Please read: There are several sources saying that BMW has changed the oil specification from 10W40 to 10W50. (Side note: The "weight" system is outdated and has been replaced by the JASO standard. But that's not the point.) The important part here is that it looks like the original stated oil in the manual is now outdated. I have not been able to find an official document saying this is the case (if you have found one, please let me know). Therefore: Please confirm with your BMW dealer what oil you should use. Don't trust me, I'm not qualified to recommend oils for your precious engine. I'm just a random guy on the Internet. Thank you!
After reading around 800gs forums, it looks like the spec was introduced for the newer models (around 2012 Afair). Oh, and the new spec is 15w50, not 10w50.
@@temphys Thanks, but my point stands; Contact your BMW dealer and ask what oil to use. I'm not responsible for your oil choices. 😆 Until I get hold of an official document, that's going to be my take on it. Ride fast, ride far, ride safe! 😎👍🏻
Thanks for the very kind words, Mark! Feel free to Like, subscribe, share and comment! 🤪👍🏻 On a more serious note; thanks for watching, commenting and sticking around! It’s all much appreciated!
Bought an F650GS twin a month ago and was looking for oil change advice and found your channel. Little did I notice that you've got excellent content on your channel. Thanks for the help and now I'm off to binge your Unimog playlist.
Hi, I trust this message will find you well! I have a question about oil filter. Im looking for the correct oil filter for my BMW f800GS year 2010 model. Is the K&N oil filter for the f800GS 2013 model similar to the 2010 model?
Apologies for the late reply, If you check the description section, you'll see a link to a filter on Amazon. You can then use that information to purchase it from wherever is most convenient for you. The filter should be the correct one, but do check that it is the right one for yourself.
@@JockeSelin I've changed coolant easily on now my fz6r, but after reading, again, forums, I'm really scared to touch my husb's GS coolant as the system is designed to be vacuum-filled with a special tool as there are points in it higher than the radiator cap. And the manual (for the models 2013 and up) does NOT call for coolant change ever! Another point of debate on forums... 🥴
@@temphys Sorry for the delay in replying to this. I had to check the Haynes manual with regards to the coolant change interval, and you're correct; there's no specification on how often it should be changed. However, the Haynes manual does say, in the section about flushing the system, that flushing should not be required if the coolant has been changed at regular intervals. So the manual seems to say that it needs changing if it's dirty, but not how often. I drain the system by disconnecting the hoses and then the bottom coolant pipe in front of the engine. Be careful about this bolt, if it's corroded it's likely to snap. Once the coolant is out, fill as usual, but before starting the bike, I lay it down on one side, then "pump" the big radiator hoses to expel air. Then I do the same to the other side. Then I start the engine, and I open the coolant bleed screw on the pump (the one with the arrow). Then when the engine is a bit warm, I repeat the laying it down on each side and try to get the air squeezing the hoses. Keep in mind that if the coolant is hot, you shouldn't open the cap, etc. Just keep laying the bike down, and bleeding at the bleed screw. Once it stops fizzing you should be OK. This is not a guaranteed method, but it has worked in the past. By the sounds of it, you've not got the Haynes manual, I would recommend you get it, but you might already have the BMW workshop manual, so you should be OK with that one too. Changing the coolant isn't difficult, it just takes a lot of time and patience. Good luck!
Thank you. We have no experience of anything else, but I believe the alternative is Motoscan app, android phone and a BT OBD2 dongle and, depending on your year model bike, you may also have to buy a BMW round to OBD adapter.
In the video I'm doing it on the centre stand. My owner's manual is at another location, and my Haynes manual is hidden in the garage, so I can't say for 100.000% sure that this is the correct way, but there's a reason why I did it on the centre stand in the video. Please verify with your manual(s) to make sure you get it right. I'm just a random guy on t'Internet so trust the manual(s) rather than me. 😁👍🏻
Thanks Mark, I'm pleased to hear you found it useful. Makes it all worth it. I'm hoping to make more videos as I go along, so hop on the bandwagon if you'd like to see more. Thanks again!
Nice video! How much torque did you use to thighten the bolt? And may I aks where you bought this type of drain plug? I can only find the once with the allen key. I have tried to remove mine, but it is thightend by the hand of god....
Thanks, Martijn! The older BMW F800GS have the 24mm (if memory serves) "regular bolt" head, and the newer ones have the 10mm allen key oil drain plug. If you'd want one, you can check realoem.com for an earlier F800 and get the part number from there and buy it from the BMW dealer. The "regular" head drain plug is the same size as the rear sprocket - so you can use the same tool for that, but the 10mm allen drain plug is also used for the steering head bearing, and it's much smaller to carry. (We have the motion pro tyre lever with the rear axle nut, but that one doesn't fit into the recessed oil drain plug. Therefore we need to carry another socket for the drain plug if we travel that far. Just something to think about. If it's very tight, try heating it up with a heat gun or gas torch. I don't think there's anything sensitive nearby, so 100-150ºC should be safe (at your own risk, of course). Also, if you want to secure the allen key, then you can put some aluminium foil around it and hit it - carefully - into the socket. That might remove any play that might injure the drain plug. Also a determined blow with a deadblow plastic hammer might break a bit of corrosion/binding. Just be careful. Check the torque in the manual - it's not much, but do check it. All it needs to do is to not leak oil.
