10W40 or 20W50 in Summer?

[Michael B]

Sorry, another oil question:

 

I have a 2011 RT with 35K plus. Best oil advice (BMW dealer mechanic) has told me to run 10W40 in winter and 20W50 in the summer, or even 10W40 all year. The BMW Owners Manual seems to mostly recommend 20W50 all year. Conflicting information here. A week ago, an older mechanic rider I really respect told me he just replaced his 20W50 with 10W40 in his RT and his engine immediately ran and idled smoother, and that I should do the same.

 

I have always changed oil (Castrol Racing Synthetic) about every 3,500 miles or so…(ok, excessively expensive I know, but I'm happy to give my RT the best) and just put in 20W50 for the coming summer heat. My instincts tell me that winter 10W40 and summer 20W50 is still the best way to go. But my older riding buddy may have a point. So, what do you guys think? DR, I know you're out there!

[Dave_in_TX]

According to the owner's manual for my 2011 R1200RT, 10W40 is fine for any temperature above -4F and that's what I've been using year-round for 50k miles in central Texas. There's no mention of 20W50 that I can find in the manual although 5W50 and 15W50 are listed as alternate oils. A goo 10W40 synthetic should be fine for summer use. Based on some oil analyses I've seen for the RT, changing a good oil at 3500 has no benefit over going to at least the BMW specified 6k assuming the bike isn't sitting unused for extended periods.

[dirtrider]

Evening Michael

 

Just about anything that meets the specs in your riders manual will work just fine. BMW boxers don't really require much in the way of exotic motor oil as they hold a lot & are not high revvers.

 

BMW lowered the 20W part to 5W, 10W, or 15W on the camheads (my guess is to get quicker valve train oiling in cold weather.

 

My personal choice given unlimited finances & the riders manual recommendation would be a high end 10w50 JASO MA certified oil (for me that would be a Motul product).

Problem is: to get that extreme spread of 10 to 50 & a JASO MA certification without using a lot of unwanted polymers takes a very pricey up-level synthetic oil.

 

My personal choice given engine needs vs reasonable monitory outlay would be a decent 15w50 synthetic. (for me this would fall into the Mobil-1 territory)

 

Even a good high ZDDP containing 10w40 should work just fine for most riding. (for me this would either be a Mobil-1 MOTORCYCLE rated oil or an uplevel synthetic Castrol motorcycle rated oil). In the 10w40 class you have to look to be sure it has enough ZDDP content.

 

I'm not sure what racing oil your are using but remember a racing oil is meant for racing purposes so usually contains little in the way of additives for acid neutralization, carbon control, corrosion inhibitors, etc. REAL racing oil a only used once or twice then dumped out.

 

But-- most over the counter oils labeled RACING are mainly labeled for marketing to make it sound stronger or better & these usually do meet everyday usage requirements. The racing labeling is mostly just a sales gimmick.

 

Don't buy oil by fancy labeling buy it by engine requirements & what actual specs the oil meets.

 

[RTinNC]

HexHeads get 20W-50 and Camheads 10W-40

[Michael B]

Thanks, guys, for good answers. It looks like 10W40 is the preferred oil, although I can only hope that 20W50 wouldn't be a problem, cause I have a bunch of it.

 

The oil I use is Castrol Power RS V-Twin 4T full synthetic in both 10W40 and 20W50. It "exceeds API SL JASO MA-2." The auto parts store said it was a racing oil. It also mentions "for use in Harley-Davidsons," hence the V-Twin designation. I couldn't find anything pertaining to a high ZDDP content.

 

Thanks again guys!

 

 

[Guest Kakugo]

BMW here runs Oilheads and Hexheads on 15W-50 semisynth all year round. Camheads get 10W-40 semisynth all year around.

No complaint from me except being Castrol, it's seriously overpriced for a semisynth. We are talking Mobil 1 prices for a product that's as good as Repsol (which costs less than half as much). But Castrol is well known for grabbing customers by their special place...

 

In my experience with big twins on the track and on the road, changing viscosity according to weather does not make much sense. I've run 10W-50, 15W-50 and 10W-60 and they are all good, both in 30°C weather and when starting the bike well under 0°C.

Of course if you use the bike a lot in freezing conditions a thinner oil would be advisable, but in my experience oils under 10W have more drawbacks than advantages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dave_in_TX]

Thanks, guys, for good answers. It looks like 10W40 is the preferred oil, although I can only hope that 20W50 wouldn't be a problem, cause I have a bunch of it.

