Oil consumption

[verona]

Hello All,

As I have only recently acquired my R1150 GS I have a technical question. The bike is a W reg (2000), so far I have covered about 700 odd miles and I have had to add between 1/4 to 1/2 a litre of oil. The site glass was 3/4 full on purchase and now is slightly above that. Does that sound like normal oil consumption on a bike with 19000 miles. Sorry about the explanation, its the best way I could put it and be accurate at the same time.

I am new to this site and GSing, so please have some mercy on me.

Cheers Jay.

P.S. So far I am really enjoying my 1150 and I find its growing on me more and more each day and somewhat different than my previous Fazer 1000.

 

[Max_Kool]

Ride it hard on long stretches, and the oil consumption will most probably fall. Ride it slow on short stretches and the oil comsumtion will rise.

My two cents....

 

[Deleted account 250319001]

I started a near identical thread to this when i first got my GS, (not a month ago yet!)
I was shown the oil level by the good staff at Cannons in chelmsford, but they didnt tell me of the way to always check the oil.
i now check it as per the ukGSer's instructions and it works every time.
From no oil to spot on.

Have you got a clue as to what im going on about????

 

[Paul Young]

Welcome to the fold, Jay.

Try using the search button at the top of the screen to check "oil consumption" & you will get loads of info.

To help a little, you need to be consistent in how you check the oil level as there are lots of horizontal oilways & galleries in the BM engine, so oil can get trapped & not return to the sump. This can lead to wildly differing results.

You don't mention what mileage your bike has done & it is common to find a bike which has been treated too gently in its early life. These bikes use oil until around 20k miles if nursed along. Better to give it a bit of a thrash (once it's warmed up, of course) as this seals the rings better & you find they stop using oil much sooner.

HTH,

 

[verona]

Thanks to everyone for their imput. I now feel reassured that I still can't find my way around this site as it appears to be a lot bigger than I first thought. Doh!!

Seriously though, I am pleased that my bike appears to be normal.

Cheers Jay.

 

[Wikkus]

These bikes use oil until around 20k miles if nursed along. Better to give it a bit of a thrash (once it's warmed up, of course) as this seals the rings better & you find they stop using oil much sooner. HTH,

Interesting reading... I ran mine in as per the book and advice from the dealer after which, it got about a thousand miles of progressively increased beans and use of full throttle for longer and longer bursts.

After the first 1500miles had been clicked off, it got another oil change (prolly unecessary, but whatever...) and then it's been fairly mercilessly caned everywhere ever since...

It used, to my mind, an alarming amount of oil in the first couple of thousand miles and I got very close to running it dry on one trip!

Since then (15k miles ago), it's used, on average, about ½litre every 1000miles.

It'd be nice to think that the oil consumption will decrease, but I'd be surprised if mine did...

Rik.

 

[Possu]

My 200 1150GS with 33,000 miles on it used 500-600ml of oil in 3,500 miles on a recent european trip.

 

[Paul Young]

Another reason these engines use a lot of oil is due to the crankcase volume increasing/reducing by 1130cc's every stroke.

On a normal engine (inline 4) two pistons rise in their bores as two fall. Therefore, the crankcase volume remains fairly constant. On a BM, the pistons both move outwards together then inwards together & the effect of this is to have large amounts of oil-saturated air being ditched out of the crankcase breather & into the airbox. It then mixes with your fuel & gets burned out through the exhaust. You will never get away from this part of the oil consumption so need to get used to the fact that they use more oil than other configurations. However, they do bed in after around the 20k miles I mentioned before & people do notice the sudden drop in oil top-ups needed. Don't baby it.......

HTH,

 

[richie]

OK so I have an 1100,

But no oil necessary between 6000mile oil changes....

55000 miles going nicely thanks...

(touch wood) (and it is low in the sight glass when I change)

 

[Wikkus]

Another reason these engines use a lot of oil is due to the crankcase volume increasing/reducing by 1130cc's every stroke.

On a normal engine (inline 4) two pistons rise in their bores as two fall. Therefore, the crankcase volume remains fairly constant. On a BM, the pistons both move outwards together then inwards together & the effect of this is to have large amounts of oil-saturated air being ditched out of the crankcase breather & into the airbox. It then mixes with your fuel & gets burned out through the exhaust. You will never get away from this part of the oil consumption so need to get used to the fact that they use more oil than other configurations.

Cool explanation there, Paul. Thanks.

However, they do bed in after around the 20k miles I mentioned before & people do notice the sudden drop in oil top-ups needed.

Not long now for me, then...

Don't baby it.......

No f*ckin' chance, mate!


Rik.