2008 BMW MOTORRAD K 1200 R ABS

Removing motorcycle
from centre stand
OA
Unlock the steering lock.
with OE BMW Motorrad Integ-
ral ABS:
Brake servo assistance
is not available when the
ignition is off; the motorcycle
can start to roll.
Particularly when the motor-
cycle is parked on a gradi-
ent, switch on the ignition and
wait for the ABS to complete
its self-diagnosis.
Switch on the ignition.
Wait for ABS self-diagnosis
to complete.
Place your left hand on the
left handlebar grip.
Grip the rear grab handle
with your right hand.
Push the motorcycle for-
ward off the centre stand. Check that the centre stand
has fully retracted.
577zRiding

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

use of available braking per-
formance in an emergency.
BMW Integral ABS provides
improved braking deceler-
ation by means of anti-lock
braking for both wheels and
braking force distribution by
means of the integral brak-
ing function. Making full use
of the motorcycle's technical
braking capacity will minimise
braking distances noticeably,
even when road conditions
are poor. When the motor-
cycle is ravelling in a straight
line, BMW Integral ABS en-
ables safe optimised emer-
gency braking adapted to
match the road-surface con-
ditions.Reserves for safetyThe potentially shorter brak-
ing distances which BMW
Integral ABS permits must
not be used as an excusefor careless riding. ABS is
primarily a means of ensur-
ing a safety margin in genuine
emergencies.
Take care when cornering.
When you apply the brakes
on a corner, the motorcycle's
weight and momentum take
over and even BMW Integral
ABS is unable to counteract
their effects.
Partially integral brakesYour motorcycle is equipped
with partially integral brakes.
Both front and rear brakes
are applied when you pull the
handbrake lever. The foot-
brake lever acts only on the
rear brake.
The electronic controller in
the BMW Integral ABS regu-
lates braking-force distribu-
tion between front and rear
wheels. Braking-force distri-
bution depends on load andis recalculated every time the
ABS controller comes into ac-
tion.
Brake boosterThe hydraulic pump in the
BMW Integral ABS boosts
the braking force acting on
the wheel when the brakes
are applied. By boosting the
braking force in this way,
BMW Integral ABS achieves
higher braking efficiency than
standard brake systems.ABS anti-lock braking
systemABS prevents the wheels
locking under braking, thus
contributing significantly to
road safety.
580zRiding

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 intervene until
very late, if at all. Under these
circumstances the rear wheel
can lift off the ground, and the
outcome can be a highsiding
situation in which the motor-
cycle can flip over.Severe braking can
cause the rear wheel to
lift off the ground.
Bear in mind that ABS can-
not be relied on in all circum-
stances to prevent the rear
wheel from lifting clear of the
ground.
Residual braking func-
tionWhen the ignition is switched
off, during self-diagnosis,
or if the BMW Integral ABS
malfunctions, only a residual
braking function remains
available in the brake circuits
in question. The residual
braking function is the braking
power without the hydraulic
servo assistance of the BMW
Integral ABS. Under these
circumstances, therefore,
you must apply considerably
higher pressure to the brake
levers in question in order to
apply the brakes, and lever
travel is longer. When the
residual braking function
is active, the ABS function
is unavailable in the brake
system in question. When the
residual braking function is
active, the integral braking function is partially or entirely
unavailable.
Without the assistance
of the ABS function, the
wheels could lock when the
brakes are applied hard. You
have to apply considerably
more force to the brake
levers to brake without
servo-assisted brakes. The
changed braking response
can cause accidents.
Avoid hard braking if possible.
Apply brakes in good time as
increased effort is required.
Have the fault rectified as
soon as possible by a spe-
cialist workshop, preferably
an authorised BMW Motorrad
dealer.
The brake-lever travel
needed to build up brak-
ing pressure can be consider-
ably longer when the system
is in residual braking function
mode, so BMW Motorrad re-
581zRiding

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 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