K 1600 Gtl 2015
Rider's Manual (US Model)
K 1600 GTL
BMW Motorrad
The Ultimate
Riding Machine
Motorcycle/Retailer Data
Motorcycle Data
Model
Vehicle identification number
Color number
Initial registration
License plate
Retailer Data
Contact in Service
Ms./Mr.
Phone number
Retailer's address/phone number (com-
pany stamp)
Welcome to BMW
Congratulations on choosing a
motorcycle from BMW Motorrad
and welcome to the community
of BMW motorcycle owners and
riders. Familiarize yourself with
your new motorcycle so that you
can ride it safely and confidently
in all highway traffic situations.
About this Rider's Manual
Please read this Rider's Manual
carefully before starting to use
your new BMW. It contains im-
portant information on how to
operate the controls and how to
get the most benefit from your
BMW's advanced technical fea-
tures.
In addition, it contains informa-
tion on maintenance and care to
help you maintain your vehicle's
reliability and safety, as well as its
value.
Suggestions and complaints
If you have any questions con-
cerning your motorcycle, your au-
thorized BMW Motorrad retailer
is always happy to provide advice
and assistance.
We wish you many miles of safe
and enjoyable riding on your
BMW
BMW Motorrad.
01 41 8 522 707
*01418522707*
Table of Contents
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
Multifunction switch, left . . . . 14
Multifunction switch,
right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Underneath seat . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3 Displays . . .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. 19
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . 20
Meaning of symbols. . . . . . . . . 21
Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Ambient temperature. . . . . . . . 22
Tire inflation pressures . . . . . . 23
Oil level indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Service display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Warning and indicator
lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4 Operation . .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. 43
Steering and ignition
lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Ignition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Ignition with Key-
less Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . 51
Onboard computer . . . . . . . . . . 55
Tripmeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Turn indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Hazard warning flashers . . . . . 60
Emergency ON/OFF
switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Heated handlebar grips . . . . . 61
Seat heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Dynamic Traction Control
(DTC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Riding mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Windshield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Wind deflection wing . . . . . . . . 67
Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Hill Start Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Storage compartments . . . . . . 71
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Shifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Spring preload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Damping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
ESA Electronic Suspension
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Central locking system . . . . . . 76
Alarm system(DWA). . . . . . . . . 80
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
5 Riding .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. . 87
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . 88
Starting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Breaking in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Parking your motorcycle . . . . 95
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Securing motorcycle for
transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
6 Technology in de-
tail . . .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. . 101
Riding mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Hill Start Control . . . . . . . . . . 103
Brake system with
BMW Motorrad Integral
ABS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Engine management with
BMW Motorrad DTC .. . . . . 107
Tire Pressure Control TPC/
RDC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
ESA II Electronic
Suspension Adjustment . . . 109
7 Accessories . .. .. .. . .. . 111
General instructions . . . . . . . 112
Onboard power
sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Navigation device . . . . . . . . . 113
Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Topcase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
8 Maintenance . . . .. .. .. . 123
General instructions . . . . . . . 124
Onboard tool kit .. . . . . . . . . . 124
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Coolant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Wheel rims and tires . . . . . . 132
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Front wheel stand . . . . . . . . . 139
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Light sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
9 Care ... . .. . .. .. .. .. .. . .. 151
Care products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Washing your motorcy-
cle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Cleaning sensitive motorcy-
cle parts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Paint care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Store motorcycle . . . . . . . . . . 154
Protective wax coating . . . . 154
Returning motorcycle to
use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
10 Technical Data . . .. . . 155
Troubleshooting chart . . . . . 156
Threaded fasteners . . . . . . . 157
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Rear-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . 161
Suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Wheels and tires . . . . . . . . . . 162
Electrical system . . . . . . . . . . 164
Anti-Theft Alarm
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Performance data . . . . . . . . . 168
11 Service . . .. .. . .. .. .. .. 169
Reporting safety
defects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
BMW Motorrad Service . . . 171
BMW Motorrad Mobility
Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Maintenance proce-
dures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Maintenance schedule . . . . 175
Standard BMW Service . . . 176
Confirmation of mainte-
nance work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Confirmation of service . . . . 182
12 Appendix . .. .. .. .. . .. . 185
Certificate for Electronic
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Certificate for Remote
Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Certificate for Key-
less Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Certificate for Tire Pressure
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
13 Index . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 195
General instructions
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Abbreviations and symbols . . . . . . . . . . 6
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Notice concerning current status . . . . 7
1
5
z
General instructions
Overview
Chapter 2 of this Rider's Man-
ual will provide you with an initial
overview of your motorcycle. All
maintenance and repair work car-
ried 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 mo-
torcycle.
