Ok I need to top up my 2009 R1200 GSA, Engine Oil what oil and where do you buy from?
Cheers
Big D
Cheers
Big D
What engine oil should I put in my 1200?
- Thread starter Big Derek
- Start date
20/50 mineral... I personally use Castrol or Morrisons 20/50
it's ok, but if you do search you will find why your q got the response it did
On this forum there must be at least a 1000 threads asking the same bloody question and it always ends in someone
Having had Beemers for 40 years I thought I'd pass on advice on oils.
SHITE !!! I should never have done it
It's a subject best kept to in PM's to folk you trust......
I'm sure some mod will post a link to at least one of the great oil debates on here.
I swore never to answer another one, but have made an exception in your case.....
BTW same oil in airheads as well
it's ok, but if you do search you will find why your q got the response it did
On this forum there must be at least a 1000 threads asking the same bloody question and it always ends in someone
Having had Beemers for 40 years I thought I'd pass on advice on oils.
SHITE !!! I should never have done it
It's a subject best kept to in PM's to folk you trust......
I'm sure some mod will post a link to at least one of the great oil debates on here.
I swore never to answer another one, but have made an exception in your case.....
BTW same oil in airheads as well
Derek.
Brand new bike: I'd ask the suppling dealer what oil was currently installed then buy a litre of them for top purposes. Probably won't be the cheapest but it'll at least get to the right level pronto.
If, like me, you think oils pretty cheap in the scheme of things you can keep using that. If you decide it's not that cheap then a search of this site will give you more alternatives than you can shake a stick at.
Don't forget oil specification will be in the manual.
I'm not convinced the expensive stuff will serve you better than Tesco value oil but if the bikes a keeper then the dearer lube ma prove less expensive in the long run.
Brand new bike: I'd ask the suppling dealer what oil was currently installed then buy a litre of them for top purposes. Probably won't be the cheapest but it'll at least get to the right level pronto.
If, like me, you think oils pretty cheap in the scheme of things you can keep using that. If you decide it's not that cheap then a search of this site will give you more alternatives than you can shake a stick at.
Don't forget oil specification will be in the manual.
I'm not convinced the expensive stuff will serve you better than Tesco value oil but if the bikes a keeper then the dearer lube ma prove less expensive in the long run.
Deleted account 190920001
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If it hasn't had its 6000 mile service then its 20/50 mineral oil if it has had its 6000 mile service then it will have 15/50 synthetic oil in it. It will be Castrol in brand as well since that's what BMW dealers are told to use. Halfords do both although not in the Castrol bike brand. I cant see any reason not to use car oil in the 1200 as it doesn't have a wet clutch so any friction modifiers will do no harm.
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
From the owner's manual.
Engine oil
Engine oil, capacity max 4.0 l, with filter change
Lubricant: Engine oil, 20W-50
Oil grades: Engine oils of API classification SF or better. Engine oils of ACEA classification A2 or better.
BMW Motorrad recommends not using synthetic oils for the first 10,000 km.
Quantity for topping up max 0.5 l, Difference between MIN and MAX
Please do not hesitate to contact your authorised BMW Motorrad dealer if you have any questions relating the choice of a suitable engine oil for your
motorcycle.
On the next page of the manual, it continues:
Permissible viscosity classes
SAE 5 W- ≥30 -20...20 °C, Operation at low temperatures
SAE 10 W-40 -10...30 °C, Operation at moderate temperatures
SAE 15 W- ≥40 ≥0 °C
SAE 20 W- ≥40 ≥0 °C
SAE 5 W- ≥50 ≥-20 °C, High-grade and synthetic oils, operation in all temperature ranges
SAE 10 W- ≥50 ≥-20 °C, High-grade and synthetic oils, operation in all temperature ranges
From the owner's manual.
Engine oil
Engine oil, capacity max 4.0 l, with filter change
Lubricant: Engine oil, 20W-50
Oil grades: Engine oils of API classification SF or better. Engine oils of ACEA classification A2 or better.
BMW Motorrad recommends not using synthetic oils for the first 10,000 km.
Quantity for topping up max 0.5 l, Difference between MIN and MAX
Please do not hesitate to contact your authorised BMW Motorrad dealer if you have any questions relating the choice of a suitable engine oil for your
motorcycle.
