2007 BMW MOTORRAD G 650 XCHALLENGE brake

Wet brakes
After the motorcycle has
been washed, ridden
through water or ridden in
the rain, the brake discs and
pads might be wet and the
brakes might not take effect
immediately.
Apply the brakes in good time
until the brakes have dried out.
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.
Apply the brakes in good time
until the salt layer on the brake
discs and brake pads has been
removed.
Oil or grease on brakes
Oil and grease on the brake
discs and pads considerably
diminish braking efficiency.
Especially after repair and main-
tenance work, make sure that the
brake discs and brake pads are
free of oil and grease.
Dirt or mud on brakes
When riding on loose sur-
faces or muddy roads, the
brakes may fail to take effect
immediately because of dirt or
moisture on the discs or brake
pads.
Apply the brakes in good time
until the brakes have been
cleaned.
The brake pads will wear
more rapidly if you ride fre-
quently on unsurfaced tracks or
poor roads.
Check the thickness of the brakepads more frequently and replace
the brake pads in good time.
Parking your
motorcyclePlacing motorcycle on
side stand
If the ground is soft or un-
even, there is no guaran-
tee that the motorcycle will rest
firmly on the stand.
Always check that the ground
under the stand is level and
firm.
Switch off the engine.
Pull the handbrake lever.
Hold the motorcycle upright
and balanced.
Use your left foot to extend the
side stand fully.
The side stand is designed
to support only the weight
of the motorcycle.
Do not lean or sit on the
551zRiding

motorcycle with the side stand
extended.
Slowly lean the motorcycle to
the side until its weight is taken
by the stand and dismount to
the left.
If the motorcycle is on the
side stand, the surface of
the ground will determine wheth-
er it is better to turn the handle-
bars to the left or right. However,
the motorcycle is more stable on
a level surface with the handle-
bars turned to the left than with
the handlebars turned to the
right.
On level ground, always turn the
handlebars to the left to set the
steering lock.
Turn the handlebars to full left
or right lock.
Check that the motorcycle is
standing firmly.On a gradient, the motor-
cycle should always face
uphill; select 1st gear.
Lock the steering lock.
Removing motorcycle
from side standUnlock the steering lock.
From the left, grip the handle-
bars with both hands.
Pull the handbrake lever.
Swing your right leg over the
seat and lift the motorcycle to
the upright position.
Hold the motorcycle upright
and balanced.
An extended side stand can
catch on the ground when
the motorcycle is moving and
lead to a fall.
Retract the side stand before
moving the motorcycle.
Sit on the motorcycle and use
your left foot to retract the side
stand.
Refuelling
Fuel is highly flammable. A
naked flame close to the
fuel tank can cause a fire or ex-
plosion.
Do not smoke. Never bring a
naked flame near the fuel tank.
Fuel expands when hot.
Fuel escaping from an
overfilled tank could make its way
onto the rear tyre. This could
cause a fall.
Do not fill the tank past the bot-
tom edge of the filler neck.
Fuel attacks plastics, which
become dull or unsightly.
Wipe off plastic parts immediately
if they come into contact with
fuel.
Leaded fuel will destroy the
catalytic converter.
Use only unleaded fuel.
552zRiding

Engineering details
Engineering details
Brake system with BMW Motorrad
ABS
OE
.............................. 56
655zEngineering details

Brake system with
BMW Motorrad ABS
OE
How does ABS work?The amount of braking force that
can be transferred to the road
depends on factors hat include
the coefficient of friction of the
road surface. Loose stones, ice
and snow or a wet road all have
much lower coefficients of fric-
tion than a clean, dry asphalt sur-
face. The lower the coefficient
of friction, the longer the braking
distance.
If the rider increases braking
pressure to the extent that brak-
ing force exceeds the maxim-
um transferrable limit, the wheels
start to lock and the motorcycle
loses its directional stability; a fall
is imminent. Before this situation
can occur, ABS intervenes and
adapts braking pressure to the
maximum transferrable braking
force, so the wheels continueto turn and directional stability
is maintained irrespective of the
condition of the road surface.
What are the effects of
surface irregularities?Humps and surface irregularit-
ies can cause the wheels to lose
contact temporarily with the road
surface; if this happens the brak-
ing force that can be transmit-
ted to the road can drop to zero.
If the brakes are applied under
these circumstances the ABS
has to reduce braking force to
ensure that directional stability
is maintained when the wheels
regain contact with the road sur-
face. At this instant the BMW
Motorrad ABS must assume an
extremely low coefficient of fric-
tion, so that the wheels will con-
tinue to rotate under all imagin-
able circumstances, because this
is the precondition for ensuring
directional stability. As soon asis registers the actual circum-
stances, the system reacts in-
stantly and adjusts braking force
accordingly to achieve optimum
braking.
Rear wheel liftEven 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 in-
tervene until very late, if at all.
Under these circumstances the
rear wheel can lift off the ground,
and the outcome can be a high-
siding situation in which the mo-
torcycle can flip over.
Severe braking can cause
the rear wheel to lift off the
ground.
When you brake, bear in mind
that ABS control cannot be relied
on in all circumstances to prevent
the rear wheel from lifting clear of
the ground.
656zEngineering details

