BMW F 800 GS 2011 Owner's Manual
Rider's Manual
F 800 GS
BMW Motorrad
The Ultimate
Riding Machine
Motorcycle data/dealership details
Motorcycle data
Model
Vehicle identification number
Colour code
Date of first registration
Registration number
Dealership details
Person to contact in Service department
Ms/Mr
Phone number
Dealership address/phone number (company stamp)
Welcome to BMW
We congratulate you on your
choice of a motorcycle from
BMW and welcome you to the
community of BMW riders.
Familiarise yourself with your new
motorcycle so that you can ride it
safely and confidently in all traffic
situations.
Please read this Rider's Manual
carefully before starting to use
your new BMW motorcycle. It
contains important information on
how to operate the controls and
how to make the best possible
use of all your BMW's technical
features.
In addition, it contains information
on maintenance and care to help
you maintain your motorcycle's
reliability and safety, as well as its
value.
If you have questions concerning
your motorcycle, your authorised
BMW Motorrad dealer will gladly
provide advice and assistance.
We hope that you will enjoy riding your BMW and that all your
journeys will be pleasant and
safe.
BMW Motorrad.
Table of Contents
You can also consult the index at
the end of this Rider's Manual if
you want to find a particular topic
or item of information.
1 General instructions . .. . 5
Overview . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Abbreviations and
symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 6
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 7
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Currency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 7
2 General views ............ 9
General view, left side . . . . .. . 11
General view, right side . . .. . 13
Underneath the seat . . . . . . . . 14
Underneath the trim
panel . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Multifunction switch, left . . .. 16
Multifunction switch,
right . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . 17
Instrument panel . . . . . . . .. . .. 18
3 Status indicators . . .. . . . 21
Multifunction display . . . . . .. . 22
Meaning of symbols. . .. . . . . . 23
Warning and telltale
lights . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . 24
Service-due indicator . . .. . . . . 25
Kilometres travelled after fuel
down to reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Ambient temperature . . . . . . . . 26
Warnings . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
4 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Ignition switch/steering
lock . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Electronic immobiliser
EWS . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Clock . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . 36
Stopwatch. . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . 37
Lights . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Turn indicators . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 40
Hazard warning flashers . . . . . 40
Emergency off switch (kill
switch) . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 41
Grip heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
BMW Motorrad ABS . . . . . . . . 42
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . 43
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 43
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 44
Spring preload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Damping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 46
Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 46
Headlight . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Seat . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Helmet holder . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 49
5 Riding .. .. . . .. . . . .. . . .. . . . 51
Safety instructions . . . . . . . .. . 52
Checklist . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 54
Starting. . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . 54
Running in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 56
speed . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Off-roading . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . 58
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 59
Parking your motorcycle . . . . 60
Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 61
Securing motorcycle for
transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
6 Engineering details..... 65
Brake system with BMW
Motorrad ABS . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . 66
7 Accessories . . . .. . . . .. . . . 69
General instructions . . . . . . . .. 70
Power sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 70
Luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 71
Cases . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 71
Topcase. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Aluminium cases . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Aluminium topcase . . . . . . . . . . 79
8 Maintenance . .. .. .. .. . .. 83
General instructions . . . . . . . .. 84
Toolkit. . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . 84
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 85
Brake system . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 86
Coolant. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . 91
Rims and tyres . . . . . . . .. . .. . . 92
Chain . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . 93
Wheels . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . 95
Front-wheel stand . . . . . . . . . 102
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 104
Body panels . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . 109
Air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 110
Jump starting . . . . .. . .. . . . . 111
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
9 Care .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. 117
Care products . . .. . .. . . . . . . 118
Washing motorcycle . . . . . . . 118
Cleaning easily damaged
components . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 118
Paint care . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . 119
Protective wax coating . . . . 120
Laying up motorcycle . . . . . 120
Restoring motorcycle to
use . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 120
10 Technical data .. .. .. 121
troubleshooting chart . . . . . . 122
Threaded fasteners . . . . . . . 123
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 125
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 126
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 127
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . 128
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 128
Rear-wheel drive . . . .. . . . . . 129
Running gear . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 129
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 130
Wheels and tyres . . . . .. . . . . 130
Electrics . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . 132
Frame . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Weights . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . 134
Riding specifications . . . . . . 135
11 Service . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . 137
BMW Motorrad Service . . . 138
BMW Motorrad Mobility
services . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 138
Maintenance work . . . . . . . . . 138
Confirmation of mainten-
ance work . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 140
Confirmation of service . . . . 145
12 Index . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . . 147
General instructions
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Abbreviations and symbols . . . . . . . . . . 6
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Currency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1
5
z
General instructions
Overview
1
Chapter 2 of this Rider's Manual
will provide you with an initial
6
overview of your motorcycle. All
maintenance and repair work on
the motorcycle is documented in
Chapter 11. This record of the
maintenance work you have had
performed on your motorcycle is
a precondition for generous treatment of goodwill claims.
