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Camheads use oil? 2012 R1200RT

ja1800

New member
I have a 2012 R1200RT, my first boxer, with about 4500 miles now. Since its 600 mile service, it has gone through most of 2 quarts of oil. Does this sound within normal range to you guys?
 
I have a 2012 R1200RT, my first boxer, with about 4500 miles now. Since its 600 mile service, it has gone through most of 2 quarts of oil. Does this sound within normal range to you guys?
A little heavy, but not unheard of. My 2012 RT has used about a 1qt. in nearly 5K miles.

FWIW, I'd talk to my dealer about it to document the issue, and then watch it over the next oil change cycle. Usage should start tapering off by 8-10K, and finish using any appreciable amount between changes by about 20K. If yours is still using a large quantity of oil by 8-10K, I'd ask for the engine to be opened up for inspection, as every once in a blue moon there's a defect that gets through -- I know of one boxer that had piston issues due to a defective cylinder.
 
ja:

Welcome.

On the grey bar above this box there is a tool bar. Click on "search". In the box that drops down, click on "advanced search". In the box that drops down, in the space marked "keywords" type in "oil consumption". On the right hand side, in "search in forums", click on "camheads/hexheads". At the bottom of the box, click on "search now".

Get out your favourite beverage, and read all the threads.
 
Data point

My 012 camhead has used approx 1 quart in the 3500 miles since the 600 mi service.
 
Boxers are notoriously oil thirsty thru their first 3-6k miles of life. Every boxer my wife and I have had (6 now, all R1200 motors) have been the same. Somewhere around the 3-6k miles mark they all finally stop slurping oil. Seals breaking in...thirsty gremlin living in the sump...who knows. My '08 GSA took 6k miles before it quit sucking oil, then it was fine. My wife's current 2012 R1200R just hit 3k miles and the oil consumption is now starting to slow down. My 2012 GS is about to hit 2k miles (only had it a month), and the oil consumption isn't too bad, relatively speaking. I would keep track of it and see if it starts to slow down soon. I'd bet by 6k it will drop a lot.
 
I'm new to BMWs. I have 7500 miles on my '12 RT and it's using 10W-40 at a total average rate since new of 1 Q per 10,000 miles. (That total rate would be higher if I eliminated the first 600 mile consumption.)

During the first 600 miles it used 1 Q at the rate of 3200 miles. But after 600 miles it almost immediately dropped down to about the same rate it is consuming now at 7500 miles on the odometer.

I've read all the stuff about BMW boxers consuming oil up till about 15k to 20k but I'm happy mine didn't do that.

I avoided the "ride it like your stole it" break-in procedure that's sometimes recommended. I broke it in more gently, like it cost me $20,000, and that's not even close to a steal. :)

(I keep meticulous records. I pour oil into 3 oz plastic bottles and use a spreadsheet.)
 
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I consumed 1/2 quart in 2500 miles on a recent trip on my R1200GSA. I was shocked to look in the window and see nothing. My cousin on his Yamaha Super Tenere took it as a sign that his machine was far superior because he consumed none in the same distance.
 
2010 R1200GSA Oil usage

Mine has app. 12K on it and still uses a bit but it has slowed. Anyway a GS/GSA totally, completely, and absolutely "out-cool factors" a super Tenere' :nyah
It also looks like it is supposed to have all the bags on it, not like they are a tacked-on afterthought!!!
 
I got a 2010 RT that has never used oil. Just checked it now after a 10 day 4,400 mile ride that put a total of 8,000 miles on my last oil change. The oil level is just below the half way mark on the sight glass.

I got 32,000 miles on the bike and it felt like it took 24,000 miles to break it in. By that I mean that the bike just kept feeling better as the miles added up. I went to synthetic oil at the 12K service. I used the mototman breakin method in the first 250 miles without reving the engine high (still within specs).

I almost always long term park (overnight or longer) on the center stand. I'm wondering if the bikes using oil are parked on the side stand too often... just thinking...

tsp
My Blog: http://www.swriding.blogspot.com
 
Watch out for the oil cooler release trick!

If the engine isn't fully warmed, some oil can stay trapped up in the cooler and make it look low. Make sure motor is thorougly warmed and wait time per manual to check for oil to settle. I overfilled mine once due to this; what a pain to dribble the overfill out without a complete change.
 
I almost always long term park (overnight or longer) on the center stand. I'm wondering if the bikes using oil are parked on the side stand too often... just thinking...

^^^ I thought the same thing. FWIW, everytime I park my bike on the side stand, my RT leaks a bit of oil. When I park it on the center stand, no leaks... Interesting observation...

My '12 RT has not burned any oil in under 600 miles, and I've not babied it during break-in, but I've not gone the other extreme either.

Norm427: I hope you baby your Z06, to prevent the dreaded valve drop. ;)
I sure do...:laugh

Cheers/B
 
minimal oil usage

2011 RT purchased in January, 2012. In the first 600 miles, the oil went halfway down the sight glass. Dealer put in 10w-40 Spectro oil at that change. Between 600 and 5000 miles, it also went halfway down the sight glass, but very slowly, proportional to the miles ridden. (some will tell you that the bike will 'blow off' oil if filled to the top of the glass. Maybe theirs does, but mine does not). At 5000 miles, I put in Mobile 1 4t motorcycle oil, and between 5000 and 10,000 mikes, it used almost none (from the top of the glass down to about one quarter inch below the top of the glass), including one 2000 mile trip in 4 days. Since I live in Arizona, I also ride in quite a bit of heat. Put in Mobile 1 again, and so far, no noticable consumption in 1000 miles since the last change. FWIW, I also park long term on the center stand. :)
 
I avoided the "ride it like your stole it" break-in procedure that's sometimes recommended. I broke it in more gently, like it cost me $20,000, and that's not even close to a steal. :)


in the end, it's your bike and you should do what's comfortable for you, but I disagree. I pretty much rode it up to, the book recommended limit RPM for the first 600 miles.. (4500 for the first 200, 5500 2nd 200, etc..)... I also downshifted the bike thru all the gears to create more compression to assist the rings in seating. The importance of "Ride it like you stole it" in the beginning is that it allows the rings to seat and thus prevents the oil burn problems...

at my 600 mile change, I was down less than 1/4 quart.... I've since put on 2000+ miles using a pure ester synthetic (Motul 20W50) and thus far have only had to add maybe 1oz at best to keep it to the top of the sight glass... As far as I can tell, that smell of burned engine oil went away after about 400 miles.. so the engine is more or less broken in.
 
My new 04 RT bought from dealer in August of 04 was ridden like I stole it from day one and never used any oil. My 06 RT bought used never used any either but I don't know how it was broken in.
 
If you park it all the time on the sidestand, I bet you regularly see a puff or more of smoke on startup. Maybe sometimes much more than a puff- like a minute's worth of smoking. It also depends how long it was parked like that too. That is using up some oil, but it's not 'consuming' oil while riding.
 
The mechanic at the dealer told me to tilt the bike to the right for a few (5 seconds). It became a habit with the airhead and I still do it with the oilhead.

It stopped the random smoking upon start up on the airhead. I have only seen my Oilhead do it a few times in 3 years. I still tip the bike to the right and will with my next bike an R1200R in Red.

David
 
If you park it all the time on the sidestand, I bet you regularly see a puff or more of smoke on startup. Maybe sometimes much more than a puff- like a minute's worth of smoking. It also depends how long it was parked like that too. That is using up some oil, but it's not 'consuming' oil while riding.

is that from oil seeping past the piston rings while it's angled that way?
 
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