Oil Usage

[New1200RTRider]

I just logged 600 miles on my new 1200 RT after the 600 mile service and had

to add a .5 quart of oil. It it normal to use so much oil?

I am planning a 3000 mile trip this summer and was wondering how much oil should I bring?

[jackflash]

I just logged 600 miles on my new 1200 RT after the 600 mile service and had

to add a .5 quart of oil. It it normal to use so much oil?

I am planning a 3000 mile trip this summer and was wondering how much oil should I bring?

 

Your bike isn't even close to being "run in". Now is the time to use the throttle hard in twisties where rpm's are constantly changing and some engine braking is going on. If you ride it easy or do a lot of slab riding, I would be concerned about breaking in a new boxer.

 

I've always ridden the dog out of mine mostly in mountain twisties and it uses almost no oil at 10K miles. That's just what it takes IMHO.

[johnlt]

Yep, bring oil. During break-in especially, it can use some oil. Very controversial but IMHO, keep near the top of the window.

[sb955i]

Now at 3900 kms after 1000km service. Have used 3/4 quart. Seems to be consuming less than it did right after the service. One spare quart on the bike, and two in the garage, expecting to use them all this summer

[Tcreek]

I have over 12,500mi on 05 R1200RT, have never had to add oil in between service or oil changes and i am an aggresive driver.

[jackflash]

I have over 12,500mi on 05 R1200RT, have never had to add oil in between service or oil changes and i am an aggresive driver.

 

I think the key words are "aggressive rider". It seems that harder I run mine, the less oil it used to use.

[Bill Murray]

I just logged 600 miles on my new 1200 RT after the 600 mile service and had to add a .5 quart of oil. It it normal to use so much oil?

 

I ride a relatively new R12ST -- the same motor as your RT. I live on the coast and unfortunately do not have any hills to use for a loaded-engine break-in. I followed the dealer's recommended break-in instructions (limited enegine RPMs to 5K until the 600 mile service, with progressively higher RPMs following the 600 mile service until about 1000 miles). I now have 2800 miles on the motor and have continued to see what I considered excessive oil usage. Since my 600 mile service, I have added about 1 and 1/3 quarts.

 

I just finished an approximately 1100 mile trip to and from the North Carolina mountains. During the trip, I used almost a full quart of oil. After a 250 mile day of riding in the mountains, I was down at least one-half quart from the oil level when I started the day's ride. On the way home from the trip, I stopped at an area dealer, where I spoke to their service manager. He told me that he considered my oil usage to be excessive. He also cautioned to not trust the oil sight-glass too much, indictaing the oil level can fluctuate significantly depending on how hot the enegine gets (which supposedly affects the opening thermostat opening up oil flow through the oil cooler). I even cited experience where they have drained excessive amounts of oil from customer's bikes because they added oil when the oil level appeared low in the sight glass.

 

Despite this information, based on my observations thus far, I truly believe my motor has used the oil that I have been adding. I am also concerned about the oil usage so far and will be very interested in seeing what advice other Hexhead riders can offer on this topic.

[HexST]

On an 8400 mile trip I used less than 8oz of oil.

[ChrisA]

My dealer told me to expect to use 1 qt for every 1000 miles. At that rate, I won't need to change the oil at 6000 miles, I will have already changed it twice. Just the filter needs to go, right? He also told me that after the tires were worn in (about 100 miles) to ride it like I would normally want to and not to baby it. I now have about 900 miles since the service (which was at 1000 miles) and the oil is down to about 1/2 on the sight glass. In relative terms I'm using less oil now than the initial 1000 miles. Before my service I had no oil in the sight glass and added 1/2 quart at about 950 miles just to get home the last 75 miles and over to the dealer for service. I expect to use less oil as time goes on, we'll see.

[q2bruiser]

The harder you run it, the less oil it will use. Cylinder lining is too hard to baby.

 

Run it and quit adding oil. I've not added a drop to mine.

[Ponderosa]

This is my experience; ‘05 RT with ~4000 miles on it. Recently put on about 560 miles in one trip over two days. Started trip with oil at the top of the window (anything less will not get a check mark on the BC). After about 150 miles it had consumed enough oil so that at speed it would not exhibit a check mark. At speed it seems enough oil is in transit through the engine that the sensor is thinking the oil is low, slow down for stop and go and the check mark comes back. By the time the 560 miles were up the oil was just above the dot and I was getting the <!> showing up off and on. Keep the oil at the top of the glass and the sensors are happy. If the level gets below the red dot the <!> shows up.

