BMW R 1200 GS 3rd Edition (US) 2013 Owner's manual
Rider's Manual (US Model)
R 1200 GS
BMW Motorrad
The Ultimate
Riding Machine
Motorcycle/Dealer Data
Motorcycle data
Model
Vehicle identification number
Color number
Initial registration
License plate
Dealer Data
Contact in Service
Ms./Mr.
Phone number
Dealer'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 highway 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 vehicle'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.
01 41 8 548 437
*01418548437*
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
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
Service display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Fuel reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Outside temperature . . . . . . . . 22
Tire inflation pressures . . . . . . 22
Oil level indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Upshift recommendation . . . . 23
Warning and indicator
lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Warning symbols in the dis-
play panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
4 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Steering and ignition
lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Ignition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
EWS Electronic immobi-
lizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . 44
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Turn signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Hazard warning flashers . . . . . 52
Emergency on/off switch (kill
switch) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Heated handlebar grips . . . . . 53
BMW Motorrad Integral
ABS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
ASC Automatic Stability
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Riding mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Handlebars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Windshield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Spring preload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Damping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Dynamic ESA, Electronic
Suspension Adjustment . . . . . 65
Anti-theft alarm system
(DWA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Rider and passenger
seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
5 Riding .. .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . 75
Safety instructions .. . . . . . . . . 76
Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Starting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Breaking in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Offroad riding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Parking your motorcycle . . . . 84
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Fuel specifications . . . . . . . . . . 86
Fastening motorcycle for
transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
6 Technology in
detail .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Riding mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Brake system with
BMW Motorrad Integral
ABS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Engine management with
BMW Motorrad ASC . . . . . . . . 94
Tire Pressure Control TPC/
RDC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
7 Accessories . .. .. .. . . . . . . 97
General instructions . . . . . . . . . 98
Onboard power sockets . . . . . 98
Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Topcase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Navigation system . . . . . . . . . 105
8 Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . 109
General instructions . . . . . . . 110
Onboard tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Coolant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Wheel rims and tires . . . . . . 118
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Front wheel stand . . . . . . . . . 124
Lamps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Air cleaner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
9 Care .................... 139
Care products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Washing your vehicle . . . . . . 140
Cleaning sensitive vehicle
parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Paint care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Protective wax coating . . . . 142
Store motorcycle . . . . . . . . . . 142
Returning motorcycle to
use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
10 Technical data . . . . . . 143
Troubleshooting chart . . . . . 144
Threaded fasteners . . . . . . . 145
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Rear-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . 150
Suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Wheels and tires . . . . . . . . . . 153
Electrical system . . . . . . . . . . 154
Anti-theft alarm system . . . 155
Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Dimensions .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Performance data . . . . . . . . . 157
11 Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Reporting safety
defects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
BMW Motorrad Service . . . 161
BMW Motorrad Mobility
Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Maintenance proce-
dures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Confirmation of mainte-
nance work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Confirmation of service . . . . 168
12 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Certificate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
13 Index .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 173
General instructions
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Abbreviations and symbols . . . . . . . . . . 6
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Notice concerning current status . . . . 7
1
5
z
General instructions
Overview
1
Chapter 2 of this Rider's Manual will provide you with an ini-
6
tial overview of your motorcycle.
All maintenance and repair work
carried out on your vehicle 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 product 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
BMW Motorrad optional
extras are already completely installed during
motorcycle production.
OA Optional accessory
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.
Electronic suspension
ESA
adjustment.
TPC/
Tire Pressure Control
RDC
(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 separate operating instructions.
Technical data
All dimensions, weights and outputs in the Rider's Manual refer
to the German Standardization
Institute (DIN) and comply with its
tolerance regulations. Versions
for individual countries may differ.
