Which Oil?

[roundy]

I've had a search but can't come up with anything....

 

What oil do people recommend for a R1200RT (2006) - I know the manual states 20W-50 but part synth or mineral? I know my old mans R1150R uses mineral.

 

Cheers!

[Indy Dave]

Welcome! Here's some light reading to get you started.

 

link 1

 

link 2

 

link 3

[RodB]

I've had a search but can't come up with anything....

 

You searched for oil threads on this site and came up with nothing...you`re joking..right?

[RedMac]

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!

 

[tallman]

I've had a search but can't come up with anything....

 

What oil do people recommend for a R1200RT (2006) - I know the manual states 20W-50 but part synth or mineral? I know my old mans R1150R uses mineral.

 

Cheers!

 

You probably won't get much of a response as everyone agrees you should only use

[JayW]

20W-50 is a good viscosity to use. Choose petroleum-based oil for the first 6000 miles at least, then change to synthetic if you want to. You probably do not need to use motorcycle-specific oil in the RT, since it has a dry clutch.

 

Most of us here will mostly agree with the above general advice, but beyond that you're going to get all kinds of opinions on this particular subject.

 

I use Motul 7100 synthetic 20W-50 in my own broken-in RT and change it with an OEM filter every 6K miles, which is about twice annually. There are lots of excellent oils out there.

 

Welcome to the board!

 

Jay

[Paul Mihalka]

I've had several BMW bikes that went well over 100K miles, including my current R1200GS, and mostly they've run on Castrol GTX. None of them had any engine problems and no noticable engine wear.

As you are in the UK, and want to pamper the bike, you can use Castrol ACT-EVO which I think BMW recommends over there. It is available in the USA, but not well known.

[Ken H.]

What oil do people recommend for a

When it comes to oil I’m in favor of using the slippery kind.

 

Beyond that you will get little consensus. Use what you think you should use and the bike will be fine.

 

[Indy Dave]

I've had a search but can't come up with anything....

 

You searched for oil threads on this site and came up with nothing...you`re joking..right?

 

Interestingly, searching for just "oil" under hexheads, nothing comes up. I think for the links I posted previously, I used "engine oil" . . and got 47 pages of results.

[Joe_C]

Searching for just "oil" probably got so many hits it crashed the search engine.

[LeftCoastMan]

An oil thread? Wow. That never happens around here.

[LeftCoastMan]

Because I'm in a nice mood, here's my recommendation based on reading dozens of threads, asking lots of questions, and doing my own research.

 

1. Get 20/50 or 15/50. It doesn't matter much.

2. Synthetic oil if the engine is over 12,000 miles (but who knows if this is really important, but it is some BMW motorcycle meme on the internet). Personally, I recommend synthetic because it requires fewer oil changes which has got to be better for the environment.

3. Mobil1 or other synthetic oils, as long as they are rated above API SM/SL which is far above BMW's recommended SF.

 

If you want to be ultra-conservative and don't care about cost, go buy 4 liters of oil from your BMW dealer. I use Mobil1 15/50. $2-4 per quart. I'm happy. But everyone else has their own opinions. There's a thread, and I'm not going to find it for you, about one person on here who engaged in multiple emails with BMW "techs". He finally extracted some useful information out of one of them that supports my #3 statement.

[HairyCannonball]

It is highly recommended that you put oil in your engine.

[LeftCoastMan]

It is highly recommended that you put oil in your engine.

 

But only after you shake your bike a couple of times to listen for sloshing of oil.

[roundy]

Because I'm in a nice mood, here's my recommendation based on reading dozens of threads, asking lots of questions, and doing my own research.

 

1. Get 20/50 or 15/50. It doesn't matter much.

2. Synthetic oil if the engine is over 12,000 miles (but who knows if this is really important, but it is some BMW motorcycle meme on the internet). Personally, I recommend synthetic because it requires fewer oil changes which has got to be better for the environment.

