BMW R 1200 GS 2007 Owner's Manual
Rider's Manual
R 1200 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 ......... 15
Handlebar fitting, left ......... 16
Handlebar fitting, right . . . . . . . . 17
Instrument cluster . . . ......... 18
Headlight . .................... 19
3 Status indicators . .... .. 21
Standard status
indicators . .................... 22
Status indicators with onboard computer
OE
........... 24
Status indicators with
tyre-pressure monitoring
OE
(RDC)
...................... 24
Standard warnings . . ......... 24
Warnings issued by the onboard computer
ABS warnings
ASC warnings
RDC warnings
Anti-theft alarm
warnings
OE
........... 29
OE
............. 31
OE
............. 33
OE
............. 36
OE
................... 40
4 Operation .. .... .. .... .. .. 43
Ignition switch and steering
lock . . . . . . .................... 44
Electronic immobiliser
(EWS) . . . . .................... 45
Clock . . . . . .................... 46
Odometer and tripmeters . . . . 47
On-board computer
OE
....... 49
Tyre pressure monitoring
OE
....................... 53
RDC
Lights . . . . .................... 54
Turn indicators . . ............. 55
Hazard warning flashers . . . .. . 55
Emergency off switch (kill
switch) . . . .................... 56
Grip heating
BMW Motorrad Integral
ABS
Automatic Stability Control
ASC
OE
............... 57
OE
....................... 57
OE
....................... 59
Seat height . .. . . . ............. 60
Windscreen . . . . . ............. 61
Clutch . . . . .................... 61
Brakes . . . .................... 62
Mirrors . . . .................... 62
Spring preload . . ............. 63
Damping . .................... 65
Tyres . . . . . .................... 66
Headlight . .................... 67
Front and rear seats . ......... 68
Helmet holder . . . ............. 69
5 Riding ... . ................ 71
Safety instructions . . . . . ...... 72
Checklist . . . . ................. 73
Starting. . . . . . ................. 74
Running in . . ................. 77
Riding off-road . . ............. 77
Brakes . . . . . . ................. 78
Parking your motorcycle . . .. . 80
Refuelling . . . ................. 81
6 Engineering details .. ... 83
Brake system with BMW Motorrad Integral ABS
OE
........ 84
Electronic engine management with BMW Motorrad
OE
ASC
....................... 86
Tyre pressure monitoring
OE
RDC
....................... 88
7 Accessories ... . .. .... .. . 91
General instructions . . . . ...... 92
Power socket . . . ............. 92
Luggage . . . .................. 93
OA
Case
...................... 93
Luggage carrier . ............. 96
8 Maintenance . .. .. .. .. .. . 99
General instructions . . . . .... 100
Toolkit...................... 100
Engine oil . . . ............... 101
Brake system, general . . .... 103
Brake pads . . ............... 103
Brake fluid . . . ............... 105
Clutch ...................... 107
Tyres . ...................... 108
Rims . ...................... 109
Wheels . . . . . . ............... 109
Front-wheel stand . . . . . . .... 114
Bulbs ....................... 115
Air filter . . . . . . ............... 121
Jump starting . . . ........... 124
Battery . . . . . . ............... 125
9 Care .. .. .... .. .. . . .. .... . 129
Care products . . . ........... 130
Washing motorcycle .. . . .... 130
Cleaning easily damaged
components . ............... 130
Paint care . . . ............... 131
Protective wax coating . .... 132
Laying up the motor-
cycle . ...................... 132
Restoring motorcycle to
use......................... 132
10 Technical data .... .. . 133
Troubleshooting chart . . .... 134
Threaded fasteners . . . . .... 135
Engine . . . . . ................ 137
Fuel . . ...................... 138
Engine oil . . . ............... 138
Clutch ...................... 139
Transmission ............... 140
Rear-wheel drive ........... 140
Running gear ............... 141
Brakes . . . . . . ............... 141
Wheels and tyres ........... 142
Electrics . . . . . ............... 144
Frame ...................... 146
Dimensions . ............... 147
Weights . . . . . ............... 147
Riding specifications . . . .... 148
11 Service . . .. .... .. .... .. 149
BMW Motorrad service . . . . . 150
BMW Motorrad service
quality . . . . .................. 150
BMW Motorrad Service
Card: on-the-spot break-
down assistance ........... 150
BMW Motorrad service net-
work . . .. . . .................. 151
Maintenance work . . . ....... 151
Confirmation of mainten-
ance work .................. 152
Confirmation of service . .. . . 157
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
(Elektronische Wegfahrsicherung).
