BMW R 1200 GS Adventure 2008 Owner's manual
Rider's Manual (US Model)
R 1200 GS Adventure
BMW Motorrad
The Ultimate Riding
Machine
Motorcycle/Retailer Data
Motorcycle data
Model
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 questions concerning your motorcycle, your
authorized BMW Motorrad
dealer will gladly 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
Multifunction display . . . . . 20
Warning and indicator
lights . . . . . .............. 20
ABS warning light
OE
..... 20
Function indicators . . . . . . 20
General warning
indicators . .............. 21
ABS warning
indicators
OE
............. 27
4 Operation . . . .......... 35
Ignition switch and
steering lock . . .......... 36
Electronic immobilizer
EWS.................... 37
Hazard warning
flashers . . . .............. 38
Tripmaster .............. 39
Clock . . . . . .............. 41
Onboard computer
OE
.... 42
Emergency ON/OFF
switch . . . . .............. 46
Heated hand grips
OE
..... 46
Clutch . . . . .............. 47
Brakes . . . . .............. 47
Shift lever . .............. 49
Lights . . . . . .............. 49
Headlight . .............. 51
Turn indicators .......... 52
Front and rear seats . . . . . 53
Helmet holder . .......... 55
Mirrors .. . . .............. 56
Adjusting windshield . . . . . 56
Spring preload .......... 57
Shock absorbers . . . . . . . . 58
Tires . . . . . . .............. 59
5 Riding . . .............. 61
Safety instructions . . . . . . . 62
Checklist . . .............. 64
Starting . . . .............. 64
Starting off with BMW
Integral ABS
OE
.......... 67
Running in .............. 67
Driving offroad . .......... 68
Parking your
motorcycle .............. 69
Refueling . . . . . . .......... 71
General brake system . . . . 72
Brake system with BMW
Integral ABS
OE
.......... 73
6 Accessories .......... 79
General instructions . . . . . 80
Onboard socket . . . . .. . . . 80
Luggage .. . . . . .......... 83
OA
Case
Topcase
................. 84
OA
.............. 87
7 Maintenance . . . . . . . . . 91
General instructions . . . . . 92
Toolkit . ................. 93
Engine oil . . . . . .......... 94
General brake system . . . . 95
Brake pads. . . . .......... 96
Brake fluid . .. . .......... 97
Clutch . ................ 100
Tires . . . ................ 101
Rims . .. ................ 102
Wheels. ................ 102
Front wheel stand . . . . . . 108
Lamps . ................ 109
Air filter ................ 119
Removing right side
panel . . ................ 121
Installing right side
panel . . ................ 122
Jump-starting . ......... 122
Battery . ................ 123
8 Care . ................ 127
Care products . ......... 128
Washing your
motorcycle . . . . ......... 128
Cleaning sensitive
motorcycle parts . . ..... 129
Paint care . . . . . ......... 130
Protective wax
coating ................ 130
Storing motorcycle ..... 130
Returning motorcycle to
use .................... 131
9 Technical data . . ..... 133
Troubleshooting
chart . . . ................ 134
Threaded fasteners ..... 135
Engine . ................ 136
Riding specifications . . . . 139
Clutch . ................ 139
Transmission . . ......... 139
Rear-wheel drive . . ..... 140
Running gear . . ......... 140
Brakes . ................ 141
Wheels and tires . . . ..... 141
Electrical system . . ..... 143
Frame. . ................ 144
Dimensions . . . ......... 145
Weights ................ 145
10 Service . . . . ......... 147
BMW Motorrad
Service ................ 148
BMW Motorrad Service
Quality . ................ 148
BMW Motorrad Service
Card - On-the-spot
breakdown
assistance . . . . ......... 149
BMW Motorrad Service
Network................ 149
Maintenance work . ..... 149
Maintenance
schedules . . . . . ....
..... 150
Confirmation of
maintenance work . ..... 151
Confirmation of
service . . . . ............. 156
General instructions
Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Abbreviations and symbols . . . . . . 6
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Currentness of this manual . . . . . . . 7
1
5
z
General instructions
Overview
1
Chapter 2 of this Rider's Manual will provide you with an
6
initial overview of your motorcycle. All maintenance and
repair work carried out on
your motorcycle will be documented in Chapter 10. Proof
of the maintenance work performed is a prerequisite for
generous treatment of claims.
Should you want to sell your
BMW one day, please also remember to turn over the Rider's Manual to the new owner;
it is an important part of your
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 pro-
tect your motorcycle against
damage.
Special information on
operating 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
equipment-dependent
information.
Tightening torque.
Technical data.
OE Optional equipment
BMW equipment available only as a factory
installed option.
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 Sys-
tem.
