2004 BMW MOTORRAD K 1200 R brakes

475Riding
Wet brakes After washing the motor-
cycle, after riding through
water or when it is raining, the
braking effect can be delayed
due to damp brake discs and
brake pads.
Bear in mind that this extends
your stopping distance, be-
cause the brakes have to ei-
ther dry out as you ride, or dry
themselves when applied. c
Salt on brakes The brakes may fail to
take effect immediately if
the motorcycle was ridden on
salt-covered roads and the
brakes were not applied for
some time.
Bear in mind that this extends
your stopping distance, be- cause the force of friction has
to remove the layer of salt
when the brakes are applied.c
Oil or grease on the brake
Oil and grease deposits
on brake discs and pads
considerably reduce the brak-
ing effect.
It is particularly important to
check the brake pads and
discs after repair and
maintenance work is carried
out, to make sure they are free
of oil and grease. c
Dirt or mud on brakes When riding on loose sur-
faces or muddy roads,
the brakes may fail to take ef-
fect immediately because of
dirt or moisture on the discs or
brake pads. Bear in mind that this extends
your stopping distance, be-
cause the brakes have to
clean themselves when
applied.
c
BMW Integral ABS
OE
In extreme situations, it takes
skill and sensitive control of
the brakes to pull up safely on
a motorcycle. If the front wheel
brake locks and the wheel
skids, the necessary longitudi-
nal and lateral stabilising
forces are lost, and a fall can
result. For this reason, the
rider seldom makes full use of
available braking performance
in an emergency.
By preventing both wheels
from locking and optimising
braking-force distribution by
means of the integral function,

Riding476
BMW Integral ABS offers
improved braking efficiency.
Making full use of the motorcy-
cle’s braking capability signifi-
cantly shortens braking
distances, even when road
conditions are poor. When the
motorcycle is ridden in a
straight line, the BMW Integral
ABS is able to handle emer-
gency braking safely, if cir-
cumstances permit.
Reserves for safety
The potentially shorter braking
distances which BMW Integral
ABS permits must not be used
as an excuse for careless rid-
ing. ABS is primarily a means
of ensuring a safety margin in
genuine emergencies.
Take care when cornering.
When you apply the brakes ona corner, the motorcycle’s
weight and momentum take
over and even BMW Integral
ABS is unable to counteract
their effects.
Partially integral brakes
Your motorcycle is equipped
with partially integral brakes.
Both front and rear brakes are
applied when you pull the
handbrake lever.
The electronic controller in the
BMW Integral ABS regulates
braking-force distribution
between front and rear
wheels. Braking-force distri-
bution depends on load and is
recalculated every time the
ABS controller comes into
action. The footbrake lever
acts only on the rear brake.
Brake booster
The hydraulic pump in the
BMW Integral ABS boosts the
braking force acting on the
wheel when the brakes are
applied. By boosting the brak-
ing force in this way, the
BMW Integral ABS achieves
higher braking efficiency than
standard brake systems.
ABS
OE anti-lock braking
system
ABS prevents the wheels lock-
ing under braking, thus con-
tributing significantly to road
safety.

477Riding
Rear wheel lift
Even under severe braking, a
high level of tyre grip can mean
that the front wheel does not
lock up until very late, if at all.
Consequently, ABS does not
intervene until very late, if at all.
Under these circumstances
the rear wheel can lift off the
ground, and the outcome can
be a highsiding situation in
which the motorcycle can flip
over.Severe braking can
cause the rear wheel to
lift off the ground.
Bear in mind that ABS cannot
be relied on in all circumstanc-
es to prevent the rear wheel
from lifting clear of the
ground. c Residual braking function
When the ignition if off, while
self-diagnosis is in progress,
and if a fault develops in the
BMW Integral ABS, only a
residual braking function is
available in the brake circuits
in question. Residual braking
function is the braking per-
formance available without
hydraulic assistance. Under
these circumstances, there-
fore, you must apply consider-
ably higher pressure to the
brake levers in question in
order to apply the brakes, and
lever travel is longer. When the
residual braking function is
active, the ABS function is
unavailable in the brake sys-
tem in question. When the
residual braking function is active, the integral braking
function is partially or entirely
unavailable.
Without the ABS func-
tion, the wheels may lock
under braking; without braking
power assistance, considera-
bly greater force is required to
brake.
Think well ahead and brake
carefully; avoid severe brak-
ing. Have the fault rectified as
soon as possible by a special-
ist workshop, preferably an
authorised BMW motorcycle
dealer. c

