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Update: Engine seems healthy and normal. Finally got around to doing a valve adjustment and compression test on the engine. I've been putting it off, since the procedure is very much non trivial, and the factory service manual requires a number of specialized tools and processes. Short version...

DockingPilot: The Amsoil actually held up relatively well in the GT - according to the original two reports, it was green lighted to >13K miles. It did shear down to a thick 30 weight, but to be honest I think it's expected in most motorcycle engines. I wouldn't start getting concerned till it...

Bike is still under warranty, though I'm concerned that the Rotella doesn't meet BMW oil spec, providing them grounds to reject a warranty request. Generally, the oil has been changed more or less according to the OEM guidelines. IMO, an oil that can't live up to OEM spec has no business in a...

UOA for Redline 10w40 with 7200 miles of use. Metal wear is slightly better, in the same way that a missing arm is better than a bullet in the brain. Oxidation levels are way up. Information on the oil currently in the engine is incorrect; I failed to update it as part of the sample submission...

Pablo, I'm pretty sure I took the sample while hot, but I'm not absolutely positive at this point. I know that a hot sample is part of my normal procedure. Towards the end of the life of the oil, I noticed that the bike would start to stall on downshift. Oil level had fallen off somewhat, and...

Sunrah: I've gotten more aggressive with the bike since switching to the Rotella. That doesn't mean I was gentle with it on Amsoil. The copper has been trending down. You can see that levels actually dropped somewhat in my 2nd Amsoil analysis, even though I hadn't changed the oil since the...

I think it may be time to swap out the air filter. Any comments on what might have caused aluminum levels to shoot up so much?

The new UOA is out. This UOA is from 6600 miles running Shell Rotella 15w40 mineral oil. This sample was taken 600 miles past the specified change interval due to my budget and schedule. It's unclear whether the high levels of aluminum are being caused by the oil it's self, or some other...

I'm about to post up my results with Rotella 15w40, but I thought I would comment... After 6600 miles and some serious abuse (10+K RPM, speeds > 130MPH, drag launches, wheelies) the oil it's self held up pretty well. Seems to have done a [censored] job of protecting the engine though.

I'm just about due for the switch. My plan is to run a conventional 10/40, or 15/40 in the engine for 6000 miles. I plan to test at 1000 and 3000 to track the viscosity degradation, under the theory that a conventional oil will show a quick loss of viscosity with the shared sump / wet clutch...

Mark, I personally haven't noticed a difference, but a friend of mine has reported that the dry clutches tend to retain more heat when slipped, leading to problems in situations that require a lot of clutch modulation. Clutch maintenance is much more difficult on the dry clutch longitudinal...

Here is sample number 2, taken at 10,300 miles. I've been pretty busy, so this sample is about 700 miles past-due. The oil came out of the sump looking almost black. Anyone judging the oil by color would have thrown it out long ago. I'm a little concerned about the increasing aluminum...

Originally Posted By: Norm Olt You could always just drain the old oil at 9-10K and refill with any quality (i.e. "non-boutique") 10W-40 that meets BMW's spec (last time I looked they didn't require 100% synthetic) for a couple thousand miles. Filtration is probably not a question with fresh...

Originally Posted By: GoldwingGuy Why would you run any oil for 12,000 miles in a motorcycle? The oil is already getting thin. Remember that the service manual does not specify a synthetic fill on this bike. If you use a typical 10w40 mineral oil with VIIs, the oil would probably be another...

Whatever originally came in the engine burned like crazy. I recall showing a low oil level at least once per month. Redline & Amsoil were significant improvements for this bike.

Troy: I have a few reasons for UOA rather than changing the oil. The first reason is simply curiosity. We spend a lot of time talking about oil, but I'm very interested in seeing exactly what's going on in the engine, and with the oil. The second reason is convenience. The K1300GT uses a dry...

Sorry for the slow response. If it's avoidable, I'd rather not change the filter on this bike earlier than necessary. The K1300GT wedges the oil filter directly behind the kickstand bracket. Removing the filter means removing the stand. The engine currently has 8300 miles on the clock. I've...

Here's the first UOI for my K1300GT. Factory service interval is set at 6000 miles. I intend to have a UOI run at every scheduled service interval, and every recommended re-test interval, as per the results of the UOI. I intend to run a 12000 mile extended drain interval, UOA results...

The bike currently has 25,000 miles on the odometer. I can confirm that I check the oil level as per the factory recommended procedure... Leave the bike on the side-stand for about 10 minutes, then level it out and permit the oil to run from the left cylinder to the sump before taking a...

BMW also runs separate Engine, Transmission, and Final Drive sumps. Their design is modern... But the separate oiling systems don't really seem to offer much in the way of benefits, and they add a significant weight penalty to the engine design. I believe that BMW does it on the R series bikes...