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
7
z
General instructions
1
8
z
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 Clutch fluid reservoir
( 100)
2 Headlight adjustment
(vertical), beneath instrument panel ( 52)
3 Adjusting rear damping
( 58)
4 Seat lock ( 54)
5 Onboard socket ( 80)
6 Filler neck, engine oil
( 95)
7 Oil sight glass ( 94)
8 Adjusting front spring
preload ( 58)
9 Onboard socket (OA)
( 80)
10 Adjustable windshield
( 56)
2
11
z
Overviews
2
12
z
Overviews
General view, right side
1 Fill location for fuel
( 71)
2 Vehicle Identification
Number on steeringhead bearing
3 Brake-fluid reservoir,
front ( 97)
4 Air filter (under tank cov-
er) ( 119)
5 Adjustable footbrake
lever ( 48)
6 Adjuster, spring preload,
rear ( 57)
7 Brake-fluid reservoir, rear
( 99)
2
13
z
Overviews
Underneath seat
2
1 Battery ( 125)
2 Rider's Manual (US Mod-
14
z
el)
3 Toolkit ( 93)
4 Flat tire set (OA) below
onboard toolkit
5 Helmet holder ( 55)
Overviews
Left handlebar fitting
1 Tripmaster or onboard
computer button (OE)
( 39)
2 ABS button (OE) ( 77)
3 Additional headlight
switch (OE) ( 51)
4 Pushbutton, horn
5 Button for left turn indi-
cator and hazard warning
flashers ( 52) ( 38)
6 Switch, high-beam head-
light and headlight flasher ( 50)
2
15
z
Overviews
Handlebar fitting, right
2
1 Emergency ON/OFF
16
z
switch ( 46)
2 Pushbutton, starter
( 64)
3 Button for right turn indi-
cator and hazard warning
flashers ( 52) ( 38)
4 Off button for turn indica-
tor and hazard warning
flashers ( 53) ( 39)
5 Heated hand-grip switch
Overviews
(OE) ( 46)
Instrument cluster
1 Speedometer
2 Tachometer
3 Warning and indicator
lights ( 21)
4 Multifunction display
( 21)
5 Indicator light for anti-
theft alarm (OE) and sensor for instrument cluster
lighting
6 Clock setting and Trip-
master operation ( 41)
( 39)
2
17
z
Overviews
Headlight
2
1 Low-beam headlight
2 High-beam headlight
18
3 Parking lights
z
Overviews
Status indicators
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Warning and indicator lights . . . 20
ABS warning light
Function indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
General warning indicators . . . . . 21
ABS warning indicators
OE
........... 20
OE
...... 27
3
19
z
Status indicators
Multifunction display
3
20
1 Clock
2 Area for warning symbols
( 21)
3 Area for displays of on-
z
board computer (OE)
Status indicators
4 Gear indicator ( 20)
5 Engine-oil temperature
display ( 21)
6 Display, Tripmaster
( 39)
7 Fuel gauge ( 20)
Warning and indicator lights
1 Indicator light, left turn
indicator
2 Indicator light, high-beam
headlight
3 Warning lamp, general
4 Indicator light, neutral
5 ABS warning light (OE)
6 Indicator light, right turn
indicator
ABS warning light
In some countries a different
display of the ABS warning
light is possible.
Alternative display of
ABS warning light.
OE
Function indicators
Fuel capacity
The horizontal bars un-
der the gas pump symbol indicated the remaining
fuel quantity.
Gear
Engaged gear is indicat-
ed.
If no gear is engaged, the
gear indicator displays 0; the
'neutral' indicator light also
lights up.
Engine oil temperature
The lateral bars under
the temperature symbol
show the engine oil temperature level.
General warning indicators
Display
General warnings are displayed by means of texts and
symbols in the multifunction
display. In some cases, an
additional general warning
light lights up red or yellow.
A number of warnings may be
issued simultaneously.
3
21
z
Status indicators
Overview of warning indicators
3
Display Meaning
22
Lights up yellow EWS! warning
Lights up yellow
Lights up yellow Is indicated
appears.
FUEL! warning
appears.
Electronic immobilizer is active
( 24)
Fuel down to reserve ( 24)
Engine electronics ( 24)
Flashes red 4x
per second
z
Status indicators
Lights up red Is indicated Battery charge current insufficient
Lights up yellow
Lights up yellow
Is indicated Engine oil pressure insufficient
"Check oil level" symbol with
( 25)
Engine oil level too low ( 25)
CHECK OIL
warning appears.
( 26)
LAMPR! warning
appears.
LAMPF! warning
appears.
LAMPS! warning
appears.
Rear bulb defective ( 26)
Front bulb defective ( 26)
Bulbs defective ( 27)
Display Meaning
Lights up yellow
DWA! warning
appears.
DWA! warning
appears.
Anti-theft alarm battery weak (OE)
( 27)
Anti-theft alarm battery dead (OE)
( 27)
3
23
z
Status indicators
Electronic immobilizer is
active
3
24
General warning lamp
lights up yellow.
EWS! warning appears.
The key being used is not authorized for starting, or communication between the key
and engine electronics is disrupted.
Remove other vehicle keys
from the ignition key ring.
Use the reserve key.
Have the defective key replaced, preferably by an
z
Status indicators
authorized BMW Motorrad
retailer.
Fuel down to reserve
General warning lamp
lights up yellow.