 

The oil I use is Castrol Power RS V-Twin 4T full synthetic in both 10W40 and 20W50. It "exceeds API SL JASO MA-2." The auto parts store said it was a racing oil. It also mentions "for use in Harley-Davidsons," hence the V-Twin designation. I couldn't find anything pertaining to a high ZDDP content.

 

Thanks again guys!

 

 

The only problem is that 20W50 is specified in the owner's manual. The 20W50 should work fine. The only problem I can think of would be if you had an oil related warranty issue and BMW tried to deny it for use of the wrong viscosity. BTW, I don't know about Castrol but Aimsoil claims their 20W50 full synthetic can be used in applications requiring a 15W50.

 

Since 15W50 is still an acceptable alternative, I don't think BMW really decided that the camhead needed a lighter viscosity. I think it's just part of the trend towards using lower viscosity oils. Oils have gotten better over the years so some of the newer lighter viscosity oils will protect better than some of the older higher viscosity oils. One of the reasons is that the newer oils don't suffer as quick of a viscosity breakdown as older oils.

[6speedTi]

My dealer told me to use 20w/50 Castrol. I just recently changed over to Mobil One 15w/50. I did the change over after I made sure the engine was fully broken in. 23,000 miles on 20w/50 seemed to work good for me. Since I ride mostly highway and being in South Florida it makes sense to use the 15w/50 oil.

[blackyam]

Fwiw, my dealer pours 20W50 regularly. For my 2010 R1200RT, I have chosen to use 20W50 in the summer and 10W40 in the winter. Summers here hover in the high 90s F, and not infrequently venture above 100F (but it's a dry heat ... ha, ha!), and I prefer the lighter oil in the winter for (perceived or imagined) easier starting. I'm coming up on 48k miles. Ymmv.

 

---John.

[dirtrider]

Afternoon

 

I don't know where the 20w50 recommendation is coming from but this chart is directly out of the BMW 2011 1200RT riders manual

& I see no 20w anything listed.

[blackyam]

Hi, all. Please excuse me, but I don't really understand oil ratings, and so I have always relied on my dealer's recommendation.

 

My minimal understanding is that xWy oil, x < y, acts like x weight oil in cooler conditions and y weight oil in hotter conditions. If this is correct, which maybe it's not, then if the manual recommends

 

5W50 or 10W50 for \geq -20C,

 

then wouldn't 20W50 be ok in the summer, as well? Thanks.

 

---John.

[dirtrider]

Afternoon John

 

This could be written as per API standards but that might be somewhat difficult to fully understand so basically in laymen's terms.

 

A 10w40 oil is EQUIVALENT to a 10 weight oil during cold starting

& is a 40 weight oil when up to hot engine working temperature (@100°c).

 

OR

 

A 20w50 oil is EQUIVALENT to a 20 weight oil during cold starting

& is a 50 weight oil when up to hot engine working temperature (@100°c).

 

The thing that confuses most people is that they think multi weight oil gets thicker as it heats up. That is NOT the case as oil NEVER gets thicker as it heats up.

 

While this isn't totally true on a good up level synthetic oil it is close enough to explain how it works. Basically a 10w40 oil is a 10 weight oil (@0°c) that doesn't thin out when hot (@100°c) to any thinner than a 40 weight would @100°c.

 

So in a nutshell-- with a 10w40 oil you are starting the engine with 10 weight oil & once hot you are running the engine on 40 weight oil.

 

And with a 20w50 oil you are starting the engine with 20 weight oil & once hot you are running the engine on 50 weight oil.

 

[blackyam]

Hi, D.R.

 

Thanks for the lesson. So, it appears that BMW recommends that we don't start our bikes in anything heavier than 10 weight oil, or run our bikes in anything less than 40 weight.

 

I'm due for a service at the end of this month. In the past, I'd switch from 10W40 in the winter to 20W50 in the summer. This time I'll ask for 10W50. If they don't have it, then I guess I'll stay with 10W40, even though the ambient temps do go over 100F here in the summer. Does that sound reasonable?

 

Thanks again.

 

---John.

[dirtrider]

Afternoon John

 

10w50 would be a good choice as that covers the entire range on the BMW oil usage chart.

 

The problem is: 10w50 has a very large spread between the low number (10 )& the high number (50). The larger that spread between the high & low number the higher the oil quality needs to be as low quality oil needs LOTS of polymers to meet that viscosity spread & polymers are a poor lubricating filler.

