Engine Oil Change?

Tusler said:
Thanks for the input, I remember when I use to ride all over the nation on a 650 Triumph, I used, used oil, recycled oil just about anything except cooking oil to keep it on the road. lol. I plan on keeping the r18 for along time so I am being a bit more careful about the oil. Thanks again.
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The oil path in my student days use to be.... new stuff >motorbike>car>lawnmower>hole in the ground.... with mums old stockings used to filter between oil relocation events.... except the last one.
 
Ulrich said:
But does it have ground up unicorn horn bits and fairy dust in it? ... oh f..k i should not post drunk ... sigh
.. anyway in all sincerity if an oil meets the specs required by the manufacturer of the engine, you should be good .. I have my own preferences and they come from way back ... Bel-Ray .. makes a 15-50 'Thumper Oil' that I use .. I am not advertising that oil ... it is just what I use ... oil that meets the specs it is what it is .... if you are worried about resale and papertrail then go with the recommended maintenance intervals and pay the premium to keep your virtual warranty alive .... if you are just a rider buy good grade oil ... do it yourself and know it is done right!!!! and don't pay some 'authority' premium bucks for woodoo ¢rap ... end of rant 😁
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"parts is parts", "spec is spec" 🍻 🍻
 
Moxie said:
Due to weather and work schedule, have only put 302 miles on the R 18 since November 2020, should I change my oil and filter now or waited until I rack up more miles?
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I ended up buying a R 1250 GS instead, and with nowhere to have to go, put a couple hundred miles on it joyriding in 2 days. And another 75 yesterday. I've owned the bike 4 days... Just a comparison. yeah, they're 100k + motors, if not abused and serviced properly.
 
Pork Rind said:
I ended up buying a R 1250 GS instead, and with nowhere to have to go, put a couple hundred miles on it joyriding in 2 days. And another 75 yesterday. I've owned the bike 4 days... Just a comparison. yeah, they're 100k + motors, if not abused and serviced properly.
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Boxer motors are a lot of fun. I did >700 miles in my first week with the R18 just riding around locally. My GS has over 30,000 miles on it now & many of the miles are off road, including a BDR earlier this summer. I have a 50 year old R75/5 with over 20K on the odometer. I don’t do a ton of miles on the old bike, but I change the oil every year regardless of miles & use that same approach on all my bikes.
 
Moxie said:
Due to weather and work schedule, have only put 302 miles on the R 18 since November 2020, should I change my oil and filter now or waited until I rack up more miles?
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Your still breaking in the bike of course. With the changes in humidity et.et. even sitting there all the fluids degrade slightly. It depends how much longer it will be before your ready for the 600 mi service. At the rate your going it might be years, so you might want to go ahead and change it. Do not go with full synthetic yet, I would but probably after 1000-1500 miles on the bike when it really broken in.
Also as another member said....you might be ready for a battery soon. They only last me a couple of years then they don't seem that reliable. I have a new 2023 with only 350 miles on it. In a year or so I will throw in a Lithium battery with high CCAs. They last a lot longer and my Harley seemed to run better on that type of battery...or I imagined it....which is the same thing....
Good luck.
What I did with my 2014 R9T was find a good renegade BMW bike mechanic. I got lucky and found a VERY knowledgeable guy that would come to my house a keep my bike in perfect condition service wise. You might find a guy that moonlights in your area....
 
Randy Kahn said:
What I did with my 2014 R9T was find a good renegade BMW bike mechanic. I got lucky and found a VERY knowledgeable guy that would come to my house a keep my bike in perfect condition service wise. You might find a guy that moonlights in your area....
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Yeah, I hope I just found one for my R 1250 GS. There were quite a few BMW GS and GSA model, in various displacements, at the local hang out today, but nothing compared to the HD crowd here in So CA.
 
Even the "Change it once a year" saying is a myth thats been busted. Unless you are just taking a bunch of short trips on your bike and never getting it warmed up, there is no need to change your oil once year. I will probably be doing mine every 2 years weather or not I'm at 6000 miles. If you dont believe me, next time you are changing your oil at the 1 year mark, pull a sample and send it to the lab. That will show you if there is any reason to be changing it.
 
TravisD said:
Even the "Change it once a year" saying is a myth thats been busted. Unless you are just taking a bunch of short trips on your bike and never getting it warmed up, there is no need to change your oil once year. I will probably be doing mine every 2 years weather or not I'm at 6000 miles. If you dont believe me, next time you are changing your oil at the 1 year mark, pull a sample and send it to the lab. That will show you if there is any reason to be changing it.
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BMW service has a lot of annual "maintenance" suggestions designed to get you into their service bay, ideally, to fleece you of your money. A well garaged bike doesn't require such services very often. I do my brake fluid every 3 years, whether it needs it or not, with engine oil, filter and final drive replaced by mileage. Get yourself a working ELM 327 that goes with the $45 moto scan app to clear your service reminders.
 
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