FUEL! warning appears.
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.
The Tripmaster indicates
the probable residual operating range.
At the most, the fuel tank
still contains the reserve fuel
quantity.
Reserve fuel quantity
1.1 gal (4 l)
Refueling ( 71)
Engine electronics
General warning lamp
lights up yellow.
Engine electronics symbol is displayed.
The engine is running
in emergency operating
mode. Engine power may be
reduced, and this can cause
hazardous situations, particularly if you attempt to overtake
other road users.
Adapt your style of riding to
the reduced level of engine
power.
The engine-electronics control unit has diagnosed a fault.
In exceptional cases, the engine stops and can no longer
be started. Otherwise, the
engine runs in 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 lamp
flashes red four times
per second.
Engine oil pressure symbol is displayed.
The oil pressure in the lubricating oil circuit is too low.
The warning on insuffi-
cient 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.
The cause of the warning on
insufficient engine oil pressure
can be an insufficient engine
oil level.
Checking engine oil level
( 94)
When oil level is too low:
Topping up engine oil
( 95)
If the warning on insufficient
engine oil pressure appears
despite a correct engine oil
level:
In addition to an insuf-
ficient engine oil level,
other problems in the engine
can lead to the warning on insufficient engine oil pressure.
Continuing to ride in these
cases can cause engine damage.
If this warning appears, do
not continue to ride even
though the engine oil level
might be correct.
Do not continue driving.
Have the malfunction corrected as soon as possible
by a specialized workshop,
preferably an authorized
BMW Motorrad retailer.
Engine oil level too low
"Check oil level" symbol
with
ing appears.
The electronic oil level sensor
has detected a low engine oil
level.
The exact engine oil level can
only be determined by conducting a check on the oil
sight glass. During the next
refueling stop:
Checking engine oil level
( 94)
When oil level is too low:
Topping up engine oil
( 95)
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.
CHECK OIL warn-
3
25
z
Status indicators
When oil level is too low:
Contact a specialized work-
3
shop, preferably an autho-
26
rized BMW motorcycle retailer.
Battery charge current
insufficient
General warning lamp
lights up red.
Battery charge current
symbol is displayed.
A discharged battery can
result in the engine cut-
ting out unexpectedly, caus-
z
Status indicators
ing a hazardous situation.
Have faults eliminated as
soon as possible.
If the battery is no longer
charged, continued
driving can lead to deep
discharging, and therefore to
the destruction of the battery.
If possible, do not continue
driving.
The battery is not being
charged.
Continued driving is possible until the battery is discharged. However, the engine can die suddenly and
the battery can be exhaustively discharged and therefore destroyed.
Have the malfunction corrected as soon as possible
by a specialized workshop,
preferably an authorized
BMW Motorrad retailer.
Rear bulb defective
General warning lamp
lights up yellow.
LAMPR! warning appears.
A defective bulb places
your safety at risk because it is easier for other
users to oversee you and
your motorcycle.
Replace defective bulbs as
soon as possible; always carry a complete set of spare
bulbs if possible.
Tail light or brake light bulb
defective.
Replacing brake and rear
light bulb ( 114)
Front bulb defective
LAMPF! warning appears.
A defective bulb places
your safety at risk because it is easier for other
users to oversee you and
your motorcycle.
Replace defective bulbs as
soon as possible; always carry a complete set of spare
bulbs if possible.
Low-beam headlight, highbeam headlight, parking light
or turn signal bulb defective.
Replacing high-beam bulb
( 112)
Replacing low-beam bulb
( 110)
Replacing parking light bulb
( 113)
Replacing front and rear
turn indicator bulbs ( 115)
Bulbs defective
General warning lamp
lights up yellow.
LAMPS! warning appears.
A defective bulb places
your safety at risk because it is easier for other
users to oversee you and
your motorcycle.
Replace defective bulbs as
soon as possible; always carry a complete set of spare
bulbs if possible.
A combination of several bulb
defects is present.
See the fault descriptions
above.
Anti-theft alarm battery
weak (OE)
DWA! warning appears.
The anti-theft alarm battery
no longer has its full capacity.
The operation of the anti-theft
alarm is only ensured for a
limited time with the motorcycle battery disconnected.
Contact a specialized workshop, preferably an authorized BMW Motorrad retailer.
Anti-theft alarm battery
dead (OE)
General warning lamp
lights up yellow.
DWA! warning appears.
The anti-theft alarm battery
has no capacity. The operation of the anti-theft alarm is
no longer ensured with the
motorcycle battery disconnected.
Contact a specialized workshop, preferably an authorized BMW Motorrad retailer.
ABS warning
indicators
Display
ABS warnings are indicated
by a combination of the general warning light and the ABS
warning light. Both warning
lights can light up continuously or flash at a rate of one or
four flashes per second.
The ABS warning light
is shown in two versions
depending on country:
Display 1.
Display 2.
OE
3
27
z
Status indicators
The warning indicators in this
3
chapter are described using
display 1.
28
z
Status indicators
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