 

Very few oil's have the build quality to offer that 10w50 spread so most up-level 10w50 oils are quite expensive.

 

If you want to spend the extra money then an up-level 10w50 (like Motul) would be a great choice.

 

Otherwise you can go with a 10w40 as that is easier to get in a good quality oil at a lower price, or even a 15w50 as there are a few good 15w50's in a reasonable price range. Only problem with 15w50 is few dealers carry a good 15w50 as their markup on that is not as good as some other oil choices.

 

Motorcycle oil is a real cash cow for most dealers so they choose wisely to stock what makes them large profits.

[Dave_in_TX]

As Dirtrider mentioned, some 5W50 and 10W50 oils require lots of polymers to get that viscosity spread. No only are those polymmers poor lubricants, as they shear down the viscosity changes. Some synthetics such Amsoil and Mobil 1 need little or no viscosity improvers (polymers) in their 10W40 or 20W50 oils so they retain their viscosity spread for a long time. Running a good quality 10W40 is usually better than a poor quality 5W50. After some period of time, that 5W50 may have sheared down to a 5W30 while a high quality 10W40 may still be close to a real 10W40.

 

According to the manual for my 2011 R1200RT, 10W40 covers the entire temperature range so I just use a good 10W40 year round.

 

[blackyam]

Hi. I've always used the BMW-branded oil that my dealer sells, whether the 10W40 or the 20W50. I hope that's good oil. Still using dino oil, not synth. Sounds more and more like my best bet may be to stick with 10W40 year round, even in the summer heat typical of the Southwest. Thanks.

 

---John.

[dirtrider]

Morning John

 

It depends on your dealer but most BMW dealers at least carry a decent motor oil. They usually lean towards the oil that they can make big money on though.

 

If you are sticking with dino then you really should try to keep the low to high number spread as close as possible. Even 10w40 is pushing the envelope on dino oil viscosity spread as most dino oil's need a fair amount of VI improvers (polymers) to achieve that spread.

 

For me 15w40 is about as far as I will push the viscosity spread on straight dino oil unless I do the research to see just what I am putting in my engine. There are some dino 10w40 & 20w50 that are not too bad as far as large amounts of VI improvers go.

 

 

[kgerry]

my dealer just uses a Motul 10W 40 for my oil changes... i dont question it... i let them do their job... even in summer mornings can get down to single digits C here (low-mid 30's F)

[blackyam]

D.R.,

 

At 48k miles, maybe it's time for me to switch to a synth. It's only every 6000 miles, after all. (I still pour in about 1 qt in between service oil changes.) Thanks.

 

---John.

[Michael B]

OK, so the overall consensus from you knowledgable guys is 10W40 for the summer. Now, I have been using Castrol 20W50 full synthetic for the past couple of summers (hence the question for this thread) in my 2011 RT, so my question: have I done or will I do any damage to my engine using the heavier viscosity 20W50 oil? I still have a bunch of it and would like to use it. Thanks again for your answers!

[lkchris]

I would read it that "10W>/=50 means 10W-60 would be approved.

 

> over _ means greater than or equal, right?

 

Also fwiw, I think the "too big spread" thing applies only to nonsynthetic oils. Some may recall there used to be a (nonsynthetic) 10-50 Castrol GTX--there no longer is.

[dirtrider]

OK, so the overall consensus from you knowledgable guys is 10W40 for the summer. Now, I have been using Castrol 20W50 full synthetic for the past couple of summers (hence the question for this thread) in my 2011 RT, so my question: have I done or will I do any damage to my engine using the heavier viscosity 20W50 oil? I still have a bunch of it and would like to use it. Thanks again for your answers!

 

Morning Michael

 

I would doubt that you hurt the engine as the oil usage chart does list a XXw50 oil so depending on the oil you used the 50 part should be good to go on a hot engine.

 

The 20 part of the 20w50 is a little thick according to BMW specs & that is more of a cold engine flow rating than an actual oil viscosity.

 

What c-a-n happen is; if using a thicker than specified oil during cold start is a delayed oil flow to the bearings, cams & valve parts.

 

Seeing as your engine is basically the same lower end as the older engines that BMW specified 20w50 for my guess is that BMW changed the cold start oil flow requirements due to the new angular cam lobes & new rocker arm geometry.

