I have had my 04 GS almost 3 months now, 1700 miles on her, and I just had to add a quart of oil.   I read the other thread that folks are adding oil every 1000miles or so, but is this normal for such a new bike?  I really don't ride that hard, but on weekends I'll put 300miles on her.
If this is normal OK, but if not, ...... I just don't want to take her to the shop for something that is "just part of the GS".
Thanks, Chiquita

Sometimes I feel like all I do is add more oil. The Ol' GS tends to burn it up.  Mine is an older model, but the engine is basically the same.

Im not sure how long it takes but maybe your rings arent fully seated.  But common sense would tell me that they should be seated, maybe someone else will chime in with more experience.

all i know is that everyone says its normal..i have used 1/2 litre in 1500 miles..and no my bike aint got no leaks or smokes :dunno:

Quote from: lee67all i know is that everyone says its normal..i have used 1/2 litre in 1500 miles..and no my bike aint got no leaks or smokes :dunno:

That's about the same for mine 91 GS500.  Last I checked  1qt around 5000 miles.

One quart seems pretty high for a new bike.
It might have been low when you checked it first and think it's
a quart but is less.
I would monitor it and check it more frequently.

If you really speed and keeps rpms high it will use more.
In more normal use it should not be that high.

On my last trip I had to add over 1/2 liter oil after only ~1000km! And I got no leaks, no blue smoke (just ocasional black puff). This is the one thing that really sucks on the GS.

D.

I have a '92 with 22k miles.  In the 2k miles since last oil change, my oil level has dropped from the right edge of the "F" in "L ... F", to the left edge of the same "F".  I have never added oil, other than oil changes.  My riding is probably 80% city street (<45mph), 10% city freeway (65mph), and 10% out-of-town highway.  I don't get the revs up above 6k or 7k very often.

I'm using WalMart cheapo Tech2000 oil, but I have used Mobil1 in the past.

I find the same as Rema.

I've got a 94 500E and the oil level has dropped about 1-2mm on the
dip stick, from just above the Full line to Just below.

This is in around 2000 miles of mainly city driving and a bit of country back road riding.

Perhaps your all revving the engine too hard?  :dunno:
I rarely get above 6.5K RPM and normall sit between 4.5K and 5.5K.

I'm making it  a trio.  My last change was +/-2000 miles ago and I just checked the oil yesterday.  Started just above the F and it's now just below it.  I used Mobil 1 synthetic last time...maybe cheaper oil next time.

I think there may be something to the use of oil when running the GS hard with high rev's.  Usually I don't ride hard, with my highest rev's during shifting around 6-7 thousand.

Normaly I do not use oil, but the other day I had to push the GS hard two times when pulling onto a road with traffic approaching. (I try not to cause people to slow down when I enter a roadway.)

The next day when I checked the oil I was down about 1/3 on the dip stick.  It only took about 3 ounces to top off.

Make sure that you check the oil properly.

1. Position the bike on level ground. (Not on the center stand.)
2. Allow time for the oil to drain into the crank case.
3. Level the bike upright. (Wait a minute for the oil to relevel itself.)
4. Put the dipstick (clean) into the engine to check oil level. (Do not
   screw the dipstick in.  Let it rest on top of the threads.  Also, let the
   dipstick rest in the oil a moment before pulling it out for a more
   accurate reading.)

So, get an accurate oil measurement, and then experiment with different riding styles to see if you use oil in different amounts.

OK High revs, and lots of oil useage...
Constantly over 6K, and many times over 7K... and no werase you may not say I am slow... I mainly do highway... straights and good open with very little traffic...
Cool.
Srinath.

Another odd thing was that I don't think i saw any oil consumption since changing oil, until the last couple of weeks.  The only odd thing which happened last week, was that I ran really low of fuel (put 4.52 gallons into a 4.5 gallon tank!).  I was down near the bottom of reserve, with about 15 miles to go, so I started killing the engine while waiting at long stoplights, and coasting down hills, etc.  I had to ride on the shoulder, because I couldn't keep up with traffic (twisting the throttle would just kill the engine).  When under power, I was also riding just under 4k rpms, probably lugging a bit.  I had to stop once to tilt the bike to the left to fill the float bowls, but I did finally ride into the gas station under power   .

