2011 R1200 RT Motor Oil

[roborider]

I'm the one using M1 V-Twin (which is for wet or dry clutch, air or liquid cooled engines). I have done two oil analyses and they both came back with fantastic results. I'm no M-1 snob. I buy what I get a good price on. I pay about $7.99 a qt. for M1VT and that was a deal to me. But, when my two cases of it are gone, I'll look at the next oil that meets BMW specs and go by the price.

Last poster said it well. If it meets BMW specs, it's good.

 

[kthflieger]

anybody ever notice that if you google any type of search for definative oil analysis or oil quality report the only reports you find are done by one oil company or another. No independent oil quality reports are out there!! hmmmm

 

[kencc]

anybody ever notice that if you google any type of search for definative oil analysis or oil quality report the only reports you find are done by one oil company or another. No independent oil quality reports are out there!! hmmmm

Picked up Castrol syn edge at autozone 5 qts for 29.99.on sale till the end of the month I have 2010 GS manual says castrol 10-40.

 

[tonk]

Castrol makes a part dino, part synthetic that exceeds the specs in the owners manual. It's relatively cheap, at least with respect to what we pay around here, at $7-something a quart. I've decided to use it.

I went with the combination dino/syn oil because I couldn't get a straight answer from BMW as to how long to run dino. Their customer service actually tried to give me a phone number for a third dealer when I got conflicting info from the first two. I told them I wanted a straight answer, not a majority vote, and that ended that. I wanted to contact the factory, but customer service supposedly doesn't know how. Excellent motorcycle, but really bad customer service.

As long as the oil meets spec, they can't use it to deny the warrantee.

 

[roborider]

No one can really tell you how long the oil will last. If they do, they are just guessing. But the 6000 mile interval recommended by BMW is for dino OR synthetic, and that is really the answer. But it is a safe minimum for "normal" riding.

The best way to know for certain, under your riding conditions, is an oil analysis. I sent mine to Blackstone labs, twice. In each case, the wear metals were great, and the buffering ability good enough to run about 7500 miles on the oil. I still change it at 6k, but if I'm on a trip, and will approach 7k, I don't worry about it.

 

[bikerfish1100]

Castrol makes a part dino, part synthetic that exceeds the specs in the owners manual. It's relatively cheap, at least with respect to what we pay around here, at $7-something a quart. I've decided to use it.

I went with the combination dino/syn oil because I couldn't get a straight answer from BMW as to how long to run dino. Their customer service actually tried to give me a phone number for a third dealer when I got conflicting info from the first two. I told them I wanted a straight answer, not a majority vote, and that ended that. I wanted to contact the factory, but customer service supposedly doesn't know how. Excellent motorcycle, but really bad customer service.

As long as the oil meets spec, they can't use it to deny the warrantee.

if that is Castrol's ACT-Evo that you are running (a semi-synth formulated for motorcycles) you can do MUCH better price wise getting it from Cycle Gear. On-line (they ship for free after $69 or so) or at a store (if you're fortunate enough to have one nearby).
http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=CAS_3166_G

 

[bikerfish1100]

Picked up Castrol syn edge at autozone 5 qts for 29.99.on sale till the end of the month I have 2010 GS manual says castrol 10-40.

i have a 2009 F8GS, manual says 10W40. Asked my dealer about that, as i have ALWAYS run 20W50 as a multi-grade oil for motorcycles. he said that a 20W50 grade would be totally fine, probably even superior in higher temps. look at a chart for temp ranges of oils- 10w40 is rated for -20 to +40 degs F. 20W50 is rated for ~ +15 to +105F. don't know about you, but i know the temps i tend to ride in....

 

[tonk]

It is Castrol Act-evo. Thanks for the tip bf and I'll check on line. I did get it from Cycle Gear. Not surprised it's cheaper elsewhere. CT is expensive. I'll probably run this stuff for 5k, then switch to a full synthetic.

 

[bikerfish1100]

Cycle Gear in Rockville should/will honor (and usually would offer) the sales price that is available on line. if they don't offer it, you can "request" it. they are an affiliate store (it was not, originally), they will.

 

[1analguy]

So you are saying that the Mobil 1 V-Twin doesn't meet the specifications for the RT? If it doesn't, we shouldn't use it, if it does, regardless of your premise, we can use it without negative consequence. Considering the oil analysis someone here did with that particular oil and the results, I would say that your premise is incorrect. IIRC, there are other V-Twins that are air-cooled that don't use ball or roller bearing. Mobil's oil has to meet a broad enough set of requirements, not just for a HD.

After all this time, you'd think that I would know better than to post on an "oil" thread...