 

Maybe they saw some cold start cam lobe scuffing during their camhead engine testing or noticed some other reason that the initial lack of oil flow at cold start was effecting something.

 

As for the 20w50 oil you want to use -----

 

Oil ratings cover a RANGE not just single number---

 

For instance-- a 40 weight (rated at 100°c) is 12.50-16.29 cST, & a 50 weight (rated at 100°c) is 16.30-21.89 cST.

 

So you could have a 10w40 that runs to the thick side & a 10w50 that runs to the thin side with virtually no difference in how the engine sees them.

 

Or you could have a 20w50 that runs to the thick side that could only be 1cST off of being a 30w60 oil.

 

Or, even worse you could use a 20w50 that has a low flash point so it thickens in use.

Or use a conventional 10w40 that uses a lot of polymers to achieve the viscosity spread so have it shear down to a 5w30 as the miles go by.

 

If I had to guess just based on my engineering background & no test data I would guess that 20w50 would be OK for most usage under normal moderate cold starting temperatures.

 

Would I (personally) use a 20w50 in an engine that had the recommended oil usage chart that I posted above. NO, if I had decent alternatives available that did meet the specs in the oil usage chart. Especially if that 20 w50 was not an up-level synthetic oil.

 

[RTJohn]

Don't apologize I just love oil threads!

[RTJohn]

When my bike was new I had the dealer do the first few oil changes. They used BMW branded 20W-50 dino oil. I questioned the dealer and he said that's what BMW recommends. When I pointed out that it wasn't in the owners manual, he just repeated that BMW recommends the 20W-50. I've since been doing my own oil changes using synthetics, mostly M1. The bike runs great by the way.

[dirtrider]

clip--They used BMW branded 20W-50 dino oil. I questioned the dealer and he said that's what BMW recommends. When I pointed out that it wasn't in the owners manual, he just repeated that BMW recommends the 20W-50. --clip

 

Morning John

 

Yes, you hear that from some dealers. I'll bet mostly from dealers that have a large stock of that cash cow 20w50 remaining in their stock.

 

Next time they tell you that simply ask them to SHOW YOU (in writing) such as a service bulletin or product advisory WHERE BMW has said that (bet you they will wiggle & worm but fail to produce any tangible evidence).

 

I was at a BMW dealer (not my local BMW dealer) a while back & almost choked on my coffee when the DEALER sales advisor (or whatever they are called now) was telling a potential customer that the 1200RT he was looking at would do an honest 175mph.

 

Unfortunately, for a lot of motorcycle dealers if their lips are moving___ well you know the story.

[Martyn]

Without going into my preference ( Oh, OK, 20W-50 ) people often refer to "the manual" when discussing both tyres & oil.

The trouble with a manual is, it's valid the day it's written, but 5, 10, 15 years down the line, technology moves on.

I have always asked the relevant manufacturer for their guidance, & Castrol advised me that in the UK they would never advise a 40 weight oil, but 10W-50 or 20W-50 are just fine.

Same with tyres; ask the manufacturers their suggestion for fitment & pressures.

[Dave_in_TX]

I have always asked the relevant manufacturer for their guidance.

Seems to me that the "relevant manufacturer" regarding oil viscosity should be the vehicle manufacturer not the oil company.

[Martyn]

I have always asked the relevant manufacturer for their guidance.

Seems to me that the "relevant manufacturer" regarding oil viscosity should be the vehicle manufacturer not the oil company.

 

BMW don't make oil. They use the expertise of others, mainly Castrol in Europe, to decide on specs. But you could always e-mail BMW. Personally, I prefer to consult the experts in their field, be it oil or tyres.

[Dave_in_TX]

I have always asked the relevant manufacturer for their guidance.

Seems to me that the "relevant manufacturer" regarding oil viscosity should be the vehicle manufacturer not the oil company.

 

BMW don't make oil. They use the expertise of others, mainly Castrol in Europe, to decide on specs. But you could always e-mail BMW. Personally, I prefer to consult the experts in their field, be it oil or tyres.

 

And Castrol doesn't make engines. Castrol is no more an expert regarding what viscosity oil an engine needs than those who designed the engine. And BMW most likely did testing with the recommended viscosity oil. How much testing did Castrol do with 20W50 in your RT?

[Martyn]

I have always asked the relevant manufacturer for their guidance.

Seems to me that the "relevant manufacturer" regarding oil viscosity should be the vehicle manufacturer not the oil company.

