Break-in Period - R1200RT 2013

hi

Looking for bit of advice.

I have a 2013 RT that has about 16k on the clock the last 7k are on my watch. Love the bike but the issue I'm having is that the bike seems to burn oil, aways has. No leaks and no visible oil spray out of the muffler.

At the 12,000 mile service I was told that it's normal for the rings to be still seating and that the oil topping off would slow down. It didn't.

At about 15k I was advised by Beamer Boneyard to do an oil change and use conventional oil MOLY AE20W-50 for until the next change. Still needs to be topped off at 16k.

Today I did about 350 miles and about 200 in the oil light came on, then it went off and at about 250 it came on and stayed on. I looked at the glass and did not see any oil. I put about 8-10oz in, the light went out and I finished the day.

It's not a huge issue to top it off but I was wondering if this is a common issue for this bike?

Thanks in advance

HW

2013 should be the last model year before the water cooled engine right?

I had a 2012 and it was “consuming” oil well into 10k kilometers and slowly stopped after that. I remember that the key was to run your engine rougher (e.g., higher rev and shift later) than you normally would.

hwerner said:

... about 200 in the oil light came on, then it went off and at about 250 it came on and stayed on. I looked at the glass and did not see any oil. I put about 8-10oz in, the light went out and I finished the day.

It's not a huge issue to top it off but I was wondering if this is a common issue for this bike? ...

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That is not common or healthy for any bike or engine. 10oz or more in 250 miles means that there is an issue that needs to be addressed. Likely not a "don't ride it" issue but something that should be identified sooner rather than later.

With that much being lost and no signs of it leaking or being burnt then you have a dilemma. Have someone follow you to see if they can detect oil in the exhaust gasses. The most likely cause, to my limited diagnostic abilities, sounds like the bike was broken in way too gently and the rings didn't seat well at all, however, I question that even as a fresh rebuild shouldn't consume half that amount.

Where are you located? Can you find (or someone here recommend) a quality and knowledgable Oilhead mechanic close to you? A compression test and proper leak-down test will give you some information on the state of the internals, it may not provide enough to help, but is worth a try.

I see you rode 350 miles the day you added oil, but I am not clear on how many miles it had been since the oil level was known to be correct.

I bought my bike at 16,400 miles and it was still using about 12 to 16 ounces per thousand miles. It totally stopped using oil around 18,500 miles.

Coincidentally, that was immediately after a rather, ummm, well, let's call it a spirited ride through West Virginia mountains using the full rpm range with frequent changes.

lkraus said:

I see you rode 350 miles the day you added oil, but I am not clear on how many miles it had been since the oil level was known to be correct.

I bought my bike at 16,400 miles and it was still using about 12 to 16 ounces per thousand miles. It totally stopped using oil around 18,500 miles.

Coincidentally, that was immediately after a rather, ummm, well, let's call it a spirited ride through West Virginia mountains using the full rpm range with frequent changes.

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My 2005 used oil, but not as much as you're talking about... less than a quart between 6K changes. (I bought that bike with 39K miles and sold it with 52.5K miles). It did seem to run better after I "ride it like I stole it".

Before yesterday’s ride the oil level was correct.

Thanks for all the wise words.

I suspect the original owner was a bit timid.


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kevinsclo said:

2013 should be the last model year before the water cooled engine right?

I had a 2012 and it was “consuming” oil well into 10k kilometers and slowly stopped after that. I remember that the key was to run your engine rougher (e.g., higher rev and shift later) than you normally would.

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Thanks for the reply. I'm wondering two things. Did you keep to the 6k oil change cycle, or did you shorten it and do you use conventional oil or synthetic.

I've been told that using conventional oil helps get the ring to seat quicker.

thanks

HW

There is a HUGE difference between the oil light (low oil pressure) and the low oil level icon. Please confirm it was the low oil level icon.

Rod

Hex-head bikes should use conventional oils for the first 12000 miles to ensure the rings seat properly, if previous owner switched to synthetic too early or didn’t break in the rings properly, oil usage would continue
At this point you have 2 options, re-ring the cylinders $$$$ or top off the oil and ride it like you stole it, seriously make the engine work, 7000-8000 RPMS shifts and use compression braking, you are trying to get the glaze off the cylinder walls. This may take several thousand miles keep checking oil level
My 2012 1200gs was broke in hard, after the first 1000 miles oil usage was minuscule, I switched to synthetic oil at 6k, but continued to ride bike hard

My oil-heads were all broken in on conventional oil and switched to synthetic when they stopped using oil. Usually around 12K, give or take. Ride it like you stole it and the rings will seat properly.
Use conventional oil and keep an eye on the oil level. Bring oil with you just in case.
Right around 25K is where these bikes will start to be broken in and smooth out more. YMMV

hwerner said:

Thanks for the reply. I'm wondering two things. Did you keep to the 6k oil change cycle, or did you shorten it and do you use conventional oil or synthetic.

I've been told that using conventional oil helps get the ring to seat quicker.

thanks

HW

Click to expand...

I used conventional oil and change annually (after hibernation). I suspect you could start using the OEM synthetic mix after the break-in period.

(Hope I’m not starting a oil-discussion war here.)

^ I agree that there is no difference in oil when breaking in a bike.
The only reason to use conventional oil is because it's cheaper to keep adding it in case of heavy use..... Yup I'm cheap that way... YMMV