3. Mobil1 or other synthetic oils, as long as they are rated above API SM/SL which is far above BMW's recommended SF.

 

If you want to be ultra-conservative and don't care about cost, go buy 4 liters of oil from your BMW dealer. I use Mobil1 15/50. $2-4 per quart. I'm happy. But everyone else has their own opinions. There's a thread, and I'm not going to find it for you, about one person on here who engaged in multiple emails with BMW "techs". He finally extracted some useful information out of one of them that supports my #3 statement.

 

 

Right, 20W-50 it is... I am only 7K miles so should I be sticking to mineral yeah?

[LeftCoastMan]

Because I'm in a nice mood, here's my recommendation based on reading dozens of threads, asking lots of questions, and doing my own research.

 

1. Get 20/50 or 15/50. It doesn't matter much.

2. Synthetic oil if the engine is over 12,000 miles (but who knows if this is really important, but it is some BMW motorcycle meme on the internet). Personally, I recommend synthetic because it requires fewer oil changes which has got to be better for the environment.

3. Mobil1 or other synthetic oils, as long as they are rated above API SM/SL which is far above BMW's recommended SF.

 

If you want to be ultra-conservative and don't care about cost, go buy 4 liters of oil from your BMW dealer. I use Mobil1 15/50. $2-4 per quart. I'm happy. But everyone else has their own opinions. There's a thread, and I'm not going to find it for you, about one person on here who engaged in multiple emails with BMW "techs". He finally extracted some useful information out of one of them that supports my #3 statement.

 

 

Right, 20W-50 it is... I am only 7K miles so should I be sticking to mineral yeah?

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "mineral". However, 15 or 20W50 in synthetic is fine after 6000, which I believe is the recommendation of BMW. I changed to synthetic then.

[Fubar]

I'm not sure what you mean by "mineral". However, 15 or 20W50 in synthetic is fine after 6000, which I believe is the recommendation of BMW. I changed to synthetic then.

Oil is either mineral, synthetic or a blend of the two, i.e. semi-synthetic. Mineral oil is pumped out of the ground as a gooey, black-ish brown, toxic liquid, sent to a refinery and cooked down to become, eventually, the amber fluid you buy at a parts store that is NOT labeled "synthetic".

 

(If there seems too much sarcasm there, I apologize, it's my default setting and the kid tested the limits tonight.)

[SuperG]

Oil treads are unavoidable.

There will always be new motorcycle owners with questions regarding oils, filters and what-not.

Ignore it or participate in it.

 

Your owner's manual highlights oil weight (20W-50 and so on) recommendations for different ambient temperature ranges.

 

Air -oil cooled engines with no thermostatically controlled cooling fan tend to run a bit hotter than liquid cooled engines when not constantly moving, such as traffic. So think accordingly.

For the summer months 20w-50 is a good choice.

 

Since we do not have wet clutch to contaminate the oil, a good quality synt car oil is what I use; and have been using for the past 20+ years of motorcycling, including my abused KTM dirtbike which gets "non energy conserving" car oil because of the wet clutch app.

 

Mobil 1 , castrol or penzoil ( whichever is on sale).

 

 

A quote from an other tread, very funny:

"You can run it ( oil)if you want to, but your bike will become lazy, stopping frequently, requiring the attention of large breasted women to got it in the mood to run again. And it will smell faintly of olive oil......As opposed to sauerkraut."

 

 

 

 

[LeftCoastMan]

I'm not sure what you mean by "mineral". However, 15 or 20W50 in synthetic is fine after 6000, which I believe is the recommendation of BMW. I changed to synthetic then.

Oil is either mineral, synthetic or a blend of the two, i.e. semi-synthetic. Mineral oil is pumped out of the ground as a gooey, black-ish brown, toxic liquid, sent to a refinery and cooked down to become, eventually, the amber fluid you buy at a parts store that is NOT labeled "synthetic".

 

(If there seems too much sarcasm there, I apologize, it's my default setting and the kid tested the limits tonight.)