 

BMW don't make oil. They use the expertise of others, mainly Castrol in Europe, to decide on specs. But you could always e-mail BMW. Personally, I prefer to consult the experts in their field, be it oil or tyres.

 

And Castrol doesn't make engines. Castrol is no more an expert regarding what viscosity oil an engine needs than those who designed the engine. And BMW most likely did testing with the recommended viscosity oil. How much testing did Castrol do with 20W50 in your RT?

Well, as UK dealers used Actevo 20W-50 until recently, & it was a BMW recommendation on their own BMW website, I imagine both parties are satisfied with it's suitability for our climate.

BMW now recommend, & UK dealers use, Force 1 15W -50. It's not just some unilateral decision. I also have to say that Castrol (& the other respected names in the industry) probably DO know more than BMW about which oil to use; it's why the industry spends millions on motorsport, trying new formulae, & why they work together with manufacturers, not in isolation.

[Boffin]

I have always asked the relevant manufacturer for their guidance.

Seems to me that the "relevant manufacturer" regarding oil viscosity should be the vehicle manufacturer not the oil company.

 

BMW don't make oil. They use the expertise of others, mainly Castrol in Europe, to decide on specs. But you could always e-mail BMW. Personally, I prefer to consult the experts in their field, be it oil or tyres.

 

And Castrol doesn't make engines. Castrol is no more an expert regarding what viscosity oil an engine needs than those who designed the engine. And BMW most likely did testing with the recommended viscosity oil. How much testing did Castrol do with 20W50 in your RT?

 

I have a friend who used to work for Castrol doing oil tests - he worked on the contract BMW gave Castrol to determine the oil specs for the original oil head motors.

 

Andy

[dirtrider]

Afternoon Martyn

 

You are correct in that BMW doesn't make the oil but they run most of engine durability & dyno testing required to come up with the specification that the oil company then needs to meet in order to supply a product.

 

The only way the oil company has input is in trying to solve oil related issues either after durability or after on-road testing oil related failures.

 

If it didn't work this way then each oil company would have to buy some original engines from each motorcycle manufacturer then run all the on-road & dyno testing themselves. That would be just about impossible.

Then each new small engine running change would require some more engines be bought & tested (again about impossible).

 

If the oil company wrote the engine oil specs then the question would arise as to who covers the warranty engine repairs for engine failures.

 

If the motor company (re BMW) doesn't specify a 20wXX oil but a person chooses to use it anyhow then who is responsible for any engine failures? BMW sure won't as they didn't spec it to begin with, probably for a valid reason.

 

If BMW doesn’t say it's OK to use it but the oil company says it is OK to use it then a person better find out (in writing) if the oil company will back the engine repairs down the road (that is why I seriously doubt Castrol said it was OK to use a 20WXX oil in the BMW camhead. They might have said 20wXX was OK but didn't fully understand the usage was not they old BMW hexhead but a new design camhead.

 

If you can get something I writing where Castrol says it's OK to use a 20Wxx oil in the BMW camhead I would sure like to see it.

[Martyn]

Afternoon Martyn

 

You are correct in that BMW doesn't make the oil but they run most of engine durability & dyno testing required to come up with the specification that the oil company then needs to meet in order to supply a product.

 

The only way the oil company has input is in trying to solve oil related issues either after durability or after on-road testing oil related failures.

 

If it didn't work this way then each oil company would have to buy some original engines from each motorcycle manufacturer then run all the on-road & dyno testing themselves. That would be just about impossible.

Then each new small engine running change would require some more engines be bought & tested (again about impossible).

 

If the oil company wrote the engine oil specs then the question would arise as to who covers the warranty engine repairs for engine failures.

 

If the motor company (re BMW) doesn't specify a 20wXX oil but a person chooses to use it anyhow then who is responsible for any engine failures? BMW sure won't as they didn't spec it to begin with, probably for a valid reason.

 

If BMW doesn’t say it's OK to use it but the oil company says it is OK to use it then a person better find out (in writing) if the oil company will back the engine repairs down the road (that is why I seriously doubt Castrol said it was OK to use a 20WXX oil in the BMW camhead. They might have said 20wXX was OK but didn't fully understand the usage was not they old BMW hexhead but a new design camhead.

 

If you can get something I writing where Castrol says it's OK to use a 20Wxx oil in the BMW camhead I would sure like to see it.

 

Good morning Dirt Rider,

It was in writing. By BMW.

