BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

I bought a 2013 RT a month ago with 22,000 miles.  The dealer changed the oil with 4 units of SVC 15w50 BMW Advantec Pro SS oil. 


After putting 1,300 miles on the bike, mainly with 2-up riding, the <!> symbol came on next to the BC label.&nbsp; The manual says this, accompanied by the word "oil" means the oil level is low.&nbsp; The word "oil" never appeared.&nbsp; I checked the oil when I got home and it is halfway between the middle and bottom of the site glass.


Do these bikes typically burn oil?&nbsp; Do you need to top them off regularly?&nbsp; How much oil should I add?&nbsp;


My bike didn't come with the special tool to take off the filler cap.&nbsp; Is this required?&nbsp; I will check in with the dealer in the morning but was hoping to get some advice here.&nbsp; It seems kinda odd that I would need oil already.&nbsp; No visible leaks anywhere.


Sorry for all the noob questions.&nbsp; Just freaking out that there is a major issue with the bike and I have only had it one month.&nbsp;

I seriously doubt you have an issue at all.&nbsp; These bikes are known for using oil.&nbsp; I have an '05 with almost 73K on the clock.&nbsp; I frequently add oil.&nbsp; I believe the indicator comes on prematurely.&nbsp; If you are half way down the sight glass, you are looking at approx.&nbsp; 8 oz of oil or .25 US Quarts.&nbsp; There is plenty of oil in your bike now.&nbsp; I find the warning annoying, so I top off the oil.


There is some discussion I have heard about when the bike is left on the side stand, it can use more oil.&nbsp; I use the side stand and just live with it.

You can open the fill cap with a straight edge or a screwdriver placed horizontally across to catch the tabs.&nbsp; I'm sure you have to be careful when you do it, but I've seen it done in a video, so it's possible.

There should be a tool in the bike,s toolkit for removing the oil filler cap. Look for a black plastic gadget or type R1200 oil filler cap tool into eBay to see a picture of what you are looking for.&nbsp; Oil usage in air cooled boxer engines has always been a much discussed topic although I myself have never experienced any excessive usage. Typical usage after a thousand hard miles over 2 days is less than half a cup full in fact I have travelled to the south of France and back which is over 2000 miles without needing to add oil, but individual engines and riding styles will of course affect oil usage.

As a followup to this, I added oil (a little less than 1/2 quart) to the top of the site glass.&nbsp; In 350 miles it is now down to the halfway point in the site glass.&nbsp; That seems excessive, but maybe it isn't?

blastfurnace wrote: As a followup to this, I added oil (a little less than 1/2 quart) to the top of the site glass.&nbsp; In 350 miles it is now down to the halfway point in the site glass.&nbsp; That seems excessive, but maybe it isn't?

I'm not sure you ever had a low oil problem and I think you may have over-filled it. My advice would be to take the bike to someone who is familiar with them and try to get to the bottom of what is happening.
If indeed your bike is an oil user, the worst thing to do is over-fill it.
I had&nbsp; three air-cooled RTs and never had to add oil between services, so they don't all burn oil.

gogs01 wrote: I had&nbsp; three air-cooled RTs and never had to add oil between services, so they don't all burn oil.

...which goes to prove that no two engines are the same.....


I took the advice of the independent who was servicing my bike and filled with 20W50 fully synthetic. This worked in my engine, which did not burn oil unless I was using continuous high revs.
BMW have changed oil specs several times over the life of the oil-head RT, so I do not see any harm in a bit of well-considered experimentation.

gogs01 wrote: I'm not sure you ever had a low oil problem and I think you may have over-filled it. My advice would be to take the bike to someone who is familiar with them and try to get to the bottom of what is happening.
If indeed your bike is an oil user, the worst thing to do is over-fill it.
I had&nbsp; three air-cooled RTs and never had to add oil between services, so they don't all burn oil.

The low oil warning light came on (the <!> symbol) so I'm pretty sure the oil level was getting low.&nbsp; I checked the oil level buy getting the engine warm by going on an hour long ride, parkin git on the side stand for 25 minutes, then putting it on the center stand for 25 minutes, and then checking.

I did the mileage calculations and I used 5/8 of a quart in 615 miles.&nbsp; 2-up for 300 of those.&nbsp; Mix of mountain curvys roads and highway driving.

blastfurnace wrote: I did the mileage calculations and I used 5/8 of a quart in 615 miles.&nbsp; 2-up for 300 of those.&nbsp; Mix of mountain curvys roads and highway driving.

Reported oil usage seems to be all over map, but that does seem on the high end.&nbsp; My '08 with almost 100k miles uses about 1/2 qt in 3000 miles, and has been consistent since I bought it with 45k mi.&nbsp; I track oil and other service using a spreadsheet I developed, so I have a pretty good history.&nbsp; That said, one time, not long after I bought it, I got the <!> warning after only ~1000 mi from last oil change, and I had to add almost a qt!&nbsp; I was alarmed at the time, but it was a one time deal.&nbsp; Very strange, but never happened again.

If your plugs aren't fouling and you aren't blowing smoke, my suggestion is to start tracking usage and see if it is consistent or trending up.&nbsp; If it is consistent, I would just adjust your service schedule accordingly to keep it topped up in between changes and ride.&nbsp;
Jim


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I purchased my 05 with 12k on it.&nbsp; I see the warning come on frequently due to an over sensitive sensor that can be remedied by the dealer.&nbsp; I have made it a habit to check the sight glass every 300 - 500 miles religiously.&nbsp; I top it off when the glass shows 1/2 full or less.&nbsp; In 74k miles, I have never had an engine issue.&nbsp; It runs better now then whaen we first met.

I have read that how the engine was broken in can change the oil usage patterns.&nbsp; Some bikes use more oil than others.&nbsp; But it doesn't mean that you have a serious problem.

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