Notice concerning current status
The high safety and quality standards of BMW motorcycles are
maintained by constant development work on design, 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
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 Fuel filler opening ( 84)
2 Seat lock ( 70)
3 Adjuster for rear damp-
ing (at the bottom on the
spring strut) ( 64)
2
11
z
Overviews
2
12
z
Overviews
General view, right side
1 Adjuster for spring preload,
rear ( 63)
2 Air cleaner (under center
fairing panel) ( 131)
3 Brake-fluid reservoir, front
( 114)
4 Height adjuster for wind-
shield ( 63)
5 Onboard socket ( 98)
6 Vehicle Identification
Number (on steering-head
bearing)
Type plate (on steeringhead bearing)
7 Coolant level indicator
( 116)
Coolant tank ( 116)
8 Engine oil fill location
( 111)
9 Engine oil level indicator
( 111)
10 Battery (behind side panel)
( 133)
Auxiliary terminal for jump
starting (behind side panel)
( 132)
11 Brake-fluid reservoir, rear
( 115)
2
13
z
Overviews
Multifunction switch,
2
left
14
1 Headlight flasher and high-
beam headlight ( 51)
2 Not included in standard
equipment
with cruise control
Cruise control ( 59)
3 Hazard warning flashers
( 52)
4 ABS ( 54)
z
Overviews
with riding modes
ASC ( 55)
5 Not included in standard
equipment
with dynamic ESA
ESA ( 65)
6 Not included in standard
equipment
with additional LED
headlight
Auxiliary headlight ( 51)
7 Turn signals ( 52)
8 Horn
OA
OE
OE
OE
9 Multifunction display
( 44)
10 Not included in standard
equipment
with preparation for navi-
gation system
Navigation system
( 105)
OE
2
15
z
Overviews
Multifunction switch,
2
right
16
1 Not included in standard
equipment
with heated handlebar
OE
grips
Heated grips ( 53)
2 Not included in standard
equipment
with riding modes
z
Overviews
Riding mode ( 56)
3 Emergency on/off switch
(kill switch) ( 53)
4 Starting the engine
( 78)
OE
Underneath seat
1 Onboard tool kit
2 Rider's Manual (US Model)
( 110)
3 Tire inflation pressure table
4 Payload table
5 Adjuster for the rider's seat
height ( 72)
2
17
z
Overviews
Instrument cluster
2
1 Speedometer
2 Tachometer
18
3 Ambient light sensor (for
brightness adjustment of
instrument lighting)
with anti-theft alarm
Anti-theft alarm system indicator lamp (see anti-theft
alarm system operating instructions)
4 Warning and indicator
z
Overviews
lamps ( 25)
5 Multifunction display
( 20)
OE
Displays
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Service display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Fuel reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Outside temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Tire inflation pressures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Oil level indicator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Upshift recommendation . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Warning and indicator lamps . . . . . . . . 25
Warning symbols in the display
panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3
19
z
Displays
Multifunction display
3
1 Fuel fill level indicator
2 Upshift recommendation
20
z
Displays
( 23)
3 Gear indicator display, "N"
indicates "neutral."
4 Not included in standard
equipment
with heated handlebar
OE
grips
Grip heating level
5 Display area of the odome-
ter
Display of the SETUP settings
6 Service display
7 Warning symbols
8 Display area of the on-
board computer
Display of the SETUP settings
9 Not included in standard
equipment
with dynamic ESA
Display of the ESA setting
OE
10 Not included in standard
equipment
with riding modes
Display of the active riding
mode
11 Clock
12 Outside temperature warn-
ing
OE
Service display
If the time remaining until the
next service is within one month,
or if the next service is due
within 621 mls (1000 km),
service date 1 and the remaining
kilometers (mileage) 2 appear for
a short period of time after the
Pre-Ride-Check.
When a service date
elapses without service, the
general warning lamp lights up in
yellow, appearing together with
the date and mileage (kilometer)
display. The "Service" message
is displayed continuously.
If the service display
appears more than a month
before the service date, the
stored date must be adjusted
in the instrument cluster. This
situation can occur if the battery
was disconnected.
