Oil usage thread 2011 R1200Rt

I know.yes I know the feeback that has been given on the site about oil usage, new bikes and time.. ... whatever one more time fduring these non riding says...

History-My 99 RT using conventional m/c oil after 27,000 miles went to synth. after lets just say i kept it at high speed for a lot of hours. It quit using oil then and then I went synth. The engine noticeably loosened up and was deemed broken in. It now has 270,000km on it and it is in mid life.

Situation: 2011 R1200Rt 10k miles using synth since 2,500 miles. Uses 1 qt/2,000 miles. Normal as per BMW. Way More oil usage than I would like.

At this mileage I could 1. use conventional m/c oil and run it until oil use drops i.e another 10 k miles.

2. Run it hard with synth in it and add oil, like a lot. Forever?

The question that has been dscussed in other threads - is the bike broken in/engine sealed at full compression at 10 k miles?. Can I put nonsynth in and run it ( high speed/rpm) until the rings finally seat like they diid for my 99 or am I stuck with running an oil user/suck?

I'm thinking of going with a new engine ring seating regime. By me to ebb the oil use= Plan- run Non synth run for 10k to seat the rings, and I should be good to go???

What is your $.50 on this? This is way more than .02 Cents for most of the feedback on her

LVERMIERE,

Please read: http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?46055 - I've added that info to the thread title. It has some significance since there are two different engines covered under the "hexhead/Camhead" forum, and that might just make a difference.

PS: - real name?

If it were me, I'd go back to real oil for another 10K then re-evaluate things. And not worry about anything until then. I think you went synthetic way too soon. There's conflicting comments from BMW dealers , different ones say switch after 600, 6,000 or 12,000 miles. No wonder we're all confused, they are too!

2008 R1200RT - 30,600 miles

FWIW, my RT still uses a few ounces of conventional i.e. non-synthetic oil every 5000 miles.

deilenberger said:

LVERMIERE,

Please read: http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?46055 - I've added that info to the thread title. It has some significance since there are two different engines covered under the "hexhead/Camhead" forum, and that might just make a difference.

PS: - real name?

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Thanks Don.

I deliberately left out the year of bike in the title as both the hex and cam heads have been experiencing the same oil useage. I figured I would get a greater amount of feedback with the hex's included.

Yes, my real name, put on the board the same way as you've done yours

FWIW, my 05 RT used non-synthetic oil until almost 30K miles. Then it stopped using any, so I switched to synthetic. Never needed to add oil again between oil changes.

YMMV

2012 R1200RT with 4k miles

My bike is thirsty too. I researched enough prior to buying the bike to not make a fuss. Yes, I used about the same as you...1Qt from the 635 mile service to 2300 miles. At 4k I see the consumption appears to be slowing...already.

My dealer indicated BMW recommended full synthetic (15w-50) at the first change; I didn't want to argue to ensure I was supported in the event there was a warranty claim. I did question the mechanic, of whom I trust, and he indicated he could use dino if that is really what I wanted. I chose to go with BMW's "latest" guidance on oil to be used.

Yes, I get that there are several schools of thought regarding an engine break-in re: mileage, oil, riding style, temperature cycling, etc. This is the first time that I gave in to my traditional way of thinking that you should run dino oil up to at least the first 3k.

I can say that I did break the bike in per the BMW manual, which I have done with every other bike. I have and continue to use engine breaking extensively and revved to the identified limit often during break in to help bed the rings.

I am optimistic this condition is not chronic and even with synthetic it will resolve itself with mileage.

Scot

15,000 miles on my '12 GS/A, and I'm still using nearly a quart every thousand miles. Bike was broken in properly. I have added more oil to my BMW in 15,000 miles and 9 months than I've added to my Harleys in nearly 150,000 miles and 8 years. It's ridiculous that I can't travel on my bike without carrying spare oil.

It's my only complaint about the bike, but it's a big one.

"It's my only complaint with the bike, but it's a big one."

Ditto. My 2011 RT has about 11K on it and continues to use oil - about a quart in a thousand, all petro - although the rate seems to be very slowly dropping. That may be within spec for BMW but is not acceptable to me. Checking the oil level at every fill-up is routine for me anyway, but adding oil every second fill-up just to keep the level up should not be. I put over 50K on a Honda ST1300 and it used maybe 4 ounces of oil total in that time.

Let's hope they do better with the water-cooled boxer.

pete

"Be yourself. Everybody else is already taken." - Oscar Wilde

05Train said:

It's my only complaint about the bike, but it's a big one.

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In the greater scheme of things, I'd say using some oil is a minor thing compared to something like a FD failure. THAT I would consider a big complaint...

Bought my first oilhead a 2004 RT and rode it like I stole it from day one. That red line on the tach is there for a reason but anything below that was fair game. That bike never used a drop of oil and all it had put in it was 20/50 dino. Now I've got a 2006 RT bought used at 8,000 miles. I ran dino for the first oil change and it didn't use any so changed to synthetic (Mobil 1 M/C) and it still doesn't use any oil. YMMV but knowing the prior owner of my 06 I'm pretty sure he didn't baby it either when new.

ClassicVW said:

In the greater scheme of things, I'd say using some oil is a minor thing compared to something like a FD failure. THAT I would consider a big complaint...

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That's great. Doesn't change the fact that it's ridiculous that a modern motorcycle in 2013 uses this much oil.

