BMW R 1200 GS 2008 Owner's manual

Rider's Manual (US Model)
R 1200 GS
BMW Motorrad
The Ultimate Riding
Machine
Motorcycle/Retailer Data
Motorcycle data
Vehicle Identification Number
Color number
First registration
Registration number
Retailer Data
Contact in Service
Ms./Mr.
Phone number
Retailer'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 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 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.

Table of Contents

You can also use the index at the end of this Rider's Manual to find a specific topic.
1 General instructions . .. .. 5
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Abbreviations and symbols . . . . 6
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Currentness of this manual . . . . 7
2 Overviews . ......... .. .... . 9
General view, left side . . . . . . . . 11
General view, right side . . . . . . 13
Underneath seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Left handlebar fitting . . . . . . . . . 15
Handlebar fitting, right . . . . . . . . 16
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3 Status indicators . . .. ... 19
Standard displays . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Displays with onboard com-
OE
puter Displays with Tire Pressure Control TPC/RDC
...................... 21
OE
......... 22
Standard warning indica-
tors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Warning indicators of on­board computer ABS warning indica-
OE
tors
........................ 28
ASC warning indica-
OE
tors
........................ 31
TPC/RDC warning indica-
OE
tors
........................ 34
Anti-theft alarm warning indi-
OE
cators
OE
........... 26
..................... 39
4 Operation ... . .. .......... 43
Ignition switch and steering
lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Electronic immobilizer
EWS ......................... 45
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Odometer and tripmeters . . . . 47
Onboard computer Tire Pressure Control TPC/
OE
RDC
....................... 52
OE
........ 49
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Turn indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Hazard warning flashers . . . . . . 55
Emergency ON/OFF
switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
BMW Motorrad Integral
OE
ABS
....................... 57
Automatic Stability Control
OE
ASC
....................... 58
Seat height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Windshield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Handlebars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Spring preload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Damping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Electronic suspension adjust­ment ESA
OE
................. 65
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Front and rear seats . . . . . . . . . . 69
Helmet holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
5 Riding ..... .. ........... .. 73
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Starting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Lowered suspension
OE
...... 78
Running in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Driving offroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Parking your motorcycle . . . . . 82
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Securing motorcycle for
transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
6 Technology in detail . .. 87
Brake system with BMW Mo­torrad Integral ABS Engine management with BMW Motorrad ASC Tire Pressure Control TPC/
OE
RDC
....................... 92
Electronic suspension adjust­ment ESA
OE
OE
........ 88
OE
...... 90
................. 93
7 Accessories ... .. ........ 95
General instructions . . . . . . . . . . 96
Onboard socket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Additional headlight
OA
....... 97
Luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
OA
Case Topcase
...................... 98
OA
................. 100
Luggage rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
8 Maintenance . .. ........ 105
General instructions . . . . . . . . 106
Onboard toolkit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Rims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Front wheel stand . . . . . . . . . . 121
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
9 Care . .. ......... ... .. .... 137
Care products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Washing your motorcy-
cle.......................... 138
Cleaning sensitive motorcy-
cle parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Paint care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Protective wax coating . . . . . 140
Storing motorcycle . . . . . . . . . 140
Returning motorcycle to
use......................... 141
10 Technical data . .. ... . 143
Troubleshooting chart . . . . . . 144
Threaded fasteners . . . . . . . . 145
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Rear-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Running gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Wheels and tires . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Electrical system . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Riding specifications . . . . . . . 158
11 Service . .. ......... .. .. 159
Reporting safety defects . . . 160
BMW Motorrad Service . . . . 161
BMW Motorrad Service
Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
BMW Motorrad Service Card - On-the-spot break-
down assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 161
BMW Motorrad Service
Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Maintenance work . . . . . . . . . . 162
Confirmation of mainte-
nance work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Confirmation of service . . . . . 168
General instructions
Overview ............................. 6
Abbreviations and symbols ........... 6
Equipment ............................ 7
Technical data ........................ 7
Currentness of this manual ........... 7
1
z
5
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 motorcycle 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
The motorcycles are as­sembled complete with all the BMW optional ex­tras originally ordered.
OA Optional accessories
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.
ESA Electronic Suspension
Adjustment Electronic suspension adjustment.
RDC 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 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 operating manual.

