BMW K 1600 GTL Manual User Manual

Rider's Manual

K 1600 GTL

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)

Details described or illustrated
in this booklet may differ from
the motorcycle's actual specifica­tion as purchased, the accessor­ies fitted or the national-market
specification. No claims will be
entertained as a result of such
discrepancies.
Dimensions, weights, fuel con­sumption and performance data
are quoted to the customary tol­erances.
The right to modify designs,
equipment and accessories is
reserved.
Errors and omissions excepted.

© 2010 BMW Motorrad
Not to be reproduced either
wholly or in part without written
permission from BMW Motorrad,
After Sales.
Printed in Germany.

The most important data for a filling-station stop can be found in the following chart:

Fuel

Recommended fuel grade Super unleaded

95 ROZ/RON

89 AKI
Usable fuel capacity approx. 26.5 l
Reserve fuel approx. 4 l

Tyre pressure

Tyre pressure, front 2.9 bar, Tyre cold
Tyre pressure, rear 2.9 bar, Tyre cold

BMW recommends

Order No.: 01 41 8 528 461

12.2010, 1st edition

*01418528461*
*01418528461*
*01418528461*

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

Handlebar fitting, left . . . . . . . . 14

Handlebar fitting, right . . . . . . . 16

Underneath the seat . . . . . . . . 17

Instrument panel . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

3 Status indicators . . . .. . . 19

Multifunction display . . . . . . . . 20

Meaning of symbols. . . . . . . . . 21

Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Ambient temperature. . . . . . . . 22

Tyre pressures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Service-due indicator . . . . . . . . 23

Warning and telltale

lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

4 Operation . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . 41

Ignition switch/steering

lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Electronic immobiliser

EWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Multifunction display . . . . . . . . 43

On-board computer . . . . . . . . . 48

Odometer and

tripmeters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Turn indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Hazard warning flashers . . . . . 52

Emergency off switch (kill

switch) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Grip heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Seat heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Dynamic Traction Control

DTC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Ride mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Windscreen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

slipstream deflector . . . . . . . . . 58

Cruise-control system . . . . . . . 59

Stowage compartments . . . . . 61

Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Shift mechanism . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Spring preload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Damping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Electronic Suspension Ad-

justment ESA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Central locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Anti-theft alarm (DWA) . . . . . . 70

Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

5 Riding . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . 75

Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . 76

Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Starting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Running in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Parking your motorcycle . . . . 82

Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Securing motorcycle for

transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

6 Engineering details. . . .. 87

Ride mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Brake system with BMW

Motorrad Integral ABS . . . . . . 89

Electronic engine manage­ment with BMW Motorrad

DTC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Tyre pressure monitoring

RDC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Electronic Suspension Ad-

justment ESA II . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

7 Accessories . . . .. . . .. . . . . 97

General instructions . . . . . . . . . 98

Power sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Navigation device . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Topcase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

8 Maintenance .. . . . . . . . . 109

General instructions . . . . . . . 110

Standard toolkit . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Coolant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Rims and tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Front-wheel stand . . . . . . . . . 125

Jump starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

9 Care .. . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . 135

Care products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Washing motorcycle. . . . . . . 136

Cleaning easily damaged

components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Paint care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Protective wax coating . . . . 138

Laying up motorcycle . . . . . 138

Restoring motorcycle to

use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

10 Technical data . . . . . . 139

troubleshooting chart . . . . . . 140

Threaded fasteners . . . . . . . 141

Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Rear-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . 145

Running gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Wheels and tyres. . . . . . . . . . 147

Electrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Anti-theft alarm. . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Riding specifications . . . . . . 152

11 Service .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . 153

BMW Motorrad service. . . . 154

BMW Motorrad service

quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

BMW Motorrad mobility
services - roadside assist-

ance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

BMW Motorrad service

network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Maintenance work. . . . . . . . . 155

Confirmation of mainten-

ance work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Confirmation of service . . . . 161

12 Index .. . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . 163

General instructions

General instructions

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Abbreviations and symbols . . . . . . . . . . 6

Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1

5

Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Currency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

z

General instructions

Overview

1

z

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.

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.

EWS

DWA

ABS

DTC Dynamic Traction Con-

Electronic immobiliser.