05Train said:

15,000 miles on my '12 GS/A, and I'm still using nearly a quart every thousand miles. Bike was broken in properly. I have added more oil to my BMW in 15,000 miles and 9 months than I've added to my Harleys in nearly 150,000 miles and 8 years. It's ridiculous that I can't travel on my bike without carrying spare oil.

It's my only complaint about the bike, but it's a big one.

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I agree. My 2011 GS used a quart every 2000 miles until I got about 6000 miles on it. It pretty much stopped using oil after that but I don't dare go too far without carring spare oil with me just in case. My local dealer said the bike needs 12,000 for break-in then I can switch to synthetic and that's my plan.

My 2012 RT has 3000 miles on it and hasn't used a drop. Like the GS I'll put on 12,ooo miles then switch to synthetic.

In the last 10 years I've had 3 new Ducatis, 2 new Moto Guzzis and 1 new Triumph, and none used oil. But if using oil is the price to pay for riding the BMWs then I'll gladly pay.

05Train said:

15,000 miles on my '12 GS/A, and I'm still using nearly a quart every thousand miles. Bike was broken in properly. I have added more oil to my BMW in 15,000 miles and 9 months than I've added to my Harleys in nearly 150,000 miles and 8 years. It's ridiculous that I can't travel on my bike without carrying spare oil.

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Oil usage typically stops somewhere between 8-20K, so hopefully yours will end soon. I'll just add two things;
1)Hopefully you have been frequently running the engine a bit hard, as in 80%+ throttle acceleration up a long grade in 4th gear?
2)Also be sure to *only* check the level after the bike is fully warmed up then shut off and left on the side stand, for at least 30 minutes (I usually just leave it on the side stand overnight) then lift it on the center stand and check the level. Doing it any other way will often give a false low oil level reading, so "topping up" to normal is actually over filling. Every time this occurs the engine simply blows the overage out the breather. The owner is depressed every time he adds oil again. When *correctly* checking some say if you can see any oil in the glass at all don't add any. I'll say if it's 1/4 way up from the bottom of the circle (or higher) don't add any.

milo said:

Oil usage typically stops somewhere between 8-20K, so hopefully yours will end soon. I'll just add two things;
1)Hopefully you have been frequently running the engine a bit hard, as in 80%+ throttle acceleration up a long grade in 4th gear?
2)Also be sure to *only* check the level after the bike is fully warmed up then shut off and left on the side stand, for at least 30 minutes (I usually just leave it on the side stand overnight) then lift it on the center stand and check the level. Doing it any other way will often give a false low oil level reading, so "topping up" to normal is actually over filling. Every time this occurs the engine simply blows the overage out the breather. The owner is depressed every time he adds oil again. When *correctly* checking some say if you can see any oil in the glass at all don't add any. I'll say if it's 1/4 way up from the bottom of the circle (or higher) don't add any.

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Oil's at the bottom of the sight glass with the "oil check" showing in the display. Your guidance doesn't match what the manual states. I check it per the manual.

It's BS that a $20,000+ bike goes through this much oil.

05Train said:

Oil's at the bottom of the sight glass with the "oil check" showing in the display. Your guidance doesn't match what the manual states. I check it per the manual.

It's BS that a $20,000+ bike goes through this much oil.

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Oil showing at the bottom of the glass is ok.

My 2012 RT used a quart of oil in 2,000 miles or so. I'd always heard that this was normal, so I didn't worry too much about it.

Then I had to top her off after not riding for a week or so. So it occurred to me to look and see why the engine was slightly slick and dirty with oil (which I had assumed was due to a messy oil change).

One warranty replacement of rear main seal, gearbox input shaft seal, and balance shaft seal later, and she now doesn't drink any oil.

If your bike is sipping oil, check to make sure that the bottom of your engine casing is completely free of oil. It should be. If it's not, you have a seal that's seeping.

milo said:

Oil showing at the bottom of the glass is ok.

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Not when it's below the circle and the oil light's on it's not. This is directly from the manual.

holygoat said:

My 2012 RT used a quart of oil in 2,000 miles or so. I'd always heard that this was normal, so I didn't worry too much about it.

Then I had to top her off after not riding for a week or so. So it occurred to me to look and see why the engine was slightly slick and dirty with oil (which I had assumed was due to a messy oil change).

One warranty replacement of rear main seal, gearbox input shaft seal, and balance shaft seal later, and she now doesn't drink any oil.

If your bike is sipping oil, check to make sure that the bottom of your engine casing is completely free of oil. It should be. If it's not, you have a seal that's seeping.

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Engine's clean, but that was a good thought. I've got a trip out west coming up, the bike will have to go to the dealer beforehand, otherwise I'll have to carry a case of oil with me.

Going back to your first post

I'd just keep working toward a break-in with dino. I believe in synthetic, but dino is fine if you avoid situations leading to extreme thermal breakdown. (i'm not baiting anyone here. Really)

Mine never used oil, but my engine got 'smoother' and 'spun freely' at 15K miles. To me, that indicated the break-in was complete. With such hard cylinder wall surfaces, the period could be as long at 30K. As an example, my Cummins deisel, designed for a service life of 300K, went 30K miles before it 'felt' broken-in. It's not an exact comparison, but 10% of the service life is 30,000 miles. On the other hand, my weed eater was probably broken-in on day one. The tougher the engine, the longer the break-in.

I'd have similar feelings about oil usage, but hang in there. The next 10,000 miles will tell the tale.

CarolinaRT said:

...I'd have similar feelings about oil usage, but hang in there. The next 10,000 miles will tell the tale.

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Some comfort, most likely the oil useage is from incomplete break-in rather than excessive wear.