2008 BMW MOTORRAD K 1200 R brake

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

commends setting the brake
lever to a wider span.When the residual brak-
ing function is active for
both brake circuits, the noise
of the pump is no longer aud-
ible when you operate the
brake levers.
582zRiding

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

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