• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

  • Beginning April 1st, and running through April 30th, there is a new 2024 BMW MOA Election discussion area within The Club section of the forum. Within this forum area is also a sticky post that provides the ground rules for participating in the Election forum area. Also, the candidates statements are provided. Please read before joining the conversation, because the rules are very specific to maintain civility.

    The Election forum is here: Election Forum

First oil change - R1150R

R

r65_steve

Member
I bought this bike last summer and the guy that sold it to me, gave me a bunch of parts and filters and the remainder of a jug of oil. I added that over the last year and it's probably time to change the oil in the near future. The bike came with no book. I needed a quart last week and bought some at the motorcycle shop (not the BMW dealer). They sold me 10w40 SJ with a motorcycle on the label. We talked about it needing special "SJ" oil for the clutch (I'm 99% sure my bike has a dry clutch, right?).

Anyhow, the stuff I got from the seller was 20w50 Liquid Moly Mineral. On my oil airhead, I used 20W50 dinosaur oil like I put in my old 911.

What should I be using in this fine machine? Synthetic, mineral, what weight?
 
Definitely a dry clutch, and 20W50, but don't even start an oil discussion... Oil oppinions are kind of like navels, everybody has one. Mine: I started running 20W50 Castrol in '72, and still do, in airheads, bricks and oilheads. Several with well over 100k, and never a failure related to oil. How often do you plan to change it? I change engine oil every 2k and filter every 4k. No reason to change what's worked for forty-five plus years, IMHO. Hope you have a good riding season. gp
 
6322 said:
Definitely a dry clutch, and 20W50, but don't even start an oil discussion... p
Click to expand...


Oh I know. It's almost like religion!

I've never changed any oil without changing the filter. To me, it's like going to the bathroom without washing your hands. :)

I had no specific interval in mind, I was thinking 5K like my cars (synthetic), but that seems a little high if folks go 2-4K. Wow.
 
R65_Steve said:
I had no specific interval in mind, I was thinking 5K like my cars (synthetic), but that seems a little high if folks go 2-4K. Wow.
Click to expand...

5,000 miles is fine and what BMW recommends provided you're using the specified, motorcycle-specific, 20W-50 oil. Besides Mr. Phillips (above) someone here has been using Castrol Motorcycle Oil for just under a zillion miles on her RS. Not sure of her name but she always wears red. :)
 
Intervals

Only adding that my '04 R1150RT (purchased new with currently 104k miles) has digested a steady diet of Amsoil 20w50 since break-in was completed.

I've followed the manual with 6k oil changes and filter along with the tranny and final drive (which require changes at 12k, but I'm anal) :)



RPGR90s
 
BC1100S said:
5,000 miles is fine and what BMW recommends provided you're using the specified, motorcycle-specific, 20W-50 oil. Besides Mr. Phillips (above) someone here has been using Castrol Motorcycle Oil for just under a zillion miles on her RS. Not sure of her name but she always wears red. :)
Click to expand...

OK, so if I use motorcycle specific oil, then I could go to 5K? (which will be years in my case). Is the motorcycle specific that labeled "SJ"? What is specifically needed for a BMW since it's not lubing the clutch?
 
6322 said:
Definitely a dry clutch, and 20W50, but don't even start an oil discussion... Oil oppinions are kind of like navels, everybody has one. Mine: I started running 20W50 Castrol in '72, and still do, in airheads, bricks and oilheads. Several with well over 100k, and never a failure related to oil. How often do you plan to change it? I change engine oil every 2k and filter every 4k. No reason to change what's worked for forty-five plus years, IMHO. Hope you have a good riding season. gp
Click to expand...

Wait, new oil every 2K??? Why are you using 1930's oil change intervals in 2019? You should be changing your oil every 10,000 kms or 6,000 miles according to the oilhead maintenance schedule from the factory manual. . So you are doing it 3 times more than is required.

If you don't ride that many miles a year then changing it once a year before you put it away for winter is the way to deal with that.

Oil is a non renewable resource. So actually, there is a very good reason to change what has worked for 45 years...:banghead
 
R65_Steve said:
I bought this bike last summer and the guy that sold it to me, gave me a bunch of parts and filters and the remainder of a jug of oil. I added that over the last year and it's probably time to change the oil in the near future. The bike came with no book. I needed a quart last week and bought some at the motorcycle shop (not the BMW dealer). They sold me 10w40 SJ with a motorcycle on the label. We talked about it needing special "SJ" oil for the clutch (I'm 99% sure my bike has a dry clutch, right?).

