BMW R 1200 GS 4th 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 8 550 207
*01418550207*
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
Underneath seat . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Multifunction switch, left . . . . 15
Multifunction switch,
right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3 Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Warning and indicator
lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . 22
Warning symbols in the dis-
play panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Outside temperature . . . . . . . . 36
Fuel reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Oil level indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Service display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Tire inflation pressures . . . . . . 38
Upshift recommendation . . . . 39
4 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Steering and ignition
lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Ignition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
EWS Electronic immobi-
lizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . 44
Anti-theft alarm system
(DWA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Emergency on/off switch (kill
switch) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Turn indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Hazard warning flashers . . . . . 55
BMW Motorrad Integral
ABS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
ASC Automatic Stability
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Riding mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Spring preload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Damping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Dynamic ESA, Electronic
Suspension Adjustment . . . . . 65
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Handlebars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Heated handlebar grips . . . . . 69
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Windshield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Rider and passenger
seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
5 Riding .. .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . 75
Safety instructions .. . . . . . . . . 76
Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Starting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Breaking in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Parking your motorcycle . . . . 83
Off-road riding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
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 TCP/
RDC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
7 Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
General instructions . . . . . . . . . 98
Onboard tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Coolant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Wheel rims and tires . . . . . . 106
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Front wheel stand . . . . . . . . . 112
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Air cleaner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
8 Accessories . .. .. .. . . . . 127
General instructions . . . . . . . 128
Onboard power
sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Navigation system . . . . . . . . . 129
Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Topcase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
9 Care .................... 139
Care products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Washing your vehicle . . . . . . 140
Cleaning sensitive vehicle
parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Paint care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Storing motorcycle . . . . . . . . 142
Protective wax coating . . . . 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
We have placed great importance
on good orientation when using
6
this Rider's Manual. You'll find
special topics most quickly by
using the extensive index at the
end of the manual. You can find
a first overview of your motorcycle in Chapter 2. 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, remember to hand
z
General instructions
over this Rider's Manual; it is an
important part of the motorcycle.
Abbreviations and 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 motorcycle comes with
equipment not described here,
you can find the descriptions in a
separate manual.
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
Underneath seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Multifunction switch, left . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Multifunction switch, right . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2
9
z
Overviews
2
10
z
Overviews
General view, left side
1 Fuel filler opening ( 85)
2 Seat lock ( 71)
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 ( 64)
2 Air cleaner (under center
fairing panel) ( 118)
3 Brake-fluid reservoir, front
( 102)
4 Height adjuster for wind-
shield ( 70)
5 Onboard socket ( 128)
6 Vehicle Identification
Number (on steering-head
bearing)
Type plate (on steeringhead bearing)
7 Coolant level indicator
( 104)
Coolant tank ( 105)
8 Engine oil fill location
( 100)
9 Engine oil level indicator
( 99)
10 Battery (behind side panel)
( 121)
Auxiliary terminal for jump
starting (behind side panel)
( 120)
11 Brake-fluid reservoir, rear
( 103)
2
13
z
Overviews
Underneath seat
2
1 Standard tool kit ( 98)
2 Rider's Manual (US Model)
14
3 Tire inflation pressure table
4 Payload table
5 Adjuster for the rider's seat
height ( 72)
z
Overviews
Multifunction switch, left
1 Headlight flasher and high-
beam headlight ( 54)
2 with cruise control
Switch on cruise control
( 61)
3 Hazard warning flashers
( 55)
4 ABS ( 56)
ASC ( 57)
5 with dynamic ESA
Adjustment options
( 65)
6 with additional LED
headlight
Auxiliary headlight ( 54)
7 Turn indicators ( 55)
8 Horn
9 Multifunction display
( 44)
OA
OE
OE
2
15
z
Overviews
10 with preparation for navi-
2
16
z
Overviews
gation system
Operating the navigation
system ( 130)
OE
Multifunction switch, right
1 with heated handlebar
2 Riding mode ( 58)
3 Emergency on/off switch
4 Starting the engine
OE
grips
Heated handlebar grips
( 69)
(kill switch) ( 52)
( 78)
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 telltale light
4 Warning and indicator
lamps ( 20)
5 Multifunction display
z
Overviews
( 22)
OE
Displays
Warning and indicator lamps . . . . . . . . 20
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Warning symbols in the display
panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Outside temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Fuel reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Oil level indicator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Service display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Tire inflation pressures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Upshift recommendation . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
3
19
z
Displays
Warning and indicator
3
lamps
20
1 with cruise control
Switch on cruise control
( 61)
2 Idle
3 Deactivate ASC function
( 57).
