Sunday, Oct 7 2018 [41798 miles]
I parked the DR in the driveway after breakfast this morning and immediately got on the GS. Six or seven miles later the GS was back on the stand in the garage, now warm enough to drain the old oil.
Needs new O-ring
Drained oil
The other day I needed to clean a mist of oil off of the right valve cover. It was coming from the fill cap. I think it is time to replace the oil fill cap O-ring. I had a new O-ring in my GS spare parts bin.
I pulled the drain plug and then went into the house for a cup of coffee while the oil drained and the engine cooled. No need for burnt fingers.
Not much fuzz
Try to keep oil off the pipes
There was little to no fuzz on the magnetic drain plug. That is always nice to see. I grabbed some aluminum foil in an attempt to keep oil off of the exhaust when pulling oil filter. I was almost successful. I kept oil off of the crash bars, but some got behind the foil to fall on the exhaust. I’ll be smelling it the next few rides.
Old filter
New and Old
There are two filters that fit this bike. The difference is the size (one is taller than the other) and the filter wrench engagement pattern. Good thing I have both pattern filter wrenches. I used one to remove the old (taller) filter and the other to install the new (shorter filter). I keep the tools in the same zip-lock bag so I am sure to always have the correct one at hand.
Fresh oil in neat bottle
Filled
Level after running bike
This is the first time I’ve used this oil, a full synthetic Ester based oil that meets all of BMW’s requirements AND only costs about $10/liter. Liter, not quart. Plus, it’s got a very neat spout that makes it easy to fill the bike with no drips or other spillage.
I filled the bike to the full line then started the bike and let it run for a minute or three. After turning off the engine and letting the oil level settle I added oil until the level was back up to the full line.
Clear faults and service reminder
To finish the service I re-connected the GS-911 and reset the service indicator and cleared all faults. I put tools away, poured the used oil into a gallon jug for re-cycling, and updated the service info in the on-bike maintenance log.
I set the next service for 48,000 miles or Oct 7 next year, whichever comes first. I wonder which it will be.