Interesting too, doesn't Amsoil advertise thier products are effective at longer usage intervals, thus offsetting the higher cost of the product. But his maintenance schedule actually DOUBLES the fluid change interval, thus getting 1/2 the life of standard fluids.

Hmm,...I believe in Amsoil products, seems he should too by supporting their recommendations to use longer fluid change intervals.

Kinda like,.....a Ford car salesman only driving Chevy products?
 
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