Technical data

All dimensions, weights and out­puts in the Rider's Manual refer to the Deutsche Institut für Nor­mung e. V. (DIN) and comply with its tolerance regulations. Ver­sions for individual countries may differ.

Currentness of this manual

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. In addition, BMW Motorrad cannot guarantee the total absence of errors. We hope you will appreciate that no claims can be entertained on the basis of the data, illustrations or descriptions in this manual.
1
z
7
General instructions
1
z
8
General instructions
Overviews
General view, left side ................ 11
General view, right side . . ............ 13
Underneath seat ..................... 14
Left handlebar fitting ................. 15
Handlebar fitting, right . . . ............ 16
Instrument cluster ................... 17
Headlight ............................ 18
2
9
z
Overviews
2
10
z
Overviews

General view, left side

1 Adjusting front spring
preload ( 63)
2 Adjusting windshield
( 60)
3 Headlight range adjustment
(below instrument cluster) ( 69)
4 Clutch fluid reservoir
( 113)
5 Type plate (on frame behind
side cover)
6 Seat lock ( 69) 7 Onboard socket ( 96) 8 Adjustment of rear damping
( 64)
9 Engine oil fill location
( 108)
10 Engine oil level indicator
( 107)
2
11
z
Overviews
2
12
z
Overviews

General view, right side

1 Adjuster for spring preload,
rear ( 63)
2 Fuel filler opening ( 83) 3 Brake-fluid reservoir, front
( 111)
4 Vehicle Identification Num-
ber (on steering-head bear­ing)
5 Air filter (behind right side
panel) ( 129)
6 Brake-fluid reservoir, rear
( 112)
2
13
z
Overviews

Underneath seat

2
1 Rider's Manual (US Model) 2 Battery ( 133)
14
3 Onboard toolkit, Payload
table (in tool tray), Tire infla­tion pressure table (in tool tray)
4 Helmet holder ( 71)
z
Overviews

Left handlebar fitting

1 Operating odometer
( 47), Operating onboard computer
2 ABS operation
Operating ASC
3 Operating ESA 4 Horn 5 Flashing turn indicators,
left ( 54), Hazard warn­ing flashers ( 55)
6 Headlight flasher and high-
beam headlight ( 53)
OE
( 49)
OE
OE
OE
( 57),
( 58) ( 65)
2
15
z
Overviews

Handlebar fitting, right

2
1 Emergency ON/OFF switch
16
z
( 56)
2 Starter button ( 76) 3 Heated hand grips 4 Flashing turn indicators,
right ( 54), Hazard warn­ing flashers ( 55)
5 Turn indicators off ( 55),
Hazard warning flashers off ( 56)
Overviews

Instrument cluster

1 Speedometer 2 Tachometer 3 Indicator lights ( 20) 4 Multifunction display
( 20)
5 Ambient brightness sensor
(for brightness adjustment of instrument lighting)
with anti-theft alarm Anti-theft alarm indicator light (see anti-theft alarm operating instructions)
6 Operating odometer
( 47), Operating clock ( 46)
OE
2
17
z
Overviews

Headlight

2
1 Low-beam headlight 2 High-beam headlight
18
3 Parking lights
z
Overviews
Status indicators
Standard displays .................... 20
Displays with onboard comput-
erOE................................. 21
Displays with Tire Pressure Control TPC/RDC
Standard warning indicators ......... 22
Warning indicators of onboard com-
puterOE.............................. 26
ABS warning indicators
ASC warning indicatorsOE........... 31
TPC/RDC warning indicatorsOE...... 34
Anti-theft alarm warning
indicatorsOE......................... 39
OE
......................... 22
OE
........... 28
3
19
z
Status indicators

