2004 BMW MOTORRAD K 1200 R wheel

347Operation
Spring preloadAdjusting spring preload
for rear wheel
Attempting to adjust
spring preload while rid-
ing the motorcycle can lead to
accidents.
Adjust spring preload only
when the motorcycle is
stationary. c
You must adjust spring
preload to suit the load on the
motorcycle. Increase spring
preload when the motorcycle
is heavily loaded and reduce
spring preload accordingly
when the motorcycle is lightly
loaded.
• Make sure the ground is level and firm and place the
motorcycle on its centre
standOE or side stand. To increase spring preload:
• Turn knob
1 in the direction
indicated by the HIGH arrow.
To decrease spring preload:
• Turn knob 1 in the direction
indicated by the LOW arrow. Basic setting for one-up riding:
•Turn knob
1 all the way in the
direction indicated by the
LOW arrow.
• Turn back 15 clicks in the
direction indicated by the
HIGH arrow.
One click corresponds to
a half turn of the knob.
The range of adjustment com-
prises 15 turns. The basic set-
ting is for one-up riding with a
person weighing 85 kg. c
Your motorcycle's han-
dling will suffer if you do
not match the spring-preload
and damping-characteristic
settings.
Adjust the damping character-
istic to suit spring preload. c

351Operation
» Starting with the current setting, the settings are
displayed in the following
sequence:
– One-up riding
– One-up riding with luggage
– Two-up riding
(with luggage)
Spring preload is adjusted to
the setting shown on the dis-
play if you do not press
button 1 within one second.
The display flashes while
adjustment is in progress.
WheelsChecking tyre pressures
Incorrect tyre pressures
adversely affect the han-
dling of the motorcycle and
can lead to accidents.
Always keep the tyres inflated
to the correct pressures. c
Incorrect tyre pressures
result in accelerated tyre
wear.
Always keep the tyres inflated
to the correct pressures. c
The correct tyre pressures are
listed in the Technical Data
(
b
130). At high road speeds, tyre
valves have a tendency
to open as a result of centrifu-
gal force. To prevent sudden deflation,
use a metal valve cap with rub-
ber sealing ring on the rear
wheel and tighten it securely.
c

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

Maintenance698
WheelsFor each size of tyre BMW
Motorrad tests certain makes,
and approves those that it cer-
tifies as roadworthy. If BMW
Motorrad has not approved
the wheels and tyres, it cannot
assess their suitability or pro-
vide any guarantee of road
safety. Use only wheels and
tyres approved by BMW
Motorrad for your type of
motorcycle.
You can obtain detailed infor-
mation from your authorised
BMW motorcycle dealer or by
visiting
www.bmw-motorrad.com on
the Internet.
Checking rims• Make sure the ground is level and firm and place the
motorcycle on its centre
stand
OE or side stand.
• Visually inspect the rims for defects.
• Have damaged rims checked and, if necessary,
replaced by a specialist
workshop, preferably an
authorised BMW motorcycle
dealer.
Checking tyre tread
depth Do not allow the tyres to wear
past the minimum depth per-
mitted by law in the country of
use. Your motorcycle's han-
dling and grip can be im-
paired even before the tyres
wear to the minimum tyre
tread depth permitted by law.
Have the tyres changed in
good time before they wear to
the minimum permissible tread
depth. c
Tyres have wear indica-
tors integrated into the
main tread grooves. If the tyre
tread has worn down to the
level of the marks, the tyre is
completely worn. The loca-
tions of the marks are indicat-
ed on the edge of the tyre, e.g.
by the letters TI, TWI or by an
arrow. c
• Measure the tyre tread depth only in the main tread
grooves with wear indicating
marks.

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