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white smoke on start up

irishrover14

New member
I own a 2014 RT when i woke it up this spring after a 6 month sleep it blew a very large white cloud of smoke for about 5 seconds and then cleared right up.
I only have around 15000 miles on the bike and it runs perfect never an issue, it hasn't done it since could it just be because it sat and oil leaked into the cylinders ?
Is this normal with Boxers ? This is the first BMW i ever owned should i be concerned are the valve seals leaking ?
 
6 months is a long nap. I just went for my first ride in 3 months on my '16 RT, due to torn bicep was not able to ride for awhile. It also put out a respectable size white cloud. Smoke? or Steam? I imagine there's been time for plenty of condensation. Been for 3 rides of about 100 miles each in the last week. Bike runs fantastically. I made sure it was full of 93 octane non-ethanol polluted gas when I knew it would be sitting for awhile. Just my opinion, but I'd say just ride it. I love this bike.

Off subject, I've been contemplating the Can-Am RT during my convalescence. I'm 65, don't heal as quickly as I once did and can't pick up a fallen machine, or wrestle it through gravel parking lot like I once could. But, that's a subject for a different time.
 
Sometimes my 2018 RT does it after it has been sitting for an extended time. Boxer engine will seep some oil down the left cylinder when sitting on the side stand. It doesn't do it all the time sao perhaps it has something to do with the position of the pistons at shut off.
 
White smoke tells me that there was moisture in the exhaust system which rapidly evaporated when the exhaust heated up. I think it is not an issue at all except for possible corrosion of any non-stainless innards in the muffler.

Residual oil in a cylinder would, in my opinion, cause more blueish or gray smoke, and it would last longer than just a few seconds if there was enough to cause a big cloud.
 
smoke

If you left it on the side stand some oil makes its way past the rings and burns off on start-up. It is a fairly common occurence after letting it set for some time.
 
White smoke tells me that there was moisture in the exhaust system which rapidly evaporated when the exhaust heated up. I think it is not an issue at all except for possible corrosion of any non-stainless innards in the muffler.

Residual oil in a cylinder would, in my opinion, cause more blueish or gray smoke, and it would last longer than just a few seconds if there was enough to cause a big cloud.

The only thing I can comment on that is my RT is stored in a heated garage so there should not be any condensation. It has to be either oil or coolant and considering I never add coolant I will say it is a small amount of oil sneaking past the piston rings while parked. Also synthetic oil does not burn with the same characteristics of dino oil. In my experience it syn burns white or light gray.
 
If you want smoke on start-up fly a Radial Engine airplane, PW1340 will if it’s sat for a extended time F**ts smoke for about 15seconds on first start, thereafter starts are dry. Oil can and will seep past rings on bottom cylinders
 
The K100 and K75 engines were notorious for sometimes but not always blowing blue smoke on startup after being parked on the sidestand. So much so that the "Great K Bike Smokeout" event was held during field events at a few late '80s early '90s BMW MOA rallies. I entered Old Smokey one year. Some bikes smoked a lot. I still think the winner squirted extra oil through a spark plug hole. My bike wouldn't smoke at all. :banghead

But wait! I was on a charity poker run a couple of months later. At the first stop, with 20 or 25 bikes of many brands parked right there, owners milling around, I started the bike to leave and it exhibited a contest winning performance, blowing blue gray smoke for several blocks as I rode away. :clap
 
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