Re-read what I said. Was there anything in there that said that V-Twin wasn't OK to use in an RT? If I gave that impression, I'm sorry for not being more clear. Any type of Mobile 1 is no doubt superior to any type of dino oil, and not just for our RTs. V-Twin is great oil and will work just fine in the boxer engine, but there are other Mobil 1 oils that fit the current boxer requirement profile more closely than VT does. I may be picking fly specks out of pepper by bothering to say it, but it is still absolutely true. Having said that...if you're in love with VT, then the difference between it and "conventional" Mobil 1 just isn't worth fighting about because you'll be just fine with either one.

Your use of the word "premise" implies that I have made all this up. This is not true. I have closely followed the development of VT, and when it first hit the market, it most definitely was formulated specifically for the unique requirements of the H-D air-cooled v-twin engines. In fact, initially, it was only available at H-D dealerships. The only reason that Mobil didn't call it "H-D VT" was that they didn't see the necessity of paying H-D to use their name on it. Then H-D began recommending against using any kind of synthetic oil in their v-twins (it was interfering with sales of H-D's dino). Of course, H-D rescinded that stance as soon as they decided to start selling their own synthetic. H-D synthetic was suddenly the best thing since sliced bread. At that point, Mobil 1 VT mysteriously disappeared from all H-D dealerships...and Mobil took Mobil 1 VT mass-market instead. When they did, they may (or may not) have tweaked the formula to widen its efficacy across a broader range of requirements...I don't know.

While all this is true, before my ears and eyes start bleeding I want to make clear to everyone that they should feel free to use any kind of oil that makes them and their bikes happy...

 

[bikerfish1100]

After all this time, you'd think that I would know better than to post on an "oil" thread...

If I gave that impression, I'm sorry for not being more clear. Any type of Mobile 1 is no doubt superior to any type of dino oil, and not just for our RTs. V-Twin is great oil and will work just fine in the boxer engine, but there are other Mobil 1 oils that fit the current boxer requirement profile more closely than VT does.
While all this is true, before my ears and eyes start bleeding I want to make clear to everyone that they should feel free to use any kind of oil that makes them and their bikes happy...

re; what i highlighted in red. ONLY true if the M1 you are thinking about meets BMW spec. I have a bottle of red cap 15w50M1 in the garage. fully synth. SPI spec of SJ/SH. IF that service spec meets BMW recommendations, then its a suitable ("superior"?) oil, as you stated. However, that oil does not meet spec for my airhead, nor my oilhead, nor my previously owned K-bikes, and certainly not for my vintage R69S.
Again- use an oil that meets manufacturer specs, otherwise, it is really is not your best choice, and slavishly believing that M1 (or any other brand) is the superior chioce is just silly.

 

[WILDPIG]

welp im throwin in my 2 cents worth -- mobile 1 or mb v-twin,,either one... never had an issue on using mb on any m/c ive ever owned-- including the bmw r12..... further in depth discussions with mobile reps face to face when people didnt even know what mobile one was,,,,,,,,,,,,, nows here's nother clue--- all corvettes all dodge vipers came from the factory -- uh huh-- mobile one.... you will never go wrong using mobile one in my opin........ end o story........ fully syn for anythang that's burnin gas.... but now i realise theres a pretty good percentage of you bmw diehards that i'd say -- DONT U NEVER EVER EVEN THINK ABOUT PUTTIN NOTTIN IN YER BMW BUT CERTIFIED, SCANTIFIED, OFFICIAL, LINCENSED, TESTED BY FIRE BMW PRODUCTS... becuz bmw said it -- an you know its true...........

 

[bikerfish1100]

an air or air/oil cooled motor has different needs than does a water-cooled engine. i ran M1 in my K11 on a regular basis. it was basically 1/3 of a M3 car motor. but not in my oilhead, no thank you. and i have never run "BMW" oil in anything- however, i used to like the Spectro that was the BMW oil without the BMW name on it, and without the BMW markup on it either.
most of us will NEVER put the miles on our bikes that would ever allow us to see the wear issues appear. however, the Glaves do- and I'm pretty sure that Paul will tell you to heed the API specs, along with the weight ratings (20W50).
your bike, your choice.

 

[1analguy]

...M1 V-Twin (which is for wet or dry clutch, air or liquid cooled engines)...

I haven't read the label on Mobil 1 V-Twin lately but if this is true, that means that when Mobil switched M1 V-Twin from H-D specific oil to mass-market oil then they must have added friction modifiers to the formulation to make it compatible with wet clutches, and no doubt also had to add something to deal with the increased shearing loads produced by the transmissions in unit-constructed engines (engine, tranny, and clutch all using the same oil). If we're worrying about whether this or that engine oil is good for our boxers, why would we want to use an oil that is trying deal with all those other issues, too. There are so many good pure engine oils to choose from that don't have all those "motorcycle" additives that aren't required for the boxer...JMO

No one can really tell you how long the oil will last. If they do, they are just guessing. But the 6000 mile interval recommended by BMW is for dino OR synthetic, and that is really the answer. But it is a safe minimum for "normal" riding.