Anyhow, the stuff I got from the seller was 20w50 Liquid Moly Mineral. On my oil airhead, I used 20W50 dinosaur oil like I put in my old 911.

What should I be using in this fine machine? Synthetic, mineral, what weight?
Click to expand...

Not sure if you are aware of the correct way to check the oil in an oilhead. First off the bike must be hot. Like five bars hot when you park it. This ensure the oil thermostat is wide open.

Park it on the side stand and walk away for a few (five) minutes. Make sure it has a good lean angle because your oil cooler is draining into the sump.

Then put the bike on the center stand on level ground and look at the sight glass. This is your true reading. It should be at the dot in the middle of the glass. Putting in any more than that will just cause blow by and that ends up in the air box. There is a small drain plug at the left rear bottom of the airbox. If you open that up and oil comes out... it's because it has been over filled.
 
R65_Steve said:
Is the motorcycle specific that labeled "SJ"? What is specifically needed for a BMW since it's not lubing the clutch?
Click to expand...

What is needed is a high level of ZDDP - which is the oil formulation component containing zinc and phosphorus. This is especially important in your bike to minimize/eliminate wear on the flat tappets of the cam followers. Motorcycle specific oils typically have a much higher level of these components than car oils and are typically SG rated.

To paraphrase a knowledgeable individual who frequents this board - new oil is better than old oil and some oil is better than no oil. Its up to you whether you want to use synthetic or conventional.

And Happy Wanderer is absolutely correct in saying that, if you're doing very little mileage, you should change your oil once a year. And follow his advice on checking oil levels, too!
 
Mine has no bars...I'm guessing that's on the LCD thing that also tells you how much gas in has? I'll have none of that, sir.

PO told me it just needs to have oil in the red circle on the sight glass. Will have to look for a dot. Though perhaps I have been filling it too much but setting it at the top of the circle.
 
BC1100S said:
5,000 miles is fine and what BMW recommends provided you're using the specified, motorcycle-specific, 20W-50 oil. Besides Mr. Phillips (above) someone here has been using Castrol Motorcycle Oil for just under a zillion miles on her RS. Not sure of her name but she always wears red. :)
Click to expand...

Been using the 5k rule for over a decade on bikes and longer that that on last several trucks. Trucks have lasted well over 100K each time. Still working on that kind of milage on the bikes. 5k is easy to remember when looking at the odometer and wondering when the next oil change is. I also change the oil filter with every oil change. And yes you have a dry clutch, so you don't need a special oil for the wet clutch your bike doesn't have.

I use the back of the Anonymois Book to keep track of oil changes, repairs, etc. I always have it on the bike and just transfer the info when the new book comes out.

As far as which oil and filter, that's a personal choice. Lots of good stuff out there. Just don't cheap out when buying and save $ up front. Going cheap will usually bite you in the long term.
 
happy wanderer said:
Not sure if you are aware of the correct way to check the oil in an oilhead. First off the bike must be hot. Like five bars hot when you park it. This ensure the oil thermostat is wide open.

Park it on the side stand and walk away for a few (five) minutes. Make sure it has a good lean angle because your oil cooler is draining into the sump.

Then put the bike on the center stand on level ground and look at the sight glass. This is your true reading. It should be at the dot in the middle of the glass. Putting in any more than that will just cause blow by and that ends up in the air box. There is a small drain plug at the left rear bottom of the airbox. If you open that up and oil comes out... it's because it has been over filled.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting this maybe now I can get consistent oil level readings on my bike
 
r184 said:
Been using the 5k rule for over a decade on bikes and longer that that on last several trucks.
Click to expand...

FWIW, the first five services on my Toyota car were done by the Toyota dealer, at no cost to me. Oil used is full synthetic and the oil change interval is a full 10K miles. Service intervals are 5K miles, but the oil is only changed every other service.

The 6K or one year interval on BMW bikes is conservative already (so a 2K interval is way obsessive compulsive).

Harry
 
r184 said:
Been using the 5k rule for over a decade on bikes and longer that that on last several trucks. Trucks have lasted well over 100K each time. Still working on that kind of milage on the bikes. 5k is easy to remember when looking at the odometer and wondering when the next oil change is. I also change the oil filter with every oil change. And yes you have a dry clutch, so you don't need a special oil for the wet clutch your bike doesn't have.

