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

455Riding
– Do not ride the motorcycle with the fuel tank empty.
– Do not run the engine with the spark-plug cap removed.
– In the event of engine misfir-
ing, stop the engine
immediately.
– Only refuel using unleaded fuel.
– Be sure to adhere to the
prescribed maintenance
intervals.
Unburned fuel destroys
the catalytic converter.
Note the points listed for
protection of the catalytic
converter. c
Risk of fireHigh temperatures occur at
the exhaust pipe.
Flammable materials
(e.g. hay, leaves, grass,
clothing and luggage, etc.)
could ignite if allowed to come
into contact with the hot ex-
haust pipe.
Do not permit flammable ma-
terials to come into contact
with the hot exhaust system.c
Cooling would be inade-
quate if the engine were
allowed to idle for a lengthy
period with the motorcycle at a
standstill: overheating would
result. In extreme cases, the
motorcycle could catch fire.
Do not allow the engine to idle
unnecessarily. Ride away im-
mediately after starting the
engine. c
Tampering with
electronic engine
management system
Tampering with the con-
trol unit of the electronic
engine-management system
can damage the motorcycle
and cause accidents.
Do not tamper with the control
unit of the electronic engine-
management system. c
Tampering with the con-
trol unit of the electronic
engine-management system
can result in mechanical loads
that the motorcycle's compo-
nents are not designed to
withstand. Damage caused in
this way is not covered by the
warranty.
Do not tamper with the control
unit of the electronic engine-
management system. c

Riding456
Safety checkPrior to every journeyUse the following checklist to
check important functions,
settings and wear limits before
starting to ride.Checklist–Brakes (
b
93)
– Brake fluid level (
b
95)
–Clutch (
b
96)
– Clutch fluid level (
b
97)
– Warning and telltale lights (
b
20)
– Shock absorber setting (
b
48) and spring preload
(
b
47)
–Rims (
b
98), tread depth
(
b
98) and tyre pressure
(
b
51, 130)
– Load, gross weight (
b
140)
– Luggage system At regular intervals:
– Engine oil level (every time
you refuel) (
b
89)
– Brake pads (every second/ third time you refuel) (
b
93)
First time outSafe handling of your
motorcycleYou have to take the time to
familiarise yourself with your
motorcycle's unique
character:
– Acceleration
– Roadholding
– Cornering
–Braking
Bear in mind, too, that the
engine has to be run in over
the first 1,000 km (
b
63). The description of the BMW
Integral ABS
OE starts on page
(
b
75).
BMW Integral ABS
OE
incorporates a brake
booster, so braking efficiency
is significantly higher than with
conventional brake systems.
Inadvertently severe braking
can lead to dangerous situa-
tions, particularly when the
motorcycle is cornering.
Practice braking with BMW
Integral ABS
OE under safe
conditions.c

457Riding
Before you startSwitching on the ignition See the notes on the elec-tronic immobiliser (EWS)
(b
24).
Kill switch 1 in operating
position A.
Switch on the ignition.
» Pre-ride check is performed.
» With BMW Integral ABS
OE:
ABS self-diagnosis is
performed.
Pre-ride checkA pre-ride check is performed
after you switch on the igni-
tion. All the warning lights and
warning symbols are checked
to make sure that they are in
working order. The multifunc-
tion display shows the follow-
ing in the order in which they
are described below: Phase 1
General warning light
lights up red.
Engine oil pressure
symbol is displayed.
Battery charge current
symbol is displayed.

Riding458
Phase 2General warning light
lights up yellow.
Engine electronics
symbol is displayed.
EWS symbol is
displayed. Phase 3
Warning light for defec-
tive bulb is displayed.
If a warning light or a
warning symbol cannot
be displayed, a malfunction
cannot be indicated if one
occurs in the corresponding
system.
Check that all the lights and
symbols are activated in the
pre-ride check. c Phase 4 (only if anti-theft
alarm
OE is fitted)
The "DWA" battery warn-
ing for the anti-theft alarm
appears if the voltage level of
the batteries in the anti-theft
alarm system
OE is too low.
If a warning light or a
warning symbol cannot
be displayed, a malfunction
cannot be indicated if one
occurs in the corresponding
system.

459Riding
Check that all the lights and
symbols are activated in the
pre-ride check.c
If a light or symbol is not
displayed:
Have the fault rectified as quickly as possible by a spe-
cialist workshop, preferably
an authorised BMW motor-
cycle dealer.
Once the pre-ride check com-
pletes, the various gauges and
indicators show their current
values.
The pre-ride check is
aborted if you start the
engine before it completes. c
If the motorcycle is equipped
with BMW Integral ABS, the
ABS self-diagnosis routine is
performed as well.
ABS
OE
self-diagnosis
The BMW Integral ABS per-
forms self-diagnosis and a
pull-away test to ensure its
operability (
b
63). Self-diag-
nosis is performed automati-
cally when you switch on the
ignition.
Self-diagnosis is not per-
formed unless both brake
levers are in their fully released
positions. Only the residual
braking function (
b
77) is
available until self-diagnosis
completes. Release the brake levers.
Switch on the ignition.
Phase 1
General warning light
lights up.
ABS warning light flashes
4 times per second.
Self-diagnosis is in progress.
Phase 2 ABS warning light flashes
once per second.
Self-diagnosis is complete.
The warning light goes out
when the pull-away test
completes (
b
63).

Riding460
If you switch on the igni-
tion while the brakes are
applied, then start the engine
and ride off immediately, the
BMW Integral ABS remains in
its residual braking function
mode (b
77). Self-diagnosis is
performed as soon as the
brake levers are in their fully
released positions for the first
time. Until this completes the
ABS function is not available;
the same applies to power as-
sistance for the brakes.
Wait for ABS self-diagnosis to
complete before you start the
engine. c Starting on gradients:
Switch on the ignition
with gear engaged, clutch
lever released and both brake
levers released. When self-
diagnosis completes, apply
the brakes, disengage the
clutch, and start the engine. c
Side standYou cannot start the motorcy-
cle with the side stand
extended and a gear engaged.
The engine will switch itself off
if you start it with the gearbox
in neutral and then engage a
gear before retracting the side
stand.
GearboxYou can start the engine when
the gearbox is in neutral or if
you pull the clutch with a gear
engaged. Switch on the igni-
tion before you pull the clutch.
When the gearbox is in neutral,
the green neutral telltale light
is on and the gear indicator in
the multifunction display
shows 0.Starting
Do not turn the throttle
twistgrip when starting
the engine. At ambient tem-
peratures below 0 °C, disen-
gage the clutch after switching
on the ignition.c

461Riding
• Switch on the ignition.
• Press starter button1.
» The engine starts.
• Observe instruments and display for warnings and
information (
b
20).
The start attempt is auto-
matically interrupted if
battery voltage is too low.
Recharge the battery before
you start the engine (
b
116)
or use jump leads and a donor
battery to start (
b
115). c High engine speeds while
the engine is cold accel-
erate engine wear.
Avoid high engine speeds
when the engine is cold. c
Consult the trouble-
shooting chart below if
the engine refuses to start. c

Riding462
Troubleshooting chartFault: Engine does not start or only starts with difficulty.
Possible causeRemedy see pageKill switch activatedKill switch in operating position (
b
57)
Side stand extended, gear
engaged Fully retract the side stand (
b
69)
Gear engaged, clutch not
disengaged Select neutral or pull clutch lever (
b
60)
Clutch pulled when ignition was
OFF Switch on the ignition, then pull the clutch
lever (
b
57)
No fuel in tank Refuel (
b
73)
Battery not adequately charged Recharge the battery (
b
116)