@@JockeSelin Thanks for the prompt response. Those are some usefull tips, I'll try them and see if it works. My manual says nothing about the required torque. The only thing it says is how to adjust the oil level, if it's too low. I guess BMW wants you to take it to the dealer. Anyway, thanks again!
@@LapsCock You'll need the workshop manual or the Haynes manual www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0857339214/?ref=exp_jockeselin_dp_vv_d (affiliate link) for the torques. The owner's manual (or user manual, can't remember it's correct name) is just for daily things. The Haynes manual for the F800 is actually quite good and comprehensive. Good luck!
Hey! The reason isn’t actually that odd, once you know the reason. I try to encourage proper practises, and as a “random guy on RU-vid”, I am definitely not the proper and legitimate source for information. For the proper source of the torque values the correct location is the BMW Workshop manual, with all erratas and addendums up to date (or a Haynes manual in my case). Over time, specs can change, there might be an updated part, there might be a factory recall and so forth. So to me, in my world, the proper procedure is to “Torque to spec”, and open the manual to check what the spec is for your motorbike at this point in time. For the GS, for example, there’s two different sump plugs. My videos are not a substitute for a workshop manual, they’re just trying to encourage people to work on their motorbikes. Also, in today’s world filled with lawsuits, I do not want a broken motorbike and potentially injured people on my shoulders. That’s the “odd reason”. Thanks for watchin’!
@@JockeSelin I take your point, but you could always precede the value with both a disclaimer and advice to look it up. That value is true for just about all BMW bolts of that size across all models. Keep up the good work, your videos are superb and I subscribed!
Thanks! Yes, I agree, I have considered adding values with a disclaimer, but sadly my experience is that people will rather take the wrong, but easy, solution, than be told that it might be wrong and find the correct value. We are living in an instant gratification world where the quick and easy solutions are what we want. In the case of a sump plug, the damage is quite minimal for the wrong torque; stripped bolt head/thread or leaking oil. In some cases however, the consequences could be dire. I’d hate to think what could happen. Either way, it’s probably no surprise that every time I edit a video and there’s a torque value or spec, I am considering whether I should add it to the video or not. I rarely do, but I do consider it. Thanks for coming along for the ride though, it’s very much appreciated.
I don't think it matters that much. The oil will be a bit more liquid when it's warm, so it'll drain more easily, but you can just wait a bit longer. One argument for leaving it cold is that more oil will have drained to the bottom of the engine, so you'll be changing (a bit) more oil if it's down there rather than pumped up around the cams, etc. The modern oils are quite thin anyway, but having said that, warming it up is probably a good idea. I don't think you can go wrong either way. (What an ambivalent answer! Sorry!)
Hi, the major obstacle to make an F850GS oil change video is that I don’t have access to an F850GS. If I had access to one, and I could find some time to do it, I’d love to make such a video. 😎👍🏻
Hi Leon, it's a GS-911 from www.hexcode.co.za/ - It's very handy and I recommend anyone who's got an ECU/CANbus vehicle to have a fault code reader and diagnostics tool. However, do sit down when you see the price.
Jocke Selin; strange but it is possible to have other oil needed in other countries... in the Netherlands over here bmw recomments Sae 15w-50 API SJ / JASO MA2 bmw advantec pro oil. 2.9ltrs
Model 2008-12 uses Castrol 10w 40, and 08.2012 up uses BMW oil 15w 50. Also the 08.2012 uses a 10 mm allen wrench to open the oil drein bolt. Nice video. Ride safe.
Hi, we use 10W40 as that's what's specified in the service manual for our year model bikes in Europe. Different oil grades may be recommended for warmer or cooler climates.
Hello to Croatia! One day I will ride Croatia too! You should use what your manual says. I don’t want to recommend the wrong oil. BMW/Rotax might have changed the oil specifications over time, so check up on what’s the right oil for your engine and your usage.
@@JockeSelin That's a pretty old video, but just to let you know - was talking to BMW Poland and apparently BMW changed the recommended oil to 15W50 in ALL f800gs. BMW recommendation was issued that old model should also be serviced with 15w50, and that's what all BMW Authorized Services in PL are doing (even though our Polish f800gs have 10w40 specification in their respective service manuals)
@@chunkychoncc91 Thanks for this. I've been looking for an official source for this, but I haven't found one yet. My take on this stands; Put the oil in that BMW says, if the manual is outdated, and we can't locate an official document/web page, then the only thing I can ask people to do is to call up BMW for advice. What I can't do is recommend the wrong oil. In fact, I can't recommend any oil. I'm not qualified to have an opinion about, I'm just a random guy on the Internet following the workshop manual. 😊 Having said that, I think people should have the correct oil in their bikes. 😎👍🏻
