
BMW Motorrad front-wheel
stand ......................... 77
Fuses ........................ 79
Bulbs . ........................ 80
Jump starting . . . ............. 87
Battery . . . . . . ................. 88
9 Care . . . . . . ................ 93
Care products . . . ............. 94
Washing motorcycle . . . . ...... 94
Cleaning easily damaged
components . ................. 94
Paint care . . . ................. 95
Protective wax coating . ...... 96
Laying up motorcycle . . ...... 96
Restoring motorcycle to
use........................... 96
10 Technical data . . . . . . . . 97
Troubleshooting chart . . ...... 98
Threaded fasteners . . . . ...... 99
Engine . . . . . . ............... 100
Fuel . . ...................... 101
Engine oil . . . ............... 101
Clutch ...................... 102
Transmission ............... 102
Rear-wheel drive ........... 103 Running gear
............... 103
Brakes . . . . . . ............... 104
Wheels and tyres ........... 104
Electrics . . . . . ............... 105
Frame ...................... 107
Dimensions . ............... 107
Weights . . . . . ............... 108
Riding specifications . . . .... 108
11 Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
BMW Motorrad service . .... 110
BMW Motorrad service
quality ...................... 110
BMW Motorrad Service
Card: on-the-spot break-
down assistance ........... 110
BMW Motorrad service net-
work . . ...................... 111
Maintenance work . . . . . . .... 111
Confirmation of mainten-
ance work . . . ............... 112
Confirmation of service . .... 117

scriptions of equipment which
you have not ordered. Please
note, too, that your motorcycle
might not be exactly as illus-
trated in this manual on account
of country-specific differences.
If your BMW was supplied with
equipment not described in
this Rider's Manual, you will
find these features described in
separate manuals.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 Normung
e.V. Versions for individual
countries may differ.
CurrencyThe high safety and quality
standards of BMW motorcycles
are maintained by constant
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 BMW Motorrad entirely
rule out errors and omissions.
We hope you will appreciate that
no claims can be entertained on
the basis of the data, illustrations
or descriptions in this manual.
17zGeneral instructions

Headlight beam throw and
spring preloadHeadlight beam throw is gener-
ally kept constant when spring
preload is adjusted to suit load.
Spring preload adjustment might
not suffice only if the motorcycle
is very heavily loaded. Under
these circumstances, headlight
beam throw has to be adjusted
to suit the weight carried by the
motorcycle.Consult a specialist work-
shop, preferably an au-
thorised BMW Motorrad deal-
er, if you are unsure whether
the headlight basic setting is
correct. Screws
1on left and right al-
low the height of the headlight
to be adjusted. This adjustment
should be carried out by a spe-
cialist workshop, preferably an
authorised BMW Motorrad deal-
er.
SeatRemoving seatMake sure the ground is level
and firm and place the motor-
cycle on its stand. Use the ignition key to turn
seat lock
1counter-clockwise
and hold it in this position.
Lift seat 2at the rear and re-
lease the key.
437zOperation

Safety instructionsRider'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 Mo-
torrad dealer will be glad to ad-
vise you on the correct clothing
for every purpose.SpeedIf you ride at high speed, always
bear in mind that various bound-
ary conditions can adversely af-
fect the handling of your motor-
cycle: Settings of the spring-strut and
shock-absorber system
Imbalanced load
Loose clothing
Insufficient tyre pressure
Poor tyre tread
Etc.
Correct loading
Overloading and imbal-
anced loads can adversely
affect the motorcycle's handling.
Do not exceed the permissible
gross weight and be sure to
comply with the instructions on
loading.
Alcohol and drugs
Even small amounts of
alcohol or drugs will ad-
versely affect your perception
and your ability to assess situ-
ations and make decisions, and
slow down your reflexes. Med-
ication can exacerbate these ef-
fects. Do not ride your motorcycle after
consuming alcohol, drugs and/or
medication.
Risk of poisoningExhaust fumes contain carbon
monoxide, which is colourless
and odourless but highly toxic.
Inhaling the exhaust fumes
therefore represents a
health hazard and can even
cause loss of consciousness with
fatal consequences.
Do not inhale exhaust fumes.
Do not run the engine in an en-
closed space.High voltage
Touching live parts of the
ignition system with the
engine running can cause electric
shock.
Do not touch parts of the igni-
tion system when the engine is
running.
540zRiding

pads 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 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.
547zRiding

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
651zEngineering details

Cable routingThe cables from the power sock-
et to the auxiliary device must be
routed in such a way that they:Do not impede the rider
Do not restrict or obstruct the
steering angle and handling
characteristics
Cannot be trapped
Incorrectly routed cables
can impede the rider.
Route the cables as described
above.LuggageCorrect loading
Overloading and imbal-
anced loads can adversely
affect the motorcycle's handling.
Do not exceed the permissible
gross weight and be sure to
comply with the instructions on
loading. Set spring preload, damping
characteristic and tyre pres-
sures to suit total weight.
Note the maximum permissible
payload of the luggage carrier.
Loading luggage carrier
max 5 kg
Note the maximum permissible
payload of the tank rucksack
and the speed limit for riding
with a tank rucksack on the
motorcycle.
Payload of tank rucksack
max 5 kg Maximum permissible
speed for riding with the
tank rucksack fitted to the mo-
torcycle
max 130 km/h Note the maximum permissible
payload of the rear softbag and
the speed limit for riding with a
rear softbag on the motorcycle.
Payload of rear softbag
max 2.5 kg Maximum permissible
speed for riding with the
rear softbag fitted to the mo-
torcycle
max 130 km/h
755zAccessories

Technical data
Technical data
Troubleshooting chart . . ............. 98
Threaded fasteners . ................. 99
Engine . . . .......................... 100
Fuel . ............................... 101
Engine oil .......................... 101
Clutch . . . .......................... 102
Transmission . ..................... 102
Rear-wheel drive ................... 103
Running gear . ..................... 103
Brakes . . . .......................... 104
Wheels and tyres . . . ............... 104
Electrics . .......................... 105
Frame . . . .......................... 107
Dimensions . . . ..................... 107
Weights . . .......................... 108 Riding specifications
............... 108
1097zTechnical data