But I wonder if lugging the engine, or the repeated stopping and starting may have burned some extra oil.

Once in the past, I seemed to notice that I had zero oil consumption, until I went riding in some twisties, and kept the bike at higher RPMs.  Then the oil level seemed to drop 2mm in a single 200 mile ride.  At that rate, I can imagine running from "F" down to "L" in 1000 miles.

So perhaps the oil consumption is least when the engine is operated at 4500-5500 RPMs, and goes up if RPMs are high, or if the engine is lugged  :dunno:  .  If the "burns oil at high RPMs" supposition is correct, then you would think that the racers would know all about it...  or maybe they never get 1000 miles without an oil change?

A quart after 1700m sounds high to me, presumably you did a change at 600m, the first service so it's a quart in the 1100 since a change.

I trhink I would be inclined to talk to the dealer and keep a close check during the (two year?) warranty period. If were were reving the hell out of it and hard riding maybe, but for "normal" riding it seems too high.

Mine is an '03 naked, no oil cooler, that might make a difference.

Thanks for all you input.  I will keep a closer eye on her.  I don't ride much during the week, if I do it's just around town.  Too much traffic around here, and they don't seem to like bikes too much, lol.
But on weekends I am up in the N Ga mtns.  I am still a newbie so I'm not up there giving her he!! in the twisties, yet.................

Where are you checking the oil, with the dip stick in all the way or with it resting on the hole?  Im assuming your new to the GS and I had a problem with this when I first got mine.  The correct way to check it is with it just resting on the hole.  It makes a difference of a quart depending on how you check it.  Just a thought.

For a pictorial comparison of checking on the centerstand vs vertical on both wheels vs sidestand, see THIS POST.

I'll try to take a new set of pictures sometime - when my oil level is a little lower and the light is less harsh.  But I hope the point comes across OK.

sprint_9,  I am just resting the dip stick, not screwing it down in.  Yes I am new to the GS, I had an 01 Savage before this one. (and only managed to put 1000miles on that in a year)

Kerry, thanks, I did see that post before.  Great pics, helps us visual folks make more sense of things.
I have the bike on level ground, (in my driveway),  I unscrew the dipstick, sit on the bike to keep it up right, let the oil settle for a few min, then pull the stick, wipe it off, then dip it again to get my reading.  I find that I can keep the bike more upright and stable by sitting on it than by trying to put it on the center stand or try to hold it straight with one hand and check with the other.
I also stopped by the stealership today and asked them about it, they had/have no clue.   :dunno:
Thanks, Chiquita

The aggravating thing about this engine is that there are not very good warning signs when things start to go bad. The GS we run just siezed it's engine with just over 10K miles on it!! For the first 6K miles, oil consumption was minimal and the bike was not run exceptionally hard. It was however broken in properly to make sure the rings seated. After the first 6K miles, it started getting run harder and in higher RPM's but never near red line. Oil consumption went way up, sometime a 1/2 qt in 500 miles!!

We went to Arkansas this weekend and did five days of riding. After the 500 mile ride up, over 1 qt had to be added to top it off.   There was never any telltale blue smoke, only the occasional puff of black smoke right when the throttle got whacked open. There was no oil anywhere on the bike or engine. During the weekend of riding, we kept a close eye on the oil level at stops and breaks, always making sure to keep it topped off. On the fourth day of riding, the engine started stalling at low speeds when the clutch was pulled in. At regular speeds it ran fine. On the fifth day, we topped it off again and headed for home. We only made it about 50 miles down the road before the engine went belly up. It is siezed solid now and will not turn over at all.

It blows my mind that an engine can consume this amount of oil without any of the normal indicators like smoke, fouled plugs, poor running, etc,... Then it goes from fine to dead that fast! I could understand if the bike had been thrashed and ragged on constantly, but that was not the case.

Now we are looking for another engine. The kicker is, how do we know if this engine will last any longer than the other one?! I had always heard that these little parallel twins were virtually indestructable. When we get the bike back and the engine replaced, I plan on tearing the old engine apart to see if I can find anything out of the ordinary, like a blocked oil passage or something else. If nothing else, it will be fun to get inside it. We may try to part out the stuff not damaged.

Adios,