DWA
Anti-theft alarm (Diebstahlwarnanlage)
Anti-lock brake system
ABS
ASC Automatic Stability Con-
trol.
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 the
Rider's Manual are quoted to the
standards and comply with the
tolerance requirements of the
Deutsche Institut für Normung
e.V. 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 ................. 15
Handlebar fitting, left ................. 16
Handlebar fitting, right . . . ............ 17
Instrument cluster . . ................. 18
Headlight ............................ 19
2
9
z
General views
2
10
z
General views
General view, left side
1 Adjuster, spring preload,
front ( 63)
2 On-board socket (OE)
( 92)
3 Windscreen ( 61)
4 Headlight beam-throw ad-
justment ( 67)
5 Clutch-fluid reservoir
( 107)
6 Type plate
7 Engine-oil filler neck
( 102)
8 Luggage carrier ( 96)
9 Seat lock ( 68)
10 Power socket ( 92)
11 Adjuster for damping char-
acteristic, rear suspension
( 65)
12 Engine oil level indicator
( 101)
2
11
z
General views
2
12
z
General views
General view, right side
1 Fuel filler neck ( 81)
2 Brake-fluid reservoir, front
( 103)
3 Vehicle identification num-
ber
4 Air filter (underneath tank
cover) ( 121)
5 Adjuster for spring preload,
rear ( 64)
6 Brake-fluid reservoir, rear
( 106)
2
13
z
General views
2
14
z
General views
Underneath the seat
1 Helmet holder ( 69)
2 Battery ( 127)
3 Toolkit ( 100)
2
15
z
General views
Handlebar fitting, left
2
1 Operating the odometer
16
z
( 47), Operating the onboard computer
2 Operating ASC
3 Operating the ABS
( 57)
4 Horn
5 Flashing turn indicators,
left ( 55), Hazard warning flashers ( 55)
6 Headlight flasher and high-
beam headlight ( 54)
General views
OE
OE
( 49)
( 59)
OE
Handlebar fitting, right
1 Emergency off switch (kill
switch) ( 56)
2 Starter button ( 74)
3 Flashing turn indicators,
right ( 55), Hazard warning flashers ( 55)
4 Cancel button, flashing turn
indicators ( 55), Pushbutton, cancel hazard warning
flashers ( 56)
5 Grip heating
OE
( 57)
2
17
z
General views
Instrument cluster
2
1 Speedometer
2 Rev. counter
18
3 Telltale lights ( 22)
4 Multifunction display
( 22)
5 Telltale light, anti-theft alarm
(OE) and sensor for instrument lighting
6 Select readings ( 47)
Reset the tripmeter ( 48)
Set the clock ( 46)
z
General views
Headlight
1 Low-beam headlight
2 High-beam headlight
3 Side light
2
19
z
General views
2
20
z
General views
Status indicators
Standard status indicators ........... 22
Status indicators with on-board com-
OE
puter
.............................. 24
Status indicators with tyre-pressure
monitoring (RDC)
OE
................. 24
Standard warnings . . ................. 24
Warnings issued by the on-board
computer
ABS warnings
OE
......................... 29
OE
..................... 31
ASC warningsOE..................... 33
RDC warningsOE.................... 36
OE
Anti-theft alarm warnings
......... 40
3
21
z
Status indicators
Standard status
3
indicators
22
Multifunction display
1 Clock ( 46)
2 Gear indicator ( 22)
z
Status indicators
3 Engine temperature ( 22)
4 Odometer and tripmeters
( 47)
5 Fuel capacity ( 22)
Telltale lights
1 Flashing turn indicators, left
2 High-beam headlight
3 Idle
4 Flashing turn indicators,
right
Fuel capacity
The horizontal bars below
the fuel-pump symbol indicate the remaining quantity of
fuel.
The display shows larger bars at
the top if the motorcycle is not
fitted with an on-board computer.
