1200cc BMW Twins and 5W-40 oil

[ammolab]

Originally Posted By: cycleman
Originally Posted By: ammolab
Originally Posted By: cycleman

I think you'll find that BMW still recommends the 20-50 weight in the summer for the R1200 series engine. The 40 weight oil just falls short of the proper viscosity for summer time temps.


If so...the failed to list it in the USA owner's manual for 2011.


You might want to check around as something is not right. My R1100R called for 20-50 in the summer and I serviced a friends R1200R and it also called for 20-50.

Times change! The Camhead engine (2011 and up) does not list 20W-50 oil in the manual. I will scan it for you tomorrow. Where else would I "check around"?

 

[ammolab]

Here you go.. No 20W-50 or any 20W-X listed at all. 5W and 10W-50 yes but those oils have never been the topic of this thread.
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Specifically, Castrol GPS SAE 1-W-40 is ok for temps >= -20C. Any other 10W-40 is only good for temps about -10C. Yeah, neither effects what you or the dealer is talking about.

Until the '10 models BMW recommended 20W-50. That's what dealers know. I'd suspect that many dealer personnel aren't even aware that BMW changed the spec for the '10 (camhead) models. You might want to shove a copy of the manual into the dealers face and then ask him to show you his written document that says otherwise.

 

[ccdhowell]

Don't really have a horse in this race, but could 10W->50 mean that a 20W50 is acceptable? It seems to say that anything greater to or equal to 10W is acceptable. Never seen that notation before.

 

[ammolab]

Originally Posted By: ccdhowell
Don't really have a horse in this race, but could 10W->50 mean that a 20W50 is acceptable? It seems to say that anything greater to or equal to 10W is acceptable. Never seen that notation before.



That is an interesting observation... That could explain why Dealers are still pouring 20W-50 Oil. It would only effect the cold temps listed and they don't even print a high temp limit on any of the oils any more.

 

[cycleman]

Interesting. I wonder what Castrol GPS SAE 10-40 oil is. Even in the older 1100's BMW gave a 0-40 Castrol weight oil that was not availbable in North America.

The R1200R would have been a 2010 model.

If your low temps are not bad then a 20-50 would work fine.