When the time comes to sell
your BMW, please remember
to hand over this Rider's Manual;
it is an important part of the motorcycle.
z
General instructions
Abbreviations and symbols
Indicates warnings that you
must comply with for reasons of your safety and the safety
of others, and to protect your
motorcycle against damage.
Specific instructions on
how to operate, control, adjust or look after items of equipment on the motorcycle.
Indicates the end of an
item of information.
Instruction.
Result of an activity.
Reference to a page with
more detailed information.
Indicates the end of a
passage relating to specific accessories or items
of equipment.
Tightening torque.
Item of technical data.
OE Optional extra
The motorcycles are assembled complete with
all the BMW optional extras originally ordered.
OA Optional accessory
You can obtain optional
accessories through your
authorised BMW Motorrad dealer; optional accessories have to be
retrofitted to the motorcycle.
Electronic immobiliser.
EWS
DWA
Anti-theft alarm (Diebstahlwarnanlage)
Anti-lock brake system
ABS
Equipment
When you ordered your BMW
motorcycle, you chose various
items of custom equipment.
This Rider's Manual describes
optional extras (OE) offered by
BMW and selected optional accessories (OA). This explains why
the manual may also contain descriptions of equipment which
you have not ordered. Please
note, too, that your motorcycle
might not be exactly as illustrated in this manual on account
of country-specific differences.
If your BMW was supplied with
equipment not described in
this Rider's Manual, you will
find these features described in
separate manuals.
Technical data
All dimensions, weights and
power ratings stated in the
Rider's Manual are quoted to the
standards and comply with the
tolerance requirements of the
Deutsches Institut für Normung
e.V. (DIN). Versions for individual
countries may differ.
Currency
The high safety and quality
standards of BMW motorcycles
are maintained by constant
development work on designs,
equipment and accessories.
Because of this, your motorcycle
may differ from the information
supplied in the Rider's Manual.
Nor can BMW Motorrad entirely
rule out errors and omissions.
We hope you will appreciate that
no claims can be entertained on
the basis of the data, illustrations
or descriptions in this manual.
1
7
z
General instructions
1
8
z
General instructions
General views
General view, left side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
General view, right side . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Underneath the seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Underneath the trim panel . . . . . . . . . . 15
Multifunction switch, left . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Multifunction switch, right . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Instrument panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2
9
z
General views
2
10
z
General views
General view, left side
1 Power socket ( 70)
2 Seat lock ( 48)
3 Engine-oil filler neck and
oil dipstick ( 85)
2
11
z
General views
2
12
z
General views
General view, right side
1 Fuel filler neck ( 61)
2 Brake-fluid reservoir, rear
( 89)
3 VIN, type plate (on
steering-head bearing,
right)
4 Brake-fluid reservoir, front
( 88)
5 Coolant level indicator (be-
hind side panel) ( 90)
6 Adjuster, spring preload
( 45)
7 Adjuster for damping char-
acteristic ( 46)
2
13
z
General views
Underneath the seat
2
1 Stowage
14
z
General views
with first-aid kit
Location of the first-aid kit
2 Standard toolkit ( 84)
3 Payload table
4 Table of tyre pressures
5 Helmet holder ( 49)
6 Rider's Manual
7 Tool for adjusting spring
preload ( 45)
OA
Underneath the trim panel
1 Battery ( 112)
2 Air-filter housing ( 110)
2
15
z
General views
Multifunction switch,
2
left
16
1 Selecting reading in exten-
ded area ( 36)
2 with BMW Motorrad
3 Horn
4 Flashing turn indicators,
z
General views
5 High-beam headlight and
OE
ABS
Operating the ABS
( 42)
left ( 40)
Hazard warning flashers
( 40)
headlight flasher ( 39)
Multifunction switch, right
1 Emergency off switch (kill
switch) ( 41)
2 Starter button ( 54)
3 with heated handlebar
4 Flashing turn indicators,
5 Cancel button, flashing
OE
grips
Grip heating control
( 41)
right ( 40)
Hazard warning flashers
( 40)
turn indicators ( 40)
Pushbutton, cancel hazard
warning flashers ( 40)
2
17
z
General views
Instrument panel
2
1 Warning and telltale lights
18
z
General views
( 24)
2 Speedometer
3 Setting clock ( 35).
with on-board com-
OE
puter
Operation of the stopwatch
( 37)
4 Multifunction display
( 22)
5 Select the readings
( 36).
Reset the tripmeter
( 37).
6 Ambient-light brightness
sensor (for adapting the
brightness of the instrument lighting)
with anti-theft alarm
Anti-theft alarm telltale light
(see the instructions for
use for the anti-theft alarm)
with on-board com-
OE
puter
Redline warning ( 57)
7 Rev. counter
OE
2
19
z
General views
2
20
z
General views
Status indicators
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Meaning of symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Warning and telltale lights . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Service-due indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Kilometres travelled after fuel down
to reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Ambient temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3
21
z
Status indicators
Multifunction display
3
1 Trip meter ( 36)
2 Warning for engine elec-
22
z
Status indicators
tronics ( 30)
3 with on-board com-
4 Time ( 35)
5 Warning for coolant tem-
6 Service due ( 25)
7 Values area ( 36)
8 with on-board com-
9 – with on-board computer
OE
puter
Stopwatch ( 37)
perature ( 29)
OE
puter
Symbols explaining the
readings shown in the values area ( 23)
(OE)
The horizontal bars indicate the level of the coolant
temperature.
10 – with on-board computer
(OE)
Gear indicator; "N" indicates neutral
11 – with on-board computer
(OE)
Fuel level
The horizontal bars above
the fuel-pump symbol
indicate the remaining
quantity of fuel. The top
bar is larger than the others and the quantity of fuel
it represents is significantly
larger.
12 – with on-board computer
(OE)
Values area ( 36)
13 a warning is shown in the
values area ( 26)
Meaning of symbols
with on-board computer
distance travelled after
fuel down to reserve in km
( 25)
Average consumption in l/
100 km
Average speed in km/h
Current consumption in l/
100 km
Ambient temperature in °C
( 26)
OE
3
23
z
Status indicators
Warning and telltale
3
lights
24
1 Oil-pressure warning light
( 30)
2 with BMW Motorrad
3 Warning light for fuel down
4 General warning light, in
5 High-beam headlight tell-
6 Telltale light for right turn
z
Status indicators
7 Telltale light for neutral
8 Telltale light for left turn
cifics of national regulations.
OE
ABS
ABS warning light ( 32)
to reserve ( 29)
combination with warnings
in the display ( 26)
tale light
indicators
indicators
The ABS symbol might differ, depending on the spe-
Service-due indicator
If the next service is due in less
than one month, the date for the
next service 1 is shown briefly
after the Pre-Ride Check completes. The month is shown as a
two-digit number and the year as
a four-digit number, with a colon
as separator, so in this example
the next service is due in March
2011.
If the motorcycle covers long distances in the course of the year,
under certain circumstances it
might be necessary to have it
serviced at a date in advance
of the forecast due date. If the
countdown distance to the odometer reading at which a service
will be due is less than 1000 km,
the distance is counted down in
steps of 100 km 2 and is shown
briefly after the Pre-Ride Check
completes.
If service is overdue, the
due date or the odometer
reading at which service was due
is accompanied by the 'General' warning light showing yellow.
The word "Service" remains permanently visible.
If the service-due indicator
appears more than a month
before the service date, the date
saved in the instrument cluster
must be adjusted. This situation
can occur if the battery was disconnected for a prolonged period
of time.
If you want to have the date set
consult a specialist workshop,
preferably an authorised BMW
Motorrad dealer.
Kilometres travelled after fuel down to reserve
with on-board computer
Once the fuel has dropped
to the reserve level, the
reading shows the kilometres
OE
3
25
z
Status indicators
travelled since then. This counter
is reset as soon as refuelling
3
brings the total quantity of fuel
26
on board back above the reserve
level.
Ambient temperature
with on-board computer
When the motorcycle is at
a standstill the heat of the
engine can falsify the ambienttemperature reading. If the effect
of the engine's heat becomes excessive, -- temporarily appears
z
Status indicators
on the display.
If ambient temperature drops below 3 °C the temperature display flashes to draw your attention to the risk of black ice forming. The display automatically
switches from any other mode
to the temperature reading when
the temperature drops below this
threshold for the first time.
OE
Warnings
Mode of presentation
Warnings are indicated by the
corresponding warning lights.
Warnings that do not have warning lights of their own are indicated by 'General' warning light 1
showing in combination with a
text warning or a warning symbol
in the multifunction display. The
'General' warning light shows red
or yellow, depending on the urgency of the warning.
A reading in values area 2
that constitutes a warning
is accompanied by warning
triangle 3. These warnings can
alternate with the odometer
readings ( 36).
The status of the 'General' warning light matches the most urgent warning.
The possible warnings are listed
on the next page.
Warnings, overview
Warning light Status indicators Meaning
Lights up yellow + "EWS" appears
on the display
Lights up Fuel down to reserve ( 29)
Electronic immobiliser active ( 29)
3
27
Lights up red Flashes
Lights up yellow Appears on the dis-
Flashes
Lights up yellow + "LAMP" ap-
Lights up yellow
play
pears on the display
"x.x °C" flashes
+ "dWA" appears
on the display
Coolant temperature too high ( 29)
Engine in emergency-operation mode
( 30)
Insufficient engine oil pressure ( 30)
Bulb defective ( 30)
Ice warning ( 31)
Anti-theft alarm battery flat ( 31)
z
Status indicators
Warning light Status indicators Meaning
3
28
Flashes
Lights up
ABS self-diagnosis not completed
( 32)
ABS deactivated ( 32)
Lights up
z
Status indicators
ABS fault ( 32)
Loading...