 

Yeah, I don't react well to excessive snarkiness. That being said, you're wrong. Mineral oil is "a transparent, colorless oil composed mainly of alkanes (typically 15 to 40 carbons) and cyclic paraffins." Mineral oil is NOT, at least in American English, the oil we use to lubricate engines. I use mineral oil to oil my cutting board and keep my cutlery from rusting.

 

My question to the OP, who I believe is English, was to make sure I understood him correctly.

 

So, if you're going to put me down with sarcasm and snarkiness, I suggest you bring some game with evidence based information.

[Paul In Australia]

Hi Mate

"Generally speaking" in the "English " speaking world ( your country is an exclusion to this rule) there are basically three types of engine lubrication oils.

Generally they are referred to as :

1. Mineral

2. Semi Synthetic

3. Synthetic

 

Technically you are correct but I think the Op's interpretation would be a naturally distilled petrochemical based lubricant, being called "Mineral".

 

Anyway, forgetting semantics ( you Syracuse guys are on the ball) you have more than adequately answered the Op's question. Change to Synthetics , if you like, after 6000 miles, as per BMW.

 

Good work

regards

Paul

 

 

[roundy]

Hi Mate

"Generally speaking" in the "English " speaking world ( your country is an exclusion to this rule) there are basically three types of engine lubrication oils.

Generally they are referred to as :

1. Mineral

2. Semi Synthetic

3. Synthetic

 

Technically you are correct but I think the Op's interpretation would be a naturally distilled petrochemical based lubricant, being called "Mineral".

 

Anyway, forgetting semantics ( you Syracuse guys are on the ball) you have more than adequately answered the Op's question. Change to Synthetics , if you like, after 6000 miles, as per BMW.

 

Good work

regards

Paul

 

 

Thanks Paul.....blimey, the above was a bit heated!! LOL

 

I think I am gonna go 20W-50 semi, and then go over to fully after a bit with the semi. Or if i end up getting BMW to do it (as i fancy them giving it the once over anyway it will get whatever they put in it!

 

Cheers for the help ;-)

[Paul In Australia]

You will find BMW owners are a passionate lot and also an incredibly nice group of people. Strong personalities go with successful people.

It means, you get the very best of advice to choose from.

good luck mate

Paul

[Grumpy-ol-Fart]

I think people keep asking the following: oil, tire, and battery, questions because we keep answering...it's not like there isn't adequate (way more than) information by searching.

 

I ain't playing anymore....

[roundy]

I did try and search, but as said I just used "oil" which didn't result in much...

[JayW]

I ain't playing anymore....

 

I will, provided it is an honest and legitimate question, like this one was. It takes 2 minutes to reply, and sometimes the amount of information found in a search can be too overwhelming to assimilate, especially since only some of it is correct. We're here to help.

 

Jay

[Indy Dave]

Have you had a chance to look through the threads I posted?

At the risk of overkill, I'll post one more. This one has some input from Tim who posted above.

 

one more oil thread

 

[Boffin]

I did try and search, but as said I just used "oil" which didn't result in much...

 

Ah, that is down to the foibles of our search engine - It requires four characters or more for the search to work - but doesn't tell you that if you only input three characters. If you searched on "Oil*" , without the quotes, it would give you more threads that you could shake a stick at...

 

Andy

[Ken H.]

It’s not that we don’t what to help, we do. There’s plenty of evidence here of that.

 

It’s just when it comes to “what oil should I use?” or similar questions, in reality we can’t help. It’s a huge question. None of us have the real data to accurately answer the question as to what oil is best. BMW themselves are the closest to that, they designed the machine after all, and they tell us their suggestion. Some people just choose to not trust it, follow it, or seek other input.

 

So what it comes down to is repliers just expressing an opinion as to ‘what oil is best’ based on their personal experience. And because there are a lot of good oils, and a lot of variables in the equation (e.g. riding condition differences, model differences, etc.) there can be no consciences on ‘what oil is best.’ The person posting the question ends up with a multitude of replies that in the end - answers nothing.

