Page 92 of 162
Maintenance690
» A resistance point must be 
noticeable.
» In the case of BMW Integral 
ABS, the hydraulic pump 
must be heard to run.Brake pads
Falling short of the mini-
mum pad thickness leads 
to reduced braking power and 
under certain circumstances 
to brake damage. 
In order to ensure the operat-
ing reliability of the brake sys-
tem, make sure that the mini-
mum thickness is exceeded.c
Checking the brake pad 
thickness at the front• Place the motorcycle on the 
centre stand
OA or side 
stand, ensuring that the 
ground is firm and level. 
• Perform a visual inspection 
of the brake pad thickness 
on the left and right.The brake pads must have a 
clearly visible wear indicating 
mark 1. If the wear indicating 
mark is no longer clearly 
visible:
• Have the brake pads 
replaced by a specialist 
workshop, preferably by an 
authorised BMW motorcycle 
dealer. 
     
        
        Page 94 of 162

Maintenance692
   1Rear brake-fluid reservoir
2MIN mark
• Hold the motorcycle verti-
cally or place it on the centre 
stand
OA, ensuring that the 
ground is firm and level.
• Straight ahead handlebar 
position.
• Read off the brake fluid level 
at the reservoir.Vehicles without ABS
In the event of brake pad 
wear, the brake fluid level 
in the brake-fluid reservoir 
falls.c 
The brake fluid level must not 
fall below the MIN mark. If the 
brake fluid level falls below the 
MIN mark:
If there is too little brake 
fluid in the brake-fluid 
reservoir, air can enter the 
brake system. This causes a 
serious reduction in braking 
efficiency. 
Brake carefully and safely. 
Avoid braking sharply.c
• Have the fault remedied as 
soon as possible by a spe-
cialist workshop, preferably 
an authorised BMW motor-
cycle dealer.Vehicles with ABS
In the event of brake pad 
wear, the brake fluid level 
remains constant.c
If the brake fluid level falls - 
even above the MIN mark - 
this indicates a defect in the 
brake system. If the brake fluid 
level falls: 
If there is too little brake 
fluid in the brake-fluid 
reservoir, air can enter the 
brake system. This causes a 
serious reduction in braking 
efficiency. 
Brake carefully and safely. 
Avoid braking sharply.c
• Have the fault remedied as 
soon as possible by a spe-
cialist workshop, preferably 
an authorised BMW motor-
cycle dealer.  
     
        
        Page 97 of 162
695Maintenance
Removing the front wheel
You will find an overview 
of the types of screw 
used on (
b 124).c
During the following 
work, parts of the front 
brake, in particular of the 
BMW Integral ABS, can be 
damaged. 
Ensure that no parts of the 
brake system are damaged, in 
particular the ABS sensor with 
cable and the ABS sensor 
ring.c
Motorcycles without centre 
stands
OA 
:
To ensure a secure stance of 
the motorcycle during the 
following work:
• Place the motorcycle on the 
BMW Motorrad rear wheel 
stand (b 104). • The rest of the procedure is 
the same as for motorcycles 
with centre stands. 
Motorcycles with centre 
stands
OA 
: 
• Place the motorcycle on the 
centre stand
OA.
• Remove screws1 on the left 
and right.
• Pull out the front wheel 
mudguard towards the front.• Remove the mounting 
bolts2 of the brake calipers 
on the left and right. 
     
        
        Page 98 of 162

Maintenance696
• Press the brake calipers3 
apart slightly using rotary 
motionsA against the brake 
discs4.
When removed, the 
brake pads can be 
pressed together to such a 
degree that they do not make 
contact with the brake disc on 
fitting.
Do not operate the handbrake 
lever when the brake calipers 
are removed.c
• Mask off areas of the rim 
that could be scratched on 
removal of the brake 
calipers.
• Pull the brake calipers back-
wards and outwards from 
the brake discs. If the motorcycle is on the 
centre stand
OA: If the 
front of the motorcycle is 
raised too far, the centre stand 
rises from the ground and the 
motorcycle can fall over 
sideways. 
Make sure that the centre 
stand remains on the ground 
when the front is raised.c
• Lift the motorcycle using the 
BMW Motorrad front wheel 
stand (
b 103) until the front 
wheel rotates freely.• Remove the right-hand axle 
clamping screw 5.
• Remove the quick-release 
axle 6, holding the wheel as 
you do so.
Loosening or removing 
the left-hand axle clamp-
ing screw can lead to a failure 
of the ABS sensor. 
Do not loosen or remove the 
left- hand axle clamping 
screw.c  
     