Standard displays

3
Multifunction display
20
1 Clock ( 46) 2 Gear indicator ( 20) 3 Engine temperature ( 20) 4 Odometer and tripmeters
z
Status indicators
( 47)
5 Fuel capacity ( 20)
Indicator lights
1 Flashing turn indicators, left 2 High-beam headlight 3 Idling 4 Flashing turn indicators,
right
Fuel capacity
The horizontal bars under
the gas pump symbol indi­cated the remaining fuel quantity. 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' indicator light also
lights up.
Engine temperature
The lateral bars under the temperature symbol show
the engine temperature level.
Service display
If the time remaining until the next service lies within a month,
the service date is briefly dis­played following the pre-ride check. The month and year are shown with two digits each sep­arated by a dash. In this example the display means "March 2007".
If the motorcycle is driven long distances annually, it is possible that earlier service is required. If the odometer reading for the ear­lier service lies within 600 miles (1000 km), the remaining miles (kilometers) are counted down in 60-mile (100-km) steps and briefly displayed following the pre-ride check.
If the service interval has been exceeded, the general warning light also lights up yellow in ad­dition to the date or mileage dis­play. The Service lettering is dis­played continuously.
If the service display already
more than one month be­fore the service date, or if the Service lettering does not stop after the service date is exceed­ed, then the date stored in the instrument cluster must be set. 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.
Displays with onboard
OE
OE
( 49)
computer
1 Onboard computer display
area
3
21
z
Status indicators
Displays with Tire
3
Pressure Control TPC/
OE
RDC
22