Anti-theft alarm (Dieb­stahlwarnanlage)

Anti-lock brake system

trol.

ESA Electronic Suspension

Adjustment
Electronic Suspension
Adjustment.

find these features described in
separate manuals.

Technical data

the basis of the data, illustrations
or descriptions in this manual.

1

7

RDC

Tyre pressure monitoring
(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

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

z

General instructions

1

8

z

General instructions

General views

General views

General view, left side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

General view, right side . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Handlebar fitting, left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

2

9

Handlebar fitting, right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Underneath the seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Instrument panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

z

General views

2

10

z

General views

General view, left side

1 Clutch-fluid reservoir

( 117)

2 Fuel filler neck ( 83)
3 Operating panel for the

audio system (see separate
user guide)

4 Seat lock ( 57)
5 Control for rear-seat heat-

ing (on the seat) ( 54)

6 Payload table

Table of tyre pressures

7 Adjuster, spring preload

( 63)

8 Adjuster for damping char-

acteristic ( 64)

9 Storage compartment

( 61)

10 adjustable shift lever

( 62)

11 slipstream deflector

( 58)

2

11

z

General views

2

12

z

General views

General view, right side

1 Vehicle Identification Num-

ber (above engine oil filler
neck)

2 Power socket ( 98)
3 Brake-fluid reservoir, front

( 114)

4 Coolant level indicator (be-

hind side panel) ( 116)

5 Type plate (on front sus-

pension)

6 slipstream deflector

( 58)

7 Engine-oil filler neck and

oil dipstick ( 110)

8 Stowage compartment of

the audio system ( 61)

9 Brake-fluid reservoir, rear

( 115)

2

13

z

General views

Handlebar fitting, left

2

14

z

1 High-beam headlight and

headlight flasher ( 50)

2
3 Cruise control system con-

trol ( 59)

4 Hazard warning flashers

( 52)

5 Windscreen control

( 58)

6 Operation of the flashing

turn indicators ( 52)

7 Horn

General views

8 Multi-controller and MENU

button
Operation of the multifunc­tion display ( 43)
Operation of the audio sys­tem (see the appropriate
instructions for use)

with Dynamic Traction
Control (DTC)

Control for DTC ( 55)

with Electronic Suspen­sion Adjustment (ESA)

Operating ESA ( 65)

9 Select the favourite menu.

( 47).

OE

OE

2

15

z

General views

Handlebar fitting, right

2

16

z

1 with central locking

Operation of the central
locking system ( 66)

2 Selection of the ride mode

( 56)

3 Emergency off switch (kill

switch) ( 52)

4 Starting engine ( 78)

General views

OE

Underneath the seat

1 Rider's Manual
2 Fuses ( 133)
3 Battery ( 130)
4 Standard toolkit ( 110)

2

17

z

General views

Instrument panel

2

18

z

1 Speedometer
2 Release for navigation slot
3 Warning and telltale lights

( 25)

4 with navigation system

Navigation device ( 99)

5 Ambient-light brightness

sensor (for adapting the
brightness of the instru­ment lighting)

6 Rev. counter
7 Control for tripmeters

General views

( 49)

8 Multifunction display

( 20)

The brightness of the warn-

ing lights and telltale lights,
the display and the instrument
needle and gauge lighting is ad­apted automatically to suit ambi­ent brightness.

OA

Status indicators

Status indicators

Multifunction display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Meaning of symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

3

19

Ambient temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Tyre pressures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Service-due indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Warning and telltale lights . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

z

Status indicators

Multifunction display

3

20

z

1 Ride mode ( 56)
2 Coolant temperature
3 Area for warnings ( 26)
4 Menu area ( 43)

Area for messages relating
to the audio system

5 Status-indicator panel of

the on-board computer
( 48)

with tyre pressure monit­oring (RDC)

RDC readings

6 Status indicators for seat

Status indicators

heating ( 53)
Status indicators for
handlebar grip heating
( 53)

with Electronic Suspen­sion Adjustment (ESA)

ESA settings

7 Tripmeter ( 49)
8 Total distance covered
9 Clock ( 47)
10 Fuel level

OE

OE

11 Gear indicator; "N" indic-

ates neutral

Meaning of symbols

Tyre pressures ( 22)

