Good deal on Spectro 4 20w50 engine oil

[Miguel!]

I have routinely changed the oil on my bikes every 3K miles. That gets pricing using synthetic. As I understand, Spectro 4 20w50 engine oil is a mineral oil that BMW had recommended for the oilheads for a longtime .

 

I found a gallon of Spectro 4 20w50 engine oil with free shipping on Amazon for $30 here. Its a remarkably good deal so thought I'd pass it on. 

Miguel!

[AndyS]

Why do you change your oil so regularly?

Have you considered sending samples for analysis? 

What are you hoping to gain?

These engines go on forever and a lot of owners may hardly ever hit normal scheduled replacement times.

Your bank balance and environmental conscience would be better off if you reverted to the recommended BMW Schedule. They put that schedule together based on pretty much the worst operating scenario possible and my money is on the fact that you are nowhere near that percentile.

[cat0020]

That's a pretty good deal. for 4-liter of oil. 

 

AFAIK, oil break down depend on heat cycle, if you operate your bike with lots of heat cycles, oil tend to break down more quickly. 

If you only operate your bike every other day or once a week, likely the oil does not need to be changed as often as suggested. 

 

 

[Skywagon]

Andy....I change mine in the 3-4K range as well.  I live in a hot, humid, salt air environment.  The air here has so much salt and moisture after riding 30 minutes you have to clean the crap off your shields.  Oil cheap...Engine expensive.  When I finish riding on the weekends I was the bike to get the salt off.  Everything rusts here if you don't take care of it.

[Paul De]

Nice oil and price and it is what BMW had their label on a while back.

 

For dinosaur oil I change 3-4 K miles, particularly if ridden it hot weather.   Beyond lubrication it is good to get the corrosive combustion contaminates caught in the oil out as well.

[AndyS]

15 minutes ago, Skywagon said:

Andy....I change mine in the 3-4K range as well.  I live in a hot, humid, salt air environment.  The air here has so much salt and moisture after riding 30 minutes you have to clean the crap off your shields.  Oil cheap...Engine expensive.  When I finish riding on the weekends I was the bike to get the salt off.  Everything rusts here if you don't take care of it.

I fully understand the washing. 

What I struggle with is the oil change. I have just never seen or heard of a worn out engine on an RT! (Well, not through oil deterioration anyway).

Of course it's your decision, but i'd love to see some lab reports to back up your fears.

[Still CAL]

Good tip, Miguel. 

[Miguel!]

On 10/11/2019 at 1:25 AM, AndyS said:

Why do you change your oil so regularly?

Have you considered sending samples for analysis? 

What are you hoping to gain?

These engines go on forever and a lot of owners may hardly ever hit normal scheduled replacement times.

Your bank balance and environmental conscience would be better off if you reverted to the recommended BMW Schedule. They put that schedule together based on pretty much the worst operating scenario possible and my money is on the fact that you are nowhere near that percentile.

 

AndyS, Changing the oil every 3K miles is just something I've been doing for years. I can't justify it through lab measurements. I've just always done it. I think I started doing it when someone told me I should be doing it years ago. I just never questioned it because whenever I changed my oil after 3K miles, it was always dirty. In fact, I looked into the sight glass last week and the oil is dark so I went looking for oil. That's what motivated me to look for the Spectro 4. 

 

I do know that BMW recommends oil changes at 6K intervals. My bike has 103K miles. I asked the mechanic that services my bike about changing the oil at 3K intervals given I just crossed 100K miles. He says "its not a bad idea". So I just do it more out of habit. He services all the local authority bikes. I've usually walk around when I go to his shop to look at the mileage on the R1100RTPs. They routinely have 150K-200K miles so these bikes do have a long life. I intend to make the R1100RT my last bike so it may not help but it won't hurt to baby it a bit. I can do an oil change in about 45 minutes including cleanup and enjoy the process. 

 

Regarding cost, $30 won't break my bank. Regarding the environment, I recycle the oil on the curb. Its used to run a local diesel tourist train. 

 

Thanks for the input!! I truly appreciate your experience and opinions. 

 

Cheers. 

Miguel!