Abbreviations and
symbols
CAUTION Hazard with
low risk. Failure to avoid
this hazard can result in minor or
moderate injury.
WARNING Hazard with
moderate risk. Failure to
avoid this hazard can result in
death or serious injury.
DANGER Hazard with high
risk. Failure to avoid this
hazard results in death or serious
injury.
ATTENTION Special in-
structions and precaution-
ary measures. Non-compliance
can cause damage to the vehi-
cle or accessories and warranty
claims may be denied as a result.
NOTICE Special informa-
tion on operating and in-
specting 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 informa-
tion.
Indicates the end of ac-
cessory or equipment-
dependent information.
Tightening torque.
Technical data.
OE Optional extra.
BMW Motorrad optional
extras are already com-
pletely installed during
motorcycle production.
1
6
z
General instructions
OA Optional accessory.
BMW Motorrad op-
tional accessories can
be purchased and in-
stalled at your autho-
rized BMW Motorrad
retailer.
EWS
Electronic immobilizer.
DWA
Anti-theft alarm.
ABS Anti-Lock Brake System.
DTC Dynamic Traction Con-
trol.
ESA Electronic Suspension
Adjustment.
TPC Tire Pressure Control
(TPC).
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 man-
ual may also contain descriptions
of equipment which you have not
ordered. Please note, too, that
your motorcycle might not be ex-
actly as illustrated in this manual
on account of country-specific
differences.
If your BMW is equipped with
options or accessories not de-
scribed in this Rider's Manual,
then this equipment is described
in separate operating instructions.
Technical data
All dimensions, weights and out-
puts in the Rider's Manual relate
to the German DIN standards
and comply with their tolerance
specifications. Versions for indi-
vidual countries may differ.
Notice concerning
current status
The high safety and quality stan-
dards of BMW motorcycles are
maintained by consistent, on-
going development efforts em-
bracing their design, equipment
and accessories. For this rea-
son, aspects of your motorcycle
may vary from the descriptions in
this Rider's Manual. 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, illustrations or de-
scriptions in this manual.
1
7
z
General instructions
1
8
z
General instructions
Overviews
General view, left side. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
General view, right side . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Multifunction switch, left . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Multifunction switch, right . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Underneath seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2
9
z
Overviews
2
10
z
Overviews
General view, left side
1 Clutch fluid reservoir
( 131)
2 Fuel filler opening ( 96)
3 Operating panel for the
audio system (see separate
user guide)
4 Seat lock ( 66)
5 Control for rear-seat heat-
ing (on the seat) ( 63)
6 Payload table
Tire inflation pressure table
7 Adjusting spring preload
( 73)
8 Damping adjustment
( 74)
9 Storage compartment
( 71)
10 Adjustable shift lever
( 72)
11 Wind deflection wing
( 67)
2
11
z
Overviews
2
12
z
Overviews
General view, right side
1 Vehicle Identification Num-
ber (above engine oil filler
neck)
2 Onboard power socket
( 112)
3 Brake-fluid reservoir, front
( 128)
4 Coolant level indicator (be-
hind side panel) ( 130)
5 Type plate (on front
suspension)
6 Wind deflection wing
( 67)
7 Engine oil fill location and
oil dipstick ( 124)
8 Stowage compartment of
the audio system ( 71)
9 Brake-fluid reservoir, rear
( 129)
2
13
z
Overviews
Multifunction switch,
left
1 High-beam headlight and
headlight flasher ( 57)
2 Cruise control ( 68)
3 Hazard warning flashers
( 60)
4 with additional LED
headlight
OE
or
with additional LED
headlight
OA
Operating auxiliary head-
lights ( 59)
5 Windshield ( 67)
6 Turn indicators ( 60)
7 Horn
2
14
z
Overviews
8 Multi-controller and MENU
button
Multifunction display oper-
ation ( 51)
Operation of the audio sys-
tem (see the appropriate
operating instructions)
Using DTC ( 64)
with Electronic
Suspension Adjustment
(ESA)
OE
ESA control ( 75)
9 Selecting favorite menu
( 54).
