OIL

[tcm92678]

I've been buying my oil from this website:

http://search.ascycles.com/search?w=oil

I buy the kit that comes with (4)quarts of BMW 20W50 oil, washer for the drain plug and the BMW oil filter. = $55.35

I also buy an extra quart just in case. 1 quart BMW20W50 oil = $8.89

First off, I'm not using synthetic yet because my bike has less than 10k miles on it.
BMW states: "PLEASE NOTE: Since BMW motors take longer to break-in than other average motors, we recommend waiting until at least 18,000 miles before switching to synthetic."

Now, I wanted to get your guys opinion/advice. Do you guys strictly use BMW's oil or do some of you go for other brands as well?

Is there a better place for me to buy oil + filter than ascycles.com?

[iowabeakster]

ooooh boy!

How did I get so lucky to be the first responder on an oil thread???

I personally use coconut oil. It has the best flavor. Some people shy away from it because of the high saturated fat content. But, I am pretty young, for a BMW owner, and have a low cholesterol count. So, I figure that I might as well enjoy it while I can. The Lipitor crowd would probably recommend canola. If you can find it, a low-lin (non-hydrogenated) soybean oil is good too. Those will get the job done, but the flavor will suffer.

When it comes to my motorcycle though...

My BMW dealer will do the oil change, for 50 bucks. But, since I am too cheap for that.

I use:
Castrol GTX 20W50...about $13.00 for 5 quarts at Wal-mart
K&N oil filter # KN-163 ...about $14.00 online direct from K&N...I buy a number at a time to reduce shipping cost

[R1150Rclean]

First I heard of the 18k rule, I have been using Castrol 15-50 synthetic from Walmart ($22/5 quarts) on "my" first oil change at 5,800, and run it fairly hard sometimes. Where exactly did you see this about no syn. oil before 18k? I got bosch oil filters from beemerboneyard for $6.50 each (have to buy a 6 pack). That is the best deal I have seen, and got the chrome plated fuel line quick disconnect kit at the same time.

[jas]

I've used Castrol GTX 20w-50 from 600 miles to 30,000 along with the KN-163 ($11.00 from Happy Trails), today I changed the oil and used Mobile 1 at a cost of $22.00 for 5 quarts from WalMart. I'll see how it does.

[f4tweet]

I believe the owners manual says 10K before synthetic.

[Airman]

tcm,

My favorite for non synthetic oil is Castrol GTX 20-50. It will cost about $12 for 4.7 liters and I believe is equal to the far more expensive BMW oil. I have used various filters, BMW included, but my favorite there is the Purolator PL10241 which will cost you $5 each from Amazon. [urlhttp://www.amazon.com/Purolator-PL10241-PureON ... B000H7XJKO][/url] The crush washer, assuming you don't find another source for that will set you back less than a dollar at the dealer, so each of your oil changes will cost less than $20. I'm on my 2nd Mobil 1 change. I think what I'll do with that is change the oil at 6k and the filters at 3k. If you ride in the winter the synthetic is welcome when you go to crank the boxer below 40 degrees F.
I think you'll find in this group that almost none stick with the BMW oil products, although there is considerable difference of opinion about oil and filters in general.

[Boxer]

You guys are nuts! I always use only BMW motor oils and filters 'cause it is what they recommend to avoid voiding the warranty...besides, if I used something else it would probably make the kill switch stop working...and my ABS would get a virus or something.

[sweatmark]

...and my ABS would get a virus or something.

One reason I opted for preemptive ABSectomy surgery.

For oil & filters, I buy 15W-40 commercial diesel oil at WalMart (Delo400, Delvac 1300 Super, or Rotella T - 2.5 gallons for $25); filter kits from Beemer Boneyard:

http://beemerboneyard.com/11421460845cko.html

As a former Mobil Oil industrial lubricants engineer, I'm comfortable with the quality of these diesel crankcase oils and use in R1150** motors. For super nasty hot climates/conditions, I might pop for Mobil 1 synthetic... but more likely ride a water-cooled bike.

[tcm92678]

First I heard of the 18k rule, I have been using Castrol 15-50 synthetic from Walmart ($22/5 quarts) on "my" first oil change at 5,800, and run it fairly hard sometimes. Where exactly did you see this about no syn. oil before 18k.

I got the 18k quote at ascycles.com Click on R1150R......click on oil, then click on the BMW synthetic oils....that's where the warnings are. Also, I went to the BMW motorcycle dealership in my town and they told me the exact same thing.

Anyways, thanks for the advice.

[Basmaf]

Hi Guys
I just love this forum and have got a lot from it so I thought it was about time I gave something back.
It’s time for a blood transfusion on my beloved 04 1150 R and as such I have been hunting for some oil.
I wanted the Castrol ACT EVO GP 4T 20W-50 as recommended by BMW but 4 Litres is like rocking horse s**t except for the 1 litre bottles at over £7 each.

Now you may already know about this, but if not, I may have found a bit of a bargain, if you think about it.

I bought 12 litres for only £64.73 delivered. That works out at £5.39 per litre or £21.58 per 4L oil change. I got 12 x 1L bottles

I bought it from http://racelubricants.co.uk/

I now have oil for 3 changes ready to go, and some top up if required.
You can pay via paypal, credit cards etc and the oil came in 3 days

I was the very cheapest I could find anywhere and I did look all over in my area.

-Basmaf

[rockstercliff]

I have used Mobil 1 15w-50 from Walmart since the 12K service. Officially my dealer said to use the BMW oil, but a personal conversation off hours with the guy, said that many people use the Mobil 1, and he thought it was a good. I have used Mobil1 for a long time in all my vehicles, and love it.

[tcm92678]

thanks for the suggestions guys.....

Any of you know what is the difference between BMW 20W50, Mobil1 20W50, and Castrol 20W50? (besides the brand name and the price) I don't - so please enlighten me.

I will wait until I hit about 15k miles to go synthetic. Until then, to tell you the truth, I'm still undecided.

[chibbert]

It is my understanding that Castrol produce(d) or may still produce BMW's oil. And as far as synthetic oil goes Mobil 1 is the best mainstream brand you can get. Amsoil is considerably better in quality but can fetch twice as much in $.

[towerworker]

I have run Castrol 20/50 in two R's now with no issues at all. 42K on an 03 and 37K on an 04. Of course I wouldn't expect any issues with no more mileage than that anyway.

I've been advised to not run BMW oil in my mower though----the FD may go out.

[Sunbeemer]

Any of you know what is the difference between BMW 20W50, Mobil1 20W50, and Castrol 20W50? (besides the brand name and the price) I don't - so please enlighten me.

There are differences in the additive packages, especially the amount of Zinc Phosphate that prevents metal-to-metal contact during extreme pressures under hot running conditions. This was reducted by the EPA to prevent the damage it causes to catalytic converters, and these oils carry the designations SJ, SL, & SM. My Owner's Manual says that the use of oils above the SG/SH designation will void the warranty towards any repair of an oil related failure, so BMW thinks it's important to have this stuff in their cranckcases...

BTW, Castrol Activo, made for 4-cycle, air-cooled motorcycle engines (with wet clutches) has the SG/SH designation, whereas Castrol GTX is SL/SM.

Mobil 1, in addition to being a totally synthetic oil with higher thermal stability (good in summer) also has a higher concentration of acid neutralizer to allow for extended use intervals, but it is also designated SL/SM.

That said, I change my Castrol GTX 20W-50 every 3000 miles...sooner if I've made a lot of short trips or it got really hot in summer traffic (I've changed it as often as 1800 miles a couple times), and now have over 35000 smiles on the bike