Oil advice please

[sailfast]

Just purchased a GSA 09. I am getting conflicting advice on oil type to use. It seems BMW have changed their minds again about what oil you should use in the engine. The last advice I received was that 20/50 mineral was the way to go even after the running in period. Something to do with getting better oil pressure. Now it seems they are advising that after the running in period you should use a semi synthetic 10/40. Has anyyone any knowledge of these changes and the reasons for them.
Thanks

 

[EggChaser]

The usual advice is a least use mineral until past the first main service interval - I believe this is due to the synthetic stuff protecting the engine so well it doesn't really run in properly - no idea why BMW might be changing their recommendations though

 

[sailfast]

Thanks. That was my original understanding but they recently changed to recommending 20/50 for every subsequent change and that was the case on my last R12RT. So as 20/50 was in the virtually unobtainium category I stocked up on the stuff. Now they seem to have changed their minds and reverted to their original advice, dispensing with 20/50 after running in and moving to a semi 10/40. Confused? I am! Presumably the continuous use of 20/50 didn't offer the same level of protection.

 

[grimo]

BMW use Act>evo 20/50 4T as advised last weekend by Ryders Cardiff its a mineral oil. You can switch to synthetic after 10,000 miles or so the book says.

 

[Fanum]

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[Betty Swollocks]

Just had my 08 GSA serviced.... I was told it is now fully synthetic, and correct me if I am wrong, but 10/50.

I need to get a litre as a spare, cause I had 2 litres of mineral stuff lying in the garage. The parts guy told me the new stuff is only available at BMW.... apparently this 10/50 is specific to BMW bikes Will be getting a litre in the next few days, so will update if it's not already posted here.

 

[John Armstrong]

Poor engines must be getting confused. One day it's 10 / 40 next its 20 / 50 another it's 10 / 50. Can they tell any difference

 

[Paul Wakefield]

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Give the guy a break. he's new. And you try using "oil" as a search term. Doesn't work - does it?

 

[Our Gee]

Just had my 08 GSA serviced.... I was told it is now fully synthetic, and correct me if I am wrong, but 10/50.

I need to get a litre as a spare, cause I had 2 litres of mineral stuff lying in the garage. The parts guy told me the new stuff is only available at BMW.... apparently this 10/50 is specific to BMW bikes Will be getting a litre in the next few days, so will update if it's not already posted here.

I have just had my RT Serviced this week (6000 miles) and on collection my Dealer told me about the Service Directive from BMW and that my Bike now contains Fully Synthetic 10-50 which is a bit of a pain as I now have 2 litres of GP 20-50 Chip Fat on my Garage shelf which will now be used to oil the Shed Door Hinges. I wish to God that BMW would make their minds up or better still give the Customer the choice as 4 Lites of the Red Stuff came out at £24.72 whereas this new stuff is a staggering £52.20 (all plus VAT)

 

[John Armstrong]

WTF has happened to the formatting?

 

[John Armstrong]

WTF has happened to the formatting?

How strange

 

[Our Gee]

Hope it wasn't my fault !! (mayby the fully synthetic has caused everything to "slip together".

 

[Ogmios]

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i really liked that!
though - i am a little biased.....

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107701&highlight=RTFM

 

[sailfast]

Thanks for the replies, synthetic 10/50 it seems to be, at least for the next six months.
Anyone want 10 litres of 20/50 before it goes in the lawn mower for the next ten years or so!
The moral of the story seems to be don't anticipate any consistency in BMW's approach to what oil to use. At the prices quoted for the new stuff you do wonder....

 

[arrybash]

I have just purchased a new R 1200 GSA. Its coming up to its 600 mile service in a week or so.

Being a qualified mechanical engineer, I know plenty about oils. Hence I asked the dealer (Chester Motorrad) what he uses.

He gave me a castrol brochure specifically for BMW motorcycles. The brochure states:

BMW Recommended performance: Castrol Power 1 Racing 10W-50
Trusted Protection: Castrol ACT>Evo 20W-50

My BMW riders manual states:
Engine oils of API classification SF or better. Engine oils of ACEA classification A2 or better. BMW Motoadd recommends not using synthetic oils for the first 10,000km.