 

[LeftCoastMan]

I think people keep asking the following: oil, tire, and battery, questions because we keep answering...it's not like there isn't adequate (way more than) information by searching.

 

I ain't playing anymore....

 

The search function can be a pain. If you have a specific question about oil, unless you do the search precisely right, you get tons of threads. Just put "oil" in the search will get hundreds, if not thousands, threads. You might have to read for an hour to get the answer you want.

 

What's so wrong with asking a question? Are we so arrogant and condescending that we can't answer the question for a new owner? Well, you may not want to help out, but obviously there are a bunch who will. I guess you're only here to help the experts because you think you're better than the rest of us.

[LeftCoastMan]

I did try and search, but as said I just used "oil" which didn't result in much...

 

Don't worry about it. Some people on here think that they are above the rest of us, and believe that their right as long-time BMW owners is to put down anyone with less than 1000 posts here. The vast majority here will gently tweak you for not doing a proper search, but still help out.

 

Searching "oil" is really a pain, because you end up reading a lot of threads to answer your question. To improve your search, try to almost ask a question. I might do a search like "+oil +synthetic +recommendation". Use the "+" to make sure the search includes that. I think if you search using "oil synthetic recommendation", the hits will include threads that use only one of those words, and you won't have a narrow search.

 

In a few months, you'll be posting here and telling some new BMW owner "well, if you use the search function...."

 

Oh, and some people around here are quite passionate about their Beemers. You'll see.

[Paul Mihalka]

It takes as much time to write a nasty non-answer as is to write a real answer. Or just stay away...

[LeftCoastMan]

Hi Mate

"Generally speaking" in the "English " speaking world ( your country is an exclusion to this rule) there are basically three types of engine lubrication oils.

Generally they are referred to as :

1. Mineral

2. Semi Synthetic

3. Synthetic

 

Technically you are correct but I think the Op's interpretation would be a naturally distilled petrochemical based lubricant, being called "Mineral".

 

Anyway, forgetting semantics ( you Syracuse guys are on the ball) you have more than adequately answered the Op's question. Change to Synthetics , if you like, after 6000 miles, as per BMW.

 

Good work

regards

Paul

 

 

In my day, Syracuse was my backup plan for not getting into Cornell. I've held that pain for 30 years.

[LeftCoastMan]

It’s not that we don’t what to help, we do. There’s plenty of evidence here of that.

 

It’s just when it comes to “what oil should I use?” or similar questions, in reality we can’t help. It’s a huge question. None of us have the real data to accurately answer the question as to what oil is best. BMW themselves are the closest to that, they designed the machine after all, and they tell us their suggestion. Some people just choose to not trust it, follow it, or seek other input.

 

So what it comes down to is repliers just expressing an opinion as to ‘what oil is best’ based on their personal experience. And because there are a lot of good oils, and a lot of variables in the equation (e.g. riding condition differences, model differences, etc.) there can be no consciences on ‘what oil is best.’ The person posting the question ends up with a multitude of replies that in the end - answers nothing.

 

Look, you may not want to read this, but your opinion matters a lot to a new guy. When I first got into BMW motorcycles, I was very busy in life, so any maintenance was done by my dealer. I didn't care what oil he put in the bike. I didn't care how tight the bolts were. I owned precisely no tools, except the kit that came with the bike.

 

Recently, I dumped my rat race of a career which means I have more time and less money, so I decided that it's time for me to man-up and learn how to wrench my own bike. I came here, because just about everyone in BMW land says this place is the nirvana for learning about our bikes. I put up with the snarkiness, because I look at it from a purely psychiatric point of view, and laugh my ass off. But a lot of noobs (and I use that term with the utmost of affection) are asking genuine, good faith questions.

