Page 30 of 96
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28
Safety check
Use the safety checklist – 
before every journey
Please perform the safety 
check accurately. This is to 
ensure that your BMW C1 com-
plies with road-vehicle use and 
safety laws. 
Your vehicle must be in perfect 
technical order: this is a basic 
prerequisite for your safety and 
the safety of other road users.
If you encounter any problems 
or difficulties, it is always best to 
contact your authorised BMW 
dealer. He will provide the nec-
essary advice and assistance. For this reason, check the 
details in the following sections 
before you start the journey: 
–
Coolant level
– Fuel level
– Windscreen wiper
– Handbrake levers
– Brake pressure
– Brake fluid levels 
(front and rear)
– Lights
– Condition of wheels and 
tyres, tread depth and tyre 
pressures
– Load, gross weight 
Check at regular intervals 
(each 2nd/3rd stop for fuel):
– Engine oil level
– Brake pads
Checklist
  
     
        
        Page 48 of 96
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46
Safety check
Wheels
Checking wheel rims
d Warning:
Have damaged wheel rims 
checked and, if necessary, 
replaced by a specialist work-
shop, preferably an author-
ised BMW dealer.
Checking tyre treads
d Warning:
Comply with local legal re-
quirements concerning mini-
mum tread depth. Worn tyres 
can impair the roadholding 
characteristics of your 
BMW C1.
 Measure tread depth at the 
centre of the tyre tread
BMW's minimum tread depth 
recommendation:
front .................. 2 mm (0.08 in)
rear ................... 3 mm (0.12 in)
  
     
        
        Page 49 of 96
2
47
Safety check
Wheels
Checking tyre pressures
d Warning:
Incorrect tyre pressures have 
a considerable influence on 
the handling of your BMW C1 
and on tyre life!
Adjust tyre pressures to suit 
total weight. Never exceed 
either the vehicle's gross 
weight or the individual wheel 
load limits (b 49).
– Tyres cold:
 Unscrew and remove valve 
cap
 Check/correct tyre pressure
 Screw on valve caps
Tyre pressures: front rear
One-up 1.9 bar 2.1 bar
27.6 psi 30.5 psi
Two-up or
luggage 1.9 bar 2.4 bar
27.6 psi 34.8 psi
Tighten valve caps
d Warning:
At high road speeds, tyre 
valves have a tendency to 
open as a result of centrifugal 
force.
Valve caps that are screwed 
on well prevent air from 
escaping suddenly.
( ) Figure in bracketsbpage number for 
description
  
     
        
        Page 51 of 96
2
49
Safety check
Correct loading
d Warning:
Overloading can impair the 
stability of your BMW C1.
 Pack heavy items at the
bottom
 Load your BMW C1 with no 
more than a total of max. 
20 kg (44 lbs)
– in the stowage compart-
ment
– on the lid of the stowage 
compartment 
– in the luggage system 
 Check that fastenings are 
correctly positioned and tight
e Important:
Do not exceed the gross weight 
limit of 360 kg (793 lbs).
Do not exceed the wheel load 
limits of 130 kg (287 lbs) at the 
front and 250 kg (551 lbs) at the 
rear.
Correct tyre pressures to suit 
the gross weight (
b 47)
The gross weight consists of:
– BMW C1 with full tank
– rider
– two-up or
–luggage
( ) Figure in bracketsbpage number for 
description
Accessories and loads
  
     
        
        Page 54 of 96
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52
Starting – Riding  – Parking
Important notes
Protection on the roadThe safety concept of the 
BMW C1 offers you the most 
protection against the weather 
and accidents that a two-
wheeler can provide. We re-
commend that you wear weath-
erproof, protective clothing 
when you ride the BMW C1.
Risk of fatal accidentYour BMW C1 is equipped with 
a digital electronic engine man-
agement system (BMS) and a 
high-output ignition system.
d Warning:
When the engine is running or 
the ignition switched on, never 
touch electrically live parts of 
the ignition system or the
Digital Motor Electronics.
  
     
        
        Page 57 of 96

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55
Starting – Riding  – Parking
Easy-lift mechanism
Easy lift mechanismThe safety concept of the 
BMW C1 includes the easy-lift 
mechanism for effortless park-
ing. The two levers beneath the 
handlebars are connected to 
Bowden cables for extending 
and retracting the stand and 
raising and lowering the front 
wheel. An overload protection 
link prevents excessive forces 
causing damage to the easy-lift 
mechanism. 
\f Note:
If the overload protection link 
breaks, you can use your foot to 
extend and retract the stand
(
b 60-61).
e Important:
Excessive strain can damage 
the easy-lift mechanism.
Avoid the following in particular:
– Retracting the stand by push-
ing the C1 forward
– Pushing the C1 forward too 
much when installing the top-
case**, rear seat** and lug-
gage carrier*
If the easy-lift mechanism or 
overload protection link is dam-
aged, have the fault rectified im-
mediately by a specialist 
workshop, preferably an au-
thorised BMW dealer.
* Optional extra
** Optional accessories
( ) Figure in brackets
bpage number for 
description
  
     
        
        Page 59 of 96
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Starting – Riding  – Parking
Move lever  B of the easy-lift 
mechanism as far up as it will 
go 
– The front wheel lifts clear of 
the ground
– Keep a firm grip on the lever 
Slowly allow lever  B to move 
down until the mechanism 
locks
 Unbuckle your seat belt
 Make sure your BMW C1 is 
steady
Easy-lift mechanism
B
  
     
        
        Page 60 of 96
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58
Starting – Riding  – Parking
B
Lifting the BMW C1 off its 
stand
d Warning:
Do not move the lever of the 
easy-lift mechanism while the 
BMW C1 is moving - the stand 
extends - safety risk
e Important:
The stand must be fully 
retracted before you pull away 
from rest!
Excessive strain can damage 
the easy-lift mechanism. 
Buckle on your seat belt 
before starting the journey
 Place both your feet firmly on 
the ground and take your 
weight off the vehicle
 Disengage lever  B from the 
lock by
 Moving lever  B of the easy-
lift mechanism all the way 
forward and up and then 
pushing it slowly down
– Keep a firm grip on the lever
– The front wheel is lowered 
to the ground
Easy-lift mechanism