The dreaded oil question. 2002 bmw r1150rt. Your opinion is appreciated.

[pglaves]

There's a guy whose name I forget D) but who posts here regularly and used to write monthly tech articles which frequently covered our Oilheads. I learned more than I thought I ever could by reading those monthly columns. Probably part of the reason I've had a trouble-free experience with my bike.

Thank you

 

[tangoalpha]

Good to know!! I'll have to do a search for some of the mystery person's tech articles. Truly, the main reason I joined the forum is to have access to the knowledge base of the forum members. You people are the reason I joined. The sum total of everyone's experience on this forum as it relates to my oilhead would be impossible to learn on my own in my lifetime. Not having owned a BMW in many years and that this is the first boxer engined bike I've owned, this is all new to me. Talk to me about Harley's Twin cam 88, TC 96, TC 103, etc...and I could bore you for days with what I've learned over 15 years of riding Harley's. So my learning curve with my oilhead has just begun. I'm already beginning to notice lots of little quirks about my bike and taking note of them. I'm grateful to the members of this forum who so openly share their knowledge and pass along tips.

With that said, my bike is 14 years old and my plan is to NEVER sell it. I made that mistake before moving up to the central coast from SoCal. I sold all my toys (4 bikes) which included my Ultra-Classic (HD) and I've vowed to never make that mistake again. Instead, I want to just add to the collection and when i can't ride any more, I'll just give them to my son so he can sell them or keep them. Either way....I'm starting all over again with this RT and I need to learn the ins/outs as quickly as possible so I can avoid problems down the line and so i can start servicing it on my own. I loathe taking my bike to the dealership for service.

There's a guy whose name I forget D) but who posts here regularly and used to write monthly tech articles which frequently covered our Oilheads. I learned more than I thought I ever could by reading those monthly columns. Probably part of the reason I've had a trouble-free experience with my bike.

Thank you

 

[tangoalpha]

In my various searches for information on the R1150RT I ran across several videos made by Chris Harris formerly of Affordable Beemer Service; I found them to be immensely informative and entertaining to watch. Chris is a bit salty with his language, but kind of amusing at the same time. Anyway, on a chance, not expecting any response from him I inquired about my oil question, immediately after watching an old R1150RT oil change service video. He responded. Here is his response. Chris: I use Spectro 4 Non-synthetic oil for the engine. Spectro 75w140 GL-5 synthetic gear oil for trans and rear."

So there you have it...another non-Mobil 1 vote.

 

[BC1100S]

In my various searches for information on the R1150RT I ran across several videos made by Chris Harris.....

What does HE know? He's from the east coast.

Kidding, of course.

 

[gsaddict]

What does HE know? He's from the east coast.

Kidding, of course.

You mean Mr. Potty Mouth?

 

[pglaves]

Chris: I use Spectro 4 Non-synthetic oil for the engine. Spectro 75w140 GL-5 synthetic gear oil for trans and rear."

So there you have it...another non-Mobil 1 vote.

Depending on the bike - 75w140 is absolutely out of spec for final drives - in Airheads, K bikes, Oilheads, etc. I'm not sure about the latest "big hole" drives but for everything older 80w90 and 75w90 are OK, 75w140 is not.

 

[happy wanderer]

Depending on the bike - 75w140 is absolutely out of spec for final drives - in Airheads, K bikes, Oilheads, etc. I'm not sure about the latest "big hole" drives but for everything older 80w90 and 75w90 are OK, 75w140 is not.

And THAT is why you need to take what Mr. Harris says with a grain of salt sometimes. Yeah, he's entertaining and I'm sure he's a decent wrench but after watching some of his procedures there are plenty of things I would do differently or don't agree with.

The thing to do is to read and watch as much as you can find on a given task and skim the best from the rest. Beware of blanket statements. When it comes to BMW bikes they rarely are true in ALL cases!

 

[tangoalpha]

Never have wiser words (of wisdom) been spoken! Agreed 110%. Although this piece of golden piece of advice extends far beyond the current topic of how to properly care of my bike.

And THAT is why you need to take what Mr. Harris says with a grain of salt sometimes. Yeah, he's entertaining and I'm sure he's a decent wrench but after watching some of his procedures there are plenty of things I would do differently or don't agree with.

The thing to do is to read and watch as much as you can find on a given task and skim the best from the rest. Beware of blanket statements. When it comes to BMW bikes they rarely are true in ALL cases!

 

[179411]

I'm satisfied with Mobil 1 V-twin 20-50 oil.

In my high-mile worn-out ex-cop bike it keeps the engine quiet at higher operating temperatures, better than what was in it when I bought it, and better than the Amzoil 20-50 I tried.

According to my research, the Mobil 1 V-twin 20-50 has better viscosity stability at high temperatures.

 

[happy wanderer]

Warning: Oil Thread Reality Check in progress

Hate to break up the oil fest but here's the thing.

Unless you:
- take apart the engine
- mic the crank, bearings, cam lobes etc. etc.,
- put it back together
- pour in your new oil
- run it for a specified amount of time under controlled conditions (like an F1 race for example)
- pull the motor out and mic EVERYTHING again
- calculate exactly how much wear has occurred
Now...
- Do ALL of that again for the oil you are comparing to

Now you have some actual data and some answers. Maybe.

