BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

But I need some up-to-date advice on oil brands.

My local independent (Chris Harris) no longer sells parts, so I need to shop around for the best prices for oil & filters. Chris had me using Spectro 4 20w-50 since new (now @ 40K mi), and I have had no problems and have no complaints. But times change and now I need a bit of input regarding "best" (haha) motor oils to consider next.

I normally buy a case (4ea) of 4L bottles and expect to buy in similar quantities and packaging going forward, if possible. Of course the Spectro 4 is a dino oil so a case only lasts about one year, maybe a bit more. I'm up in New Hampshire, so the season is relatively short. I guess I'm not opposed to synthetic but the dino oil changes @ 3K work well for me relative to the mileage I get in a season and the desire to store the bike with fresh oil over the winter.

So, . . What to you guys like for oil in your Hexheads these days? Thanks in advance for your input. Cheers.

Amazon has Spectro but it sure looks expensive.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss ... +4+20w-50+

Mobil 1 (MC) and Amsoil are cheaper.

You can half the cost of your oil changes by doubling your change interval. 3,000 miles seems like a little overkill to me.
How is Chris these days?

Harry,

I'm not married to Spectro 4, it's just what I have experience with. Given that I've been changing the oil way too often, almost anything will be cheaper.

Newportcycle,

I've stayed away from the oil threads before now, but yes you are right that 3K mi intervals is substantial overkill. I'll most likely switch to 5K mi just for simplicity of keeping track of oil life. I have no reason to doubt that modern oils can easily go 6K mi between changes but the math is more obvious @ 5K intervals. On the other hand once I have a GS911 I'll be able to set the computer to remind me so 6K mi may be in my future.

Chris is well, eating for good health, lost a bunch of weight and his former health issues appear to be behind him. He's cut way back on his business efforts, simplifying work and life so he has more time for his growing boys and more time to ride.

Thank you both for your help.
Cheers,
Jed

Castrol TWS/Edge 10W-60. It's behind the counter at Advanced Auto (they'll pretend they don't have it - tell them to look in the back.) Full synthetic, made in Europe, 1-liter bottles. Was $13.50/liter yesterday when I bought some to change my oil. Change it every 6,000 miles. Results are - my R1200R made it from NJ to CA to NJ (7,200 miles) and the level dropped about 1/4 of the sight window. The quart I brought along was never touched. My last R1200R ('07) now owned by another member here - has used this oil for over 100,000 miles and no engine problems at all - and the Blackstone reports came back super clean. It also consumes no oil.

FWIW - BMW Spec'd this oil for the HP2, the high-performance version of our engine. It was originally spec'd for the BMW M-car engines. Good stuff - cheaper than BMW's semi-synthetic, and the "new oil" feeling lasts a lot longer with it.