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Change in recommended oil weight (Yay an oil thread!)

nope...FTR, my 13RT does NOT require JASO MA-2 type oils...it requires of a viscosities API SF/ACEA A2 or better...

The owner's manual for my '11 R1200r (camhead) an air/oil cooled engine, indicates that 5w-40 weight is acceptable as is 15w-50 weight. I don't know what the clearances are in the motor but presume that BMW's engineers do and can specify oil that meets the engine's particular requirements. As a side note according to Amsoil, heavier weight oils conduct less heat than lighter weight oils do. As for "best" wet clutch operation, careful attention to the oils additives package is recommended as some friction modifiers in engine oils can contaminate wet clutch friction disks.

Use what BMW or any engine manufacturer recommend. They've done the calculations, real world tests, and work with oil manufacturers on acceptable additives and the like to get the best blend of performance, fuel economy, and longevity from their products.

Paul, ahmen, RTFM

If you guys download the latest version of your owners manual, it no longer has the table saying a 40 weight oil is acceptable. It only recommends 15W50 JASO MA2. Hence this thread.

As my bike gets older, I just consider going to the 50 weight as maybe BMW has a reason to change their recommendation.
 
To take a less than scientific approach.......

Given the fact that you have 98K on your bike with your present oil choice, IMHO If it works, don't fix it.

Best,

3hawks
 
Let's add to this thread: Motul ester 7100 10w60 full synth here.

Dropped my oil consumption from 1.5l+ to 0.5l / 10000km

YMMV
 
Let's add to this thread: Motul ester 7100 10w60 full synth here.

Dropped my oil consumption from 1.5l+ to 0.5l / 10000km

YMMV

Well yeah. That oil is so thick it can't leak because the oil pump can't pump it! It just sits in the sump like a blob of sorghum. :stick

:bolt


PS - for the humor impaired: I'm just kidding.
 
Except that my water cooled wet clutch G310GS is specified to use the 15W50 Advantec oil, totally disrupting the neat classification from above.

RTFM!

F and G bikes never enter my head when discussing BMW bikes ... and this is a Boxer forum.
 
If you guys download the latest version of your owners manual, it no longer has the table saying a 40 weight oil is acceptable. It only recommends 15W50 JASO MA2. Hence this thread.

As my bike gets older, I just consider going to the 50 weight as maybe BMW has a reason to change their recommendation.

I'm going to make my recommendation simple - just stick with what you've been using. It seems to have worked so far.

And for those of you who think Rotella is a good choice - its a diesel oil, folks, so I have to ask why, why, why? (and don't go on about specs, its still a diesel oil) :laugh
 
Let's add to this thread: Motul ester 7100 10w60 full synth here.

Dropped my oil consumption from 1.5l+ to 0.5l / 10000km

YMMV

Either way it sounds like you need a top end rebuild. Well, maybe not YOU but your bike. :D
 
F and G bikes never enter my head when discussing BMW bikes ... and this is a Boxer forum.

OK, except your specific words were,"5W-40 full synthetic intended for use in Wetheads and any other model with a wet clutch.


Thus my mention of the wet clutch G310 bikes.
 
Either way it sounds like you need a top end rebuild. Well, maybe not YOU but your bike. :D

For BMW using up to 1L of oil per 1000km is consider normal.
Since I use 0.5l / 10000km
I'm well within their specs
Although the recommended oil viscosity is now 15W50
 

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I carefully track my oil consumption and so far after about 13,000 miles since I bought it I'm burning 6-11 ounces per 1000 miles. I'm good with that.
 
I carefully track my oil consumption and so far after about 13,000 miles since I bought it I'm burning 6-11 ounces per 1000 miles. I'm good with that.

as do i....my 13RT used about the same up to about 18000-19000 miles...after that consumption dropped off dramatically...now at better than 107000miles it uses very near zero oil between changes every 6000 miles...Mobil 1, 15w50...
 
as do i....my 13RT used about the same up to about 18000-19000 miles...after that consumption dropped off dramatically...now at better than 107000miles it uses very near zero oil between changes every 6000 miles...Mobil 1, 15w50...

Mine's just under 19,000 now. Runs like a nose. :cool:
 
For BMW using up to 1L of oil per 1000km is consider normal.

Well within their specs when they want to deny warranty for excessive oil consumption. Car manufacturers use the same spec. If their cars performed at this level there would be hell to pay and a permanent blue haze over every city.

As many others here have noted, my 1100 also used virtually zero oil touring at 120 km/h+ speeds in 35-40C temps with Mobil 1 15W-50. My wedge 4 cylinder is the same with Castrol Power One 10W-40.
 
Well within their specs when they want to deny warranty for excessive oil consumption.

If the marketing department portrayed as "normal" the same horsepucky that the lawyers and cost accountants used they would sell a lot fewer vehicles. And if the engine design engineers thought that consumption like that was normal they would all resign and go back to school. Companies as big as BMW think with multiple brains and speak out of both sides of multiple mouths. So far none of the 31 BMWs we have owned ever used oil like that. None. Not even the engines over 300,000 or 175,000 miles.
 
If the marketing department portrayed as "normal" the same horsepucky that the lawyers and cost accountants used they would sell a lot fewer vehicles. And if the engine design engineers thought that consumption like that was normal they would all resign and go back to school. Companies as big as BMW think with multiple brains and speak out of both sides of multiple mouths. So far none of the 31 BMWs we have owned ever used oil like that. None. Not even the engines over 300,000 or 175,000 miles.

I agree. 1l /1,000km is not acceptable.
By stating this they can turn down any complaints about oil consumption.

At 0.5l /10,000km , I'm fine with that.
 
I agree. 1l /1,000km is not acceptable.
By stating this they can turn down any complaints about oil consumption.

At 0.5l /10,000km , I'm fine with that.

Just to set the stage, BMW recommends an oil change every 6,000 miles = 10,000 km

So at 1 liter per 1,000 km that would be 10 liters between oil changes. Oh sure, that's OK :banghead

But I do agree that 1/2 liter in 6,000 miles or 10,000 kilometers would not be too bad.
 
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