2008 BMW MOTORRAD K 1200 R maintenance

Welcome to BMWWe congratulate you on your
choice of a motorcycle from
BMW and welcome you to the
community of BMW riders.
Familiarise yourself with your
new motorcycle so that you
can ride it safely and confid-
ently in all traffic situations.
Please read this Rider's
Manual carefully before
starting to use your new
BMW motorcycle. It contains
important information 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 inform-
ation on maintenance and
care to help you maintain your
motorcycle's reliability and
safety, as well as its value.
If you have any questions
concerning your motorcycle,your authorised BMW Motor-
rad dealer will gladly provide
advice and assistance.
We hope that you will enjoy
riding your BMW and that all
your journeys will be pleasant
and safe.
BMW Motorrad.

6 Accessories . . . . . . . . . . 83
General instructions . . . . . 84
Power socket . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Case
OA
................. 88
7 Maintenance . . . . . . . . . 91
Maintenance - general
instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Toolkit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Overview, toolkit . . . . . . . . . 92
Contents, supplementary
kit
OA
.................... 92
Overview, supplementary
kit ...................... 92
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Brake system, general . . . 95
Brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Rims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Front-wheel stand . . . . . . 110
Rear wheel stand . . . . . . . 112
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Jump starting . . . . . . . . . . 118
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
8 Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Care products . . . . . . . . . . 126
Washing the
motorcycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Cleaning easily damaged
components . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Paint care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Protective wax
coating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Laying up the
motorcycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Restoring motorcycle to
use .................... 129
9 Technical data . . . . . . . 131
Troubleshooting
chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Threaded fasteners . . . . . 133
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Riding specifications . . . . 136
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Final drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Running gear . . . . . . . . . . . 137Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Wheels and tyres . . . . . . . 138
Electrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
10 Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
BMW Motorrad
service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
BMW Motorrad service
quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
BMW Motorrad Service
Card - On-the-spot
breakdown
assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
BMW Motorrad service
network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Maintenance work . . . . . . 145
Maintenance
schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Confirmation of
maintenance work . . . . . . 147
Confirmation of
service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

OverviewChapter 2 of this Rider's
Manual will provide you with
an initial overview of your
motorcycle. All maintenance
and servicing work on the
motorcycle is documented in
Chapter 10. This record of
the maintenance work you
have had performed on your
motorcycle is a precondition
for generous treatment of
claims submitted after the
warranty period has expired.
When the time comes to sell
your BMW, please remem-
ber to hand over this Rider's
Manual; it is an important part
of the motorcycle.
Abbreviations and
symbols
Indicates warnings that
you must comply with for
reasons of your safety and the
safety of others, and to pro-
tect your motorcycle against
damage.
Specific instructions on
how to operate, control,
adjust or look after items of
equipment on the motorcycle.
Indicates the end of an
item of information.
Instruction.
Result of an activity.
Reference to a page
with more detailed in-
formation. OE Optional extra
Your motorcycle was
assembled complete
with all the BMW
optional extras you
ordered.
OA Optional accessory You can obtain option-
al accessories through
your authorised BMW
Motorrad dealer; op-
tional accessories
have to be retrofitted
to the motorcycle.
EWS Electronic immobiliser (Elektronische Weg-
fahrsicherung).
ESA Electronic Suspension Adjustment
Electronic Suspension
Adjustment.
16zGeneral instructions

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.
Catalytic converterIf misfiring causes unburned
fuel to enter the catalytic con-
verter, there is a danger of
overheating and damage.
For this reason, observe the
following points:
Do not run the fuel tank dry.
Do not attempt to start or
run the engine with a spark-
plug cap disconnected.
Stop the engine immediately
if it misfires.
Use only unleaded fuel.
Comply with all specified
maintenance intervals. Unburned fuel will des-
troy the catalytic con-
verter.
Note the points listed for pro-
tection of the catalytic con-
verter.
Risk of fireTemperatures at the exhaust
are high.
Flammable materials
(e.g. hay, leaves, grass,
clothing and luggage, etc.)
could ignite if allowed to
come into contact with the
hot exhaust pipe.
Do not permit flammable ma-
terials to come into contact
with the hot exhaust system.
Cooling would be
inadequate 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
immediately after starting the
engine.
Tampering with the con-
trol unit of the electronic
engine-management sys-
tem
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.
Tampering with the con-
trol unit of the electron-
ic engine-management sys-
tem can result in mechanical
loads that the motorcycle's
563zRiding

