6,000 mile service

[Sunfire]

Well, last week I went for a 1200 mile ride to New England and back, and I can't say enough how happy I am with my decision to purchase my Rockster! Very comfortable after many hours on the saddle, able to carry all the stuff that I had to carry, and with enough torque to stay clear of all the "cagers".

The only part that I wasn't too happy was that I had to find a BMW dealer to purchase oil for the engine. In about 3K miles I have used about 0.5 quarts - is this normal? Where I bought the oil I was told that it was normal for the R engines to use up to a quart until the engine is broken in. I didn't understand that, but what do I know of R engines... The other nagging little "thing" is that a very small amount of oil leaks from the plastic cap. I'm surprised that BMW designed such a poor oil fill cap - its very easy for dirt to fall in the engine when the cap is removed.

Other than these 2 things, the bike performed flawlessly. Final question: should I request synthetic oil or use the regular oil for the 6K mile service?

Thanks,
Paul

[GTR350cc]

Yes, the Boxer engine (by design) uses more than the expected amount of oil during the first 6000-24000 miles. Very hard coated cylinders and hard rings get broken in (depending on each riders' individual style) over a longer period than the typical modern bike. 1 quart for 1000 miles is a factory standard for these engines.

Any high quality, SG graded oil will do. Golden Spectro, Castrol, and BMW branded oils in 10W40 and 20W50 are popular. A few users are happy with high grade diesel engine oils (good additive packages) such as Rotella, Delo, and DelVac.

After 6K-18K miles, synthetic can be used without worry. Some users do it earlier and report no problems.

[adg44]

3,000 miles and only .5 quarts of oil is great!

I am using Mobil1 15w50, and that's available at any auto parts store.

Also running Mobil1 75w90 in the tranny and final drive, and that's also easily available.

You don't have to use BMW fluids.

- Anthony

[Biff's R]

You can get oil anywhere. I have replaced the o ring for the oil fill cap a couple of times.

[Sunfire]

Thanks for the replies guys. Then I shouldn't worry that it used the oil that it used, should I? I feel better now knowing that this is normal. As for the oil filler cap leaking, I did buy new O-rings, but it still leaks. I think I'll mention it at the dealer to be fixed under warranty.

Paul

[boxermania]

Sunfire

On some bikes the plastic part pressed into the valve cover, that the cap screws into, has not been seated fully. As a result this part sits slightly higher than it's required position and as such diminishes the compression on the cap o-ring allowing some oil splash to get past the lightly seated o-ring.

Other common happening is that some trash has gotten in the area of the o-ring seal and prevent a complete seal. Make sure that both the base and the cap are clean in the contact area.

Do take your bike in, under warranty, and mention the oil seepage. If the dealer is reputable they will inmediately know what you are talking about.......

[sweatmark]

Paul,

Very glad to hear your Beemer purchase is working out. Hopefully the Rockster's road trip comfort factor exceeds your expectations - especially compared with the XB Firebolt.

As mentioned, don't sweat the Boxermotor oil usage. Feed the bike regularly; we use whatever oil's sitting around, well almost. Usually it's Mobil 1 or BMW 10W-50 in my wife's Roadster (motor is smooth as butta' with 24k miles, burns a tiny bit). My Rockster is still a young pup, only 10k miles and not enough time thrashing the engine into submission... so it's still getting non-synthetic, either good diesel oil (my choice is Delvac 1300 Super, $5/gallon at WalMart) or BMW oil if I was feeling sorry for the local dealer during a "what's new" visit.

So, you going to do that Utah ride you talked about this past Spring?

Mark
Oregon