Just clicking on that link made my eyes bleed. I'm not looking to be an oil expert, hence coming here to get advice. Just the cliff notes please, thanks, LOL
Cliff's Notes: Motorrad will publish an oil recommendation and the dealers will not follow it. Motorrad will sell you oil that is exactly the same as the Castrol bottle but you will pay as high as 3 times more for it. When the local dealer runs out, they will sell you the exact same oil that the local Wal-Mart does but charge you 25% more for it. Motorrad will sell you a bike with an owners manual that says you must use a certain oil and the dealer will never have that oil in stock nor use it. Motorrad will often say one thing and the local dealer will do another. People will get high mileage out of motors lubed with synthetic oil and people will get high mileage out of motors lubed with dead dinosaurs. A true and lasting peace in the Middle East is more likely than even a general consensus on oil threads.
Rotella T, 15/40 HD engine oil non-synthetic. It is JASO certified which I believe makes it ok for wet clutches. Works great in a GSA with 6K changes, DR650 and WeeStrom with wet clutches and no problems, anything that uses a dino oil that can use a 15/40 or close. $13.00 a gallon at Wally World and available every where, less than $4.00 a qt.
Just to keep this oil tread going http://d26ya5yqg8yyvs.cloudfront.net/Norton.gif the main difference in good diesel oil and good motorcycle dino oil is that most diesel engines have more blow by so the oil have a higher detergent content ie % of the oil. If you think have this diesel oil features is good for you motorcycle....use the rotella. I do in my tractor...but not my motorcycle
Just to report on the subject. In my last post I wrote that will let the dealer to put what ever he recommends until I notice negative behavior. So, the clutch slip happened a few times on hard acceleration. At first I thought it was wheel spin but than I realized that the clutch was slipping. Changed the oil with semi-synthetic Motorex Formula 4T 15W/50. Immediate difference, and still present after 1000Km. Better acceleration, better engine braking. Harder shifting though. On next service for sure I will not easily indulge the dealer.
According to what I've learned about oil for turbines (planes) the detergent may be aggressive to organic materials possibly contained in gaskets and seals. I assume that it may also harm the clutch if it contains organic materials. Cheers Steve
Thanks Steve ... that actually makes sense This is an oil thread and we have some experts here, so for my next stupid oil question: I've seen a number of folks say you can mix different weights of oil together if you want your own viscosity "blend". For example the brand of oil recommended in the BMW manual is the Castrol EVO-xtra, synthetic blend oil and it is available in 20W-50 and 10W-40. If you took equal volumes of each and mixed them would you "really" get something that behaved similar to a "refinery produced" 15W-45 ?
U r always welcome Mr Wooden, sir! Well, as you say "really" I think the answer is no. I think it is not that easy but without a scientific test it will be hard to proof,,,,
Indeed .... After 10 minutes of googling I was unable to find any concrete answer ... the closest answer I could find from a reliable source was this: http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English...arm_Mixing_Different_Mobil_1_Viscosities.aspx So maybe it doesn't come out at the arithmetic average, but apparently it would be somewhere close to the middle.
the bmw oil from my dealers in san diego are blended and packaged from spectro oils america for bmw america. this time they gave me 20-50. 10-40 or 20-50 as long as it lubes. change it regularly alls good. if you see a diffrence go back. use motor cycle specific oil no issuses. they are probly blended from a hand full of companies. i intend to go spectro as i have used on the dirt bike. (xr400) for 12 years. my independent mechanic uses it. xracer. pick a brand and go ride. money wise some squable about a few dollars on oil but not on tires. that get changed at say 10k miles. i think some one here said im getting a head ache, me too. pic one and go ride. this is my first post.