[PaulW42]

it had consumed enough oil so that at speed it would not exhibit a check mark

 

The oil sensor only takes a reading when stationary. Once moving it will continue displaying whatever the last reading was. This is why, as the oil level drops, you can get some changing readings. I find, if the level is a bit below the dot, braking into a slightly downhill junction will bring on the warning; this stays until a "proper" check happens on level ground when it reverts to the check mark.

[Richard_Spag]

The oil consumption on my RT only started to drop off after about 14,000 - most of which were high speed motorway miles. Have just completed a 1,000 mile round trip through France (also at high speeds) and the oil level has not dropped at all. So having finally reached 18,500 miles I hopefully can start to leave the top up oil at home !

 

Regards

 

Richard

[Pictou]

Oil consumption for boxers seems to be all over the map at first but most settle down as the miles build and don't use much oil.

 

My new bike doesn't seem to be using a lot of oil. In about 1100kms (about 680 miles) I used very little oil. It went from halfway between the dot and the top down to the dot. During the first 1000kms I didn't have to add any oil at all and the oil level was near the top of the site glass when I took in for service.

 

My 1150RT was more thirsty at first. I was using about half a litre every 1600kms (1000 miles). As the miles built that dropped off and it wasn't using all that much oil when I traded it.

[crashtap]

In 800 miles, my new RT has needed no additional oil. I rely on the sight glass to check. I do a lot of variable speed driving and engine braking. Nothing over 5500 RPM yet, but I service next week, then Katie Bar the Door.

[Dave Grinsel]

My ST used oil about a 1/2 quart until 9,500 miles. I changed to synthetic at that time, and now 2300 miles later have not added a drop.

[ScottT]

It it normal to use so much oil?

Yes and no. Some on this forum have reported almost no oil use at all and others high oil use early on. My RT is one of those that used a lot early on. Over a quart in the first 2,000 miles. It now has over 18,000 and I have not added any oil since I did the 12k service. Between 12k and 18k the level has dropped about 1/4 of the sight glass. That's between 100 and 200cc of oil. BTW I switched to synthetic at 12k.

[dmenace]

At 10k miles my experience has been that the top half of the sight window blows out relatively quick. I make no attempt to keep it close to the top of the window because of this phenom. I typically add about 1/4 quart between changes (4k),typically when the oil level is at the bottom of the sight glass. The consumption appears to be declining, in fact I purchased some synthetic to put in this time but I think now I'll wait until the middle teens.

[jackflash]

To put it brutally blunt, IMHO, a new boxer needs to be run hard almost to an extreme after the 600 mile service. I've done that and have very little consumption at 10,000 miles. You will have to exceed the speed limit, run the twisties very fast and hard and just push the engine to where you think you're punishing it if you are new to boxers. The harder I run my bike, the less oil it uses. It was broken in with no mercy on the engine at all.

 

Twist the right hand HARD. That's what it takes, IMO.

[keithb]

I agree with JackFlash. You need to start riding that thing man! I bought an 04 RT 16 months ago w/2.4K miles on it and rode it from Ft. Worth to Huntington Beach (2000 miles). I put the last of one quart of oil in it at the I-10/I-8 split which is 450 miles from H.B. The service manage at Seaver's told me to "ride it like I stole it" which I did. It hardly uses any oil at all now with 11.8K miles on it. I just got an 05 RT 5 months ago w/4.4K miles on it (it now has 9.8K miles on it) and it does not use much oil either. A buddy of mine is from the "Motherland" and he tells me the rings and pistons used in BMW's are hard as hell. That is why they don't break in until there is about 15-20K miles are on them. Whenever my father was breaking in a new company car he never ran it steady. He was always speeding up and then slowing it down for the first 500-1000 miles or so. Now get out there and have some fun in the twisties on that machine! ENJOY and RIDE SAFE!!

[hophead]

"Despite this information, based on my observations thus far, I truly believe my motor has used the oil that I have been adding. I am also concerned about the oil usage so far and will be very interested in seeing what advice other Hexhead riders can offer on this topic."

 

I just went over 14500 miles on my 05ST---and I still use oil if the window is to be beleived. And I will say that the more miles I pile up on this boxer, the better the engine becomes, stronger, smoother, less unwanted engine braking/chassis jacking, better low down as well as ontop, and I ride the majority of the time from a minimunm 4000rpms, first four gears to as much as 7800 rpms and beyond, depending on the road and gear selector, until I decide to cruise, at which point I am still at least 4000rpms, so I do definitely NOT baby this engine and I love how it likes and responds to this piloting, I swear the boxer takes some getting to know, and I love it, but you know what? I still burn oil.