2
15
z
Overviews
Multifunction switch,
right
1 with central locking sys-
tem
OE
Operation of the central
locking system ( 76)
2 Selection of the ride mode
( 64)
3 Emergency ON/OFF
switch ( 61)
4 Starting the engine
( 90)
2
16
z
Overviews
Underneath seat
1 Rider's Manual (US Model)
2 Fuses ( 148)
3 Battery ( 145)
4 Standard tool kit ( 124)
2
17
z
Overviews
Instrument cluster
1 Speedometer
2 - with preparation for navi-
gation device (OE)
Release for navigation slot
3 Warning and indicator
lights ( 26)
4 with navigation system
OA
Navigation device ( 113)
5 Photocell (for brightness
adjustment of instrument
lighting)
6 Tachometer
7 Multifunction display
( 20)
NOTICE
The brightness of the warning
lights and telltale lights, the
display and the instrument
needle and gauge lighting is
adapted automatically to suit
ambient brightness.
2
18
z
Overviews
Displays
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Meaning of symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Ambient temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Tire inflation pressures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Oil level indicator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Service display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Warning and indicator lights. . . . . . . . . 26
Warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3
19
z
Displays
Multifunction display
1 Riding mode ( 64)
2 with Hill Start Control
OE
Hill Start Control Operating
( 70).
3 Coolant temperature
4 Warning lights ( 27)
5 Menu panel ( 51)
Area for messages relating
to the audio system
6 Onboard computer ( 55)
with Tire Pressure Con-
trol (TPC/RDC)
OE
RDC readings
7 Seat heating ( 62)
Heated handlebar grips
( 61)
with Electronic
Suspension Adjustment
(ESA)
OE
ESA settings ( 75)
8 Trip distance ( 57)
9 Total distance covered
10 Clock ( 54)
11 Fuel level
3
20
z
Displays
12 Gear indicator
Meaning of symbols
Meanings of the symbols at posi-
tion 1:
Average fuel consumption
since last reset ( 56)
Current fuel consumption
Range with fuel now on
board ( 22)
Average speed since last
reset ( 56)
Ambient temperature
( 22)
Tire inflation pressures
( 23)
Stopwatch ( 56)
Travel times ( 56)
Date (display mode de-
pends on the time format
selected) ( 54)
Electrical system voltage
3
21
z
Displays
Oil level ( 23)
2 Rear-seat heating ON
3 Heated handlebar grips
switched on
4 Front-seat heating ON
with Electronic Suspension Ad-
justment (ESA)
OE
5 Damping
6 Vehicle load
Range
The range indicates the
travel distance available
with the remaining fuel. The av-
erage consumption employed
to calculate the remaining travel
range does not appear in the
display and may vary from the
indicated average consumption.
You must put at least five liters of
fuel into the fuel tank for the new
level to be registered correctly.
If the sensor cannot register the
new level the range display can-
not be updated.
If the motorcycle is standing on
its side stand, the motorcycle's
inclined position will prevent the
fuel level from being registered
accurately. For this reason travel
range is only calculated with the
side stand retracted.
NOTICE
The determined range is
an approximate reading.
BMW Motorrad therefore
recommends that you do not
try to use the full range before
refueling.
Ambient temperature
Engine heat can lead to
spurious readings of ambi-
ent temperature when the mo-
torcycle is stationary. When the
3
22
z
Displays
effects of engine heat on the
monitored temperature become
excessive the display responds
by temporarily reverting to -- as
the display reading.
