Engine Oil

[Eddlondon]

Hi

Daft newbie question here, sorry if its daft.

I have my watercooled GS which I love.

The Oil Sight on the left hand side, am I missing a trick, I struggle to actually see anything, I have cleaned the glass, if I use a torch then it just reflects the light , its really hard to see the level. I know it has oil in it as I took it to the garage yesterday and they checked and topped it up etc.

Is there some trick I am missing?


Also Im riding to Lake Garda in a few weeks, I presume I should take oil with me?

Thanks
Edd

 

[Wapping]

Check the oil EXACTLY as they tell you how to in the owner's manual.

If you follow the procedure EXACTLY you should have no problems at all. BMW make it easy..... because it is easy.

Of course you can dream up other assorted ways to do it (there are lots on the pages of UKGSer, not surprisingly) but none seem to have the basic simplicity (or the reliability) of the method set out in the owner's handbook.... None of them mention a torch or going back to the dealer's each time.

You can take oil if you like. Make sure it doesn't leak, particularly once you have opened the sealed bottle. It's a real bitch when it happens. They do of course sell oil beyond London and over the Channel; it's how the French, German and Italian riders manage to buy theirs. So don't worry.


What oil? DO NOT ASK! Read the owner's manual.

 

[batman1]

Hi

Daft newbie question here, sorry if its daft.

I have my watercooled GS which I love.

The Oil Sight on the left hand side, am I missing a trick, I struggle to actually see anything, I have cleaned the glass, if I use a torch then it just reflects the light , its really hard to see the level. I know it has oil in it as I took it to the garage yesterday and they checked and topped it up etc.

Is there some trick I am missing?


Mine is on the Right hand side, perhaps yours is over full, is it amber in colour?
There is an alternative, according to the handbook there is an oil level display under the info button under the correct conditions.

Today mine is on the centre stand and is completely full to the top, you cannot see a line just full of amber liquid...no not larger!

The other day it was normal? It seems to vary a lot.

 

[Humbug]

If yours is an export model you may be looking in the wrong place. The R/H drive models have the sight glass on the other side.

 

[Captain Beaky]

Ok, just checking, is the bike on the centre stand with the engine not running?

 

[Wapping]

.... and so the inevitable confusion starts...

The Oil Sight on the left hand side,

Mine is on the Right hand side,

Popcorn sales will be going through the roof by the time this thread runs its course.

 

[Flipfly]

Maybe the workings behing the sight glass are broken

I'd take it back to the dealers and ask them to put it right or else demand your money back.

If you can't check the oil, then the bike is clearly not fit for purpose

 

[stubox]

Check the oil EXACTLY as they tell you how to in the owner's manual.

If you follow the procedure EXACTLY you should have no problems at all. BMW make it easy..... because it is easy.

Of course you can dream up other assorted ways to do it (there are lots on the pages of UKGSer, not surprisingly) but none seem to have the basic simplicity (or the reliability) of the method set out in the owner's handbook.... None of them mention a torch or going back to the dealer's each time.

You can take oil if you like. Make sure it doesn't leak, particularly once you have opened the sealed bottle. It's a real bitch when it happens. They do of course sell oil beyond London and over the Channel; it's how the French, German and Italian riders manage to buy theirs. So don't worry.


What oil? DO NOT ASK! Read the owner's manual.

OP as above.... this chap Wapping seems to travel abroad a lot (all the time it seems )

 

[The Grey One]

Popcorn sales will be going through the roof by the time this thread runs its course.

That's the problem with "care in the community" they are all on the loose. And more and more of them end up on here.

John

 

[Wapping]

That's the problem with "care in the community" they are all on the loose. And more and more of them end up staying here.

John

Fixed, no charge

 

[zoltan]

What have you done Edd ? You do realise that sooner or later somebody will call somebody else a ****, the injured party will want satisfaction and a handbag duel will ensue over "what,why,where oil" question.
Next time go to http://www.advrider.com/ if you want a "sensible" answer, apparently the "yellow forum" is populated by arrogant,rude dinosaurs.