3

Meanings of the symbols at posi­tion 1:

Average consumption
1 and 2 since last reset

( 48)

Range with fuel now on
board ( 22)

Average speed since last
reset ( 48)

Ambient temperature
( 22)

Stopwatch ( 48)

Travel times ( 49)

Date (display mode de­pends on the time format

selected) ( 47)

Oil level ( 23)

2 Rear-seat heating ON
3 Handlebar grip heating ON
4 Front-seat heating ON

21

z

Status indicators

with Electronic Suspension Ad-

3

22

justment (ESA)

5 Damping
6 Vehicle load

Range

z

Status indicators

The range readout indic-

ates how far you can ride
with the fuel remaining in the
tank. The figure for average con­sumption used to calculate range
is not shown and might not be
the same as the average-con­sumption reading that appears on
the display.
You must put at least five litres of

OE

fuel into the fuel tank for the new
level to be registered correctly.
If the sensor cannot register the
new level the range readout can­not be updated.
When the motorcycle is propped
on its side stand the slight angle
of inclination means that the
sensor cannot register the fuel
level correctly. This is the reason
why the range is calculated only
when the side stand is in the re­tracted position.

The calculated range is only

an approximate reading.
Consequently, BMW Motorrad
recommends that you should not
try to use the full range before
refuelling.

Ambient temperature

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
on the display.

If ambient temperature

drops below 3 °C this
warning appears, drawing
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.

Tyre pressures

with tyre pressure monitoring
(RDC)

OE

The tyre-pressure readings are
based on a reference tyre tem­perature of 20 °C. The front
tyre pressure is on the left 1;
the reading on the right 2 is the
rear tyre pressure. "-- --"
appears directly after the ig­nition is switched on, because
the sensors do not transmit tyre
pressures until the first time the
motorcycle accelerates to more
than 30 km/h.

If the pressure in a tyre drops to
a critical level the corresponding
status indicator shows red.

The tyre warning symbol
also appears on the display.

The "General" warning light
flashes red.

The detailed description of BMW
Motorrad RDC starts on page
( 93).

Oil level

The oil-level indicator gives
you an indication of the en-

gine oil level.

The preconditions for the oil level
check are as follows:

Engine at operating temperat­ure.
Engine idling for at least ten
seconds.
Side stand retracted.
Make sure the motorcycle is
upright.

The readings mean:

OK: Oil level is correct

CHECK!: Check the oil level

the next time you stop for fuel.

– – –: Oil level cannot be

measured (conditions as stated
above not satisfied).

Service-due indicator

If a service is due, for a

brief period after the pre­ride 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.

3

23

z

Status indicators

3

24

If the countdown to the next
service is less than one month,
service-due date 1 appears on
the display.

z

Status indicators

might be necessary to have it
serviced at a date in advance
of the forecast due date. If the
countdown distance to the early
service is less than 1000 km,
countdown distance 2 appears
on the display.

If the service-due indicat-

or 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.

If the motorcycle covers long dis­tances in the course of the year,
under certain circumstances it

Warning and telltale
lights

3

1 ABS warning light ( 34)
2 with Dynamic Traction

Control (DTC)

DTC warning light ( 35)

3 Telltale light of the left turn

indicators

4 Warning light for fuel down

to reserve ( 31)

5 Telltale light for neutral
6 High-beam headlight tell-

tale light

7 Telltale light of the right

turn indicators

8 Warning light for engine

electronics

9 with anti-theft alarm

(DWA)
Anti-theft alarm telltale light
( 70)

10
11 Telltale light of cruise con-

trol ( 59)

OE

OE

25

z

Status indicators

3

26

12 General warning light, in

combination with warnings
in the display ( 26)

Warnings

Mode of presentation

Warnings are indicated by the
corresponding warning lights.

Up to four warning symbols can
be displayed at any given time.
The status of the 'General' warn­ing light matches the most ur­gent warning.
The possible warnings are listed
on the next pages.

z

Status indicators

Warnings for which there is no
dedicated warning light are indic­ated by 'General' warning light 1
showing in combination with a
warning symbol such as, for ex­ample, 2 appearing in the mul­tifunction display. The 'General'
warning light shows red or yel­low, depending on the urgency of
the warning.