R1200RT Oil recommendation

[Dave P]

Recently acquired an 07 1200RT, 36k miles. Needs an oil change. On cold start the bike has some unusual (to me anyway) small rattles. After it idles for about 20 seconds it goes away.

 

First order of business is new oil and filter. A 1200RT friend of mine recommended running 20w50 conventional oil in her as the non synthetic would "cling" better and help with cold start lubrication. He runs Spectro non synth in his 08 RT. The Spectro is pricy and not the easiest to get, but if that's the right stuff, I'll get it. Any recommendations on oil- type and weight? PO has been running synthetic in the bike. Thank you all!! Dave

[eisenwal]

I use Castrol Grand Prix 4 stroke motorcycle oil 20W50. BMW dealer here uses this. My mechanic ecommends mineral oil instead of synthetic for boxer engines.

[dirtrider]

9 hours ago, Dave P said:

Recently acquired an 07 1200RT, 36k miles. Needs an oil change. On cold start the bike has some unusual (to me anyway) small rattles. After it idles for about 20 seconds it goes away.

 

First order of business is new oil and filter. A 1200RT friend of mine recommended running 20w50 conventional oil in her as the non synthetic would "cling" better and help with cold start lubrication. He runs Spectro non synth in his 08 RT. The Spectro is pricy and not the easiest to get, but if that's the right stuff, I'll get it. Any recommendations on oil- type and weight? PO has been running synthetic in the bike. Thank you all!! Dave

Morning   Dave 

 

Either a good quality uplevel 15w50 or 20w50 synthetic, or  a good quality 20w50 conventional will work for normal motorcycle riding weather. 

 

It's kind of a tossup between a GOOD unlevel conventional (non synthetic) oil & good unlevel synthetic so which one to use kind of depends.

 

If you ride that motorcycle where you can get caught in traffic jams in 95+ ambient temps then the heat handling ability of a good quality synthetic oil can help here. On the other hand, if you ride in more moderate temperature areas, or more moderate conditions then a good quality 20w50 conventional will be just fine.

 

The upside to a GOOD UPLEVEL synthetic is in it's ability to  run a little hotter without the oil breaking down, the other advantage can be a GOOD UPLEVEL synthetic will usually allow  extending your oil change intervals  a little longer than BMW recommends (something most BMW riders usually don't do even if they can)

 

The upside to using a GOOD QUALITY 20w50 conventional oil is less chance of oil seeps from the engine & it is usually a little cheaper. 

 

The good news is, you have to look FAR & WIDE to find a BMW 1200 hexhead  boxer engine that has failed due to oil choice (it just doesn't happen). 

 

Just don't skimp on the oil filter as your 1200 hexhead uses an oil filter with a little higher by-pass valve opening pressure than most cheaper (automotive) filters that will fit. 

 

I really don't think that using a conventional oil over a synthetic will change your start-up noises. Maybe in cooler weather a nice thick 20w50 conventional oil might mask the startup noises a little but probably not enough to matter.   

 

Personally I use conventional (mineral) 20w50 Castrol in my hexhead 1200RT & use 20w50 synthetic in my hexhead GS-A  as the GS-A is more apt to get stuck in knee deep sand in 90° temps or get started & ridden in 0°f  winter temps.  

 

If you have any oil seepage from your engine then trying a conventional 20w50 (motorcycle) oil might be a slightly better choice  (at least try it for one oil change to see if it helps the oil seepage). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rougarou]

Here's what the book recommends

 

But I use

 

Here's the answers you will get

[dduelin]

Castrol 20w50 Power 1 4T synthetic. I live in a warm climate and ride year round and like the hedge against heat breakdown a synthetic provides.

[Doctor T]

Ive used Smith and Allen 20w50 full synthetic oil. Been using their oils for many years.

[lawnchairboy]

I miss ShovelStrokeEd....

[Dave_in_TX]

On 7/23/2022 at 8:34 PM, Dave P said:

Recently acquired an 07 1200RT, 36k miles. Needs an oil change. On cold start the bike has some unusual (to me anyway) small rattles. After it idles for about 20 seconds it goes away.

 

First order of business is new oil and filter. A 1200RT friend of mine recommended running 20w50 conventional oil in her as the non synthetic would "cling" better and help with cold start lubrication. He runs Spectro non synth in his 08 RT. The Spectro is pricy and not the easiest to get, but if that's the right stuff, I'll get it. Any recommendations on oil- type and weight? PO has been running synthetic in the bike. Thank you all!! Dave

Why would a non synthetic cling better? In fact, if you want an oil that clings to metal parts, a synthetic containing a high percentage of esters is probably the best.

[Ponch]

I've used a few different oils, but the most cost effective has been Mobil 1 15W-50. It's very similar to their 20W-50 VTwin oil. I buy the Mahle oil filters from Beemer Bone Yard. 

[SD1]

I know this is an older thread, but I go through a couple of bikes a year and have found the Valvoline Synth 20/50 to be the most effective at reducing noise/friction. So much so that is now the only oil I will put in a bike (weight specific). Also readily avail at Walmart so easy to find. 

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Valvoline-4-Stroke-Motorcycle-Full-Synthetic-SAE-20W-50-Motor-Oil-1-QT/16777819?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222222010278389&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=e&wl1=s&wl2=c&wl3=10373310004&wl4=pla-1105718520066&wl5=&wl6=&wl7=&wl10=Walmart&wl11=Online&wl12=16777819_0&wl14=valvoline 20%2F50 synthetic motorcycle oil&veh=sem&msclkid=69f3c5b954f01ac6d3d4a744510e168b

[toycloser]

Our R1200 engines do not have a wet clutch so motorcycle specific oils are not required.  

 

My $ .02 ;-)

[Redman]

On 8/25/2022 at 5:34 PM, toycloser said:

Our R1200 engines do not have a wet clutch . . . . . . . . 

 

My $ .02 ;-)

All years R1200s. . . .?

[lkraus]

4 minutes ago, Redman said:

All years R1200s. . . .?

Hex and Camheads have dry clutches, no need for MA oils. This is the Hexhead forum.

 

[Redman]

2 hours ago, lkraus said:

Hex and Camheads have dry clutches, no need for MA oils. This is the Hexhead forum.

 

Ah, "our R1200 clutches" meaning hexhead.. okay. Thanks.

 

.

[George S.]

What rougarou posted.

All the info you need is in the owners manual, unless we’re talking classics 25 -30 years old or more, (since oils have improved since then)  which we are not. The manufacturer knows better than you or I what works best and, more Importantly, what won’t be harmful.
If you use the recommended grade (the SF (or better) part) and recommended weight for your temperature conditions, then the brand doesn’t matter. Like DR said, synthetic might be a better choice if you’ll be sitting in hot summer traffic. But check for weepage  past any seals.