Lubrication volume and type for 66' R69S

[c.d.iesel]

Rusty, back to the original question
if you purchase a Ratio Rite measuring cup,
you'll know exactly how much you added during service.
The Ratio Rite cup has oz, cc, oil/gas ratios, and more graduations
Cup lasts 30+ years, cost less than $10 from a hundred online stores
or your local bike shop.

for your twin:
motor.................. 1.9 litres (2 Qts.)
gear box ............. 800cc
final drive diff....... 150cc
drive shaft tube.... 200cc

[schrader7032]

Vech sells rare earth magnets to put in the bottom of the oil pan or on top of the pickup if the pan is aluminum. He suggests not running run-of-the-mill magnets as they will be affected the heat of the oil over time and degrade...maybe even come apart? The rare earth magnets won't degrade.

[Dave Reina]

Hey, I noticed that some of the comments are stressing the use of non detergents in an unknown engine situation. (IE- were slingers ever cleaned?) and others on the list are suggesting Valvoline VR1 because of its ZDDP content. The Valvoline and several others mentioned are detergent. I thought we should clarify that this is conflicting info.
Dave

[schrader7032]

Dave -

Good point. I don't really think that running a non-detergent oil is necessarily warranted for an unknown engine. If the history is unknown as far as maintenance goes, IMO you'll be tearing the engine down in pretty short order. Sure, detergent oil will hold the sludge in suspension to be trapped by the slingers. I think you can mitigate that by thoroughly cleaning the pan prior to first run. I got a 27K mileage R69S bike with unknown history...I did a reasonable mechanical resto and just began running a detergent multi-weight. I had planned on running for about 1K miles and then doing the full bottom end...my slingers were maybe 3/4 full.

I've heard Duane Ausherman mention that no one did a slinger cleaning for as many as 100K miles "back in the day". That was with the non-detergent straight weight oils...probably changing oil frequently. I haven't seen where BMW recommended slinger service on any kind of fixed schedule. I figure with a bottom end overhaul, running a good SG/SH oil, changing it once a year or so, I should be able to go 40-50K miles before worrying about the slingers. That's more miles that I have to left to live!! It will be someone else's problem after that...

[Rusty Cage]

I recently got the bike from the original owners family after he passed. He documented every bit of maintenance with date a mileage. The last notation was basic fluid changes and tank clean in 1983 with mileage of 33,450. The bike was stored in a garage in Northern California in the sierras where it does get snow and temperature variances. So there were some minimal rust and inner tank issues(resolved). The bike has 34,250 now, so it was obviously not run in about 29 years. He used Valvoline racing oil 50 wt w/STP additive. To my knowledge the slingers have not been cleaned. I talked to Sonoma Motorbikes and he quoted me at about $2,800 to tear the motor down and do the slingers. So I plan to wait a little while before doing it. At this point, I'm just trying to get schooled and making my best effort to preserve the bike as best as possible. I'm almost to the point of starting. Waiting for a few back order drain plug gaskets. Per above I plan to run the non-detergent SAE 30 in all 4 spots engine to rear drive. I'll run it for 100 miles and drain them all and inspect. I cleaned the oil pan yesterday and the sump and it all looked perfectly clean with the exception of the old oil. Had to order a battery too. Seems that the Grass Valley CA area auto parts don't have too many of the options for old bikes. I might have to order some ZDDP online. But I'm still a bit conflicted about the ZDDP due to various opinions above. I really want to error on the side of caution. Should have the bike done today with the exception of the hella signals(on order) and fluid commitment due to need of drain plug gaskets(on order). Post a picture later. Thanks for your input and education.

[miller6997]

As far back as I can recall, my R69S has had detergent oil. My brother and I bought '67s new and except for break-in, I think we used Havoline for some years, then I remember switching to Rotella, then for some decades we used Castrol GTX 20-50. The change interval was 1000 miles, sometimes 1500 when traveling. Recently I switched to Amsoil synthetic, which I will probably change at 1500-mile intervals. Slingers were cleaned at 57,000 and they were nowhere near full. Bearings were fine. Present mileage is about 75,000. There has never been any sludge in the pan--none.

[schrader7032]

It's all a matter of choice...and in some cases, a crap shoot. I've heard people waking a bike up from a long slumber who then cleaned the slingers after a while...some had clean slingers, some were completely full.

I have the monetary resources (and some of the skills) to do the bottom/top end...that buys me a ton of peace-of-mind. That was my choice. If you ruin a crankshaft, your options for rebuilding the bike go way down, if it can be done.

Again, your choice but I'd be concerned about running 30wt in the entire drivetrain. My rider's manual...the PO copied it for me and it should be on-line...says 30wt/40wt engine oil for winter/summer and 40wt in the rest of the drivetrain. With the exception that hypoid gear oil should be used in the drivetrain for R69S beginning with frame 663565 and bevel drive from 661445. The switch to gear oil should only be done if the seals have been changed to work with gear oil.

[miller6997]

It is a matter of peace of mind. My earlier post was just to make the point that the 100,000+ mile bikes "back in the day" were often bikes that consistently used detergent oil and used multi-weight oils when they became common.

From this discussion it would seem that Rusty has a nice bike to work with, one with relatively low miles and a good record of decent maintenance (clean pan after 35,000 miles). If it were mine, I would definitely err on the side of caution in the interest of preserving the asset. For what it's worth, I did not pay anywhere near $2800 to have the engine evaluated and the slingers replaced, but I did the R&R myself and just handed the motor to the shop.

I also agree with Kurt that I definitely would not put 30-weight anywhere in that bike.

[Vin]

I was hesitating to type anything but Jon brought it out of me. I think $2,800 for the slingers is high especially if you can bring the engine in yourself. You may want to get some other quotes.

[Vin]

I was hesitating to type anything but Jon brought it out of me. I think $2,800 for the slingers is high especially if you can bring the engine in yourself. You may want to get some other quotes.