How Long do the Oil Cooler Lines Last?

I have a 1988 R100 RT and I'm wondering how long do the oil cooler lines last.

Long time

To be honest, this is a loaded question. LOL, how many miles do you have on your bike? How many miles do you think you will put on it?

Frankly, I have never heard of oil cooler lines giving out. I know that is not much of an answer, I guess it is best to say, don't worry about them. I had 32000 on my lines when I removed the cooler, that is another topic that has been hashed out for years. St.

88bmwjeff said:

I have a 1988 R100 RT and I'm wondering how long do the oil cooler lines last.

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Having a 1988 R100 RS with 104,xxx miles, I occasionally wonder how long those lines last, as well.
These thoughts only occur to me when an oil change and filter are in process. I will look them over and feel for dryness. As time progresses, I sense no deterioration.
They are made from quite high quality materials.

Bob's fische page for my bike shows they are still available. Replacement may be inexpensive reassurance for you.

So after 35 years, they are not leaking, look OK and are somewhat pliable. But, I've noticed more and more parts for the monoshock bikes are becoming unobtainable. I may replace them so they would last another 35 years. Another thought is with the shift away from ICE to electric motors, manufacturers may stop making and selling parts.

If you buy a new set of lines just in case, it will insure you will never need them.

If you have them on hand, again just in case, you will need to remember where you put them.

OM

Besides "mileage," environmental factors are important.

If your lines have been exposed to the sun, that exposure shortens their life. Heat and cold, artificial light, ...

There is some comfort in knowing Airheads arrived prior to Euro regulations regarding biodegradability of auto parts. Airheads are superior to Oilheads in this regard.

Well the decision was made for me. One of the lines is NLA. Doesn’t make sense to proactively replace only one.

Nla

It may be possible to have a commercial truck or tractor company make you a set of hoses? Doesn't hurt to ask. St.

88bmwjeff said:

Well the decision was made for me. One of the lines is NLA. Doesn’t make sense to proactively replace only one.

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Bob's BMW has them listed as available on their website:
https://www.bobsbmw.com/store/micro...?GroupName=Engine+(11)&MBike=51666&GroupID=11

11 42 1335391 Oil cooler line return
11 42 1335390 Oil cooler line feed

Listings

LOL, I hate to say it but sometimes just because a shop/dealer has a part listed in their microfiche as available, it may not be so. I have talked a few times to the parts department fellows at Max about parts needed that come up on their fiche as still in stock only to find they are not a

Since it takes time to comb through all the listing, the part was never marked NLA until a customer brings it to the shop's attention. Max isn't the only shop this has happened to me but they are the shop I do most business with.

So, I am not saying Bob's doesn't have the lines, LOL, they may have the last two new ones in North America, or a lifetime supply, you have to order to find out.

I thought there was a website by BMW that has microfiches and when you selected a part, one, two or several dealers would come up on a list of available sources for the part. I had this book marked but seems I deleted it by accident. St.

The public online fiche are not always up to date as St. mentioned. I was at my local dealer and the parts guy told me they were no longer available. My best bet is to wait until one of the independent parts suppliers comes up with an alternative. Luckily, my current ones are not leaking at the moment, but I will now treat them with extra care as replacements at the moment are not available for one of the lines.

Given that the average airhead owner is unlikely to replace those hoses until there is a failure or overt sign of pending failure, I’d suspect it will be a looooong time before making replacements is a viable prospect for the aftermarket vendors.

But, any good hydraulic hose & fitting shop can make up a new line for you, using your old fittings, whether you elect to do it now or later.

Best,
DeVern

GTRider said:

Given that the average airhead owner is unlikely to replace those hoses until there is a failure or overt sign of pending failure, I’d suspect it will be a looooong time before making replacements is a viable prospect for the aftermarket vendors.

Best,
DeVern

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I've been searching and found that Morton-Israel makes stainless steel replacement lines for 83.19 Euro excl VAT (±$90 based on Googled conversion rate of $1.08 to 1.00 Euro) plus shipping from Germany. So, I do have an option. It's not the end of the world--at least not yet.

https://www.motoren-israel.com/Shop/Oil-cooler-mounted-in-the-center/Oil-cooler-tubes-SS::493.html