BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

I'm a newbie who just got a 1150R with less than 2,000 miles and want to change the fluids as soon as possible -- first the oil. I've heard you want to use dino for an extended break-in period, but somebody else told me that combo of syn-dino is better. So I just got four quarts of Motul 3000 20-50 (the dino) and 4 liters of Spectro Golden 4 20-50 (the blend). I'd prefer to use the Motul (less expensive) but not sure if I'd be doing right by my new toy. I'll change again at the 6,000 mile service.
From reading other posts, I can see there's a big range of opinions. But would I be doing the bike any harm by using either of these at this low a mileage?
Thanks
Clint

2004 R1150R

Cannot pass up an oil thread! I use full syn Mobil 1 from Wally World @ $6.19 per in 15/50w. If you want dino oil the Wally branded oil is off the same fill line as the Quaker State. Now it is time for all the Amsoil,BMW and so on oil purist to kick in. Do make sure that you use dino in the final drive and change each engine oil change as a way to monitor the FD issues which you should become aware of sooner than later-just so you will know!

You won't hurt your bike unless you drain the crankcase and then start the bike!

I won't offer opinions as you will get plenty of those probably shortly. I'm sure you've probably heard the adage concerning opinions. They're like rumps..............everyone has one.

I will tell you what I've done since 2003. I run Castrol 20/50 GTX and change it every 3K. I put 42K on my 03 before totaling it in an accident. Absolutely no oil related problems. I have 31K on an 04 and do the same and same results. I don't run synthetic in anything. I have no plans to run synthetic in anything. I'm not saying I'm right or wrong------this is just what I do.

Wayne

I can only tell you what I would do, the ultimate choice is all yours...

If it were mine I would run dino oil for at least the first 12,000 miles and make sure that the engine is broken in well before introducing it to any diet of synthetic. Personally I use Castrol 20w50 in every bike I've owned and have been completely happy. Paul Glaves, oilhead tech editor on BMWMOA, reported that his wife Voni's R1100RS has 345k miles and his K75 had 370k miles trouble free on dino 20w50. Not saying dino is better, just completely satisfactory.

Ditto, no opinion, just what I do. (Temperatures: Pacific Northwest weather and annual trip to Chicago.)

I run 20w50 Dino in the engine, and also Dino (can't remember the numbers right now) in the FD and tranny. I tried synthetic in the FD and tranny and didn't notice any difference so I went back to Dino.

Dino is cheaper but my hard earned money is probably going to countries I'd rather not send it to.

Second what RGuysaid.
Any high-quality lubricant meeting the BMW service requirement is fine. I'd make my decision based on cost.

Charlie

I used dino oil until it was broken in -- either BMW (bought on sale) or Castrol 20-50.

I switched to Mobil 1 15-50 synthetic. The reason I switched is that I unfortunately find myself sitting in traffic on a hot summer day when I commute in NJ. Because of the heat issue, and because synthetic retains viscosity better, I think it is safer for my situation to use it. That's what works for me and my situation. ymmv.

They're like rumps..............everyone has one.

I don't.

I'm also a fan of the Castrol GTX 20/50. Having said that I'm planning to go to Mobil 1 on the next change, and longer change intervals. You should really stick with dino for 10k at least. My rings didn't seat until the engine had over 6k on the clock. It was still using a lot of oil up until then. Oil is one of the few things I buy at Wal-Mart. They do have good prices on oil.

Oil is cheep so change it often
I would rather use a cheeper dino and change it twice as often
but as my milage is limited these days its would be yearly whatever oil I used

Boxer wrote:

They're like rumps..............everyone has one.

I don't.

Phil----since I've never paid particular attention to yours I won't comment. If I make it to the Bash in May (which right now is questionable) I'll try not to check you out! But I will admit that you are quite the dashing fellow!

Wayne

I used the BMW dino till the 12K service, have used Mobil 1 15W-50 since, always available at Wally World no matter where I find myself. I did discuss this with my local dealer, and they said "no problem" as I change every 6K, or in the fall and spring.

I will give you my opinion....

Since the bike is in CA, I would use dino, Castrol 20W50 was my favorite, until the rings seat. The most important thing is to get the rings seated first as the typical high oil consumption will diminish to a feww cc's, to do this you need to vary the engine speed (read load) and since you are at 2,000 miles already feel free to run the bike in the upper rpm range (run it through the gears)

After the oil consumption diminishes either dino or synthetic is perfectly acceptable......your choice.

I am using Mobil 1 15-50, but will change back to the Castrol Syntec 5-50 for next winter. It starts easier, and warms up quicker.

I wanted to chime in on this topic regarding my own experience lately. Of course this is beating a dead horse and there have been so many other discussions on the matter. I have been reluctant to start a new topic. I debated this with myself since I purchased my bike late last summer. It had 20k km's on it so I felt it was sufficiently broken in so I questioned whether I should use dino or synthetic. The BMW mechanic where I purchased the bike is adamantly against synthetic oil but my past experience with cars has always been very positive. I believe synthetics are far superior and there is a lot of evidence to back this...

This spring came time to make my decision and I don't regret it at all. I went with Mobil 1 V-twin 20w 50 full synthetic. I like how it is designed to handle the heat stress of air cooled engines so on an oil cooled I figured it would be more than sufficient. It also meets the BMW requirements(in manual) which the Mobil 1 15w 50 didn't as far as I could tell. My bike is still under warranty so this is important to me.

What I experienced was WAY less engine noise with the synthetic at max temperature. Frankly, the noise has been quite an adjustment with this new-to-me bike. The engines on these things can be a little embarrassing sometimes waiting at a red light when hot They sound like they're about to tear themselves apart (knocking, clanking, ticking etc.)! Everybody I've talked to says this is normal with these boxers so.. With the synthetic, it's still quite noisy, but not nearly as bad as it was. The noise is a little more bearable I think I will continue using the synthetic.

Just my experience though, that's all. Use what you like. I just thought I would share Sorry.. long post

OP,

The answers above with the fewest words, least misspelling, and better grammatical structures are the ones to follow.

Follow your manual as to vis and API class. As for brands, choose one you like and change accordingly.

Me? I use Mobil1 15W-50 and Purolator filters.

Boxer wrote:

They're like rumps..............everyone has one.

I don't.

Boxer, what do you sit on?

His lap,

(Is this thread over?)

I sure hope so.