And here's the downer. Everything else you think, feel, perceive, guess, read somewhere, whatever.... is meaningless.

 

[pglaves]

Hate to break up the oil fest but here's the thing.

Unless you:
- take apart the engine
- mic the crank, bearings, cam lobes etc. etc.,
- put it back together
- pour in your new oil
- run it for a specified amount of time under controlled conditions (like an F1 race for example)
- pull the motor out and mic EVERYTHING again
- calculate exactly how much wear has occurred
Now...
- Do ALL of that again for the oil you are comparing to

Now you have some actual data and some answers. Maybe.

And here's the downer. Everything else you think, feel, perceive, guess, read somewhere, whatever.... is meaningless.

Provided however, the oil you choose to love ought to meet the manufacturer's specification for your motorcycle.

 

[gsaddict]

Now we're getting somewhere....

 

[BC1100S]

Unless you:
- take apart the engine
- mic the crank, bearings, cam lobes etc. etc.,
- put it back together
- pour in your new oil
- run it for a specified amount of time under controlled conditions (like an F1 race for example)
- pull the motor out and mic EVERYTHING again
- calculate exactly how much wear has occurred
Now...
- Do ALL of that again for the oil you are comparing to

This is what we did back in '87. It was a race car engine run for a specific period of time.

HOWEVER........
This thread is deteriorating into A DREADED OIL THREAD . The original poster asked for comments on Mobil 1 (and for those interested, the 20W-50 has an API rating of SG). He got those comments...and more. . To paraphrase what a wise man once said here...."Oil good - lack of oil bad".

 

[pglaves]

To paraphrase what a wise man once said here...."Oil good - lack of oil bad".

If I recall correctly the actual quote was:

"Some oil is better than no oil.
Good oil is better than bad oil.
New oil is better than old oil."

(I'm not sure of the order of the three statements, however.)

 

[jagarra]

I was trying to look into what the API codes meant , I seem to find much concerning auto use. Since oil technology has changed have codes used 20 years ago been changed and have they been superseded by a newer code? Do the Europeans use a different coding system than us? The reason I ask I am using a German engine oil and a French tranny oil.

 

[20774]

A few years ago, I read a book "Which Oil?" by Richard Michell, published in 2011. Very detailed and there's a lot of specs given...like trying to drink from a fire hose. Just looking back at the ratings section, it comes down to the relatively simple system used primarily in the US, that is the API "Sx" system, versus a very complex system used in Europe. Europe has been slow to move towards the chemistry development that the US did, especially when it came to things like ZDDP. It looks like there's a parallel system to the API ratings, referred to as JASO MA or MB classifications for example...this is a Japanese system.

I don't think the US API system is geared to the auto industry perse. It's just oil with various chemical changes along the timeline. Seems easy to understand to me, especially for the older engines like the Airheads. API SG/SH is the tipping point for anti-wear and anti-corrosion elements that protect the flat tappet engines...anything after this contains lesser amounts of ZDDP which can harm the older engines. Newer engines can use a later API rated oil, depending on what the owner's manual says.

About all you can do is drill down into the specs of the oil you're using and see if it has the elements you need. If you can't find that, there are testing companies that can do that for you. One thing to try with these services is take an oil that is recommended by say BMW and test it along side other candidates that you're using or are considering. Then compare the numbers. That will tell you if what you want to use is as good as or better than what the OEM wants you to use.

 

[giarcg]

George is the man...

George got my attention in this thread...

http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=1912.0

 

[pglaves]

The fundamental change as far as BMW motorcycles are concerned was when the API standard SH was superceded by API SJ (and later) oils. Because emissions equipment requires a 7 year warranty and because some car catalytic converters were damaged by the zinc in the anti-wear compound ZDDP, the US auto makers which were tired of replacing catalytic converters lobbied the API (a private organization) to call for reduced ZDDP in its standards for oils. The API did this when it adopted the SJ standard. Immediately thereafter BMW issued a service bulletin advising dealerships that SJ oils lacked sufficient anti-wear additives for the design of BMW motorcycle engines and that it should not be used.

So for cars with their roller cam followers and other design features the API has marched on to SJ, SM, and SN which the API says exceed previous standards and which BMW says does not because it lacks sufficient anti-wear additives.

Today I bought some off-the-shelf motorcycle oil at Auto Zone. Castrol petroleum 4T motorcycle oil, API SG and the JASO MA-2 rating. Castrol understands that more anti-wear additives are required in motorcycles than modern cars and formulates its MC oils to meet API SG.

 

[20774]

It should be stated that oils like those with weights 20w50 can and are still being produced to meet the API SG/SH grades because there is virtually zero chance that this heavy weight of an oil will make it to a vehicle that has a catalytic converter. Lighter oils, those destined for use in cars, with weights of 5w15, 0w30, etc., will never have these anti wear additives which are needed for the older engines.

 

[markaz]

It should be stated that oils like those with weights 20w50 can and are still being produced to meet the API SG/SH grades because there is virtually zero chance that this heavy weight of an oil will make it to a vehicle that has a catalytic converter. ...

Just FWIW, the owners manual for my 2004 R1150RT calls for 20w50 (which is what I run) and it has a catalytic converter.