What is the design
baseline for BMW
Motorrad ABS?Within the limits imposed by
physics, BMW Motorrad ABS en-
sures directional stability on any
surface. The system is not op-
timised for special requirements
that apply under extreme com-
petitive situations off-road or on
the track.Special situationsThe speeds of the front and rear
wheels are compared as one
means of detecting a wheel's
incipient tendency to lock. If the
system registers implausible val-
ues for a lengthy period the ABS
function is deactivated for safety
reasons and an ABS fault mes-
sage is issued. Self-diagnos-
is has to complete before fault
messages can be issued.
In addition to problems with the
BMW Motorrad ABS, exceptionalriding conditions can lead to a
fault message being issued.
Exceptional riding
conditions:
Riding for a lengthy period with
the front wheel lifted off the
ground (wheelie).
Rear wheel rotating with the
motorcycle held stationary by
applying the front brake (burn-
out).
Heating up with the motorcycle
on the centre stand or an auxil-
iary stand, engine idling or with
a gear engaged.
Rear wheel locked for a lengthy
period, for example while des-
cending off-road.
If a fault message is issued on
account of exceptional riding
conditions as outlined above, you
can reactivate the ABS function
by switching the ignition off and
on again.
What significance
devolves on regular
maintenance?
Invariably, a technical sys-
tem cannot perform beyond
the abilities dictated by its level
of maintenance.
In order to ensure that the BMW
Motorrad ABS is always main-
tained in optimum condition, it
is essential for you to comply
strictly with the specified inspec-
tion intervals.
Reserves for safetyThe potentially shorter braking
distances which BMW Motorrad
ABS permits must not be used
as an excuse for careless riding.
ABS is primarily a means of en-
suring a safety margin in genuine
emergencies.
Take care when cornering. When
you apply the brakes on a corner,
the motorcycle's weight and
657zEngineering details

Maintenance
Maintenance
Notes................................ 64
Toolkit . . ............................. 64
Engine oil............................ 65
Brake system ........................ 67
Brake pads . . ........................ 68
Brake fluid........................... 69
Coolant . ............................. 71
Clutch . . ............................. 72
Tyres................................ 73
Rims................................. 73
Chain................................ 73
Wheels . ............................. 75
BMW Motorrad auxiliary stand....... 81
BMW Motorrad front-wheel
stand................................ 82Fuses . . .............................. 84
Bulbs . . .............................. 86
Air filter .............................. 92
Jump starting ........................ 95
Battery . .............................. 96
Number-plate carrier............... 100
863zMaintenance

If the oil level is above the MAX
mark:
Have the oil level corrected by
a specialist workshop, prefer-
ably an authorised BMW Mo-
torrad dealer.Topping up engine oil
Damage to the engine
can result if it is operated
without enough oil, but the same
also applies if the oil level is too
high.
Always make sure that the oil
level is correct.
Wipe the area around the filler
neck clean.Remove oil dipstick1.
Top up the engine oil until the
level reaches markA.
Check the engine oil level
( 65)
Install the oil dipstick.
Brake systemDependability of the brake
systemA fully functional brake system is
a basic requirement for the road
safety of your motorcycle.
Do not ride the motorcycle if you
have any doubts about the de-
pendability of the brake system.
Under these circumstances have
the brake system checked by a
specialist workshop, preferably
an authorised BMW Motorrad
dealer.
Incorrect working practices
endanger the reliability of
the brakes.
Have all work on the brake sys-
tem performed by a specialist
workshop, preferably an author-
ised BMW Motorrad dealer.
867zMaintenance

Checking operation of
brakesPull the handbrake lever.
The pressure point must be
clearly perceptible.
Press the footbrake lever.
The pressure point must be
clearly perceptible.
If pressure points are not clearly
perceptible:
Have the brakes checked by a
specialist workshop, preferably
an authorised BMW Motorrad
dealer.
Brake padsChecking front brake pad
thickness
Brake pads worn past
the minimum permissible
brake-pad thickness can cause
a reduction in braking efficiency
and under certain circumstances
they can cause damage to the
brake system.
In order to ensure the dependab-
ility of the brake system, do not
permit the brake pads to wear
past the minimum permissible
brake-pad thickness.Visually inspect the brake pads
to ascertain their thickness.
Viewing direction: Between
wheel and fork tube toward the
brake caliper.
Brake-pad wear limit,
front
min 1 mm (Friction pad only,
without backing plate)
The wear indicators
(grooves) must be clearly
visible.
868zMaintenance