Brake system, generalDescending mountain
passes
There is a danger of the
brakes fading if you use
only the rear brakes when
descending mountain passes.
Under extreme conditions,
the brakes could overheat
and suffer severe damage.
Use both front and rear
brakes, and make use of the
engine's braking effect as
well.
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
maintenance 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
surfaces or muddy
roads, the brakes may fail
to take effect immediately
because of dirt or moisture on
the discs or brake pads.
Apply brakes in good time
until the brakes have been
cleaned.
Brake system with
BMW Integral ABS
OE
Sensitive electronic con-
trolIt takes skill and sensitive
control of the brakes to pull
up safely on a motorcycle. If
the front brakes lock and the
wheel skids, the necessary
longitudinal and lateral stabil-
ising forces are lost, and a fall
can result. For this reason,
the rider seldom makes full
579zRiding

Maintenance
Maintenance - general
instructions................... 92
Toolkit ........................ 92
Overview, toolkit .............. 92
Contents, supplementary
kit
OA
.......................... 92
Overview, supplementary kit . . . 92
Engine oil . .................... 93
Brake system, general ......... 95
Brake pads .................... 96
Brake fluid .................... 97
Clutch ....................... 100
Tyres ........................ 101
Rims . ........................ 101
Wheels . . . ................... 102
Front-wheel stand ............ 110 Rear wheel stand
............. 112
Bulbs ........................ 113
Jump starting . . .............. 118
Battery . . . .................... 120
791zMaintenance

Maintenance - general
instructionsThe 'Maintenance' chapter
describes work involving the
replacement of wear parts
that can be performed with
minimum effort.
If special tightening torques
are to be taken into account
for assembly, these are also
listed.
Threaded fasteners for which
a suitable tool is included in
the toolkit are marked ac-
cordingly.
If you are interested in inform-
ation on more extensive work,
we recommend the repair
manual on CD-ROM which
applies to your particular mo-
torcycle. You can obtain a
copy from your authorised
BMW Motorrad dealer.
ToolkitPosition on the motor-
cycleThe toolkit supplied with the
motorcycle is underneath the
seat.Overview, toolkit1Screwdriver with revers-
ible blade
2 Torx wrench, T25
3 Screwdriver, small
Contents, supplement-
ary kit
OA
The supplementary kit is
available as an optional ac-
cessory. Please consult your
authorised BMW Motorrad
dealer.
Overview, supple-
mentary kit1 Screwdriver blade
2 Socket wrench, w/f 17
3 Spark plug socket span-
ner
792zMaintenance

4Open-ended spanner,
w/f 17
5 TORX wrenches, T40,
T45, T50Engine oilChecking the engine oil
level
The engine can seize if
the oil level is low, and
this can lead to accidents.
Always make sure that the oil
level is correct.
Oil can collect in the
sump if the motorcycle
is out of use for an extended
period of time; this oil has to
be pumped into the oil tank
before the level is read. The
engine oil must be at oper-
ating temperature to do this.
Checking the oil level with the
engine cold or after no more
than a short ride will lead to
misinterpretation; this in turn, means that the engine will be
operated with the incorrect
quantity of oil.
In order to ensure that the en-
gine oil level is read correctly,
check the oil level only after a
lengthy trip.
The oil level varies with
the temperature of the
oil. The higher the temperat-
ure the higher the oil level in
the oil tank. Check the engine
oil level immediately after a
lengthy journey.
Make sure the engine is at
operating temperature and
hold the motorcycle upright.
with OA Centre stand:
Check that the engine is
at operating temperature,
make sure the ground is
level and firm and place
the motorcycle on its centre
stand. Allow the engine to idle for
one minute.
Switch off the ignition.
Check the oil level in oil-
level indicator
1.
Engine oil, specified level
793zMaintenance