Fuel reserve
The fuel level in the fuel tank,
when the fuel warning lamp
switches on, depends on the
driving dynamics. The more
the fuel is moved within the
tank (due to frequently changing
inclined positions, frequent
braking and accelerating), the
more difficult it is to determine
the reserve quantity. For this
reason, the reserve quantity
cannot be accurately indicated.
After the fuel warning lamp
is switched on, the range is
automatically displayed.
The distance, which can still be
3
21
z
Displays
driven with the reserve quantity,
depends on the driving style (on
3
the consumption) and on the fuel
22
level, when the warning lamp was
switched on.
Outside temperature
Engine heat can lead to spurious
readings of outside temperature
when the motorcycle is stationary. When the effects of engine
z
Displays
heat on the monitored temperature become excessive the display responds by temporarily
reverting to -- as the display
reading.
In the case of outside temperatures below 37 °F (3 °C), risk of
ice formation exists. The display
automatically switches from any
other mode to outside temperature reading 1, when the temperature drops below this threshold
for the first time. The displayed
value flashes.
In addition, the ice crystal
symbol 2 is displayed.
Tire inflation pressures
with Tire Pressure Control
(TPC/RDC)
The displayed tire inflation pressures 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.
When you switch on the ignition,
OE
-- -- appears in the display.
This is because active transmission of inflation-pressure data
does not start until the motor-
cycle speed exceeds 19 mph
(30 km/h) at least once.
If the 3 symbol appears at
the same time, the display
is a warning. The critical tireinflation pressure flashes.
If the critical value is at the
limit of the permissible tolerance, the general warning lamp
also lights up in yellow. If the
monitored tire inflation pressure
is outside the specified range the
general warning lamp will flash in
red.
Additional information on the
BMW Motorrad Tire Pressure
Monitor is provided starting on
page ( 95).
Oil level indicator
The oil level indicator 1 provides
information on the oil level in the
engine. It can only be displayed
when the vehicle is stopped.
The conditions for the oil level
indicator are as follows:
Engine at operating temperature.
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 possible
(above-mentioned conditions not
met).
If the oil level must be
checked, symbol 2 is
displayed, until the oil level is
detected again as correct.
Upshift recommendation
The upshift recommendation
must be switched on in the display settings ( 46).
3
23
z
Displays
3
24
Upshift recommendation 1 signals the economically best point
z
Displays
in time for upshifting.
Warning and indicator lamps
1 Not included in standard
equipment
with cruise control
Cruise control
2 Idle
3 Not included in standard
equipment
with riding modes
ASC
4 Turn indicator, left
5 ABS
6 Turn signal, right
7 General warning lamp, ap-
pears together with warning symbols in display
panel ( 28)
8 Not included in standard
equipment
with anti-theft alarm
Anti-theft alarm system
(DWA) (see separate operating instructions)
OE
OE
OE
3
25
z
Displays
9 High-beam headlight
10 Not included in standard
3
26
z
Displays
equipment
with additional LED
headlight
Auxiliary headlight
11 Fuel reserve
The ABS symbol can be
shown differently depend-
ing on the country.
OA
Warning symbols in the display panel
1 Not included in standard
equipment
with Tire Pressure Con-
trol (TPC/RDC)
Tire inflation pressure
( 37)
2 Electronic immobilizer
( 33)
3 Coolant temperature
( 34)
4 Engine oil level ( 34)
5 Electronic engine manage-
ment ( 33)
6 Battery charging ( 133)
7 Warnings ( 28)
OE
3
27
z
Displays
Warning lamps
3
Display of the warning
28
lamps
Warnings are displayed with the
corresponding warning lamps.
z
Displays
Warnings for which no separate
warning lamp is provided are signaled by the general warning
lamp 1 and are accompanied by
a warning symbol in area 2 or by
a warning notice in area 3. The
universal warning lamp shows red
or yellow, depending on the urgency of the warning.
The universal warning lamp lights
up for the most urgent warning.
The following page contains a list
of potential warnings.
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