If the ambient temperature
drops below 37 °F (3 °C),
this warning of possible icing-
up appears. The display auto-
matically switches from any other
mode to the temperature read-
ing when the temperature drops
below this threshold for the first
time.
Tire inflation pressures
with Tire Pressure Control
(TPC/RDC)
OE
The displayed tire inflation pres-
sures refer to a tire temperature
of 68 °F (20 °C). The figure on
the left side 1 indicates the front
tire's inflation pressure, while
the figure on the right 2 shows
the inflation pressure in the rear
tire. Immediately after switch-
ing on the ignition, "-- --" is
displayed, as the transfer of the
inflation pressure values does not
begin until a speed of 19 mph
(30 km/h) is exceeded for the first
time.
If the pressure in a tire drops to
a critical level, the corresponding
display shows red.
The tire warning symbol
also appears on the display.
The general warning light
flashes red.
Additional information on the
BMW Motorrad TPC/RDC is pro-
vided starting on page ( 108).
Oil level indicator
The oil-level indicator gives
you an indication of the en-
gine oil level.
The conditions for the oil level
indicator are as follows:
Engine at operating tempera-
ture.
3
23
z
Displays
Engine idling for at least ten
seconds.
Side stand retracted.
Motorcycle is vertical.
The readings mean:
OK: Oil level correct.
CHECK!: Check oil level during
next refueling stop.
– – –: No measurement possi-
ble (above-mentioned conditions
not met).
Service display
If a service is due, for a
brief period after the pre-
ride check the service symbol
appears on the display and the
service-due date shows instead
of the odometer reading.
If the service is overdue the
General warning light briefly
shows yellow and the service
symbol lights up continuously.
If the countdown to the next
service is less than one month,
service-due date 1 appears on
the display.
If the vehicle covers high annual
mileages then shorter service
intervals may be required. If
the countdown distance to
the early service is less than
621 mls (1000 km), countdown
distance 2 appears on the
display.
NOTICE
If the service display appears
more than a month before the
service date, the current day's
date must be reset in the in-
strument cluster. This situa-
3
24
z
Displays
tion can occur if the battery was
disconnected.
3
25
z
Displays
Warning and indicator
lights
1 ABS ( 38)
2 DTC ( 38)
3 Turn indicator, left
4 Fuel reserve ( 34)
5 High-beam headlight
6 Turn indicator, right
7 Electronic engine manage-
ment
8 with anti-theft alarm sys-
tem (DWA)
OE
DWA ( 81)
9 with additional LED
headlight
OE
or
with additional LED
headlight
OA
Auxiliary headlight ( 59)
10 Cruise control ( 68)
11 Universal warning light, ap-
pears together with warn-
ing symbols in display
panel ( 27)
3
26
z
Displays
Warning lights
Display
Warnings are displayed with the
corresponding warning lamps.
Warnings for which there is no
dedicated warning light are indi-
cated by 'General' warning light 1
showing in combination with a
warning symbol such as, for ex-
ample, 2 appearing in the mul-
tifunction display. The universal
warning lamp shows red or yel-
low, depending on the urgency of
the warning.
Up to four warning symbols can
be displayed at any given time.
The universal warning lamp lights
up for the most urgent warning.
The possible warnings are listed
on the following pages.
3
27
z
Displays
Overview of warning indicators
Warning and indicator
lamps
Warning symbols in the
display panel
Meaning
Lights up yellow appears on the
display
Electronic immobilizer is active ( 33)
lights up yellow
ESA! is indicated
ESA error ( 33)
Radio-operated key outside reception
range ( 33)
Replace battery of radio-operated key
( 33)
Lights up Fuel-level reading
turns yellow
Fuel down to reserve ( 34)
Lights up red Temperature read-
ing turns red
Coolant temperature too high ( 34)
Lights up
Engine fault ( 34)
Flashes
Severe engine fault ( 35)
3
28
z
Displays
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