2008 BMW MOTORRAD K 1200 R Rider's Manual (in English)

Store or dispose of the ex-
cess engine oil in an envir-
onmentally compatible man-
ner.Brake system, generalReliabilityA fully functional brake sys-
tem is a basic requirement for
the road safety of your motor-
cycle.
Do not ride the motorcycle if
you have any doubts about
the dependability of the brake
system.
Under these circumstances
have the brake system
checked by a specialist
workshop, preferably an
authorised BMW Motorrad
dealer.Incorrect working prac-
tices endanger the reli-
ability of the brakes.
Have all work on the brake
system carried out by a spe-
cialist workshop, preferably
an authorised BMW Motorrad
dealer.
Checking operation of
the 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. with OE BMW Motorrad Integ-
ral ABS:
Switch on the ignition.
Wait for ABS self-diagnosis
to complete.
Pull the handbrake lever.
The pressure point must be
clearly perceptible.
The noise of the hydraulic
pump running must be aud-
ible.
Press the footbrake lever.
The pressure point must be
clearly perceptible.
The noise of the hydraulic
pump running must be aud-
ible.
If the hydraulic pump does
not run or if the pressure
points are not clearly
perceptible: Have the brakes checked
by a specialist workshop,
preferably an authorised
BMW Motorrad dealer.
795zMaintenance

Brake padsChecking brake-pad
thickness, front brakes
Brake pads worn past
the minimum permissible
thickness can cause a reduc-
tion in braking efficiency and
under certain circumstances
they can cause damage to
the brake system.
In order to ensure the de-
pendability of the brake sys-
tem, do not permit the brake
pads to wear past the minim-
um permissible thickness.
Make sure the ground is
level and firm and place the
motorcycle on its stand. Visually inspect the left and
right brake pads to ascer-
tain their thickness.
Brake-pad thickness, front
The wear indicators on the
brake pads must be clearly
visible.If the wear indicating mark is
no longer clearly visible:
Have the brake pads re-
placed by a specialist work-
shop, preferably an author-
ised BMW Motorrad dealer.
Checking brake pad
thickness, rear brakes
Brake pads worn past
the minimum permissible
thickness can cause a reduc-
tion in braking efficiency and
under certain circumstances
they can cause damage to
the brake system.
In order to ensure the de-
pendability of the brake sys-
tem, do not permit the brake
pads to wear past the minim-
um permissible thickness.
Make sure the ground is
level and firm and place the
motorcycle on its stand.
796zMaintenance

Visually inspect the brake
pads from the right to as-
certain their thickness.
Brake-pad thickness, rear
Make sure that the brake
disc is not visible throughthe bore in the inboard
brake block.
If the brake disc is visible: Have the brake pads re-
placed by a specialist work-
shop, preferably an author-
ised BMW Motorrad dealer.
Brake fluidChecking brake-fluid
level, front brakes
A low fluid level in the
brake reservoir can al-
low air to penetrate the brake
system. This significantly re-
duces braking efficiency.
Apply the brakes in good
time.
Make sure the ground is
level and firm and hold the
motorcycle upright.
Move the handlebars to the
straight-ahead position. with OA Centre stand:
Make sure the ground is
level and firm and place
the motorcycle on its centre
stand.
Move the handlebars to the
straight-ahead position.
Check the brake fluid level
in front reservoir 1.
The brake fluid level in
the brake fluid reser-
voir drops as the brake pads
wear.
797zMaintenance

Brake fluid level, front
DOT4 brake fluid
Do not permit the brake flu-
id level to drop below the
MIN mark.
If the brake fluid level drops
below the permitted level: Have the fault rectified as
soon as possible by a spe-
cialist workshop, preferably
an authorised BMW Motor-
rad dealer. with OE BMW Motorrad Integ-
ral ABS:
Check the brake fluid level
in front reservoir 1.
The brake fluid level
in the reservoir does
not drop as the brake pads
wear. Brake fluid level, front
with OE BMW Motorrad In-
tegral ABS:
DOT4 brake fluid
Do not permit the brake flu-
id level to drop.
Any drop in brake fluid level,
even if the level remains
above the MIN mark, is
indicative of a fault in the
brake system. Have the fault rectified as
soon as possible by a spe-
cialist workshop, preferably
an authorised BMW Motor-
rad dealer.
798zMaintenance

