Fresh Oil looking milky after 4-5 miles

[Wells]

I’ve had my R1200 GS around 2-3 months and have covered around 1500 miles.

When looking through the sight glass I notice the oil looked like a light coffee colour and had no transparency at all. I decided to change the oil and filter tonight as I was unsure what oil had been used by the independent garage I bought it from. Fresh BMW oil in and after a 4-5 mile ride around the block the fresh oil has started to lose transparency already and looks like it’s going to turn into a milk coffee colour again. Any ideas? Just for info the coolant level hasn’t changed at all.

 

[Thejoybringer]

I’ve had my R1200 GS around 2-3 months and have covered around 1500 miles.

When looking through the sight glass I notice the oil looked like a light coffee colour and had no transparency at all. I decided to change the oil and filter tonight as I was unsure what oil had been used by the independent garage I bought it from. Fresh BMW oil in and after a 4-5 mile ride around the block the fresh oil has started to lose transparency already and looks like it’s going to turn into a milk coffee colour again. Any ideas? Just for info the coolant level hasn’t changed at all.

How many miles on the clock?

 

[Wells]

How many miles on the clock?

47,000 ish and it’s a September 2014

 

[GSian]

Ride it further until the heat burns the moisture off.

The milkiness is most likely condensation that forms when hot meets cold. Needs to get hot in order to evaporate the water.

Or, god forbid, head gasket has gone, but most likely the moisture as above, seeing the coolant level hasn't changed.

 

[Thejoybringer]

47,000 ish and it’s a September 2014

Take it the oil level isn’t increasing at all?..

 

[Wells]

Ride it further until the heat burns the moisture off.

The milkiness is most likely condensation that forms when hot meets cold. Needs to get hot in order to evaporate the water.

Or, god forbid, head gasket has gone, but most likely the moisture as above, seeing the coolant

Take it the oil level isn’t increasing at all?..

No all seems good in that respect. I’ve heard water pump seals might be an issue letting through a small amount of coolant?

 

[Daffy]

I’d go with the condensation suggestion, when you change the oil you’ll only get 90% (ish) out so you’ll see some carry over from the last lot, oil needs to be hot enough to boil the water off so the breather can pull it out.

Lots of short journeys wont get the oil hot enough.

 

[Wells]

What’s considered a short journey? I sometimes take it to work which is 10 miles away.

 

[SBD]

I’d expect 10 miles enough to get it warmed through. If you do that and back every day for a month, see how it is then.

 

[jetjock]

That looks like totally fresh oil to me

 

[Wells]

That looks like totally fresh oil to me

View attachment 544379

 

[Wells]

This is what fresh oil looks like,

 

[PembsGSA]

As others have mentioned, condensation is most likely if being used for short journeys. Take the bike for a 200 mile ride and give it the beans.

I recall a neighbour of mine had a mint Kawasaki ZXR600 a few years back... the bike had low mileage and he used to regularly "warm it up" in his garage for short periods during the winter months.... the oil in the sight glass was a milky white emulsion (much worst than your example).... he got the head gasket failure paranoia and traded it in with less than 5k miles!

 

[Davey B]

They look alike to me....you could always drain the lot again, and send a sample off to be tested? Or just do a few longish rides...maybe an hour out and do 40 or 50 miles minimum

 

[JJH]

If a head gasket is gone you can sometimes get a smell from the oil or exhaust depending on which way the leak goes. JJH