Checking my the oil

[slowrollin]

New to this forum and to BMWs! I purchased an 02 R1150R. The dealer that serviced it told me these bikes use a lot of oil. I'm not used to that. I never have to add oil to my other bikes unless I'm changing it, so this is new to me. I'm a bit nervous now about blowing this motor.

[sjbmw]

Welcome!

The 1150R drinks most of it's oil during break in, and after that it settles down.
An 02 most likely is well past breaking in, make sure you check the oil in the sight glass correctly (on the center stand, and bike is warmed up) and you will be fine.
Half full or higher in the glass but not completely dark. You should see an oil line.

My 04 1150R may drink a less than half a quart after a 1,000+ miles of hard riding. (now at 40k miles)
I will check the sight glass every couple of weeks during riding season.
If you overfill it, it will blow it out.

It drank more conventional oil than synthetic though.

[AZBMWRIDER]

You need to monitor the oil level and see what your bike does with the way you ride it .
I have gotten into the habit, of checking the tire pressures, tire condition and engine oil level, on my last day off of my weekend, the bike is used as a daily rider to work .
I've got just under 50,000 miles on my '02 and after the oil and filter service, I may use around a quart and a half of oil until the next oil and filter change, which is about 5,000 miles right around a year .

[MarkShelley]

To check the oil correctly you should leave the bike on the side stand for 10 mins to allow all the oil to drain into the sump, then put the bike on the centre stand to check the level in the glass.
As mentioned above, most bikes reduce their oil useage when fully run in and the concensus is that this occurrs around 16k miles. This is variable though and some continue to use a bit of oil. Also as mentioned above, monitor how you bike uses oil so you get a feel for it.
I have an 1100GS which has done 107K and it uses no oil whatsoever, even after a long high speed run of 400 miles up to Scotland. My 1150R with 20 something K on it uses no oil either.
Don`t worry about it too much. At least the sight glass makes it an easy thing to check.

[soarsimon]

This may be opening up a whole new can of worms (or oil), but what would be the recommended type of oil? The manual says Castrol of course but do you guys change weights in the winter? Synthetic blend, full synthetic, etc?
(Another '02 R1150R 50k miles)

[Martyn]

This may be opening up a whole new can of worms (or oil), but what would be the recommended type of oil? The manual says Castrol of course but do you guys change weights in the winter? Synthetic blend, full synthetic, etc?
(Another '02 R1150R 50k miles)

Oh dear. What have you done.........
Lots of opinions, but for what it's worth, in temperate old UK, Castrol 20W50 non-synthetic. I've taken some work bikes to over 100,000 & have yet to seen an oil induced problem.

[MarkShelley]

I use Silkolene 10w 40 semi synth, but only because I buy it in bulk as it will do all my bikes. I think you need to be more diligent about the correct oil for the gearbox and final drive as they are the bits of the bike that seem to fail with most regularity.

[milehighboater]

I use conventional castrol 10w-40 in the winter (November-March) and castrol 20w-50 (April-October) in the summer and have never had a problem with oil consumption or over heating. I live in Colorado and the bike still started last week at -12F, and yes the ride was a bit nippy.

[spoon]

If I run at and above 4000 RPM for extended peroids it uses some oil (04 Rockster), maybe 1/4 liter per 1000 miles. If I keep the RPM under 3500, no oil usage in 6000 miles. I have only done that once. In the wide open spaces of the Southwest its easy to "roll along". Oh, 48,000 miles.

[bmwdave52]

Checking the oil on the Roadster is more art than science.

[AZBMWRIDER]

soarsimon, where do you call home ??
It may make a difference depending on your location and type of riding .
I reside in a suburb of hell and ride regardless of the temperature, so synthetic gives me some peace of mind, but may not be necessary in your case .

[turrider]

it will depend on your riding style. I use mine well above 4000 rpm in a regime where there are no harsh speed changes. It consumes more or less 0.75 l per 1000 km. However best way is to keep an eye on the level indicator and calculate how will you feed the beast !!