2004 BMW MOTORRAD K 1200 R maintenance

i1Introduction
Welcome to BMWWe congratulate you on
choosing a BMW motorcycle
and welcome you to the com-
munity of BMW riders.
Familiarise yourself with your
new motorcycle so that you
can ride it safely and confi-
dently in all traffic situations.
Please read this Rider’s Man-
ual carefully before starting to
use your new BMW motorcy-
cle. It contains important infor-
mation on how to operate the
controls and how to make the
best possible use of all your
BMW’s technical features.
In addition, it contains infor-
mation on maintenance and
care to help you maintain your
motorcycle’s reliability and
safety, as well as its value.If you have any questions con-
cerning your motorcycle, your
authorised BMW motorcycle
dealer will gladly provide
advice and assistance.
We hope you enjoy reading
this Rider’s Manual and wish
you many a pleasant, safe
journey on your BMW
motorcycle.
Best wishes,
BMW Motorrad

i3Introduction
6 Maintenance ............. 87
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 ................ 120
7 Care ......................... 121
Cleaning and care ...... 122
Laying up ................... 124
Restoring to use ......... 125
8 Technical data ........ 127
Threaded fasteners .... 128
Tyre pressures ........... 130
Engine ........................ 131
Power transmission .... 132
Frame and suspension 133
Wheels and tyres ........ 135Fuel and lubricants ..... 136
Electrical system ......... 138
Dimensions and
weights ....................... 140
Riding specifications .. 141
9 Service ..................... 143
BMW Motorrad
service ........................ 144
Confirmation of
maintenance work ...... 147
Confirmation of
service ........................ 151
i Index ......................... 155

Introductioni4
General informationAbout this Rider’s ManualChapter 1 of this Rider’s Man-
ual will provide you with an
initial overview of your motor-
cycle. All maintenance and
servicing work on the motor-
cycle is documented in Chap-
ter 9. This record of the
maintenance work you have
had performed on your motor-
cycle is a precondition for gen-
erous treatment of claims
submitted after the warranty
period has expired.
When the time comes to sell
your BMW, please remember
to hand over this Rider’s Man-
ual; it is an important part of
your motorcycle.
Symbols and
abbreviations
Indicates warnings that
you must comply with for
the sake of your safety and the
safety of others, and to protect
your motorcycle against
damage. c
Special information on
operating and inspecting
your motorcycle as well as
maintenance and adjustment
procedures. c
Depending on national
market specification, this
symbol may appear instead of
the ABS-Symbol.
c Indicates the end of an
item of information.
• Instruction. » Result of an activity.
(
b 4) Reference to a page with
more detailed information.
OE Optional extras you have chosen are taken into
account during produc-
tion of your motorcycle.
OA Optional accessories can be purchased and
retrofitted at your author-
ised BMW motorcycle
dealer.
EWS Electronic immobiliser
ESA Electronic Suspension Adjustment
DWA Anti-theft alarm system
ABS Anti-lock braking system

i5Introduction
Custom equipmentWhen you ordered your BMW
motorcycle, you chose various
items of custom equipment.
This Rider’s Manual describes
optional extras (OE) offered by
BMW and selected optional
accessories (OA). This
explains why the manual may
also contain descriptions of
equipment which you have not
ordered. Country-specific
deviations from the motorcycle
illustrated are also possible.
If your BMW contains equip-
ment which is not described in
this Rider’s Manual, this will be
described in separate operat-
ing instructions.
Technical dataAll dimensions, weights and
power ratings stated in the
Rider’s Manual are quoted to
the standards and comply with
the tolerance requirements of
the Deutsche Institut für Nor-
mung e. V. (DIN). Versions for
individual countries may differ.CurrencyThe high safety and quality
standards of BMW motorcy-
cles are maintained by con-
stant development work on
designs, equipment and
accessories. Because of this,
your motorcycle may differ
from the information supplied
in the Rider's Manual. Nor can
errors and omissions be
entirely ruled out. We hope
you will appreciate that noclaims can be entertained on
the basis of the data, illustra-
tions or descriptions in this
manual.
BMW Service Advanced technology requires
specially adapted methods of
maintenance and repair.
Incorrectly executed
maintenance and repair
work could result in subse-
quent damage and the safety
risks associated with this.
BMW recommends that you
have the necessary work on
your motorcycle performed ei-
ther by an authorised BMW
motorcycle dealer or by a
workshop that operates to
BMW specifications and
employs suitably trained
personnel. c

Introductioni6
Your authorised BMW motor-
cycle dealer can provide infor-
mation on the specified
Service, Inspection and
Annual Inspection work
needed.
Have all maintenance and
repair work carried out con-
firmed in the "Service" chapter
(b 145) in this manual.
Authorised BMW motorcycle
dealers are supplied with the
latest technical information
and have the necessary tech-
nical know-how.
Consequently, we recommend
that you contact your author-
ised BMW motorcycle dealer if
you have any questions
regarding your motorcycle.
Rider’s equipmentDo not ride without the correct
clothing. Always wear:
–Helmet
– Motorcycling jacket and trousers
– Gloves
– Boots
This applies even to short jour-
neys, and to every season of
the year. Your authorised
BMW motorcycle dealer will
be glad to advise you on the
correct clothing for every
purpose.

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

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,

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