The best way to know for certain, under your riding conditions, is an oil analysis. I sent mine to Blackstone labs, twice. In each case, the wear metals were great, and the buffering ability good enough to run about 7500 miles on the oil. I still change it at 6k, but if I'm on a trip, and will approach 7k, I don't worry about it.

This is great info. It would also be informative to see a back-to-back analysis between dino and synthetic. I'm curious as to whether or not synthetic is actually buying us any extended change interval in addition to its superior thermal performance...

re; what i highlighted in red. ONLY true if the M1 you are thinking about meets BMW spec. I have a bottle of red cap 15w50M1 in the garage. fully synth. SPI spec of SJ/SH. IF that service spec meets BMW recommendations, then its a suitable ("superior"?) oil, as you stated. However, that oil does not meet spec for my airhead, nor my oilhead, nor my previously owned K-bikes, and certainly not for my vintage R69S.
Again- use an oil that meets manufacturer specs, otherwise, it is really is not your best choice, and slavishly believing that M1 (or any other brand) is the superior chioce is just silly.

Most of today's oils (synthetic and dino) don't meet that BMW spec that you're so concerned with because they all now surpass that spec. Slavishly using BMW-spec oil becomes problematic when your bike (and/or BMW's oil recommendation) begins to age a bit and the oil companies (who continually improve their oils/ratings as time passes) no longer make that previously-specified-but-now-obsolete oil. The Mobil 1 15W-50 that I put in my RT when I stored it last November is rated SM/SL, not SJ/SH. Perfectly illustrating my point for me is the difference between your bottle of SF-rated 15W-50 vs my apparently more recent SM-rated 15W-50. Again, time marches on. It says on the SM-rated 15W-50 bottle that this is the stuff that they run in NASCAR flat-tappet V8s at 8000 rpm. Those engines have to run ungodly valve spring pressures to avoid valve float at those speeds, and that makes the cam lobe/lifter foot interface the sight of the worst oil shear mayhem imaginable. Yet those engines finish a race making the same power as when they started the race (meaning: no wear). I'm satisfied that SM-rated Mobil 1 15W-50 will stand up to anything my '07 boxer will throw at it, despite the fact that Mobil 1 15W-50 has been/is being continually improved and no longer carries the now-obsolete SG (or SJ?) rating...

welp im throwin in my 2 cents worth -- mobile 1 or mb v-twin,,either one... never had an issue on using mb on any m/c ive ever owned-- including the bmw r12..... further in depth discussions with mobile reps face to face when people didnt even know what mobile one was,,,,,,,,,,,,, nows here's nother clue--- all corvettes all dodge vipers came from the factory -- uh huh-- mobile one.... you will never go wrong using mobile one in my opin........ end o story........ fully syn for anythang that's burnin gas.... but now i realise theres a pretty good percentage of you bmw diehards that i'd say -- DONT U NEVER EVER EVEN THINK ABOUT PUTTIN NOTTIN IN YER BMW BUT CERTIFIED, SCANTIFIED, OFFICIAL, LINCENSED, TESTED BY FIRE BMW PRODUCTS... becuz bmw said it -- an you know its true...........

All the Chrysler and Dodge SRT vehicles also are delivered with Mobil 1 0W-40 in them, and SRT strongly recommends that it be used exclusively in their engines...

 

[bigskyrider]

That Smarts....

I just picked up 5 quarts of dino oil, filter and a T-shirt at the Missoula dealer...$100.36!

What's the good alternative, I'm currently at 10K on my 08 1200GS.

Thanks

 

[Ponch1]

I just picked up 5 quarts of dino oil, filter and a T-shirt at the Missoula dealer...$100.36!

What's the good alternative, I'm currently at 10K on my 08 1200GS.

Thanks

Did they give you a reach around?

 

[roborider]

Don't know if that post will stick, but it made me laugh.

 

[Ponch1]

Don't know if that post will stick, but it made me laugh.

You think I am bad, I wonder how my friend Stan Botway faired here. He's one ribald chap. I love him though.

 

[WILDPIG]

Originally Posted by BigSkyRider
I just picked up 5 quarts of dino oil, filter and a T-shirt at the Missoula dealer...$100.36!

What's the good alternative, I'm currently at 10K on my 08 1200GS.

Thanks-------------------------- yep you've drank the bmw coolaid,, you're gonna work out jest fine................................................

 

[mpmarty]

Dont forget the unobtanium little seal rings for the drain plugs.
I do my own service work and keep track of my expenses for them. Keep a spreadsheet and a paper file with receipts for my own records. I have never yet spent more than $35.00 for an oil and filter change and I use synthetic 15/50 oil and Mahl filters which are the same ones BMW sells under their own name.