Oil Changes

I have been doing my own oil changes on my bike R1200CLC since I got it last march. Using regular oil I changed it every 3000 Miles. I now have 18,000 miles on the bike and have just switched to synthetic. How long between changes should I go? Any comments would help.

thanks

John

I went 6k between on my roadster, and when I get my RS broken in, I will do the same with it.

The official interval is 6K with regular oil. Synthetic is even better, so the standard interval should be plenty soon unless most of your driving is stop and go in heavy traffic.

Oil change interval

Based on my annual mileage, about 6-8000, I change the oil once a year at the beginning of spring. Synthetic oil and a new filter. My 1983 RT has had this treatment for 12 years and at 60,000 miles is like new.

Black Gold

Synthetic oil has more and stronger detergents than regular oil. This helps to keep the engine clean during the longer service cycles. You could have been able to see through the dino, and in less than 100 miles the synthetic turns black, don't worry, its just doing its job cleaning crud out of the engine.

The only good advice I can offer on oil changes is that you need to change the oil before it needs to be changed. All your engine manuals basically state this in one way or another. I wear in my engines with BMW dino changing every 3K, then switch to Synthetic and change every 6K, the oil I drain out is always in good condition.

Welcome aboard

Oil changes

TO: Dr Johnny B1:

Hi, Doc! I've basically made up my mind to buy an R1200 CLC,
but I'm going to wait until the 2005s come out, in the hope that
they'll have more power and/or the new, uprated boxer engine
w/counterbalance shaft, or further refinements and improve-
ments over the 2004 model. I would feel privileged to learn
from you, however, any opinions and observations about your
bike, to wit:

(1) If you had it to do over, would you buy another one of the
same model?

(2) Have you felt the need to return the bike to the dealer for
any unscheduled repairs or adjustments?

(3) Are you contemplating the purchase of any BMW-endorsed
microchips/re-mapping software/exhaust pipe replacements
for more horsepower?

(4) Did you buy an extended warranty?

(5) How long did your original 16" tires last?

(6) Did you replace them w/OEM original tires?

As I said over on the "Clubhouse" forum, I'm an older rider
and I dislike unpleasant surprises in my life! In other words,
I want to own the bike; I don't want the bike to own me!
Also, I don't want to be nickeled and dimed to death,
especially since BMW doesn't "do" nickels and dimes - more
like hundreds of dollars at a clip! Anything you can provide by
way of insight would be deeply appreciated. Many thanks in
advance.

Question for Darkcloud.

"the oil I drain out is always in good condition."

How do you know?

Tastes just like German beer if you drink it

No, no. you have it wrong. That's before it goes in.

Hi,

New to the board. Anyhow, have been using Castrol Syntech 20W50 every 1K or so. This may be overkill, but it seems to keep Jurge waggin' his tail pipe.

Yours in Frequent Oil Changes,
Bokata

It's your money, but, yes, it's overkill. Modern oils, especially synthetics, are good for 5K-6K miles easily. Even the people who sell or change oil say 3K miles.

And on an LD ride, they're good for much longer than that. As someone wiser and more knowledgeable than I can probably attest, oils are most damaged by the repeated cycle from cold engine to hot engine. So if you're droning down the interstate for many many miles, you go further than 6k between oil changes. If all you ever do is ride a few miles at a time, never letting the bike fully warm up, then every 2k miles is warranted. But for everyday use, if the bike gets ridden far enough to fully warm up, every 5k to 6k is good enough.

Will a bike last longer if you change the oil every 1k miles? maybe. But it would also last longer if sealed it in a vault and never rode it. It's all about the compromise between service, use, and value.

Hello! I change my oil about every 3-4k but man $18 for an oil filter is there any alternative for the filter? I always change filter when changing oil seems silly not too. I did find a a better price on the internet but after shipping wasn't much of a savings.

Subject change:
Also I just adjusted my valves they didn't seem to far off, only had to ajust maybe one intake and two exhaust then took the bike for a ride to warm it up so I could adjust the throttle bodies. It felt like it was running smoother. I hooked up my trottle master and with the sensitivity all the way up it was way to close to change anything. The question is can just adjusting the valves make a noticeable difference in precieved smoothness?
I have a 2000 R1100RS

jdcoffman said:

Hello! I change my oil about every 3-4k but man $18 for an oil filter is there any alternative for the filter? I always change filter when changing oil seems silly not too. I did find a a better price on the internet but after shipping wasn't much of a savings.

Click to expand...

$18! At most shops, I think, the filter is around $10 to 12. Next road trip, stop at another shop and get some filters.

Subject change:
Also I just adjusted my valves they didn't seem to far off, only had to ajust maybe one intake and two exhaust then took the bike for a ride to warm it up so I could adjust the throttle bodies. It felt like it was running smoother. I hooked up my trottle master and with the sensitivity all the way up it was way to close to change anything. The question is can just adjusting the valves make a noticeable difference in precieved smoothness?
I have a 2000 R1100RS

Click to expand...

A most definite Yes.