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
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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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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braking force can be transmittedwithout the wheel locking.
To optimise stopping distance,apply the front brakes rapidly andkeep on increasing the force youapply to the brake lever. Thismakes the best possible use ofthe dynamic increase in load atthe front wheel. Remember topull the clutch at the same time.In the "panic braking situations"that are trained so frequentlybraking force is applied as rap-idly as possible and with therider's full force applied to thebrake levers; under these circum-stances the dynamic shift in loaddistribution cannot keep pacewith the increase in decelerationand the tyres cannot transmit thefull braking force to the surfaceof the road. Under these circum-stances the front wheel can lockup.
BMW Motorrad ABS preventsthe front wheel from locking up.
Descending mountain
passes
There is a danger of thebrakes fading if you useonly the rear brakes when des-cending mountain passes. Underextreme conditions, the brakescould overheat and suffer severedamage.
Use both front and rear brakes,and make use of the engine'sbraking effect as well.
Wet and dirty brakes
Wetness and dirt on the brakediscs and the brake pads dimin-ish braking efficiency.
Delayed braking action or poorbraking efficiency must bereckoned with in the followingsituations:
Riding in the rain or throughpuddles of water.
After the motorcycle has beenwashed.
Riding on salted or grittedroads.
After work has been carried onthe brakes, due to traces of oilor grease.
Riding on dirt-covered surfacesor off-road.
Wetness and dirt result inpoor braking efficiency.
Apply the brakes lightly whileriding to remove wetness anddirt, or dismount and clean thebrakes.
Think ahead and brake in goodtime until full braking efficiency isrestored.
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Maintenance
Maintenance
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Toolkit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Rims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
BMW Motorrad front-wheel
stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Jump starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Body panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
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Topping up engine oil
Make sure the ground is leveland firm and place the motor-cycle on its stand.
Wipe the area around the fillerneck clean.
Remove oil dipstick1.
Damage to the enginecan result if it is operatedwithout enough oil, but the samealso applies if the oil level is toohigh.
Always make sure that the oillevel is correct.
Top up the engine oil to thespecified level.
Check the engine oil level(66).
Install the oil dipstick.
Brake system
Reliability
A fully functional brake system isa basic requirement for the roadsafety of your motorcycle.
Do not ride the motorcycle if youhave any doubts about the de-pendability of the brake system.
Under these circumstances havethe brake system checked by aspecialist workshop, preferablyan authorised BMW Motorraddealer.
Incorrect working practicesendanger the reliability ofthe brakes.
Have all work on the brake sys-
tem undertaken by trained andqualified specialists.
Check operation of the
brakes
Pull the handbrake lever.
The pressure point must beclearly perceptible.
Press the footbrake lever.
The pressure point must beclearly perceptible.
If pressure points are not clearlyperceptible:
Have the brakes checked by aspecialist workshop, preferablyan authorised BMW Motorraddealer.
Brake pads
Check the front brake pad
thickness
Make sure the ground is leveland firm and place the motor-cycle on its stand.
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Visually inspect the brake padsto ascertain their thickness.Viewing direction: Between thespokes toward brake caliper1.
Brake disc thickness,front
min 1.0 mm (Friction padonly, without backingplate. The wear indicators(grooves) must be clearlyvisible.)
If the wear indicating marks areno longer clearly visible:
Brake pads worn past theminimum permissible thick-ness can cause a reduction inbraking efficiency and undercertain circumstances they can
cause damage to the brake sys-tem.
In order to ensure the dependab-ility of the brake system, do notpermit the brake pads to wearpast the minimum permissiblethickness.
Have the brake pads replacedby a specialist workshop,preferably an authorised BMWMotorrad dealer.
Checking rear brake pad
thickness
Make sure the ground is leveland firm and place the motor-cycle on its stand.
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Visually inspect the brake padsto ascertain their thickness.Viewing direction: from the reartoward brake caliper1.
Brake-pad wear limit,rear
min 1.0 mm (Friction padonly, without backing plate.The wear indicators must beclearly visible.)
If the wear indicating mark is nolonger visible:
Brake pads worn past theminimum permissible thick-ness can cause a reduction inbraking efficiency and undercertain circumstances they cancause damage to the brake sys-tem.
In order to ensure the dependab-ility of the brake system, do notpermit the brake pads to wearpast the minimum permissiblethickness.
Have the brake pads replacedby a specialist workshop,preferably an authorised BMWMotorrad dealer.
Brake fluid
Check the brake-fluid
level, front brakes
A low fluid level in thebrake reservoir can allow airto penetrate the brake system.This significantly reduces brakingefficiency.
Check the brake-fluid level atregular intervals.
Make sure the ground is leveland firm and hold the motor-cycle upright.
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