I use the back of the Anonymois Book to keep track of oil changes, repairs, etc. I always have it on the bike and just transfer the info when the new book comes out.

As far as which oil and filter, that's a personal choice. Lots of good stuff out there. Just don't cheap out when buying and save $ up front. Going cheap will usually bite you in the long term.
Click to expand...

5K miles is a LOT closer to the 6K miles specified for oilhead motors. And we need to remember they err on the side of caution. But changing oil every 2K miles is wasteful and unnecessary.

By the way, there is no 5K rule for BMW bikes. If there is such a rule someplace please post it here!
 
German vehicles have specific oil change requirements.

The drain plug washer is a crush washer and is replaced, never reused. Think of it as a lock washer.

You need an oil filter removal tool, and the German standard is 74mm, 14 flats. This will work on your VW, your Mercedes, and probably your Audi, too.

For some reason on these bikes, you need to verify the rubber quad ring on the filter came off when you removed the filter. If it didn't, look for it and get it off ... the new filter has a new one already attached.
 
happy wanderer said:
By the way, there is no 5K rule for BMW bikes. If there is such a rule someplace please post it here!
Click to expand...

The specification is 6000 miles. You can find the services schedules at https://www.ascycles.com/bmw_motorcycle_service_and_maintenance_schedules

This exists because BMW is REALLY concerned about its liability and wants your bike inspected by a professional as often as possible.

Because the interval is so short, BMW permits nonsynthetic motor oil, and the motor oil it sells at dealers for this bike is semisynthetic.
 
lkchris said:
German vehicles have specific oil change requirements.

The drain plug washer is a crush washer and is replaced, never reused. Think of it as a lock washer.

You need an oil filter removal tool, and the German standard is 74mm, 14 flats. This will work on your VW, your Mercedes, and probably your Audi, too.

For some reason on these bikes, you need to verify the rubber quad ring on the filter came off when you removed the filter. If it didn't, look for it and get it off ... the new filter has a new one already attached.
Click to expand...

At our club meeting last night a member was telling me about how his oil filter blew right off the bike. The old filter gasket was still up there when he put the new filter on so it did not catch as many threads obviously but also not enough friction to stay on. Quite the mess ensued.

I always stick my finger in the new oil bottle and rub on a film of fresh clean oil on the new rubber gasket of all canisiter filters. This helps them seal better but also seems to help make sure the rubber does not stick to the mating surface on the engine. I also clean that up every time I change the filter as well.
 
happy wanderer said:
By the way, there is no 5K rule for BMW bikes. If there is such a rule someplace please post it here!
Click to expand...

But there used to be. The Owners Manual that came with my 1986 K75T said minor service with oil change at 5,000 miles and major service, also with oil change of course at 10,000 miles. This sure was easy to remember. Then the lawyers got involved. In Europe and other metricified places the manuals said minor service every 10,000 kilometers and a major service every 20,000 kilometers.

So an enterprising lawyer and plaintiff sued BMW on the grounds that metric people needed those services at 6,200 mile intervals while we mere Americans were supposed to do it every 5,000 miles, thus being unlawfully disscriminated against. I forget what the judge said but soon thereafter the US manuals said 6,000 and 12,000 miles.
 
What is a "rubber quad ring". I know my oil airhead had the $3000 oil change. If you had a spacer replace with a spacer and if you didn't don't. The lore was you could blow your motor by not getting the filler in correctly. Hence $3000.
 
"Quad ring" refers to the square-section O-ring that is between the filter and the crankcase; it comes with the new filter.
MAKE SURE the old one comes off with the old filter, or get a finger (or a careful lightweight pry) up there and dig it out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Sensitivity To Oil Change?
Replies
5
Views
3K
classicvw
classicvw
Blueman
Over Fill on last Oil Change
Replies
12
Views
2K
Blueman
Blueman
K
Transmission Oil
Replies
7
Views
2K
Paul_F
P
V
2012 K1600 GTL Oil Change Question....mixed weights and types...
Replies
7
Views
2K
boogerman
boogerman
RANBUSH
2005 R1200ST - which clutch disc do I need?
Replies
8
Views
2K
beemerchuck
B
Back
Top