BMW Boxer R1200 GSA service and inspection

[spacey1]

Just serviced my awesome 2008 BMW R1200 GSA.

Snapped a couple of photos of the relevant items.

I've been running Iridium spark plugs for more than 30,000 km now. Extraordinary durability. Inspected and NO re-gapping required. And a perfect clean burn

NGK Iridium Spark Plugs: 32,000 km of service. The plug gap is still spot-on at 0.8mm.


How old do you think this engine is?


Valve assembly at 182,000 kilometres (113,000 miles) - Took this photo while checking the valve clearances. Incredibly clean. With good maintenance, these BMW Boxer Engines are pretty awesome!

Gotta love these engines... and bikes

I remember back in the day , rebuilding old Ford V8s at 100,000 miles. The Hi-Vo chain driving the camshaft would barely be touching its' driving gear on the crankshaft. And it would take hours in the acid bath to clean the carbon off the cylinder heads and engine blocks. How times have changed

[bwanainoz]

Synthetic or mineral oil?

[spacey1]

All of the above plus semi-synthetic... mostly within the manufacturer's viscosity range, occasionally upping the top number to '50' or '60'.

Whatever I consider to be reasonable value at the time

That's my call completely. As long as it exceeds the manufacturers original recommendations, which modern oils do by a country mile

These engines don't share oil with gearbox or clutch.

Well not until the LC came along... Hmmmmm, that could put me off one........

Of note: I change oil more regularly than the specified service intervals and always change oil filters...

The engine used about 200 ml between services when I bought it (35,000 km), and now uses about 300 ml between services (182,000 km).

[spacey1]

Then on the other hand, one of my new friends in the Vaterland reckons he has never changed the oil after the first service.

He has been topping up the oil on his 2004 R 1200 GS for 140,000 km. It does smoke a bit on start-up... Never changed any service item, air filter or spark plugs

And my other riding companion reckons his 2010 R 1200 GSA uses about a litre of oil per 1,000 km. Not a misprint, 1,000 km

So go figure... choose your own poison.

[spacey1]

And here we are, getting closer to the mark...



Getting closer...



On the cusp...



Ta Dah!!!!



Totally awesome motorcycle. And because I can do my own maintenance, the lowest cost of ownership of any motorcycle I've owned in all my 54 odd years of motorcycling.

BMW R1200 GS Adventure 2008, I salute you... 200,000 km of bliss...