Checking brake-fluid
level, rear brakes
A low fluid level in the
brake reservoir can al-
low air to penetrate the brake
system. This significantly re-
duces braking efficiency.
Apply the brakes in good
time.
Make sure the ground is
level and firm and place the
motorcycle on its stand.
Check the brake fluid level
through aperture Ain the
right side panel. Check the brake fluid level
in reservoir
1.
The brake fluid level in
the brake fluid reser-
voir drops as the brake pads
wear.
Brake fluid level, rear DOT4 brake fluid
Do not permit the brake flu-
id level to drop below the
MIN mark.
If the brake fluid level drops
below the permitted level: Have the fault rectified as
soon as possible by a spe-
cialist workshop, preferably
an authorised BMW Motor-
rad dealer.
with OE BMW Motorrad Integ-
ral ABS:
Check the brake fluid level
in reservoir 1.
799zMaintenance

The brake fluid level
in the reservoir does
not drop as the brake pads
wear.
Brake fluid level, rear
with OE BMW Motorrad In-
tegral ABS:
DOT4 brake fluid
Do not permit the brake flu-
id level to drop.
Any drop in brake fluid level,
even if the level remains
above the MIN mark, is
indicative of a fault in the
brake system. Have the fault rectified as
soon as possible by a spe-
cialist workshop, preferably
an authorised BMW Motor-
rad dealer.
ClutchChecking clutch opera-
tionPull the clutch lever.
The pressure point must be
clearly perceptible.
If the pressure point is not
clearly perceptible: Have the clutch checked
by a specialist workshop,
preferably an authorised
BMW Motorrad dealer.Checking the clutch fluid
levelMake sure the ground is
level and firm and hold the
motorcycle upright. Move the handlebars to the
straight-ahead position.
with OA Centre stand:
Make sure the ground is
level and firm and place
the motorcycle on its centre
stand.
Move the handlebars to the
straight-ahead position.
Check the clutch fluid level
in reservoir 1.
Wear of the clutch
causes the fluid level in
the clutch fluid reservoir to
rise.
7100zMaintenance

Clutch fluid level
Do not permit the clutch flu-
id level to drop.
If the fluid level drops: Unsuitable hydraulic flu-
ids could cause damage
to the clutch system.
Do not attempt to top up
the system with fluids of any
kind.
Have the fault rectified as
soon as possible by a spe-
cialist workshop, preferably
an authorised BMW Motor-
rad dealer. The clutch system is
filled with a special hy-
draulic fluid that does not
have to be changed.
TyresChecking tyre tread
depth
Your motorcycle's hand-
ling and grip can be im-
paired even before the tyres
wear to the minimum tyre
tread depth permitted by law.
Have the tyres changed in
good time before they wear
to the minimum permissible
tread depth.
Make sure the ground is
level and firm and place the
motorcycle on its stand.
Measure the tyre tread
depth in the main tread
grooves with wear marks. Tyres have wear indic-
ators integrated into the
main tread grooves. The tyre
is worn out when the tyre
tread has worn down to the
level of the marks. The loca-
tions of the marks are indic-
ated on the edge of the tyre,
e.g. by the letters TI, TWI or
by an arrow.
If the tyre tread no longer
complies with the minimum
legally required tread depth:
Replace the tyre.
RimsChecking rimsMake sure the ground is
level and firm and place the
motorcycle on its stand.
Visually inspect the rims for
defects.
Have damaged rims
checked and, if necessary,
replaced by a specialist
7101zMaintenance

workshop, preferably an
authorised BMW Motorrad
dealer.WheelsApproved wheels and
tyresFor each size of tyre BMW
Motorrad tests certain makes,
and approves those that it
certifies as roadworthy. If
BMW Motorrad has not ap-
proved the wheels and tyres,
it cannot assess their suitab-
ility or provide any guarantee
of road safety.
Use only wheels and tyres
approved by BMW Motorrad
for your type of motorcycle.
You can obtain detailed in-
formation from your author-
ised BMW Motorrad dealer or
on the Internet at www.bmw-
motorrad.com.
Removing front wheelPlace the motorcycle on an
auxiliary stand; BMW re-
commends the BMW Motor-
rad rear-wheel stand.
Install the rear wheel stand.
with OA Centre stand:
Make sure the ground is
level and firm and place
the motorcycle on its centre
stand.
Remove screws 1.
Remove cover 2. Once the calipers have
been removed, there is
a risk of the brake pads be-
ing pressed together to the
extent that they cannot be
slipped back over the brake
disc on reassembly.
Do not operate the handbrake
lever when the brake calipers
have been removed.
Remove securing screws 3
of the brake calipers on left
and right.
7102zMaintenance