 

Yes, there is a lot of opinion on oil. And yes, some of that opinion is of dubious value. But some of the answers are very good. I forget who did some good work in pushing the BMW people to answer real questions about what oil to put in our bikes, but that was good evidence-based information. If someone hadn't pointed me to the thread, it's almost impossible to find in a search. I can't even remember who posted it, except his avatar has a creepy clown in it.

 

Anyways, based on the information I read here, I concluded that there was sufficient evidence to use 15/50 Mobil1 automobile oil. For me, reading the opinions and evidence was very useful.

[Username]

Get the prettiest and flashiest container of oil that money can buy. Preferrably something with NASCAR on it.

[LeftCoastMan]

Get the prettiest and flashiest container of oil that money can buy. Preferrably something with NASCAR on it.

 

Still cheaper than the container of oil with the BMW Roundel on it!

[tallman]

It takes as much time to write a nasty non-answer as is to write a real answer. Or just stay away...

 

 

Thanks, Paul.

 

For a minute I thought maybe I did die in a motrocycle crash and they put someone else in charge.

 

Strange how snarkiness is easliy recognized in others.

 

 

BTW, I'd switch to synthetic based on oil use of my bike, not based on miles.

If it was still using oil like it was breaking in, stick w/mineral.

(Even I know what mineral means. )

When your bike is broken in and not using oil so much, switch.

There is no magic mileage figure for that as it varies based on bike build and rider use.

 

[LeftCoastMan]

It takes as much time to write a nasty non-answer as is to write a real answer. Or just stay away...

 

 

Thanks, Paul.

 

For a minute I thought maybe I did die in a motrocycle crash and they put someone else in charge.

 

Strange how snarkiness is easliy recognized in others.

 

 

BTW, I'd switch to synthetic based on oil use of my bike, not based on miles.

If it was still using oil like it was breaking in, stick w/mineral.

(Even I know what mineral means. )

When your bike is broken in and not using oil so much, switch.

There is no magic mileage figure for that as it varies based on bike build and rider use.

 

Mean old man, aren't you?

[Selden]

If someone hadn't pointed me to the thread, it's almost impossible to find in a search. I can't even remember who posted it, except his avatar has a creepy clown in it.

The creepy clown guy is markgoodrich. I don't think I've ever met Mark in person, but I suspect he's not as scary as his avatar would suggest. Or, maybe he is...

 

Other than asking questions, and having tolerance for occasional snarkiness (if you think we're bad, try asking for advice on a Unix forum), the best tip I can offer to a noob is: DON'T USE THE FORUM SEARCH FUNCTION. It's not terribly sophisticated, and as you discovered, unless you know exactly what you are looking for (or you remember some really distinctive word, like "proctologist"), you're likely to get a flood of stuff back -- the metaphorical drinking from a firehose. The real problem is lack of good relevance ranking.

 

Here's the tip: search Google, using the site:bmwsporttouring.com qualifier. Example:

 

recommended engine oil site:bmwsporttouring.com

 

Google will return results in what its algorithms rank as the most relevant first, and the folks at Google probably understand relevance ranking better than anybody else in the world. You'll get better results, with some context, and the most relevant hits will probably be on the first page.

 

Google also benefits from what I call low transaction cost for the user. That is, if you don't like your search results, it requires very little incremental effort on your part to keep modifying your search until you get what you want.

 

[LeftCoastMan]

If someone hadn't pointed me to the thread, it's almost impossible to find in a search. I can't even remember who posted it, except his avatar has a creepy clown in it.

The creepy clown guy is markgoodrich. I don't think I've ever met Mark in person, but I suspect he's not as scary as his avatar would suggest. Or, maybe he is...

 

Other than asking questions, and having tolerance for occasional snarkiness (if you think we're bad, try asking for advice on a Unix forum), the best tip I can offer to a noob is: DON'T USE THE FORUM SEARCH FUNCTION. It's not terribly sophisticated, and as you discovered, unless you know exactly what you are looking for (or you remember some really distinctive word, like "proctologist"), you're likely to get a flood of stuff back -- the metaphorical drinking from a firehose. The real problem is lack of good relevance ranking.