I have a very interesting development.....quite pertinent to this BMW oil discussion. First, let me qualify that once upon a time, not so very long ago, I was the Plant Engineer for the Lubricants Complex of a major refinery in the USA. I used to know a thing or three about motor oils. If I ponder it awhile, I might could again. ITSATDM is very correct: Much has changed in the blending formulations of motor oils over the past 25 years....specifically among the "additives". For a motorcycle, stick with a JASO rated oil, given the choice. An auto parts store is a great place to find a cheaper supply ( if you're a shrewd buyer ). In a pinch, don't sweat it, most anything will get you by (with some discretion). Anyway...back to my F800. At 15,000 miles, a consistent slow oil leak had developed on the right side of my engine up high. I traced it down to the weep-hole beneath the water pump. Seems there is an Oil Seal on the water pump shaft that can be prone to leakage. I acquired a new & improved seal for future replacement when I finally decide to dig in and check my Valve Clearance. I had been running various synthetic blends of oil for some time, to help smooth the shifting action. At my next oil change, I swapped to a conventional BMW branded 10w40, purely for matters of convenience, no other consideration (long story). The oil leak stopped! Has not leaked again during the next 5,000 miles (including another oil change). Yes, I stayed with that same oil choice...because its not leaking. This particular oil seal is obviously much happier immersed in this particular blend of conventional oil than the synthetic blend I was using. Might have worked with any brand of conventional oil, though each lubricant complex has its own secret recipes for blends. Various rubber materials can react differently to oils and additives. Just something to keep in mind should you encounter a similar issue. If you have a weep or leak, try changing oil types (first), oil brands (2nd) for a potential easy solution. The change won't be instant. It took about 1,0000 miles over a couple weeks for the leak to completely stop, as the rubber material reacted to the change....making it swell and seal. HF
HighFive: Well ... now you've done it! You know you have to switch BACK to the synthetic stuff and tell us if it starts leaking again .... You know that old A-B-A thing .... you are here-by nominated test guinea pig Ok seriously, if you don't want to dick with that I certainly understand! Related question ... what is this new and improved oil seal for the water-pump of which you speak? The only seals I see that are available separately look like just a pair of o-rings? Thanks, Jim
I've seen it work that way many times on cars and trucks but have never figured out why. Even axle seals will often leak when you switch to synthetic. I always assumed it was more of a viscosity issue than anything else. Haven't had an issue on my bike so far. (Mine's happy with Redline 20/50)
I bought the new O-ring (shaft seal) last May. It's still sitting in a box.....waiting. A service tech told me the rubber material had been changed from original (improved). I said "Great, I'll take one". That's all I know. Anything else would be speculation. It's something I've seen many times with oil related items (worked with lots of valves and instruments immersed in oil). I have occassionaly had to switch compounds to gain better material performance. It's not perfectly predictable. JR, your thought is valid for testing, but not really necessary. It will begin leaking again....I'm quite sure, based on my experience. I'll stay with the conventional oil for a good long while. I may be operating on borrowed time, as it is. I' m rather interested to see how long it will go before leaking again (if at all). Once it does, I will have to replace the seal. FYI....if you have some leakage around your valve cover (which is common) try switching your oil type, but also make sure your cover bolts are properly torqued. I had a little oil seepage there around 10,000 miles, but discovered the bolts were not tight. HF.
Thanks HF! I'll be going in for a valve lash check soon, will be sure to watch the details. I had water pump swapped out under warranty for oil & coolant seepage, and had no issues since the swap.
I think people worry way too much about oil. They should be worried about the amount of recalls and the sudden failure of crucial parts on the bike. They should be worried about the cracking gas tanks...even on the newest models! That sort of stuff.
MM: I agree, I am quite happy that BMW has "approved" 15W-50 oil ... But with with 30K miles on my bike and hoping to put another 20K on it this coming year I am indeed more worried about the stator, gas tank, and am also a bit pissed off about my headlight reflector turning black.... (using only OEM/OEM equal bulbs) Maybe I'm just lucky, but I've had no fuel system issues ... but I may start packing one of the $50 USD fuel pumps in my tool kit............