 

[The Grey One]

Fixed, no charge

Thanks,

I see from some of your posts that you share my frustration with those who can't be bothered to read the manual or look something up on Google for themselves. We both, I think, try to help those in need but I do wonder at the number of posts from those who think others should do it all for them.

Questions that start "I have read the manual and I still don't understand" or " I have searched on here/on Google and am still confused" will bring mostly helpful and sensible replies. Questions that imply that no effort has been made on the part of the OP will often get another sort of reply.

John

 

[Wapping]

The Oil Sight on the left hand side, am I missing a trick, I struggle to actually see anything, I have cleaned the glass, if I use a torch then it just reflects the light , its really hard to see the level. I know it has oil in it as I took it to the garage yesterday and they checked and topped it up etc.

Is there some trick I am missing?

Edd,

Let’s make some assumptions:

(a) Assuming you checked the oil in accordance with the owner's manual, all is probably well.

Here's why...

(b) You took it to 'the garage' (I assume a BMW motorcycle dealership) who checked it and topped it up.

(i) Let's assume 'the garage' did that correctly.

(ii) Let's also assume that you haven't hoooned it for 100's of miles over the intervening 24 hours, so your oil usuage may well have been minimal.

On those four simple assumptions, it's unlikely you have used that much in the one day since, so all is probably well.

So let's move on…..

(c) The oil, of which your bike is probably comfortably full, is probably darkish red in colour. The oil has probably completely filled the sightscreen, rendering it totally dark in appearance.

So far, so good...

(d) As the level of the dark red oil falls, it will expose the background of the chamber into which the sight glass offers a view. The background is light'ish, making the level of the darker oil stand out. Think of it like a full bottle of Ribena, it's dark and you can't see through it to the reverse of the label; pour some out.... and.... BINGO, the back of the label can be seen, along with the level of the remaining Ribena.

(d) The falling of the level will also reveal the min-max oil level lines, etched into the rear of the sight glass. You can't see these at the moment as the dark oil is obscuring them. They will appear as if by magic when your oil level (inevitably) falls.

(f) Those two simple lines, along with the soon to be exposed light'ish background of the chamber, will become your reliable friends and guide during your (hopefully) many years of 1200 GS WC ownership and enjoyment.

It's all revealed in the excellent owner's manual. I cannot commend it to you enough.

 

[Bucephalus]

More confusion.

Popcorn sales will be going through the roof by the time this thread runs its course.

On my Scott I'm currently running the left hand sight glass on the Pilgrim pump at 8 drips/ minute and the right hand at 3 drips/minute before tightening the locking nuts on the oil tank feed; now I'm a little confused so I'll put some two stroke oil in the petrol to be on the safe side, but how much? Don't want it to seize, or too smokey, and don't want to foul the plugs either! Decisions, decisions.

 

[alp]

TIME OUT BOYS!

 

[getalife]

Well mine's on the RHS, but I backed it into the garage on Sunday and blow me if it wasn't on the other side. Maybe that's his problem.

 

[David Nimrod]

Where's Nutty when you need him...

 

[Dainese Brave]

I'm reluctant to post a (sensible) reply to this post....

...as I remember, if the oil is at the correct level, but the engine is cold, and on the centre stand...then the oil sight glass remains 'full' of oil ie no visible line of its top level. This is particularly likely if the oil has been recently topped up.

Once the engine is run up to working temperature ( or after a run) then stopped, and allowed to rest for the period described in the manual, then the oil will settle to it's true 'level' and be visible in the sight glass.

Hope that helps....

 

[Appman]

It's too much time spent in the Sun,they're all going Mad

 

[Gossy]

But.....too much oil is just as bad as too little.

Follow the handbook instruction to the letter, this will be having the bike on the main stand and *mins after youve turned off the engine. It might not be the same everytime.
When I got mine home after a 6K service the oil level was just below the top of the sight glass, the next day a little lower, the next day the glasss was covered.

For piece of mind, take some oil with you, you wont need it, just dont over fill