Golden Spectro 4 Blend 20w-50 in BMW Boxer

[Huhwhye]

Golden Spectro 4 Blend 20w-50 Ran for 2353 miles with intermittent use of FP, used LC initially. Went on 1500 mile trip and didn't carry LC or FP with me. Only .15qts of make up oil. Bike is a '95 R100 GS and has 19,344 miles on it. TBN= 5.2 Aluminum...........3 Chromium...........1 Iron...............9 Copper.............4 Lead...............9 Tin................0 Molybdenum.........2 Nickel.............3 Manganese..........0 Silver.............0 Titanium...........0 Potassium..........1 Boron..............5 Silicon............8 Sodium.............2 Calcium............2096 Magnesium..........254 Phosphorous........1439 Zinc...............1750 Barium.............0 SUS Visc @210 = 90.5 Flashpoint = 440 Fuel % = <0.5 Water % = 0.0 Insol = 0.3 Overall I think the LC and FP helped. But the wear numbers concearn me. This is the first UOA on this bike so time will tell. Terry Dyson helped me out a ton. We went back on forth with emails al morning. I'm going to run CycleRX then switch to a full synthetic for the next go round.

 

[Al]

Looks decent to me..but bikes are another animal. You usually don't get many comments here on Bikes and oils that are not normal oils.

 

[Huhwhye]

That's fine. At least it will be here if someone ever does a search. When I was researching here for oil choice I didn't find many UOA's posted for motorcycles. Just trying to add to the library so to speak.

 

[Al]

Have you tried 15W-50 Mobil 1??

 

[Huhwhye]

I have not. I just bought the bike 2 months ago. This is my first OCI and UOA. After I run cycleRX I'm planning on running a few different oils to see if I can improve on the above numbers and extend OCI. On my list are Amsoil, Redline, Mobil1 The blend oil I was running is highly reccomended in BMW circles. But at 6.99 a qt for a blend I think I can do better.

 

[Bror Jace]

Huhwhye: "The blend oil I was running is highly recommended in BMW circles, but at $6.99 a qt for a blend I think I can do better." I think so too. This engine has a separate sump for engine and transmission oil? If the engine and tranny share a sump, these are outstanding results. I'd expect your iron to be closer to 50PPM. But my guess is they are separate. So, assuming they have separate sumps, you might want to try this stuff in the motor: http://www.schaefferoil.com/datapdf/705.pdf You can get it from a site sponsor here for a little over $3 per quart. I bet it's as good or better than anything else you'll try in that engine. Specifically what weight does your bike call for? If you want a 20W-50 and insist on a 'full synthetic,' I'd probably go with Amsoil. But for short duration drains, I think full synthetics are merely a waste of money. --- Bror Jace

 

[Huhwhye]

Bror you are right the engine and trans are separate. It's aircooled with a decent size oil cooler. I am very interest in reducing wear. These engines are known for premature valve guide failures. That's why the zinc concearns me. The manual calls for: "Brand-name HD il for spark ignition engines; API classifications SE, SF and SG; combinations with CC and CD specification" Manual says a 20w50 for all temps 15w50 up to ~102 degrees 15w40 to ~85 degrees 10w40 to ~55 10w30 to ~40 I wish to run drains of 5-6000 miles. Mainly because I travel on the bike. Right now I want to try full synthetics to find my best "travel oil". But I am not opposed to finding a suitable cost effective oil for the short periods between trips.