2004 BMW MOTORRAD K 1200 R Rider's Manual (in English)

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

Operation348
Shock absorbersAdjusting rear shock
absorberYou must adjust the damping
characteristic to suit spring
preload. An increase in spring
preload requires firmer damp-
ing, a reduction in spring
preload requires softer
damping.
• Make sure the ground is level and firm and place the
motorcycle on its centre
stand
OE or side stand. •Adjust the rear shock
absorber, using a screw-
driver to turn adjusting
screw 1.
Harder damping:
• Turn adjusting screw 1 in the
direction indicated by the
H arrow.
Softer damping:
• Turn adjusting screw 1 in the
direction indicated by the
S arrow. Basic setting for one-up riding:
• Turn adjusting screw
1 all
the way in the direction indi-
cated by the H arrow.
• Back off adjusting screw 1
by one and a half turns in the
direction indicated by the
S arrow.
The range of adjustment
comprises three and a
half turns of the adjusting
screw. The basic setting is for
one-up riding with a rider
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

349Operation
ESA
OE
Electronic Suspension
Adjustment (ESA) makes the
motorcycle’s suspension easy
to adjust to suit changing
surfaces.
Calling up settings Switch on the ignition.
Briefly press button 1.
»The current setting is displayed. 2
Damping set
3 Spring preload set
The reading disappears if you
do not press button 1 within
two seconds.
Adjusting the shock
absorbersYou have a choice of three set-
tings, indicated in field 2 as fol-
lows: Comfort
Soft damping
characteristic Normal
Medium damping
characteristic
Sport
Hard damping
characteristic

Operation350
• Switch on the ignition.
• Briefly press button 1.
» The current setting is displayed.
• Briefly press button 1 to step
through the settings one by
one.
» Starting with the current set- ting, the settings are dis-
played in the following
sequence:
–Comfort
–Normal
–Sport The shock absorbers are
adjusted to the setting shown
on the display if you do not
press button
1 within one
second.
The display flashes while
adjustment is in progress.
Adjusting spring preloadYou cannot adjust spring
preload while riding.
You have a choice of three set-
tings, indicated in field 3 as
follows: One-up riding
One-up riding with
luggage
Two-up riding
(with luggage)
• Start the engine.
• Briefly press button 1.
» The current setting is
displayed.
• Press button 1 for longer
than one second to step
through the settings one by
one.

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

Operation352

453Riding
Safety instructions ....................... 54
Safety check ................................. 56
First time out ................................. 56
Before you start ............................ 57
Starting .......................................... 60
Riding ............................................ 63
Running in ..................................... 63
Shifting gear ................................. 64
Placing motorcycle on its
side stand ...................................... 67
Removing motorcycle from
side stand ...................................... 69
Placing motorcycle on its
centre stand
OE
.............................. 71
Pushing motorcycle off
centre stand
OE
............................. 73 Fuel ................................................ 73
Brake system ................................ 74
Riding

Riding454
Safety instructionsSpeedWhen riding at high speed,
various marginal conditions
can adversely affect the han-
dling characteristics of the
motorcycle:
– Adjustment of the spring-strut and shock absorber
system
– Unequally distributed load
– Loose clothing
– Insufficient tyre pressure
– Poor tyre tread
–etc.Correct loading
Overloading can ad-
versely affect the riding
stability of the motorcycle.
Never exceed the motor-
cycle's permissible gross
weight (
b
140). c
Alcohol and drugs
Even small amounts of al-
cohol or drugs can con-
siderably adversely affect your
perception, judgement and
ability to make decisions, as
well as your reflexes. Taking
medication can increase these
effects.
Do not ride your motorcycle
after consuming alcohol,
drugs and/or medication.c
Risk of poisoningExhaust fumes contain carbon
monoxide, which is colourless
and odourless but highly toxic.
Inhaling the exhaust
fumes therefore repre-
sents a health hazard and can
even cause loss of conscious-
ness with fatal consequences. Do not inhale exhaust fumes.
Do not run the engine in an en-
closed space.
c
High voltage
Touching live parts of the
ignition system with the
engine running can lead to
electric shocks.
Do not touch parts of the igni-
tion system when the engine is
running. c
Catalytic converterIf misfiring causes unburned
fuel to enter the catalytic con-
verter, there is a danger of
overheating and damage.
For this reason, observe the
following points: