BMW F 800 R 2008 Owner's Manual
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 pan-
el . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 15
Handlebar fitting, left . . . . . . . . 16
Handlebar fitting, right . . . . .. . 17
Instrument panel . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Headlight . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . 20
3 Status indicators . .. ... . 21
Standard status indicat-
ors . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 22
Status indicators with on-
board computer . . . . . .. . . .. . . 23
Status indicators with
tyre pressure monitoring
(RDC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 24
Standard warnings . . . . . . . .. . 24
Warnings issued by the on-
board computer . . . . . .. . . .. . . 29
ABS warnings . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . 29
RDC warnings . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 32
Anti-theft alarm warnings. . . . 37
4 Operation .. .. ... .. .. ... . . 39
Ignition switch and steering
lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 40
Electronic immobiliser
EWS . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . 41
Clock . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Odometer and
tripmeters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
On-board computer . . . . . . . . . 43
Tyre pressure monitoring
RDC . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 49
Turn indicators . . . . . .. . . .. . . . 50
Hazard warning flashers . . . . . 51
Emergency off switch (kill
switch) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Grip heating . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . 52
Clutch . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 53
Mirrors . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Spring preload . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 54
Damping . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . 55
Tyres . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 56
Headlight . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . 57
Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 58
5 Riding ........ .. .. ... .. .. . 59
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . 60
Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 62
Starting. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Running in . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 65
Parking your motorcycle . . . . 66
Refuelling . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Securing motorcycle for
transportation . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . 69
6 Engineering details.. .. . 71
Brake system with BMW
Motorrad ABS . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . 72
Tyre pressure monitoring
RDC . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
7 Accessories . .. . .. .. ... .. 77
General instructions . . . . . .. . . 78
Power socket . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 78
Luggage . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . 79
Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. 80
Topcase. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 83
8 Maintenance . ...... .. .. . 87
General instructions . . . . . .. . . 88
Toolkit. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 88
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Brake system, general. . . . . . . 91
Brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . 91
Brake fluid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Coolant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . 95
Clutch . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Tyres . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 98
Rims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . 98
Chain . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . 100
Front-wheel stand .. . . .. . . . 106
Bulbs . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 108
Jump starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Battery . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
9 Care ... .. .. ... .. .. ... . .. 119
Care products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Washing motorcycle. . . . . . . 120
Cleaning easily damaged
components .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Paint care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Protective wax coating . . . . 122
Laying up motorcycle . . . . . 122
Restoring motorcycle to
use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . 122
10 Technical data . .. ... 123
Troubleshooting chart . . . . . 124
Threaded fasteners . . . . . . . 125
Engine . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 127
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 128
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Clutch . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Transmission . . .. . . .. . . . . . . 129
Rear-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . 130
Running gear . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 130
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 131
Wheels and tyres. . . . . . .. . . 131
Electrics . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 134
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 134
Weights . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 135
Riding specifications . . . . . . 135
11 Service ... .. .. ... .. .. . 137
BMW Motorrad service. . . . 138
BMW Motorrad service
quality . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