Standard warning indicators

Display
The possible warnings are listed on the next page.
1 Display of tire inflation pres-
z
Status indicators
compensated (see the chapter "Technology in Detail").
OE
sures
( 52)
The tire inflation pressures are shown temperature-
Warnings are indicated by the 'General' warning light 1 show­ing in combination with a warning word, for example 2 or with one of the warning symbols 3. The 'General' warning light shows red or yellow, depending on the ur­gency of the warning. If several warnings are active, all corresponding warning lights and warning symbol are displayed; warnings are shown alternately.
Overview of warning indicators Indicator lights Displays Meaning
Lights up yellow
Lights up yellow
Lights up yellow Is indicated Engine in emergency-operation mode
Flashes red Is indicated
EWS ! appears on
the display
FUEL ! appears
on the display
Electronic immobilizer is active ( 24)
Fuel down to reserve ( 24)
( 24)
Engine oil pressure insufficient ( 25)
3
23
Lights up red Is indicated
Lights up yellow
LAMPR ! appears
on the display
LAMPF ! appears
on the display
Lights up yellow
LAMPS ! appears
on the display
Battery charge current insufficient ( 25)
Rear bulb defective ( 25)
Front bulb defective ( 26)
Bulbs defective ( 26)
z
Status indicators
Electronic immobilizer is
3
active
24
General warning light lights up yellow.
EWS ! appears on the display.
Possible cause: The key being used is not autho-
rized for starting, or communica­tion between the key and engine electronics is disrupted.
Remove other motorcycle keys from the ignition key ring. Use the reserve key. Have the defective key re­placed, preferably by an autho-
z
Status indicators
rized BMW Motorrad retailer.
Fuel down to reserve
General warning light lights up yellow.
FUEL ! appears on the display.
A fuel shortage can lead to misfiring and to the engine
dying unexpectedly. Misfiring can
damage the catalytic converter, and the engine dying unexpected can lead to accidents. Do not drive until the fuel tank is completely empty.
Possible cause: At the most, the fuel tank still
contains the reserve fuel quantity.
Reserve fuel quantity
1.1 gal (4l)
Refueling ( 83)
Engine in emergency­operation mode
General warning light lights up yellow.
Engine symbol appears on the display.
The engine is in the emer-
gency operating mode. On­ly reduced engine performance may be available, which can lead
to danger driving situations, es­pecially during passing maneu­vers. Adapt your driving style to the possibly reduced engine performance.
Possible cause: The engine control unit has di-
agnosed a fault. In exceptional cases, the engine stops and can no longer be started. Otherwise, the engine runs in the emergen­cy operating mode.
Continued driving is possible, however the accustomed en­gine performance may not be available. Have the malfunction corrected as soon as possible by a spe­cialized workshop, preferably an authorized BMW Motorrad retailer.
Engine oil pressure insufficient
General warning light flash­es in red.
Oil-can symbol appears on the display.
The oil pressure in the lubricating oil circuit is too low. Stop imme­diately and switch off engine.
The warning on insufficient
engine oil pressure is no substitute for the function of an oil-level indicator. The cor­rect engine oil level can only be checked at the oil sight glass.
Possible cause: The engine oil level is too low.
Checking engine oil level ( 107)
If oil level is too low:
Top up engine oil.
Possible cause: The engine oil pressure is insuffi-
cient.
Driving with insufficient en-
gine oil pressure can result in engine damage. Do not continue driving.
Have the malfunction corrected as soon as possible by a spe­cialized workshop, preferably an authorized BMW Motorrad retailer.
Battery charge current insufficient
General warning light lights
up red.
Battery symbol appears on
the display.
A discharged battery leads
to the failure of various mo­torcycle systems, e.g. lighting, engine or ABS. This can result in dangerous driving situations.
If possible, do not continue driving.
The battery is not being charged. If you continue driving, the vehi­cle electronics will discharge the battery. Possible cause:
Alternator or alternator belt de­fective
Have the malfunction corrected as soon as possible by a spe­cialized workshop, preferably an authorized BMW Motorrad retailer.
Rear bulb defective
General warning light lights up 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
3
25
z
Status indicators
soon as possible; always carry a complete set of spare bulbs if
3
possible.
26
Possible cause: Tail light or brake light bulb de-
fective.
The diode tail light must be re­placed. Please contact a spe­cialized workshop, preferably an authorized BMW Motorrad retailer.
Front bulb defective
LAMPF ! appears on the dis-
play.
z
Status indicators
A defective bulb places
your safety at risk because it is easier for other users to oversee the motorcycle. Replace defective bulbs as soon as possible; always carry a complete set of spare bulbs if possible.
Possible cause: Low-beam headlight, high-beam
headlight, parking light or turn indicator bulb defective.
Replacing low-beam/high-beam bulb ( 123) Replacing parking light bulb ( 124) Replacing front and rear turn indicator bulbs ( 125)
Bulbs defective
General warning light lights up yellow.
LAMPS ! 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 soon as possible; always carry a complete set of spare bulbs if possible.
Possible cause: A combination of several bulb
defects is present.
See the fault descriptions above.
Warning indicators of onboard computer
Display
Warnings of the onboard com­puter are shown in area 1. The possible warnings are listed on the next page.
OE
Overview of warning indicators Indicator lights Displays Meaning
Is indicated Engine oil level too low ( 28)
Check Oil ap-
pears on the dis­play
Is indicated Ice warning ( 28)
3
27
z
Status indicators
Engine oil level too low
3
28
Oil level symbol appears on the display.
Check Oil appears on the
display. Possible cause:
The electronic oil level sensor has detected a low engine oil level. Check the engine oil level on the oil level indicator the next time you stop for refueling:
Checking engine oil level ( 107)
If oil level is too low:
Topping up engine oil ( 108)
z
Status indicators
Possible cause: If "Check oil level" appears in
the display, although a correct oil level has been read off at the oil sight glass, the oil level sensor may be defective.
Contact a specialized work­shop, preferably an authorized BMW Motorrad retailer.
Ice warning
Ice crystal symbol appears
on the display.
Possible cause: The ambient temperature mea-
sured at the motorcycle is lower than 37 °F (3 °C).
The ice warning does not
mean that there is no risk of black ice forming at measured temperatures above 37 °F (3 °C). Always think well ahead when temperatures are low, especially on bridges and where the road is in the shade.
Think well ahead when driving.
ABS warning indicators
Display
ABS warnings are indicated by the ABS warning light 1. In some countries an alternative display of the ABS warning light is possible.
Possible country-dependent versions.
Additional information on the BMW Motorrad Integral ABS is provided from page ( 88); an
OE
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