General information

[1stbmw]

To all,
As of this past Sat. I am the proud owner of a 2004 r1150r that I purchased for 4000.00 with less than 9800 miles. First of all how did I do? I am a previous Harley owner and rider, this is a total step in the opposite direction for me. I have a ? Which is the best oil and filter for this bike? I've read many reviews, some say full synthetic some say conventional, some say 20/50 others say 15/50. Any advice along with anything you folks may want to tell me about the bike will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Robert Legare

[swamper]

Welcome: Oil is a personal preference, I use Valvoline Motorcycle oil in ours, 20/50 conventional. I get oil filters from Beemer Bone Yard in the 6 pack, they are Bosch. Prices are all over the place but my opinion is you did good especially if it came with luggage.

[1stbmw]

Thanks for your feedback and yes it did come with luggage.
I'm sure I'll be returning to this site often.
Again thank you

[peels]

welcome, you've chosen well. great simple mile eaters. price of 4000 better than average. good deal!

oil: I prefer dinosaur oil, especially for a machine that sits. synthetic tends to wear out seals over time. For sportier machines that get beaten up, i think synth pays off here.

oil filter: I'm not very picky. I used the Bosch one from wal mart(I think). Its pain to get out, because its in a recessed cavity below. just need the right wrench.

do your final drive and trans oil at the same time. very easy.

then figure out how to make a tool to sync throttle bodies(or buy one)... and you're on your way.

FYI: My quote for all mentioned above at the BMW dealer was north of 500, i think it was 650 with brake fluid flush(ABS). and only took me 2 hrs total(first time even)

does it have ABS?

[1stbmw]

Thanks for your answers and no to the abs ? It was explained to me that it was removed because of problems. I plan on looking into it.

[towerworker]

Welcome! Nice machine and good rice!

I've the same 2004, I've run Castrol 20/50 summer and 10/40 winter since 2003. I've put 100K between 2 R's with zero issues. I also use typically an AC Delco PF-53 oil filter. $4 and easily available. You'll find lots of help on this board. Again welcome!

[1stbmw]

Thanks for your input, the majority seem to use conventional over synthetic. At what temp do you switch to 10/40?

[riceburner]

I still use the Castrol ActEvo 10W40 (when I can find it that is - it's becoming hard to find for some reason) mineral oil.

It's a relatively simple engine, relatively unstressed, with nothing in it that really requires special oils. The clutch is dry, the gearbox is separated (and has it's own oil), so it's basically a small car engine in mechanical terms.

I think some people use basic car oils and tbh I can't see a problem with that as long as they're high quality.


Using quality oils does make a difference - but the best way to avoid wear is regular oil changes and using the bike regularly. Don't let the condensation get to the metal*.


* I once ran a ZXR400 race-rep** as a daily commuter, 40 miles each way into London, and as a weekend toy. Used Silkolene Pro4+ fully synth racing oil. At 30,000 miles we looked at the valvetrain - only 1 cam follower had any wear on it at all. The mechanic had seen plenty of similar bikes with far lower milages and far worse wear. We reckoned it was the combo of regular use and good oil.

** 400cc inline 4 with a red-line at 14,000 and not a lot of power below about 6000 revs. Yes - I used it hard too - weekend riding was long tours and day rides with friends on large capacity sports bikes and the like.

[peels]

100% second riceburner's notion of "USE IT REGULARLY" Ive found through my journey with this bike, that low miles didnt exactly mean great condition. lol It meant sitting for long periods, aka NOT BEING MAINTAINED.

ride it and maintain it, could go forever.

[1stbmw]

I'm quickly coming to the conclusion that this site consist of folks that know these bikes very well.
Thanks to all so far, I'm sure I'll have many more ?s

[peels]

Thanks for your answers and no to the abs ? It was explained to me that it was removed because of problems. I plan on looking into it.

don't worry about looking into the abs. youd notice.... servo would "whiiiirrrrr" at stoplights while holding brakes. If it is indeed already gone, you arent missing anything. I removed mine myself, as have many others.. each brake has two circuits. one into the servo, then one back out. big Hassle.

The abs was nice I suppose...but, overall, my brakes feel better, and are quiet- it is 12lbs of junk MOUNTED HIGH UP i don't miss.

[lcarlson]

Although I prefer having ABS, I purposely bought my 2002 R new without it because I didn't want the servo assisted version that was then being used.

Until BMW changed their oil recommendation a year or two ago from 20w/50 Dino for this model, that's what I used. Now they recommend 15w/50 semi-synthetic, so I use that. Also, FWIW, my bike has always used quite a bit of oil, a quart every 1500 - 1600 miles or so. At about 40,000 miles, on the advice of a respected poster on another list, I found a road with a steep uphill grade of several miles, and flogged the hell out of it -- WFO and repeatedly to the rev limiter in lower gears the whole way. I felt like I was going to blow it up, but of course that didn't happen. The oil usage seems to be substantially decreased.

Larry Carlson
Redding, CT
2002 R1150R
2014 Moto Guzzi California 1400 Custom

[riceburner]

on the advice of a respected poster on another list, I found a road with a steep uphill grade of several miles, and flogged the hell out of it -- WFO and repeatedly to the rev limiter in lower gears the whole way. I felt like I was going to blow it up, but of course that didn't happen. The oil usage seems to be substantially decreased.

Interesting. I may need to try that on my 100K bike, it still drinks about a litre or so per 6000 miles. (has always done it).

[lcarlson]

Why bother? At 6000 miles you need to change the oil anyway.