It was on the BMW UK website as their approved oil.

They listed two oils. They had the Synthetic as "Ultimate Performance" & also had, under the title "Proven Protection" Actevo 20W -50.

I'm retired now, but my former employer ran a fleet of R1200RT's, & they were all on the Actevo.

Dealers here in the UK sold it, & indeed still do if customers ask for it.

Now that Castrol have developed the Power 1 4T 15W-50, that has taken over as the BMW UK recommendation for non-LC Boxers.

I appreciate that in North America you have climatic extremes that we don't encounter here on our temperate little isle, but that's the UK situation.

The below link is to the current recommendation PDF

 

//www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk/media/pdf/70583_A1_BMW_POSTER_MCO00066_low_res.pdf

 

[dirtrider]

Morning Martyn

 

All I see at that link you furnished is the 15w50 (that does meet the BMW oil usage spec for the camhead).

 

That (old) 20w50 recommendation was probably just a carryover recommendation from the old Hexhead days.

 

Sometimes it takes a while for the aftermarket suppliers to catch up to the OEM changes

 

The final authority on the proper oil usage is BMW not the oil suppliers.

 

So far I haven't seen anything from BMW directly, in either service bulletin form, or otherwise that states using 20wXX oil is recommended, or even accepted, for use in the BMW camhead engine.

 

If you have something from BMW stating the 20wXX oil is OK to use in the camhead please point us to that.

 

[Martyn]

Dirt rider - perhaps the fault is mine, & I didn't explain myself very well.

BMW UK's website (not Castrol's) used to recommend two oils, under the headings Ultimate Performance & Proven Protection, the latter being Actevo 20W- 50.

It was in their Bulletins, it was in their dealerships, & I had all the paperwork.

However, in the last 6 months or so, their recommendation changed to Power 1 T 15W - 50.

At that point I diligently downloaded their latest recommendation, & deleted the old, to avoid confusion.

 

And that illustrates the point I was making in my original post, about using the handbook's recommendation. Handbooks can become dated, but manufacturers Bulletins & websites reflect current (sometimes updated) advice.

[Dave_in_TX]

Dirt rider - perhaps the fault is mine, & I didn't explain myself very well.

BMW UK's website (not Castrol's) used to recommend two oils, under the headings Ultimate Performance & Proven Protection, the latter being Actevo 20W- 50.

It was in their Bulletins, it was in their dealerships, & I had all the paperwork.

However, in the last 6 months or so, their recommendation changed to Power 1 T 15W - 50.

At that point I diligently downloaded their latest recommendation, & deleted the old, to avoid confusion.

 

And that illustrates the point I was making in my original post, about using the handbook's recommendation. Handbooks can become dated, but manufacturers Bulletins & websites reflect current (sometimes updated) advice.

 

Web sites aren't always updated as quickly as they should be either. The last RT that BMW recommended using 20W50 in was the 2009 model. 15W50 may or may not be the ideal viscosity but it is one that is considered suitable for all years.

[tallman]

Well, since SUMMER starts on June 21, 2014, y'all

better hurry and reach some consensus so no one ruins their beemer.

[6speedTi]

2012 RT camhead and I use Mobile One 15w/50

Summer is here in South Florida. My Florida dealer recommends some combination of a 50w oil.

[dirtrider]

Well, since SUMMER starts on June 21, 2014, y'all

better hurry and reach some consensus so no one ruins their beemer.

 

Morning tallman

 

This is an oil thread so there never will a consensus. But there seems to be plenty of info in the thread to make an informed oil choice for the camhead engine.

 

 

[lkchris]

You can go to a BMW car dealer and buy some Castrol 10W-60 (yes, sixty) and it will meet the specs in the owners manual page copied and pasted earlier in this thread. If my memory is faulty and it's instead 20W-60, still meets. This is oil for the M-spec engines. IIRC Eilenberger uses this.

 

Other info:

 

Power 1 is called Power RS in the USA. Power RS comes in quarts so Americans can understand it

I use Motorex Boxer 4T 15W-50 year around because

It says boxer on the bottle

It comes in liters and not quarts

It's available in a 4-liter bottle, which is exactly what's required for a change with filter

It's designed "in consultation with AC Schnitzer"

It's green

[tallman]

Well, since SUMMER starts on June 21, 2014, y'all

better hurry and reach some consensus so no one ruins their beemer.

