oil change

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by dhgeyer

To be precise, the BMW hexheads are oil cooled with a thermostat controlling the oil cooler.

Oops. Forgot what we were talking about there for a minute.
Carry on.

For MOST bikes.....cars.....and trucks, it certainly wouldn't make that much difference.
Air head Harleys might be another exception though.

I doubt that the requirements are that tight for the water cooled Beemers either.

[dhgeyer]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

Oops. Forgot what we were talking about there for a minute.
Carry on.

For MOST bikes.....cars.....and trucks, it certainly wouldn't make that much difference.
Air head Harleys might be another exception though.

I doubt that the requirements are that tight for the water cooled Beemers either.

What you say is true. Don't know about the Harley's, but I had a liquid cooled Beemer ('91 K75SA) for a while, and it wasn't as fussy about a number of things, including oil. Rode that bike to New Orleans in 2004. It was a great bike, but I like the R1200R better, even though it takes a lot of TLC. If I treat it right, it will reward me with hundreds of thousands of miles. If I don't get too old first, which I probably will.

[Water Warrior 2]

I'll bet the dealer makes a pot full of profit buying oil in bulk and selling it by the quart with a quart price tag. Sounds like a universal oil that fits almost everything coming in the door. Did they at least have the courage to tell you what brand of oil they were buying in bulk ??

[dhgeyer]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

I'll bet the dealer makes a pot full of profit buying oil in bulk and selling it by the quart with a quart price tag. Sounds like a universal oil that fits almost everything coming in the door. Did they at least have the courage to tell you what brand of oil they were buying in bulk ??

Oh, I'm sure that's why they do it that way. I didn't think to ask about the brand. And they charge more for labor than any place I've dealt with. $110.00 for an oil and filter change. It's an easy job. Unscrew the plug, unscrew the filter - both easily accessible, install new crush washer, screw on new oil filter and reinstall the plug, fill with 4 liters of oil. You don't even need a funnel - the fill hole is on the top of the left cylinder. With a lift and all the tools handy, I can't imagine it taking more than 15 minutes.

If the oil was appropriate for everything coming in the door it wouldn't be a bad thing. The problem is, it's not. If it weren't a BMW dealership it would be OK, and I think a lot of the Jap bike dealers do it that way and it's fine. Like Easy says, for most bikes it's not a problem.

[bonehead]

My 2 cents: I use 10-40in the cooler months(winter in tx) and change to 20-50 in the summer.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by bonehead

My 2 cents: I use 10-40in the cooler months(winter in tx) and change to 20-50 in the summer.

If you are doing that with a water cooled engine, it probably isn't necessary.......especially if you are changing because of the season and not because of mileage.

Anything with a 50 in it is almost never "needed" in a water coolded engine......even it Texas.

Now, if you need to change it mid-season anyway because of mileage then..........never mind. :biggrin:

[bonehead]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

If you are doing that with a water cooled engine, it probably isn't necessary.......especially if you are changing because of the season and not because of mileage.

Anything with a 50 in it is almost never "needed" in a water coolded engine......even it Texas.

Now, if you need to change it mid-season anyway because of mileage then..........never mind. :biggrin:

No that's in my GZ.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by bonehead

No that's in my GZ.

I think I remember the chart in the GZ manual indicating that for it, the 40 is good up to just about 100 F.......and as a practical matter, probably more than that for short trips.

The other side of the coin IS that the 20W50 would probably be just fine for you year round; the 20 indicating that it acts like a 20W in the cold.....for those 5 days or so that it really GETS cold there !! :biggrin:

So, are you changing it just because of outside temp.........or because of mileage ??

[bonehead]

It was more like 15 days this year!
Just a personal preference. Lighter below 50f and a little heavier during the hot.
And you're right, I probably could keep 20-50 in all year, but in my head it seems to help the performance to switch during the 2 seasons we have down here.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by bonehead

but in my head it seems to help the performance

That's good. Glad to hear that there is SOMETHING in there !! :shocked: :crackup

(Sorry, that was bad....but it was just too good a line to pass up!!) :biggrin: