BMW F 800 GS 3rd (US) 2013 Owner's manual
Rider's Manual (US Model)
F 800 GS
BMW Motorrad
The Ultimate
Riding Machine
Motorcycle/Dealer Data
Motorcycle data
Model
Vehicle identification number
Color number
Initial registration
License plate
Dealer Data
Contact in Service
Ms./Mr.
Phone number
Dealer's 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.
Familiarize yourself with your new
motorcycle so that you can ride it
safely and confidently in all highway 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 vehicle's
reliability and safety, as well as its
value.
If you have any questions concerning your motorcycle, your authorized BMW Motorrad retailer
is always happy to provide advice
and assistance.
We wish you many miles of safe
and enjoyable riding
BMW Motorrad.
01 41 8 550 697
*01418550697*
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
Notice concerning current sta-
tus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2 Overviews . .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . 9
General view, left side . . . . . . . 11
General view, right side . . . . . 13
Underneath seat . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Under fairing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Multifunction switch, left . . . . 16
Multifunction switch,
right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3 Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . 22
Meaning of symbols . . . . . . . . . 23
Warning and indicator
lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Fuel level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Fuel reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Service display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Ambient temperature. . . . . . . . 26
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Steering and ignition
lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Electronic immobilizer
(EWS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Stopwatch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Turn indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Hazard warning flashers . . . . . 42
Emergency on/off switch (kill
switch) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Heated grips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
BMW Motorrad ABS . . . . . . . . 44
BMW Motorrad ASC . . . . . . . . 45
Riding mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Spring preload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Damping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
ESA Electronic Suspension
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Helmet holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Rider's Manual (US
Model) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
5 Riding .. .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . 57
Safety instructions .. . . . . . . . . 58
Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Starting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Breaking in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Offroad riding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Parking your motorcycle . . . . 66
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Securing motorcycle for
transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
6 Technology in
detail .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Riding mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Brake system with
BMW Motorrad ABS . . . . . . . . 72
Engine management with
BMW Motorrad ASC . . . . . . . . 74
7 Accessories . .. .. .. . . . . . . 77
General instructions . . . . . . . . . 78
Onboard sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Luggage .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Auxiliary headlight . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Topcase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Aluminum case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Aluminum topcase . . . . . . . . . . 87
8 Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
General instructions . . . . . . . . . 92
Onboard tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Coolant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Wheel rims and tires . . . . . . 100
Chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Front wheel stand . . . . . . . . . 110
Lamps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Fairings and Panels . . . . . . . 117
Air cleaner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
9 Care .................... 125
Care products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Washing your vehicle . . . . . . 126
Cleaning sensitive vehicle
parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Paint care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Protective wax coating . . . . 128
Storing motorcycle . . . . . . . . 128
Returning motorcycle to
use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
10 Technical data . . . . . . 129
Troubleshooting chart . . . . . 130
Threaded fasteners . . . . . . . 131
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Rear-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . 136
Suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Wheels and tires . . . . . . . . . . 138
Electrical system . . . . . . . . . . 140
Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Dimensions .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Performance data . . . . . . . . . 143
11 Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Reporting safety
defects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
BMW Motorrad Service . . . 147
BMW Motorrad Mobility
Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Maintenance proce-
dures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Confirmation of mainte-
nance work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Confirmation of service . . . . 154
12 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Certificate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
13 Index .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 159
General instructions
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Abbreviations and symbols . . . . . . . . . . 6
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Notice concerning current status . . . . 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 carried out on your motorcycle will
be documented in Chapter 11.
Proof of the maintenance work
performed is a prerequisite for
generous treatment of 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.
Abbreviations and
z
General instructions
symbols
Indicates warnings that
you must comply with for
reasons of your safety and the
safety of others, and to protect
your product against damage.
Special information on op-
erating and inspecting your
motorcycle as well as maintenance and adjustment procedures.
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 accessory or equipmentdependent information.
Tightening torque.
Technical data.
OE Optional equipment
BMW Motorrad optional
extras are already completely installed during
motorcycle production.
OA Optional accessory
BMW optional accessories can be purchased
and installed at your authorized BMW Motorrad
retailer.
Electronic immobilizer.
EWS
DWA
Anti-theft alarm.
ABS Anti-Lock Brake System.
ASC Automatic Stability Con-
trol.
Electronic suspension
ESA
adjustment.
Equipment
When you ordered your BMW
motorcycle, you chose various
items of custom equipment. This
Rider's Manual describes optional
equipment (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 is equipped with
options or accessories not described in this Rider's Manual,
then this equipment is described
in a separate set of instructions.
Technical data
All dimensions, weights and outputs in the Rider's Manual refer
to the Deutsches Institut für Normung e. V. (DIN) and comply with
its tolerance regulations. Versions for individual countries may
differ.
Notice concerning current status
The high safety and quality standards of BMW motorcycles are
maintained by consistent, ongoing development efforts embracing their design, equipment
and accessories. For this reason, aspects of your motorcycle
may vary from the descriptions
in this Operating instructions. In
addition, BMW Motorrad cannot guarantee the total absence
of errors. We hope you will appreciate that no claims can be
recognized based on the data, il-
lustrations or descriptions in this
manual.
1
7
z
General instructions
1
8
z
General instructions
Overviews
General view, left side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
General view, right side . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Underneath seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Under fairing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Multifunction switch, left . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Multifunction switch, right . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2
9
z
Overviews
2
10
z
Overviews
General view, left side
1 Onboard socket ( 78)
2 Seat lock ( 54)
3 Engine oil fill location and
oil dipstick ( 93)
2
11
z
Overviews
2
12
z
Overviews
General view, right side
1 Fuel filler opening ( 67)
2 Adjusting spring preload
( 49)
3 Brake-fluid reservoir, rear
( 97)
4 Brake-fluid reservoir, front
( 97)
5 Vehicle identification
number, type plate (on
steering-head bearing)
6 Coolant level indicator (be-
hind side panel) ( 98)
7 Damping adjustment
( 50)
2
13
z
Overviews
Underneath seat
2
1 Storage space
14
z
Overviews
with first-aid kit
Storing first-aid kit
2 Standard tool kit ( 92)
3 Payload table
4 Tire inflation pressure table
5 Helmet holder ( 55)
6 Rider's Manual (in vehicle
rear)
with anti-theft alarm sys-
tem (DWA)
Rider's Manual (under the
control unit) ( 55)
7 Tools for adjusting spring
preload ( 49)
OA
OE
Under fairing
1 Battery ( 120)
2 Air filter housing ( 118)
2
15
z
Overviews
Multifunction switch,
2
left
16
1 High-beam headlight and
headlight flasher ( 41)
2 Selecting display readings
( 38).
with onboard
computer
Resetting average data
( 39).
3 Hazard warning flashers
z
Overviews
( 42)
4 with LED auxiliary head-
light
Operating auxiliary headlights ( 79)
5 Turn indicators ( 41)
6 Horn
7 with Electronic Suspen-
sion Adjustment (ESA)
ESA control ( 51)
8 ABS operation ( 44)
with Automatic Stability
Control (ASC)
ASC control ( 45)
OE
OA
OE
OE
Multifunction switch, right
1 with heated handlebar
2 with off-road mode ABS
3 Starter button ( 60)
4 Emergency on/off switch
OE
grips
Heated grip ( 43)
and ASC
Off-road mode ( 46)
(kill switch) ( 43)
OE
2
17
z
Overviews
Instrument cluster
2
1 Warning and indicator
18
z
Overviews
lamps ( 24)
2 Speedometer
3 Set the clock ( 37).
with onboard
computer
Operation of stopwatch
( 39)
4 Multifunction display
( 22)
5 Selecting display readings
( 38).
Reset tripmeter ( 39).
OE
6 Ambient light sensor (for
brightness adjustment of
instrument lighting)
with anti-theft alarm system (DWA)
Anti-theft alarm system indicator lamp (see anti-theft
alarm system operating instructions)
with onboard
computer
Engine speed warning
( 64)
7 Tachometer
OE
OE
2
19
z
Overviews
2
20
z
Overviews
Displays
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Meaning of symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Warning and indicator lamps . . . . . . . . 24
Fuel level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Fuel reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Service display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Ambient temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3
21
z
Displays
Multifunction display
3
1 Warning lamp for elec-
22
z
Displays
tronic engine management
( 31)
2 with heated handlebar
3 with onboard
4 Time ( 37)
5 Coolant-temperature warn-
6 Service is due ( 26)
7 Reading display area of the
8 without display
OE
grips
Display of the selected
heated handlebar grip setting ( 43)
computer
Stopwatch ( 39)
ing indicator ( 30)
odometer ( 38)
with onboard
computer
Onboard computer displays ( 38)
Onboard computer symbols ( 23)
OE
OE
9 Coolant temperature dis-
play
10 Without display
with onboard
computer
Gear indicator, "N" is
shown for Neutral
11 Fuel level ( 25)
12 Set riding mode
13 A warning appears in the
reading display area of the
odometer ( 27)
14 A trip odometer is dis-
played ( 38)
OE
Meaning of symbols
with onboard computer
Distance covered since the
fuel reached the reserve
level ( 25)
Average fuel consumption
Average speed
Current fuel consumption
Ambient temperature
( 26)
OE
3
23
z
Displays
Warning and indicator
3
lamps
24
1 ABS warning lamp ( 32)
2 with Automatic Stability
Control (ASC)
ASC warning lamp ( 33)
3 Fuel-reserve warning lamp
( 25) ( 30)
4 Universal warning lamp,
appears together with
z
Displays
warnings in display panel
( 27)
5 Headlight high beam indi-
cator lamp
6 Indicator lamp for right turn
indicator
7 with LED auxiliary head-
8 Neutral indicator lamp
9 Indicator lamp for left turn
OA
light
Telltale light for the auxiliary headlights ( 79)
indicator
OE
The ABS symbol can be
shown differently depend-
ing on the country.
Fuel level
Due to the complex fuel tank geometry, the fill level cannot be
determined in the upper filling
range. For this reason, the fuel
level indicator only details the
lower half of the filling range.
If the fill level indicator reaches
the 1/2-mark 1, the fuel tank is
still half full. Now, the fill level is
exactly displayed.
If the reserve quantity is reached,
the fuel warning lamp is switched
on.
Fuel reserve
The fuel level in the fuel tank,
when the fuel warning lamp
switches on, depends on the
driving dynamics. The more
the fuel is moved within the
tank (due to frequently changing
inclined positions, frequent
braking and accelerating), the
more difficult it is to determine
the reserve quantity. For this
reason, the reserve quantity
cannot be accurately indicated.
with onboard computer
After the fuel warning lamp
is switched on, the distance
driven since this point in time is
indicated.
The distance, which can still be
driven with the reserve quantity,
depends on the driving style (on
the consumption) and on the fuel
level, when the warning lamp was
switched on.
OE
3
25
z
Displays
The odometer for the fuel re-
3
serve is reset, if the fuel level is
greater than the reserve quantity
26
after refueling.
Service display
z
Displays
If the time remaining until the
next service will elapse within
one month, the service date 1
appears briefly following the preride check. The month and year
are shown with two and four digits respectively separated by a
colon. In this example the display
means "June 2014".
If the vehicle covers high annual
mileages then shorter service intervals may be required. When
the odometer reading for the recalculated early service falls to
within 621 miles (1,000 km), the
remaining miles (kilometers) 1
are counted down in 62-mile
(100 km) increments and briefly
displayed following the pre-ride
check.
When a service date
elapses without service, the
general warning lamp lights up in
yellow, appearing together with
the date and mileage (kilometer)
display. The "Service" message
is displayed continuously.
If the service display
appears more than a month
before the service date, the
stored date must be adjusted
in the instrument cluster. This
situation can occur if the battery
has been disconnected for a
longer time.
Consult a certified workshop,
preferably an authorized
BMW Motorrad retailer, for
setting of the date.
Ambient temperature
with onboard computer
Engine heat can lead to
spurious readings of ambient temperature when the motorcycle is stationary. When the
effects of engine heat on the
monitored temperature become
excessive the display responds
OE
by temporarily reverting to -- as
the display reading.
When ambient temperatures
drop below 37 °F (3 °C) the
temperature display responds
by flashing a warning indicating
possible ice formation on the
road surface. The display automatically switches from any other
mode to the temperature reading when the temperature drops
below this threshold for the first
time.
Warning lamps
Display
Warnings are displayed with the
corresponding warning lamps.
Warnings for which no separate
warning lamp is available, are indicated using the 'General' warning lamp 1 in conjunction with
a warning or a warning symbol
in the multifunction display. The
universal warning lamp shows red
or yellow, depending on the urgency of the warning.
If the display in the value area 2
shows a warning, then this is
symbolized with the warning triangle 3. These warnings can be
displayed in alternation with the
odometers ( 38).
The universal warning lamp lights
up for the most urgent warning.
The following page contains a list
of potential warnings.
3
27
z
Displays
Overview of warning indicators
3
Warning and indicator
28
lamps
Lights up yellow + "EWS" is indi-
Lights up Fuel down to reserve ( 30)
Warning symbols in the
display
cated
Meaning
Electronic immobilizer is active ( 30)
z
Displays
Lights up red Flashes
Lights up yellow Appears on the dis-
Lights up yellow + "LAMP" is indi-
Lights up yellow
Flashes
play
cated
"x.x °F" flashes
+ "dWA" is indicated
Coolant temperature too high ( 30)
Engine in emergency-operation mode
( 31)
Bulb defective ( 31)
Outside temperature warning ( 31)
DWA Battery drained ( 32)
ABS self-diagnosis not completed
( 32)
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