        
        Page 99 of 162

697Maintenance
BMW Motorrad provides 
an adapter for removing 
the quick-release axle. This 
adapter can be combined with 
any commercially available 
open-end or ring spanner with 
width across flats 22. The 
adapter with BMW special tool 
number 36 3 690 can be ob-
tained from your authorised 
BMW motorcycle dealer.c
• Place the front wheel in the 
front wheel guide on the 
ground.• Roll out the front wheel 
forwards.
Installing the front wheel
An overview of the types 
of screw used and the 
corresponding tightening 
torques can be found on 
(
b 124).c
Screw connections tight-
ened to the incorrect torque 
can come loose or damage 
the screw connection itself.
Make sure that you have the 
tightening torques checked by 
a specialist workshop, prefer-
ably by an authorised 
BMW motorcycle dealerc
During the following 
work, parts of the front 
brake, in particular of the 
BMW Integral ABS, can be damaged.
Ensure that no parts of the 
brake system are damaged, in 
particular the ABS sensor with 
cable and the ABS sensor 
ring.c
The front wheel must be 
fitted in the direction of 
rotation. 
Observe the direction of rota-
tion arrows on the tyres or on 
the rim.c
• Roll the front wheel into the 
front wheel guide. 
     
        
        Page 100 of 162
Maintenance698
• Raise the front wheel, fit 
quick-release axle 6 and 
tighten to the appropriate 
tightening torque.
• Tighten right-hand axle 
clamping screw 5 to the 
appropriate tightening 
torque.
• Remove the front wheel 
stand.
• Fit the brake calipers onto 
the brake discs.• Fit mounting bolts 2 of the 
brake calipers on the left and 
right and use the appropriate 
tightening torque.
The ABS sensor cable 
could be abraded if it 
comes into contact with the 
brake disc. 
Ensure that the ABS sensor 
cable is routed tightly.c• Fit the mudguard and tighten 
the mounting bolts1 to the 
appropriate tightening 
torque. 
• Remove the masking from 
the rim.
To apply the brake pads to the 
brake discs, the front brake 
must be operated a number of 
times. 
     
        
        Page 101 of 162

699Maintenance
Without BMW Integral ABS:
• Press the handbrake lever 
firmly a number of times until 
the resistance point is 
noticeable.
With BMW Integral ABS:
• Switch on the ignition.
• Wait for the self-diagnosis
(b 54)
.
• Press the handbrake lever 
firmly a number of times until 
the resistance point is 
noticeable.
B rake pads that are not fully 
applied to the brake discs 
lead to delays in the braking ef-
fect. Before beginning a journey, 
check that the braking effect 
kicks in without any delay.c
Removing the rear wheel
You will find an overview 
of the types of screw 
used on (
b 124).c
Motorcycle without centre 
stand
OA 
: 
To ensure a secure stance of 
the motorcycle during the 
following work:
• Place the motorcycle on the 
BMW Motorrad rear wheel 
stand (b 104).
• The rest of the procedure is 
the same as for motorcycles 
with centre stands.Motorcycles with centre 
stands
OA 
:
• Place the motorcycle on the 
centre stand
OA. 
• Remove bolt1 from silencer 
cover 2.
• Pull off the cover towards the 
rear. 
     
        
        Page 105 of 162

6103
Maintenance
Front-wheel standTo enable simple and safe 
changing of the front wheel, 
BMW Motorrad provides a 
front wheel stand. The front 
wheel stand with BMW special 
tool number 36 3 971 can be 
obtained from your authorised 
BMW motorcycle dealer. In 
addition, you require the 
adapters with BMW special 
tool number 36 3 973.Fitting the front wheel 
stand
• Place the motorcycle on the 
centre stand
OA or suitable 
auxiliary stand, e.g. 
BMW Motorrad rear wheel 
stand (
b 104).
• Undo aligning screws1.
• Push the two mounting 
pins 2 far enough apart that 
the front wheel guide fits 
between them.
• Set the desired height of the 
front wheel stand using the 
locating pins3.
• Align the front wheel stand to 
the centre of the front wheel 
and push it onto the front 
axle.• Push the two mounting 
pins 2 through the triangles 
of the brake caliper support 
far enough that the front 
wheel can still be rolled 
through.
In the case of BMW Inte-
gral ABS, the ABS sensor 
ring can be damaged.
Only push the mounting pin so 
far inwards that it does not 
touch the sensor ring of the 
BMW Integral ABS.c