4 Turn indicator, left
5 ABS ( 56)
z
Displays
6 Turn indicator, right
7 General warning lamp, ap-
pears together with warning symbols in display
panel ( 24)
8 DWA
9 High-beam headlight
( 54)
10 with additional LED
headlight
Auxiliary headlight ( 54)
11 Fuel reserve ( 37)
OA
OE
The ABS symbol can be
shown differently depend-
ing on the country.
3
21
z
Displays
Multifunction display
3
1 Fuel fill level indicator
2 Upshift recommendation
22
z
Displays
( 39)
3 Gear indicator display, "N"
indicates "neutral."
4 with heated handlebar
5 Odometer ( 44)
6 Service display (mainte-
7 Warning symbols ( 24)
8 Onboard computer
9 with dynamic ESA
10 Riding mode ( 58)
11 Clock ( 47)
12 Outside temperature warn-
OE
grips
Operate heated grips
( 69)
nance interval) ( 161)
Adjustment options
( 65)
ing ( 36)
OE
Warning symbols in the display panel
1 with Tire Pressure Con-
trol (TPC/RDC)
Tire inflation pressures
( 38)
2 Electronic immobilizer
( 29)
3 Coolant temperature
( 29)
4 Engine oil level ( 36)
5 Electronic engine manage-
ment ( 30)
6 Battery charging ( 121)
7 Warnings ( 24)
OE
3
23
z
Displays
Warning lamps
3
Display of the warning
24
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.
Overview of warning indicators
Warning and indicator
lamps
lights up yellow appears on the dis-
lights up red appears on the dis-
lights up yellow appears on the dis-
lights up yellow
Warning symbols in the
display
appears on the display
play
play
play
LAMP_ ! is indi-
cated
LAMPF ! is indi-
cated
DWALO ! is indi-
cated
lights up yellow
DWA ! is indicated
Meaning
Outside temperature warning ( 29)
Electronic immobilizer is active ( 29)
Coolant temperature too high ( 29)
Engine in emergency-operation mode
( 30)
Bulb defect ( 30)
Anti-theft alarm battery low charge
( 30)
Anti-theft alarm system battery
discharged ( 31)
3
25
z
Displays
Warning and indicator
3
lamps
26
z
Displays
lights up yellow indicated with one
flashes red
lights up yellow appears with one or
lights up yellow
flashes ABS self-diagnosis not completed
Warning symbols in the
display
or two arrows and
critical tire-inflation pressure also
flashes
indicated with one
or two arrows and
critical tire-inflation pressure also
flashes
two arrows.
"--" or "-- --"
is indicated
"--" or "-- --"
is indicated
RDC! is indicated
Meaning
Tire inflation pressure is at limit of approved range ( 31)
Tire inflation pressure is outside approved range ( 31)
Sensor defective or system error
( 32)
Transmission error ( 32)
Battery of tire-inflation pressure sensor
weak ( 33)
( 33)
Warning and indicator
lamps
lights up
Warning symbols in the
display
Meaning
ABS error ( 34)
3
27
lights up
flashes rapidly ASC intervention ( 34)
flashes slowly ASC self-diagnosis not completed
lights up
lights up
lights up Fuel down to reserve ( 35)
flashes yellow flashes Severe fault in the engine management
ABS deactivated ( 34)
( 34)
ASC deactivated ( 35)
ASC error ( 35)
system ( 35)
z
Displays
Warning and indicator
3
lamps
28
lights up red appears on the dis-
z
Displays
Warning symbols in the
display
appears on the display
OILLVL CHECK
is indicated
play
Meaning
Engine oil level too low ( 36)
Battery charging voltage insufficient
( 36)
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