650GS Engine Oil
Information
There has been much discussion on engine oils for the GS. The GS oil recommendations from the manuals are below. Some F650GS 00 to 04 owners suffered clutch slip due to the clutch design. The clutch was revised for the F650GS/M and the oil recommendation was extended to include synthetic oils. The G650GS clutch was further revised. The note in the G650GS manual re synthetic oil usage is interesting.
BMW uses Castrol Activ 4T semi synthetic oil when performing a service on these machines.
The formulation of Castrol Activ 4T oil can change between markets with different climatic conditions.
Owners
Manual
Brand Name HS oil, API classification SF, SG or SH - The suffixes CD or CE are permitted.
Brand Name HS oil of CCMC classification G4 or G5 - The suffix PD2 is permitted.
BMW does not approve the use of any upper cylinder lubricants or similar oil additives.
BMW Dealers may use Castrol Activ 4T semi synthetic or Power 1 GPS synthetic oil in a service. (Both JASO MA)
The formulation of Castrol oils can change between markets with different climatic conditions.
Owners
Manual
The manual has the oil graph above as per the single spark manual.
Brand Name HS oil, API classification SF, SG or SH - The suffixes CD or CE are permitted.
Brand Name HS oil of CCMC classification G4 or G5 - The suffix PD2 is permitted.
BMW does not approve the use of any upper cylinder lubricants or similar oil additives.
Do not use synthetic oils.
Owners
Manual
Viscosity classes recommended by BMW Motorrad.
SAE 10W-40, API SG / SH / JASO MA > -20 C
SAE 15W-40, API SG / SH / JASO MA > -10 C
BMW Motorrad recommends not using oil additives because they can have a detrimental effect on clutch operation. BMW Motorrad recommends not using synthetic oils for the first 10000 km.
Owners
Manual
Viscosity classes recommended by BMW Motorrad.
Engine oil for motorcycles with wet clutch, SAE 10W-40, API SG / SH / JASO MA > -4 F (> -20 C)
Engine oil for motorcycles with wet clutch, SAE 15W-40, API SG / SH / JASO MA > 14 F (> -10 C)
BMW does not recommend using oil additives, as these can worsen the operation of the clutch.
BMW Motorrad recommends not using synthetic oils for the first 6000 miles (10000 km).
Ask your BMW Motorrad retailer for engine oils suitable for your motorcycle.
Owners
Manual
Products recommended by BMW Motorrad.
BMW Motorrad High Performance Oil - SAE 15W-50, API SJ / JASO MA2
BMW does not recommend using oil additives, as these can worsen the operation of the clutch.
BMW Motorrad recommends not using synthetic oils for the first 6000 miles (10000 km).
Ask your BMW Motorrad retailer for engine oils suitable for your motorcycle.
Given the early GS clutch problems and G650GS manual notes, semi synthetic JASO MA oil seems best.
2016 Update
BMW changed their oil supplier from Castrol to Shell, they now use Advantec Pro SAE 15W50 for the 650GS
BMW Advantec Pro SAE 15W50 is semi-synthetic and meets SAE API SM, JASO MA-2 specifications