BMW Motorrad mobility
services - roadside assist-
ance . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
BMW Motorrad service
network . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 139
Maintenance work. . . . . . . . . 139
Confirmation of mainten-
ance work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Confirmation of service . . . . 145
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
Tyre pressure control
RDC
(ReifenDruck-Control)
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 this
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
Handlebar fitting, left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Handlebar fitting, right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Instrument panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2
9
z
General views
2
10
z
General views
General view, left side
1 Payload table (on left of
steering-head bearing)
2 Seat lock ( 58)
3 Engine-oil filler neck
( 90)
Oil dipstick ( 89)
2
11
z
General views
2
12
z
General views
General view, right side
1 Fuel filler neck ( 68)
2 Adjuster for spring preload,
rear ( 54)
3 VIN, type plate (on
steering-head bearing,
right)
4 Brake-fluid reservoir, front
( 93)
5 Coolant-level indicator
( 95)
6 with power socket
Power socket ( 78)
7 Adjuster for damping char-
acteristic, rear suspension
( 55)
8 Brake-fluid reservoir, rear
( 94)
OE
2
13
z
General views
Underneath the seat
2
1 Tool for adjusting spring
14
z
General views
preload ( 54)
2 Standard toolkit ( 88)
3 Rider's Manual
4 Location of first-aid kit
(OA)
5 Table of tyre pressures
6 with service toolkit
Stowage for on-board toolkit service kit ( 88)
OA
Underneath the trim panel
1 Battery ( 115)
2 Puncture kit (OA)
2
15
z
General views
Handlebar fitting, left
2
1 High-beam headlight and
16
z
General views
headlight flasher ( 50)
2 with on-board com-
3 Hazard warning flashers
4 Operation of the flashing
5 Horn
OE
puter
Operating the on-board
computer ( 43)
( 51)
turn indicators ( 50)
Handlebar fitting, right
1 with heated handlebar
2 Starter button ( 62)
3 Emergency off switch (kill
OE
grips
Grip heating ( 52)
switch) ( 51)
2
17
z
General views
Instrument panel
2
1 Telltale lights ( 22)
2 Speedometer
18
3 Operation of the clock
( 42)
4 Multifunction display
( 22)
5 Operating the odometer
( 42)
with on-board com-
OE
puter
Operation of the stopwatch
z
General views
( 47)
6 Ambient-light brightness
sensor (for adapting the
brightness of the instrument lighting)
RPM redline warning
with anti-theft alarm
Anti-theft alarm telltale light
(see the instructions for
use for the anti-theft alarm)
7 Rev. counter
OE
The instrument-cluster
lighting has automatic day
and night switchover.
2
19
z
General views
Headlight
2
1 Low-beam headlight
2 High-beam headlight
20
3 Parking light
z
General views
Status indicators
Standard status indicators . . . . . . . . . . 22
Status indicators with on-board
computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Status indicators with tyre pressure
monitoring (RDC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Standard warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Warnings issued by the on-board
computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
ABS warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
RDC warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Anti-theft alarm warnings . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3
21
z
Status indicators
Standard status
3
indicators
22
Multifunction display
Telltale lights
Service-due indicator
1 Clock ( 42)
2 Odometer and tripmeters
z
Status indicators
( 42)
1 High-beam headlight
2 Flashing turn indicators,
left
3 Idle
4 Flashing turn indicators,
right
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
2007.
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 2. 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 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 accom-
panied by the 'General' warning
light showing yellow. The word
"Service" remains permanently
visible.
If the sevice-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.
Status indicators with on-board computer
with on-board computer
OE
Multifunction display
1 Status-indicator panel of
the on-board computer
( 43)
2 Gear indicator ( 23)
3 Coolant temperature
( 24)
4 Fuel capacity ( 24)
Gear indicator
The gear engaged or N
for neutral appears on the
display.
If no gear is engaged, the
'neutral' telltale light also
lights up.
3
23
z
Status indicators
Coolant temperature
3
24
The horizontal bars above
the temperature symbol
indicate the coolant temperature.
Fuel capacity
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.
Once you have refuelled, the
gauge briefly shows the original
level, before the reading is up-
z
Status indicators
dated.
Status indicators with tyre pressure monitoring (RDC)
with tyre pressure monitoring
OE
(RDC)
1 Tyre-pressure readout
( 49)
The figures shown in the
tyre-pressure readings are
temperature-compensated (see
the section entitled "Engineering
details").
Standard warnings
Mode of presentation
Warnings are indicated by the
warning lights 1 or by the 'General' warning light 2 showing in
combination with a text warning
or a warning symbol in the multifunction display. 'General' warning light 2 shows red or yellow,
depending on the urgency of the
warning.
Warning symbols 1 and 2 can
appear on the multifunction display. Text warnings such as 3,
for example, appear in the odometer panel and are accompanied by warning-triangle symbol 4.
