
Table of Contents
You can also consult the index atthe end of this Rider's Manual ifyou want to find a particular topicor item of information.
1 General instructions . . . . 5Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Abbreviations andsymbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Currency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2 General views . . . . . . . . . . . . 9General view, left side . . . . . . . 11General view, right side . . . . . 13Underneath the seat . . . . . . . . 14Instrument panel . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Handlebar fitting, left . . . . . . . . 16Handlebar fitting, right . . . . . . . 17Handlebar fitting, centre . . . . . 18
3 Status indicators . . . . . . . 19Status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Standard warnings . . . . . . . . . . 20ABS warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Ignition switch and steeringlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Odometer andtripmeters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Turn indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Hazard warning flashers . . . . . 31Emergency off switch (killswitch) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Grip heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33BMW Motorrad ABS . . . . . . . . 33Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Spring preload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Damping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
5 Riding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . 42Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Running in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Off-roading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Parking your motorcycle . . . . 49Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Securing motorcycle fortransportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
6 Engineering details . . . . . 53Brake system with BMWMotorrad ABS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
7 Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57General instructions . . . . . . . . . 58Power sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59topcase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
8 Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Toolkit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Rims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76BMW Motorrad front-wheelstand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85Air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91Jump starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93Body panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
9 Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101Care products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Washing motorcycle . . . . . . . 102Cleaning easily damagedcomponents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Paint care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Protective wax coating . . . . 104Laying up motorcycle . . . . . 104Restoring motorcycle touse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
10 Technical data . . . . . . 105Troubleshooting chart . . . . . 106Threaded fasteners . . . . . . . 107Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Rear-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . 112Running gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Wheels and tyres . . . . . . . . . . 113Electrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Riding specifications . . . . . . 118
11 Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119BMW Motorrad service . . . . 120BMW Motorrad servicequality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120BMW Motorrad mobilityservices - roadside assist-ance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
BMW Motorrad servicenetwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121Maintenance work . . . . . . . . . 121Confirmation of mainten-ance work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122Confirmation of service . . . . 127

Overview
Chapter 2 of this Rider's Manu-al will provide you with an initialoverview of your motorcycle. Allmaintenance and repair work onthe motorcycle is documented inChapter 11. This record of themaintenance work you have hadperformed on your motorcycle isa precondition for generous treat-ment of goodwill claims.
When the time comes to sellyour BMW, please rememberto hand over this Rider's Manu-al; it is an important part of themotorcycle.
Abbreviations and
symbols
Indicates warnings that youmust comply with for reas-ons of your safety and the safetyof others, and to protect yourmotorcycle against damage.
Specific instructions onhow to operate, control, ad-just or look after items of equip-ment on the motorcycle.
Indicates the end of anitem of information.
Instruction.
Result of an activity.
Reference to a page withmore detailed informa-tion.
Indicates the end of apassage relating to spe-cific accessories or itemsof equipment.
Tightening torque.
Item of technical data.
OE Optional extraThe motorcycles are as-sembled complete withall the BMW optional ex-tras originally ordered.
OA Optional accessoryYou can obtain option-al accessories throughyour authorised BMWMotorrad dealer; optionalaccessories have to beretrofitted to the motor-cycle.
ABSAnti-lock brake system
Equipment
When you ordered your BMWmotorcycle, you chose variousitems of custom equipment. ThisRider's Manual describes option-al extras (OE) offered by BMWand selected optional accessor-ies (OA). This explains why themanual may also contain de-
1
6
zGeneral instructions

General view, right side
1Fuel filler neck (49)
2Brake-fluid reservoir, front(70)
3Type plate (on right frametube)
VIN (on steering-headbearing, right)
4Air filter (underneath sidepanel) (91)
5Adjuster for spring preload,rear (35)
6Adjuster for damping char-acteristic, rear suspension(36)
7Brake-fluid reservoir, rear(71)
8Tyre pressures table (onrear wheel swinging arm)
2
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zGeneral views

Riding
Riding
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Running in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Off-roading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Parking your motorcycle . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Securing motorcycle for transporta-
tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
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zRiding