(The API oil guide can be found here: http://www.api.org/certifications/engineoil/categories/upload/English_Oil_Guide.pdf)

Castrol ACT>Evo 20W-50 is a basic mineral oil to API SG spec. (SG spec is more modern than SF). So this also complies with the BMW manual.

Most car engine oils comply with ACEA A2. Modern synthetic oils comply with ACEA A3. Castrol Power 1 Racing 10W-50 is fully synthetic, so this does not comply with the BMW handbook until the engine has covered 10,000km.

Modern motorcycle engines with wet clutches normally call up the JASO MA spec which is specially formulated to avoid clutches slipping.

BMW don't call up the JASO MA spec in the manual. Hence in theory a JASO MA oil is not nessesary (I presume the BM has a dry clutch. As it's my first BM I haven't investigated it that much as yet).

So what have I concluded.

I shouldn't be using fully synthetic (ACEA A3) car oil.

I should be using a SAE20W-50 car mineral oil of the type I used to use in my old Morris Marina!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In thory this does not surprise me as the BM engine is a very old air cooled design that was developed on early oil specifiations. Because it is air cooled it will have larger clearances than a modern water cooled engines. Larger clearances often require heavier oil, hence the -50 spec.

For the very same reasonining I have been using Chevron 15w-40 car oil (In 25 litre drums from Costco) in my '06 Yamaha TTR250 trail bike which is a single cylinder air cooled engine.

I won't be rushing out just yet and putting Chevron car oil in my new BM, but I shall be interrogating the dealer and if necessary BMW UK to get a clear steer on the correct oil.

When I have concluded the correct oil I will respond again.

Regards

Chris

 

[arrybash]

Hi,

Telephoned BMW Motorrad UK Product support to get their view.

Mineral oil it is.

He did quote the JASO MA spec, but probably only because its what the spec of the oil BMW use is.

He confirmed its a dry clutch, as I thought and when I advised him JASO MA is only to stop the clutch slipping he could not comment.

In theory then, good old Duckhams SAE20W-50 car oil would be OK.

However he confirmed that BMW recommend Act>Evo 20W-50 as the correct oil to use. Or you can use Power 1 GPS 4T 10W-40 which is part synthetic.

What shouldn't be used (at first anyway) is Power 1 racing 4T which is fully synthetic. This aligns all with my handbook that came with the bike.

Regards

Chris

 

[Engineer]

Hi,

Telephoned BMW Motorrad UK Product support to get their view.

..................... This aligns all with my handbook that came with the bike.

Regards

Chris

Bit of a surprise that.

 

[Slowdown]

So as 20/50 was in the virtually unobtainium category I stocked up on the stuff.

Err - EVERY motor factors I've ever been in and EVERY branch of Halfords has has had 20w/50 mineral oil in stock in 4/5l containers.

There's online shops like Opie Oils and many many others who will fall over themselves to sell you oil in whatever grade you desire. And offer extremely knowledgeable and timely advice, before, during and after your purchase.

There's even a guy on here who'll get stuff direct from a producer and mail it to you for a very reasonable fee.




So, all in all, I suspect you should visit Specsavers.....

 

[Our Gee]

Like "arrybash" I too have contacted BMW (awaiting reply) to query use of Full Synthetic in our RT. In the meantime I note that 300 miles after our Service when the Dealer (on BMW's instruction's) used this new oil my Oil Level has dropped 6mm in the Sight Glass. This is on a Bike that never used any Oil before when running on GP 20w-50. Somthings Wrong. It will be interesting to hear just what BMW have to say. My preference would be to "dump" this new Oil and refill with GP 20w-50. And it may be my imagination but my Engine does seem to be a bit more "Rattley" than before and doesn't seem to "Tickover" as well !!.

 

[Bryn]

Had a yearly service at 9700 miles in june ... they put Castrol GP 4T 20-50 in the bike ( 1200)

Did 3000 mile trip in 10 days... didn't use a drop, and the engine didn't self destruct