 

Here's the tip: search Google, using the site:bmwsporttouring.com qualifier. Example:

 

recommended engine oil site:bmwsporttouring.com

 

Google will return results in what its algorithms rank as the most relevant first, and the folks at Google probably understand relevance ranking better than anybody else in the world. You'll get better results, with some context, and the most relevant hits will probably be on the first page.

 

Google also benefits from what I call low transaction cost for the user. That is, if you don't like your search results, it requires very little incremental effort on your part to keep modifying your search until you get what you want.

 

Wow. I never knew about that Google search function until right now. I could care less about oil now (I've made my decision, and I'm sticking by it), but I'm doing research on a medical device through an FDA website. The FDA's search function is worse than here, so I'm spending hours reading one thing at a time. I just tried it, and I've simplified my life. THANKS!

 

Oh, BTW, I deal with scientific skepticism of pseudoscience. The snarkiness here is child's play compared to dealing with someone promoting pyramid crystals as a cure for cancer.

 

 

 

[LeftCoastMan]

If someone hadn't pointed me to the thread, it's almost impossible to find in a search. I can't even remember who posted it, except his avatar has a creepy clown in it.

The creepy clown guy is markgoodrich. I don't think I've ever met Mark in person, but I suspect he's not as scary as his avatar would suggest. Or, maybe he is...

 

Yes, that's him. I find clowns creepy as it is, but that avatar takes it to a new level!

[Ken H.]

Look, you may not want to read this, but your opinion matters a lot to a new guy. Yes, there is a lot of opinion on oil. And yes, some of that opinion is of dubious value. But some of the answers are very good.

Okay, fair enough.

 

Here’s my personal opinion on which oil to use, with emphasis on the word “opinion”:

 

As long as the viscosity and rating is correct for what the manufacture of the engine recommends; it doesn’t matter which brand or type you use. All the rest you read and hear is marketing hype, nothing more.

 

Use an oil, any oil, for an extended period of time/distance, then end a sample off to a lab for analyses and you will have the best objective data you can find.

 

Personally I use Castrol GTX (because it is inexpensive) in all three of our vehicles (a Ford, Toyota and the BMW bike). I run it for an extended period of use (10K miles / 16K km) and I’ve had used samples analyzed by Blackstone Labs a number of times. In all cases the engine wear traces, viscosity and shear components of the oil, contaminate levels, and remaining additives were all well within acceptable tolerances.

 

[Selden]

Yes, that's him. I find clowns creepy as it is, but that avatar takes it to a new level!

Coulrophobia. For a good time, ask for the clown room at the Lake View Motel in Fancy Gap, VA. Fifteen clown dolls, 2 clown posters, and a small Elvis poster.

 

[Ken H.]

Coulrophobia. For a good time, ask for the clown room at the Lake View Motel in Fancy Gap, VA. Fifteen clown dolls, 2 clown posters, and a small Elvis poster.

Why someone would know this is way to scary to consider.

[LeftCoastMan]

Yes, that's him. I find clowns creepy as it is, but that avatar takes it to a new level!

Coulrophobia. For a good time, ask for the clown room at the Lake View Motel in Fancy Gap, VA. Fifteen clown dolls, 2 clown posters, and a small Elvis poster.

 

That would be a nightmare. I just hate clowns.

[LeftCoastMan]

Look, you may not want to read this, but your opinion matters a lot to a new guy. Yes, there is a lot of opinion on oil. And yes, some of that opinion is of dubious value. But some of the answers are very good.

Okay, fair enough.

 

Here’s my personal opinion on which oil to use, with emphasis on the word “opinion”:

 

As long as the viscosity and rating is correct for what the manufacture of the engine recommends; it doesn’t matter which brand or type you use. All the rest you read and hear is marketing hype, nothing more.

 

Use an oil, any oil, for an extended period of time/distance, then end a sample off to a lab for analyses and you will have the best objective data you can find.