If two or more warnings occur at
the same time, all the appropriate
warning lights and warning symbols appear. You can call up text
warnings to alternate with the
odometer readings ( 42). The
status of the 'General' warning
light matches the most urgent
warning.
The possible warnings are listed
on the next page.
3
25
z
Status indicators
Warnings, overview
3
Telltale lights Status indicators Meaning
26
Lights up yellow Appears on the dis-
play
EWS appears on
the display.
Lights up Fuel down to reserve ( 27)
Electronic immobiliser active ( 27)
Lights up red Flashes
Lights up yellow Appears on the dis-
z
Status indicators
Flashes
Lights up yellow Appears on the dis-
play
play
LAMP appears on
the display.
Coolant temperature too high ( 27)
Engine in emergency-operation mode
( 28)
Insufficient engine oil pressure ( 28)
Bulb defective ( 28)
Electronic immobiliser
active
General warning light shows
yellow.
Warning-triangle symbol
appears on the display.
EWS appears on the display.
Possible cause:
The key being used is not au-
thorised for starting, or communication between key and engine
electronics is disrupted.
Remove all other vehicle keys
from the same ring as the ignition key.
Use the reserve key.
Have the defective key replaced, preferably by an authorised BMW Motorrad dealer.
Fuel down to reserve
Warning light for fuel down
to reserve shows.
Lack of fuel can result in
the engine misfiring and
cutting out unexpectedly. Misfiring can damage the catalytic
converter; a hazardous situation
can result if the engine cuts out
unexpectedly.
Do not run the fuel tank dry.
Possible cause:
The fuel tank contains no more
than the reserve quantity of fuel.
Reserve fuel
approx. 2 l
Refuelling ( 68).
Coolant temperature too
high
General warning light shows
red.
The temperature symbol
flashes.
Continuing to ride when the
engine is overheated could
result in engine damage.
You must comply with the instructions below.
Possible cause:
If the coolant level is too low.
Check the coolant level ( 95).
If the coolant level is too low:
Topping up coolant ( 95).
Possible cause:
The coolant temperature is too
high.
If possible, ride in the part-load
range to cool down the engine.
In traffic jams, switch off the
engine, but leave the ignition
switched on so that the radiator fan continues to operate.
If the coolant temperature is
frequently too high, have the
fault rectified as soon as possible by a specialist workshop,
3
27
z
Status indicators
preferably an authorised BMW
Motorrad dealer.
3
28
Engine in emergencyoperation mode
General warning light shows
yellow.
Engine symbol appears on
the display.
The engine is running in
emergency operating mode.
Engine power might be reduced
and this can cause hazardous
situations, particularly if you attempt to overtake other road
z
Status indicators
users.
Engine power level might be
lower than normal: adapt your
style of riding accordingly.
Possible cause:
The engine control unit has dia-
gnosed a fault. In exceptional
cases, the engine stops and refuses to start. Otherwise, the en-
gine runs in emergency operating
mode.
You can continue to ride, but
bear in mind that the usual engine power might not be available.
Have the fault rectified as
quickly as possible by a
specialist workshop, preferably
an authorised BMW Motorrad
dealer.
Insufficient engine oil
pressure
Warning light for engine-oil
pressure flashes.
The oil pressure in the lube-oil
system is too low. Stop immediately and switch off the engine.
The insufficient oil pres-
sure warning does not fulfil
the function of an oil gauge. The
only way of checking whether
the oil level is correct is to check
with the oil dipstick.
Possible cause:
The engine-oil level is too low.
Check the engine oil level
( 89).
If the oil level is too low:
Top up the engine oil ( 90).
Possible cause:
The engine-oil pressure is insuffi-
cient.
Riding when engine-oil
pressure is low can result
in engine damage.
Do not continue your journey.
Have the fault rectified as
quickly as possible by a
specialist workshop, preferably
an authorised BMW Motorrad
dealer.
Bulb defective
General warning light shows
yellow.
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