In this display mode the bar at
the top corresponds to about half
the available tank capacity, and
the next bar down corresponds
to about a quarter. The smaller
bars provide a more accurate estimate of the amount of fuel left
in the tank.
When the fuel in the tank is
topped up the gauge briefly
shows the original level, before
the reading is updated.
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.
Engine temperature
The horizontal bars below
the temperature symbol
indicate the engine temperature.
Service-due indicator
If the next service is due in less
than one month, the date for the
next service is shown briefly after
the Pre-Ride Check completes.
Month and year are both shown
as two-digit numbers with a line
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. 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 service-due indicat-
or appears more than a
month in advance of the actual
due date or if the word "Service"
does not show permanently even
though a service is overdue, the
date stored in memory in the instrument cluster is incorrect and
must be set. 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.
3
23
z
Status indicators
Status indicators with
3
on-board computer
24
OE
Status indicators with tyre-pressure monitoring (RDC)
Standard warnings
Mode of presentation
OE
1 Status-indicator panel of
the on-board computer
( 49)
z
Status indicators
OE
1 Tyre pressures alternate
with the clock; if the motorcycle is fitted with an onboard computer tyre pressures displayed as an additional set of readings by
the on-board computer.
( 53)
Warnings are indicated by the
'General' warning light 1 showing in combination with a warning
word, for example 2 or in combination with one of the warning
symbols 3. The 'General' warning light shows red or yellow, depending on the urgency of the
OE
warning. If two or more warnings occur at the same time, all
the appropriate warning lights
and warning symbols appear, alternating with warning words as
applicable.
The possible warnings are listed
on the next page.
3
25
z
Status indicators
Warnings, overview
3
26
z
Status indicators
Lights up yellow EWS ! appears on
Lights up yellow
Lights up yellow Appears on the dis-
Flashes red Appears on the dis-
Lights up red Appears on the dis-
Lights up yellow
Lights up yellow
the display.
FUEL ! appears
on the display.
play
play
play
LAMPR ! appears
on the display.
LAMPF ! appears
on the display.
LAMPS ! appears
on the display.
Meaning
Electronic immobiliser active ( 27)
Fuel down to reserve ( 27)
Engine in emergency-operation mode
( 27)
Insufficient engine oil pressure ( 27)
Insufficient battery charge current
( 28)
Rear light bulb defective ( 28)
Front light bulb defective ( 29)
Bulbs defective ( 29)
Electronic immobiliser active
General warning light shows
yellow.
EWS ! appears on the display.
The key being used is not authorised 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
General warning light shows
yellow.
FUEL ! appears on the display.
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.
The fuel tank contains no more
than the reserve quantity of fuel.
Reserve fuel
4l
Refuel ( 81)
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
users.
Engine power level might be
lower than normal: adapt your
style of riding accordingly.
The engine control unit has diagnosed a fault. In exceptional
cases, the engine stops and refuses to start. Otherwise, the engine 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
General warning light
flashes red.
3
27
z
Status indicators
Oil-can symbol appears on
3
28
z
Status indicators
the display.
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 the
oil sight glass.
A low oil level is one reason why
a warning indicating insufficient
oil pressure is issued.
Check the engine oil level
( 101)
If the oil level is too low:
Top up the engine oil.
If the engine oil level is correct:
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.
Insufficient battery charge
current
General warning light shows
red.
Battery symbol appears on
the display.
A discharged battery can
cause the engine to die
suddenly, and this could result in
a dangerous situation in traffic.
Have faults rectified as soon as
possible.
If the battery is not char-
ging, continuing to ride can
cause it to discharge completely,
in which case it will suffer irreparable damage.
If possible, do not continue your
journey.
Battery is not being charged.
You can continue to ride until
the battery is discharged. Bear
in mind, however, that the engine could cut out suddenly
and that the battery could discharge until completely flat,
in which case it might have
suffered irreparable damage.
Have the fault rectified as
quickly as possible by a
specialist workshop, preferably
an authorised BMW Motorrad
dealer.
Rear light bulb defective
General warning light shows
yellow.
LAMPR ! appears on the dis-
play.
A defective bulb places
your safety at risk because
it is easier for other users to
oversee the motorcycle.
Replace defective bulbs as
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