 

Personally I use Castrol GTX (because it is inexpensive) in all three of our vehicles (a Ford, Toyota and the BMW bike). I run it for an extended period of use (10K miles / 16K km) and I’ve had used samples analyzed by Blackstone Labs a number of times. In all cases the engine wear traces, viscosity and shear components of the oil, contaminate levels, and remaining additives were all well within acceptable tolerances.

 

So you use the same exact oil for all three? Or different viscosities? You could buy the oil by the case. Or you could have the delivery truck just back up to your garage every few months.

[Paul In Australia]

"Here's the tip: search Google, using the site:bmwsporttouring.com qualifier. Example:

 

recommended engine oil site:bmwsporttouring.com "

 

For me, this has to be one of the most valuable pieces of info I have gained recently. This makes life a lot easier and I will be a lot better informed.

Thanks heaps for this.

regards

Paul

[Selden]

Coulrophobia. For a good time, ask for the clown room at the Lake View Motel in Fancy Gap, VA. Fifteen clown dolls, 2 clown posters, and a small Elvis poster.

Why someone would know this is way to scary to consider.

I'm a librarian and a language geek.

[LeftCoastMan]

"Here's the tip: search Google, using the site:bmwsporttouring.com qualifier. Example:

 

recommended engine oil site:bmwsporttouring.com "

 

For me, this has to be one of the most valuable pieces of info I have gained recently. This makes life a lot easier and I will be a lot better informed.

Thanks heaps for this.

regards

Paul

 

I've been using google for maybe 15 years. I NEVER knew this. This far exceeds the knowledge I've gained on oil, because this actually helps me do work.

[LeftCoastMan]

If someone hadn't pointed me to the thread, it's almost impossible to find in a search. I can't even remember who posted it, except his avatar has a creepy clown in it.

The creepy clown guy is markgoodrich. I don't think I've ever met Mark in person, but I suspect he's not as scary as his avatar would suggest. Or, maybe he is...

 

Other than asking questions, and having tolerance for occasional snarkiness (if you think we're bad, try asking for advice on a Unix forum), the best tip I can offer to a noob is: DON'T USE THE FORUM SEARCH FUNCTION. It's not terribly sophisticated, and as you discovered, unless you know exactly what you are looking for (or you remember some really distinctive word, like "proctologist"), you're likely to get a flood of stuff back -- the metaphorical drinking from a firehose. The real problem is lack of good relevance ranking.

 

Here's the tip: search Google, using the site:bmwsporttouring.com qualifier. Example:

 

recommended engine oil site:bmwsporttouring.com

 

Google will return results in what its algorithms rank as the most relevant first, and the folks at Google probably understand relevance ranking better than anybody else in the world. You'll get better results, with some context, and the most relevant hits will probably be on the first page.

 

Google also benefits from what I call low transaction cost for the user. That is, if you don't like your search results, it requires very little incremental effort on your part to keep modifying your search until you get what you want.

 

Ummmmm. I hate to push this. But any other good google hints that I haven't been using all these years?

[Selden]

"Here's the tip: search Google, using the site:bmwsporttouring.com qualifier. Example:

 

recommended engine oil site:bmwsporttouring.com "

 

For me, this has to be one of the most valuable pieces of info I have gained recently. This makes life a lot easier and I will be a lot better informed.

Thanks heaps for this.

regards

Paul

Not my idea; someone suggested it here or on another forum a few months ago, so I'm just providing extra visibility.

 

The Google people never cease to amaze me. Last week I went to http://www.lemonde.fr, and a popup appeared, asking me if I wanted this site translated into English, with an option to make this the default action. Now, if I go there, it appears first in French, then a few seconds later, all the text on the page is rewritten in English. If I put in an address for a Google calendar entry, it shows the location on a map, with an option to generate driving directions. With Gmail, If I use the phrase "is attached" in the body of an e-mail, it asks if I want to attach a file.