 

Morning tallman

 

This is an oil thread so there never will a consensus. But there seems to be plenty of info in the thread to make an informed oil choice for the camhead engine.

 

 

Of course.

And since oil related failures are so common...

[Dave_in_TX]

You can go to a BMW car dealer and buy some Castrol 10W-60 (yes, sixty) and it will meet the specs in the owners manual page copied and pasted earlier in this thread. If my memory is faulty and it's instead 20W-60, still meets. This is oil for the M-spec engines. IIRC Eilenberger uses this.

 

The owners manual for my 2011 RT doesn't list 10W60, 20W60, or even 20W50 as approved oil viscosities.

[lkchris]

You can go to a BMW car dealer and buy some Castrol 10W-60 (yes, sixty) and it will meet the specs in the owners manual page copied and pasted earlier in this thread. If my memory is faulty and it's instead 20W-60, still meets. This is oil for the M-spec engines. IIRC Eilenberger uses this.

 

The owners manual for my 2011 RT doesn't list 10W60, 20W60, or even 20W50 as approved oil viscosities.

 

The page I referred to says greater than or equal to 50. That includes 60

[6speedTi]

Remember that hard copies are just that. Always consult your dealer for the latest information. Research and development is a constant evolving process and technology is always changing.

[dirtrider]

Remember that hard copies are just that. Always consult your dealer for the latest information. Research and development is a constant evolving process and technology is always changing.

 

Afternoon 6speedTi

 

 

But the hard copies are real & tested by the manufacturer & the Dealer spiel is, in a lot of cases, guesses, passed on hearsay, & just plain wrong info.

 

There are obviously some good INFORMED & truthful BMW dealers but unfortunately there are more that aren't.

 

The only way I would trust what a BMW dealer (or any motorcycle dealer for that matter) told me (unless I personally knew the dealer representative & his/her background) would be to also see it in writing in the form of a BMW letter or service bulletin.

 

Just look at the archives here for some of the crap that has come directly from dealer service managers, tec's, parts managers & parts hawkers.

 

Now if the guy pulls up a service bulletin on your 'specific' bike then go with that over your riders manual. But above ALL ELSE go with common sense first.

[Dave_in_TX]

You can go to a BMW car dealer and buy some Castrol 10W-60 (yes, sixty) and it will meet the specs in the owners manual page copied and pasted earlier in this thread. If my memory is faulty and it's instead 20W-60, still meets. This is oil for the M-spec engines. IIRC Eilenberger uses this.

 

The owners manual for my 2011 RT doesn't list 10W60, 20W60, or even 20W50 as approved oil viscosities.

 

The page I referred to says greater than or equal to 50. That includes 60

 

OK, I'll concede on the greater than or equal part for the upper number but my manual certainly doesn't include a 20W anything.

[HDH]

I run 10W40 in the winter and change to 20W50 during the warmer months (both synthetic). The local BMW dealer recommends 15W50 when running synthetic.

 

It is my personal opinion that most oils and viscosity ranges will work fine for the boxer under most circumstances.

However, I am anal about maintenance and even though the bike doesn't care, I feel better when changing the oil every 2-3k miles and running full synthetic (have been since the 600 mile service)

 

I have noticed that when I run 10W40, the bike purrs like a kitten when first started (cold and warm weather). When starting the bike with 20W50 it runs a little rough at first. Based on this I may stick with 10W40 regardless of the season.

 

[Selden]

...There are obviously some good INFORMED & truthful BMW dealers but unfortunately there are more that aren't....

That's true for almost every industry I can think of. There is an old computer joke:

 

Q: What's the difference between a computer salesman and a used car salesman?

A: The used car salesman knows when he is lying.

 

Trust is earned. If I knew where you are, and assuming you are still running a shop, I would be delighted to be a customer if I had a problem while on the road.

[z3406]

Just to really throw a wrench in the works. The BMW Rep Rom. That is the digitized BMW repair manual for the type 440 (440 is US spec R1200RT Camheads) series motorcycles says the recommended oil is BMW brand 15w50

[lkraus]

Just to really throw a wrench in the works. The BMW Rep Rom. That is the digitized BMW repair manual for the type 440 (440 is US spec R1200RT Camheads) series motorcycles says the recommended oil is BMW brand 15w50

 

You are new here, so we will cut you a little slack, but you need to know that this is an OIL thread, and around here you are not allowed to derail the thread by injecting facts or reputable sources into the discussion.

 

This is your last warning!