On the next page of the manual, it continues:
Permissible viscosity classes
SAE 5 W- ≥30 -20...20 °C, Operation at low temperatures
SAE 10 W-40 -10...30 °C, Operation at moderate temperatures
SAE 15 W- ≥40 ≥0 °C
SAE 20 W- ≥40 ≥0 °C
SAE 5 W- ≥50 ≥-20 °C, High-grade and synthetic oils, operation in all temperature ranges
SAE 10 W- ≥50 ≥-20 °C, High-grade and synthetic oils, operation in all temperature ranges
lolly
Guest
i'm using Silkolene Comp 15/50 semi synthetic
NAB
Registered user
Castrol GP 20W-50 (replaced by Castrol ActEvo GP 4T)
iftikartaxis
Registered user
oil
Give millers brighouse a ring
they have a vast knowledge of semi and fully types of oil
personally i shove nice 20/50 uniparts finest from my local motor factors £13 a gallon i did use 10/30 semi but took the advice from the good guys on here
it's nice and thick to stop the rattles when touring
best of luck
buon natalie felice anno nuvero 2010
Give millers brighouse a ring
they have a vast knowledge of semi and fully types of oil
personally i shove nice 20/50 uniparts finest from my local motor factors £13 a gallon i did use 10/30 semi but took the advice from the good guys on here
it's nice and thick to stop the rattles when touring
best of luck
buon natalie felice anno nuvero 2010
Red Rock
Registered user
So the usual suspects are quick to pour scorn on a genuine question - and yet fail to provide an answer based on their apparently 'superior' knowledge.
Anyway, - Oil: I've always used CASTROL ACT>EVO 4T 20W-50 as recommended by BMW available from Opie Oils. I've been running it for 20Kmiles with no problems.
HTH.
Anyway, - Oil: I've always used CASTROL ACT>EVO 4T 20W-50 as recommended by BMW available from Opie Oils. I've been running it for 20Kmiles with no problems.
HTH.
Red Rock
Registered user
demandcurve
Registered user
A wet clutch is not the only reason to use bike oil, with a dry clutch other reasons to use a bike oil still exist:-
Bike engines rev higher and pistons/cylinders get much hotter than in car engines - this is especially relevant to aircooled engines: car oils could evaporate from bike's hot metal surfaces leaving them unprotected.
To cope with high speed moving parts bike oils have a much greater shear stability than car oils.
Car engines have larger sumps so car oil has a lot less work to do than a bike oil.
To cope with high speed moving parts bike oils have a much greater shear stability than car oils.
Car engines have larger sumps so car oil has a lot less work to do than a bike oil.
Bike oil is developed in expensive laboratories by people with tall foreheads, consider before sticking Halford's car oil in your engine.
Tony
"Blimey" I have just taken one of my daughters and the missus out for LUNCH and come back can't belive what I am reading!
Yes of course I have read the owners manual "YOU are missing the point! I have worked on engines all my living days.Also been around race bikes and motorcycles for years.Learning that some motorcycle engines are oil sensative especially some of the alloy ones. All I did was ask if someone in the know????
(thats someone who has worked/owned /ridden a bloody bike like mine with engine maintainence experience to profer their opinion as to which oil is best in their EXPERT opinion based on prior experience.
I never realised there were so many people ready to throw negatives! It sure puts you off from asking questions to certain folk on here!
O well (you can only try)
Dont get me wrong I take the piss and love a joke and dont need to lighten up! Well not that way ha ha.....
Be Happy
Big D
To the best of my knowledge, no one can definitively tell you that there is a 'best oil' for the BMW boxer engine; because there have been no scientific studies done on this subject.
So it all boils down to myth, legend and a bit of personal experience - this is why people get so wound up about the subject.
Because there is no definitive information then the best anyone can really say is - just follow the manual - after all BMW probably have more data than most of the Tossers on this site.
That all said - 20W50 does seem to give less engine noise.
Nice One Red Rock that was very interesting, takes me back to the good old Castrol R days I used to love that stuff! "Great on ya fish and chips in the middle of a padock when you have a TZ Yamaha engine apart!!
Big D
st247
Registered user
I'm trying to understand why a person doesn't just look in the manual or if he bought it from a dealer ask them. Can you imagine the response I would get if I dared to ask what oil do I put in my car
Has BWM not just changed it's recommendation for oil then? I didn't recieve any manual update and dealers seem to give differing opinions, so it is a reasonable question.
But when asked so many times it's bound to get some
st247
Registered user
OK all, rant over.....
Proff - Back to the airhead section with you
This has been fun, but would it be better if I tidied up the thread and made it a Sticky to save anyone from asking in the near future?
Possibly, and how about a link in there for Wappings oil thread in the font. If you search for oil it doesn't appear in the results ( i assume because there's been no replies on the thread ).
Or would it be possible to have any threads from the font appear at the start of search results?
Derek - thanks for the original question. Good to get these things aired every now and again.
I've tidied the thread up to make it easier to reference and made it a sticky
I've tidied the thread up to make it easier to reference and made it a sticky
All my informative posts
gornnnn 
Ya Bazzaaardd :jeiger
You do know that a 1200 trespassed on my driveway this week, don't you ???
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