687Maintenance
Toolkit ............................................ 89
Engine oil ...................................... 89
Coolant .......................................... 92
Brakes ........................................... 93
Clutch ............................................ 96
Wheels ........................................... 98
Front-wheel stand ...................... 107
Rear wheel stand ....................... 108
Bulbs ............................................ 109
Jump starting .............................. 115
Battery ......................................... 116
Spray guard ................................ 120Maintenance

693Maintenance
Reinstall the cap in the cool-ant filler neck.BrakesA properly functioning brake
system is a basic requirement
for the road safety of your
motorcycle.
Incorrect working prac-
tices endanger the relia-
bility of the brakes. Have all
work on the brake system car-
ried out by a specialist work-
shop, preferably an authorised
BMW motorcycle dealer. cChecking the functionDo not ride the motorcycle if
you have any doubts about the
dependability of the brake
system. In this case: Have the brake system
checked by a specialist
workshop, preferably an
authorised BMW motorcycle
dealer.
Vehicles without ABS
Press the handbrake lever.
» The pressure point must be clearly perceptible.
Press the footbrake lever.
» The pressure point must be
clearly perceptible.
Vehicles with ABS
OE
Switch on the ignition.
Wait for ABS self-diagnosis to complete.
Press the handbrake lever.
» The pressure point must be clearly perceptible.
» The operating noise of the hydraulic pump must be
audible.
Press the footbrake lever. » The pressure point must be
clearly perceptible.
» The operating noise of the hydraulic pump must be
audible.
Brake pads
Brake pads worn past the
minimum permissible
thickness can impair braking
efficiency and under certain
circumstances they can cause
damage to the brake system.
In order to ensure the depend-
ability of the brake system, do
not permit the brake pads to
wear past the minimum per-
missible thickness. c

699Maintenance
Removing front wheel
The types of threaded
fastener used are listed
on (b
128 ).c
There is a risk of damag-
ing parts of the front
brakes, particularly the
BMW Integral ABS, in the
course of the procedure de-
scribed below.
Take care not to damage the
brake system, in particular the
ABS sensor with cable and the
ABS sensor ring. c Place the motorcycle on the
centre stand
OE or a suitable
auxiliary stand.
It is advisable to use the
BMW rear wheel stand
for this purpose. c
Remove screws 1 on the left
and right.
Remove the wheel-guide cover.
Remove securing screws 2
of the left and right brake cal-
ipers. Force brake calipers
3
slightly apart by rocking
them back and forth A
against brake discs 4.
Once the calipers have
been removed, there is a
risk of the brake pads being
pressed together to the extent
that they cannot be slipped
back over the brake disc on
reassembly.
Do not operate the handbrake
lever when the brake calipers
have been removed. c

Maintenance6102
• Raise the front wheel, install quick-release axle 6 and
tighten to 50 Nm.
• Tighten right axle clamping
screw 5 to 19 Nm.
• Remove the front wheel
stand.
• Slip the brake calipers onto the brake discs. • Install securing screws
2 for
the left and right brake cali-
pers and tighten to 30 Nm.
The cable of the ABS
sensor could chafe
through if it comes into con-
tact with the brake disc.
Route the ABS sensor cable
well clear of the brake disc. c• Install the wheel-guide cover
and hand-tighten securing
screws 1.
• Remove the adhesive tape
from the wheel rim.
The front brakes have to be
operated a few times to bed
the brake pads against the
brake discs.

6103
Maintenance
Without BMW Integral ABS:
• Press the handbrake lever firmly a number of times until
the resistance point is
noticeable.
With BMW Integral ABS
OE:
• Switch on the ignition.
• Wait for self-diagnosis to complete
(b
59).
• Firmly pull the handbrake
lever a number of times, until
the pressure point is
perceptible.
Braking efficiency is im-
paired if the brake pads
are not correctly bedded
against the discs.
Before riding off, always check
that the brakes start to bite
immediately. c
Removing rear wheel
The types of screw used
are listed on (
b
128).c
• Place the motorcycle on the centre stand
OE or a suitable
auxiliary stand.
It is advisable to use the
BMW rear wheel stand
for this purpose (b
108). c •Remove screw
1 from
silencer cover 2.
• Pull the cover to the rear to remove.
•Slacken clamp 3 on the
silencer.
Do not remove the seal-
ing grease from the
clamp. c