I can't do it anymore!

[Polarbear]

My K1200LT has been with me 6 years now and at 85000 miles, its been pretty good and I do almost all the service as a mechanic:). BUT, this oil at 12$ a quart is killing me and I've had it. The BMW synthetic, I speak of in CA.where I live! Even the filter is 20$ and I think this is a joke...I am going back to my basic GTX20/50 Castrol and just put it in my KLT last night. Its still reaosnably priced at under 3$ and I have some history with this stuff too. My R100 with 300K has used it since the beginning and you'd never know it was not like new inside:). I "know" all the Synthetic vs. Dino oil hype from experience as a wrench in life, but my dollars only stretch so far and the regular oils do a fine job too as most of us change our oils too early anyway at 3000. I'm surely not alone in these thoughts. Just a little "gripe" from a long time rider here:stick Randy13233 Happy Trails:D

[DarkCloud]

If you want the same oil filter as the BMW, the Fram 6063 is it along with the Mahle. They are all made in Austria, just labeled differently. Put a BMW filter in one had, the Fram in the other, try and find the difference. The HiFlo 163 is a good deal at $8.

[jdiaz]

Do you remember when Castrol 20w50 was only $1.29/quart? Oh wait, that was only two years ago. :laugh

We use Castrol 20w50 in all of our bikes.

[BuddingGeezer]

I have a K100LT and the K1200LT uses the same filter. I use the Wal Mart Super Tec ST 3614. Less than $3/ 98% single pass efficency. Why pay more? Castrol 20W50= $13 for oil change. I know a guy that ran a 4.3 Chevy 650,000+ on dino oil.

Other filters form the net:
BMW Filters

Oil
Purolator FCO 201, PER-241
AC PF53
Fram PH 6063, PH3614
Wal Mart ST 3614


These Oil Filters have 3/4" x 16tpi threads, ?? psi by-pass valve, anti-drain back valve. Recommended filters in blue. Available filters include: · Purolator PL10241 / PL25230 · Mobil1 M1-102 · Bosch 3330 · AMSOil SMF 122 · EMGO 10-26740 · Fram PH6063 · Purolator ML16825
Ralph Sims

[jdiaz]

I bought some Fram 6063's for the first time this year. The unpainted sheet metal housing looks nothing like the Fram filters I am used to.....I could probably stand on it without crushing it.

[Polarbear]

I've not done my homework here as you folks have, so thanks for the filter numbers for the K bike. I appreciate it:). Thanks also for reaffirming my oil choice in the Castrol. I've used it for years in other bikes and now the KLT too. I cannot believe the prices of oil at BMW shops! Randy13233:thumb

[aaaaaa]

Some synthetics have an additive (i.e. some versions of Moble1 ) for extended change intervals. You have to leave the oil in the engine for 1 year or 15K to get the full use of it. It's interesting that most people have no problem with that in their cars. Check out the requirements for BMW automobiles for instance.
robert

[stonelake2]

Bike : 1999 K1200 LT
At what mile interval do you recommend changing Mobil 1. I have the oil and a BMW oil filter kit on hand , but the bike only has 3000 miles on the last synthetic oil change from the previous owner.
I was thinking about every 5000 miles doing the engine oil, final drive and gearbox. All synthetic! Is that overkill??

I just changed the final drive oil, ( just had to take a look after all the talk about failures ), and it was very clean. Had to look real close in direct sunlight, to even get a hint of glitter. The magnet was black but no visible particle build up like I have found in auto rear ends.

[paulsibek]

I just changed to the extended 15k oil at the suggestion of Don Eilenberger. I am going to use it for 8,000 miles.

I may not be saving much $$ but the convenience is worth it.

I had a Mazda and used Castrol dino, changed it every 7-10,000 and only got 238,000 miles out of it.

Maybe oil is oil.

[rinty]

Randy:

I too I would not be concerned about using dino oil in a liquid cooled engine that is only operated in the summer. The heat stresses are much less than in an air cooled engine.

Rinty

[paulsibek]

I used Castrol GTX dino on my /5 and put 140,000 miles on in ten years, using it as my primary transportation.

I live in the desert foothills north of Los Angeles and the summer temperature exceeds 100 degrees from June to October.

Never a problem with the bike overheating in the infamous Los Angeles traffic, never any crap in the oil when I changed it between 3-4k. I was using the oil when it was no longer SG rated and the bike kept going.

Read the oil comparison story at the Consumer Reports archives. They rebuilt the engines in a fleet of taxi cabs in NYC and used oils from the Mobil 1's to the cheapest they could find. They changed the oil at different intervals ( if I remember correctly, 3k, 7k & 10k) and at the end of the test could find NO difference in wear after taking the engines apart.

My Mazda 626 lasted only 238,000 miles with oil changes every 7-10,000.

As long as you change the oil fairly regularly and use a new filter now and then you should never have a problem regardless of the type of oil. (use the proper viscosity for your temperature range and keep the oil level in the recommended range though)...