Checklist
Use the following checklist tocheck important functions, set-tings and wear limits before youride off.
Brakes
Brake-fluid levels, front and rear
Clutch
Shock absorber setting andspring preload
Tyre-tread depth and tyrepressures
Cases correctly installed andluggage secured
At regular intervals:
Engine oil level (every refuellingstop)
Brake-pad wear (every thirdrefuelling stop)
Tension and lubrication of thedrive chain
Starting
Side stand
You cannot start the motorcyclewith the side stand extended anda gear engaged. The engine willswitch itself off if you start it withthe gearbox in neutral and thenengage a gear before retractingthe side stand.
Gearbox
You can start the engine whenthe gearbox is in neutral or if youpull the clutch with a gear en-gaged.
Starting engine
Kill switch1in run positiona.
Gearbox lubrication is en-sured only when the engineis running. Inadequate lubrica-tion can result in damage to thegearbox.
Do not allow the motorcycle toroll for a lengthy period of time orpush it a long distance with theengine switched off.
Switch on the ignition.
ABS self-diagnosis isperformed. (45)
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zRiding

If an indicator showing an ABSfault appears when ABS self-dia-gnosis completes:
You can continue to ride. Bearin mind that the ABS functionis not available.
Have the fault rectified asquickly as possible by aspecialist workshop, preferablyan authorised BMW Motorraddealer.
Running in
The first 1000 km
While running in the motor-cycle, vary the throttle openingand engine-speed range fre-quently.
Try to do most of your rid-ing during this initial period ontwisting, fairly hilly roads, avoid-ing high-speed main roads andhighways if possible.
Exceeding the specified en-gine speeds while runningin will lead to increased enginewear.
Keep to the specified enginespeeds for running in.
Do not exceed the rpm limitsrecommended for running in.
Running-in speed
max 5000 min-1(for the first1000 km)
No full-load acceleration.
Avoid low engine speeds at fullload.
Do not omit the first inspectionafter 500 - 1200 km.
Brake pads
New brake pads have to beddown before they can achievetheir optimum friction levels. Youcan compensate for this initial re-duction in braking efficiency by
exerting greater pressure on thelevers.
New brake pads can ex-tend stopping distance by asignificant margin.
Apply the brakes in good time.
Tyres
New tyres have a smooth sur-face. This must be roughened byriding in a restrained manner atvarious heel angles until the tyresare run in. This running in pro-cedure is essential if the tyres areto achieve maximum grip.
Tyres do not have their fullgrip when new and thereis a risk of accidents at extremeangles of heel.
Avoid extreme angles of heel.
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zRiding

Off-roading
After off-roading
BMW Motorrad recommendschecking the following after ridingthe motorcycle off-road:
Tyre pressure
Tyre pressures reduced foroff-road riding impair themotorcycle's handling character-istics on surfaced roads and canlead to accidents.
Always check that the tyre pres-sures are correct.
Brakes
When riding on loose sur-faces or muddy roads, thebrakes may fail to take effectimmediately because of dirt ormoisture on the discs or brakepads.
Apply the brakes in good timeuntil the brakes have beencleaned.
The brake pads will wearmore rapidly if you ride fre-quently on unsurfaced tracks orpoor roads.
Check the thickness of the brakepads more frequently and replacethe brake pads in good time.
Spring preload and shock-absorber settings
The off-road settings forspring preload and shockabsorber damping characteristicwill impair the motorcycle's hand-ling characteristics on surfacedroads.
If you have been off-roading, re-member to correct spring preloadand shock-absorber dampingcharacteristics before you returnto surfaced roads.
Rims
BMW Motorrad recommendschecking the rims for damageafter off-roading.
Air filter element
Engine damage due toclogged air filter element.
If you ride in dusty terrain checkthe air filter element for cloggingat shorter intervals; clan or re-place as necessary.
Operation in very dusty condi-tions (desert, steppes, or the like)necessitates the use of air filterelements specially designed forconditions of this nature.
Brakes
How can stopping
distance be minimised?
Each time the brakes are applied,a load distribution shift takesplace with the load shifting for-ward from the rear to the frontwheel. The sharper the motor-cycle decelerates, the more loadis shifted to the front wheel. Thehigher the wheel load, the more
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zRiding