BMW R1150RT - 5W40?

[hal26]

2003 BMW R1150RT owned since new. 3.7 qt. oil supply and factory oil cooler with oil temp gauge. Dry clutch,Air/oil cooled with separate trans/clutch with their own oil. I usually have several big bikes in addition to the Beemer so it has less than 18K on the odometer or roughly 1500 miles yearly in Central Texas typically solo and 10 miles per ride. Has had Mobil 1 15W50 almost since new with oil changes usually at under 2K with filter every other time.
I have 9 qts. of Pennzoil 5W40 Ultra Euro left over from my Mercedes Bluetec 350turbo diesel. This stuff was expensive and I would like to run it in this bike. It is the Ferrari/Maserati approved version (I'm a sucker for advertising!)and this was one of the few lubes I could find that carried the mandatory MB 229.5 rating required under warranty. Here are the ratings: API SM/CF ACEAA3/B3/B4 BMW LL-01 Chrysler MS-10725 MB 229.3 MB 229.5 VW 502 00/503 01/505 Porsche A40 Ferrari Maserati Fiat 9.5535 Z2
So with all these approvals it seems to me that this oil would be good enough for a 90 horsepower motorbike. What say all you oil gurus............

 

[BigCahuna]

I would think the motor might sound a bit louder, with the 5/40 in it over the 15/50. But if you don't ride it much, it will probably do the job for a short run like you've been doing.,,

 

[CT8]

Unless you start your bike at below 0*f I can't see the need for a 5w oil

 

[pbm]

I can't comment on using 5w40 in your Beemer but I will say that your R1150 is my idea of what a motorcycle should be.

 

[beanoil]

Stick with a 15w50.

 

[Pontual]

In a non shared tranny/engine oil, 5w40 won't shear as much. Run it and tell us what you think of it in your bike.

 

[hal26]

Thanks guys for the input. I suppose I may be overly concerned about using the urea compatible low ash formula in the bike. I don't mind changing it every 1000 to 1500 miles if you think it may shear. I have no other vehicle to use the 9 qts. in except this one which runs waaaaay cooler than my Harley. PBM you should look for an RT if you like them. They have just about bottomed out,price wise. Saw one for sale with only 12K on the odometer for $6K. These were around $17,000 when new. They do have their problems,though.........

 

[hal26]

I just realized I am posting this question in the wrong place. I am going to re-post this in the motorcycle section instead of UOA---Dummy!

 

[sunruh]

summer in texas is the wrong time to use 5w40
it is a nice short oci winter oil but not a long run summer oil

 

[ammolab]

I ran M1 TDT 5W-40 in my R1200R for 5000 miles thru Texas/NM. Was still a 40wt on OA at the end of that mileage.

 

[hal26]

I don't ride this bike when it is over 90 degrees because the fairing keeps virtually all the air off me. I just ride one of my other bikes. All solo riding only and no riding in city traffic. Live out in the boonies and most of my short weekly 10 mile hops are just to keep the old girl in fine fettle. I do not mind changing the oil every 1K to 1.5K to keep it fresh. Too thin,really?

 

[hal26]

Pennzoil Ultra Euro 5W40 VOA

Boron 74
Barium 0.1
Calcium 2462
Magnesium 14
Molybdenum 1.1
Sodium 4.0
Phosphorus 822
Sulfur 2096
Zinc 1139
Visc@40°C 87.4
Visc@100°C 14.54
Oxidation --- ---
TAN 2.14
TBN 10.4

 

[sunruh]

Originally Posted By: ammolab
I ran M1 TDT 5W-40 in my R1200R for 5000 miles thru Texas/NM. Was still a 40wt on OA at the end of that mileage.


is that a shared sump?

and a good portion of ns is upper altitude that is cool

 

[hal26]

No it is not a shared sump. 3.7 qt. capacity with oil cooler. I know you are The Man Sunruh,what say ye?

 

[ammolab]

Originally Posted By: sunruh
Originally Posted By: ammolab
I ran M1 TDT 5W-40 in my R1200R for 5000 miles thru Texas/NM. Was still a 40wt on OA at the end of that mileage.


is that a shared sump?

and a good portion of ns is upper altitude that is cool


Not a shared sump. 5000 mile use included an 800 mile 1 day trip across Texas with peak temp of 116F (Ft Stockton, Pecos, and Carlsbad NM). Oil held up better than I did!

 

[HighViscosity]

My bike is an 08 R1200RT. My last oil change I put in some Syntec 5w-40 I had in the garage. Before that I ran Amsoil 20w-50. The engine isn't any louder, the starter spins the engine quite a bit quicker when cold, and the engine doesn't shake as much until it starts to warm up. Very unscientific, but with the 20w-50 the cold engine seemed like it was working harder to drag that cold thick oil around. Since our bikes have a dry clutch and a separate transmission, we have a lot more flexibility regarding engine oil. I haven't noticed any piston slap, and in normal use I think these engines are pretty easy on oil. My last UOA showed a slight increase in viscosity at 6k miles, so shearing doesn't seem to be much of a concern. There was a guy who converted these BMW's into aircraft engines, and they had a reputation for being very durable when operated at high power settings as in aircraft use.

 

[benjy]

knowing the actual thickness in centistokes @ 100C of each oil would be good, since a heavy 40 can be within 1 centistoke of a light 50, meaningless for sure!! like Polaris lubricants blended for BMW specs are not available!!!