Best Oil

[cc mac]

Try the mirror method, it's dead simple. I have mine next to where I park my bike. I only have to sit on the bike off its stand to get a clear view, there is minimal pi***** about. Its just no good if you want to check your oil away from home.

[scotty]

You're right cc mac. That's the best way to check it. It's really got to be done with the bike on it's tyres and I don't fancy kneeling down beside the bike whilst trying to hold the bike by the left hand grip. Knowing my luck the whole thing would tip over.

[Ade B]

quite agree, however when you are 1/2 way round a 2k tour of Europe there isn't always a wall or mirror nearby.

Ade

[scotty]

The fact that the R1100S uses a fair amount of oil is a real flaw though. I hav'nt a clue how this should be so as the K series Beemers did'nt even after quite high mileages. It's probably something to do with the engine being oil rather than water cooled and therefore needing more room for expansion between the bores and the pistons/rings. It's a real flaw on a long tour abroad though as who wants to be fiddling about adding oil every now and again. Also, of course you won't be able to find the same oil that is in the bike so your adding amounts of different oil. All a load of hassle and a bit naff. You'd expect a BMW to go the whole 2 week tour on the same oil with no top ups.

[cc mac]

Mine has clocked up 37000 and it uses about 1 litre per 5-6000 miles. It seems to be using less as the miles go up. Around 24000 miles it was using 1 litre per 2500 miles. I thrash it a bit more now and I think this helps. It's all too easy keeping the revs down, but I think they need a bit of stick now and again.

[sandbar]

........... but I think they need a bit of stick now and again.

Oh yes

sandbar

[oyster]

Halford's spring savings. Part synthetic oil, 10w/40 5l , rrp £18.99, reduced to £15.19, now £12.79.
Good price, cheaper than Tesco's similar. Superb for this engine.

[madman]

In France Carrefour full synthetic at 20 euros fir 5 liters and its a 5/50, even better for an S in a hot climate.

[theseadog]

Halford's spring savings.

Bunch of thieving pikey bastards. . . . no offence to any pikeys.

[wicker]

A small block of wood (about an inch high) under the side stand levels the bike up enough to check the oil; hold onto the left hand bar just in case she topples.

The sight glass is 1/2 litre from bottom to top and even when just below the min mark there will still be 3 litres+ of oil. Unless you habitually ignore the oil level you should have few problems keeping it between the marks.

After > 60k my S still drinks oil at about a litre per 3k miles. I always pack a litre bottle in the pannier when going on holiday.

[scotty]

Well, I was in one of the local do-it-yourself shops over the weekend to buy a new set of allen keys and had a quick look through the oil they had for sale. The old Duckhams mineral at about £11.50, a brand semi synthetic costs about £16 and a brand fully synthetic costs a staggering £26 per 5L which makes the Halfords/Tesco semi-synthetics seem much more reasonable. I was buying the allen keys to get the screws out of the clutch master cylinder on the handlebars so I could top up the clutch fluid. After getting back home non of the metric allen key's fitted. What the heck are BMW playing at ? The allen keys are metric everywhere else but not, so it seems, on the clutch and brake master cylinder.

[madman]

I think that a past owner must have changed them then. My 2004 (owned from new) and the wifes 2000 both have philips heads on both master cyliders.

[scotty]

Fair point madman. That's probably what's happened. The fasteners on the clutch/brake master cylinder are polished and probably not original so I'll have to figure out what size they are. Could'nt even get a correct fit with imperial keys so goodness knows what they are.

How's weather down in Dordogne region at the moment. It's cold and wet up in Aberdeen at the moment.

[madman]

Hot and sunny as normal, 28C last time I looked.

[bikemad99]

Al,

ask Alistair to check it next time he falls over.