BMW R 1200 GS Adventure 2018 Owner's Manual
Rider's Manual (US Model)
R 1200 GS Adventure
BMW Motorrad
Motorcycle/Retailer Data
Motorcycle Data
Model
Vehicle identification number
Color number
Initial registration
License plate
Retailer Data
Contact in Service
Ms./Mr.
Phone number
Retailer's address/phone number (company stamp)
Welcome to BMW
Congratulations on choosing a
motorcycle from BMW Motorrad
and welcome to the community
of BMW Motorrad owners and
riders. Familiarize yourself with
your new motorcycle so that you
can ride it safely and confidently
in all highway traffic situations.
About this Rider's Manual
Please read this Rider's Manual
carefully before starting to use
your new BMW. It contains important information on how to
operate the controls and how to
get the most benefit from your
BMW's advanced 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.
Documentation confirming performance of scheduled maintenance is a precondition for generous handling of out-of-warranty
claims and goodwill warranty
treatment.
Should you want to sell your
BMW one day, please also remember to turn over the Ride's
Manual to the new owner. It is
an important part of your motorcycle.
Suggestions and complaints
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 on your
BMW
BMW Motorrad.
01 40 8 406 537
*01408406537*
Table of Contents
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 panel . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3 Displays . ... ... .. ... .. ... 19
Indicator and warning
lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . 22
Warning symbols in the
display panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Service display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Fuel reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Oil level indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Outside temperature . . . . . . . . 42
Tire inflation pressure . . . . . . . 43
Upshift recommendation . . . . 44
4 Operation ... . .. .. .. .. .. .. 45
Steering and ignition
lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Ignition with Key-
less Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Emergency on/off switch (kill
switch) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Hazard warning lights sys-
tem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Turn indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . 55
Antilock Brake System
(ABS). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Automatic Stability Control
(ASC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Dynamic Traction Control
(DTC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Electronic chassis and
suspension adjustment
(DESA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Riding mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
PRO riding mode . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Hill Start Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Anti-theft alarm (DWA) . . . . . . 77
Heated handlebar grips . . . . . 80
Rider and passenger
seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Storage compartment . . . . . . . 83
5 Setting .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. 85
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Windshield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Shifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Handlebars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Spring preload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Damping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
6 Riding .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. . 93
Safety information . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Observe checklist . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Before every journey: . . . . . . . . 96
At every third refueling
stop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Starting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Running in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Off-road riding . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Shifting gears . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Parking your motorcy-
cle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Securing motorcycle for
transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
7 Technology in de-
tail . .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. . 111
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Antilock Brake System
(ABS). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Automatic Stability Control
(ASC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Dynamic Traction Control
(DTC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Dynamic ESA . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Riding mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Tire pressure control
(RDC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Shift assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Hill Start Control . . . . . . . . . . 123
8 Maintenance . . . .. .. .. . 125
General instructions . . . . . . . 126
Onboard tool set . . . . . . . . . . 126
Service tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Front wheel stand . . . . . . . . . 127
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Coolant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Rims and tires. . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Air filter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Light sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Data link connector . . . . . . . 155
9 Accessories . .. .. .. . .. . 157
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Onboard power
sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Topcase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Navigation system. . . . . . . . . 163
10 Care . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 169
Care products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Washing your motorcy-
cle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Cleaning sensitive motorcy-
cle parts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Paint care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Protective wax coating . . . . 172
Store motorcycle . . . . . . . . . . 172
Return motorcycle to
use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
11 Technical data . .. .. . 175
Troubleshooting chart . . . . . 176
Threaded fasteners . . . . . . . 177
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Rear-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . 182
Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Wheels and tires . . . . . . . . . . 185
Electrical system . . . . . . . . . . 186
Alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Performance data . . . . . . . . . 190
12 Service . . .. .. .. .. . .. .. 191
Reporting safety
defects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
BMW Motorrad Service . . . 193
BMW Motorrad Mobility
Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Maintenance proce-
dures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
BMW Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Maintenance schedule . . . . 197
Maintenance confirma-
tions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Service confirmations . . . . . 212
13 Appendix . .. .. .. .. .. .. 215
Certificate for Electronic
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Certificate for Key-
less Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Certificate for Tire Pressure
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
14 Index . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 221
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
This Rider's Manual has been
designed to provide quick and ef-
6
ficient orientation. The quickest
way for you to find information on
specific topics is to consult the
comprehensive index at the back
of the manual. If you would like
to start with a quick overview of
your motorcycle, this information
has been provided in chapter 2.
All maintenance and repair work
carried out on your motorcycle
will be documented in Chapter
12. Documentation confirming performance of scheduled
maintenance is a precondition
z
General instructions
for generous handling of out-ofwarranty claims and goodwill warranty treatment.
When the time comes to sell
your BMW, remember to hand
over this Rider's Manual; it is an
important part of the motorcycle.
Abbreviations and symbols
CAUTION Hazard with
low risk. Failure to avoid
this hazard can result in minor or
moderate injury.
WARNING Hazard with
moderate risk. Failure to
avoid this hazard can result in
death or serious injury.
DANGER Hazard with high
risk. Failure to avoid this
hazard results in death or serious
injury.
ATTENTION Special in-
structions and precautionary measures. Non-compliance
can cause damage to the vehicle or accessories and warranty
claims may be denied as a result.
NOTICE Special informa-
tion 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 equipmentdependent information.
Tightening torque.
Technical data.
NV National-market version.
OE Optional extra.
BMW Motorrad optional
extras are already completely installed during
motorcycle production.
OA Optional accessory.
BMW Motorrad optional accessories can
be purchased and installed at your authorized BMW Motorrad
retailer.
ABS Anti-Lock Brake System.
ASC Automatic Stability Con-
trol.
D-
Electronic chassis and
ESA
suspension adjustment.
DTC Dynamic Traction Con-
trol (optional equipment
only in combination with
Pro riding modes).
DWA
Anti-theft alarm.
Electronic immobilizer.
EWS
TPC 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 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 relate
to the German DIN standards
and comply with their tolerance
specifications. Versions for individual countries may differ.
Notice concerning current status
The outstanding levels of safety
and quality furnished by every
BMW Motorrad are the result
of ongoing advanced development focusing on continuous
improvement in design and engineering as well as equipment
and accessories. For this reason,
some aspects of your motorcycle
may vary from the descriptions in
this Rider's Manual. In addition,
BMW Motorrad cannot guarantee
the total absence of errors. For
this reason BMW is unable to
recognize any claims stemming
1
7
z
General instructions
from the information, illustrations
and descriptions in this manual.
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 panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2
9
z
Overviews
2
10
z
Overviews
General view, left side
1 Fuel filler opening
( 106)
2 Seat lock ( 81)
3 Adjuster for rear damp-
ing (at the bottom on the
spring strut) ( 91)
2
11
z
Overviews
2
12
z
Overviews
General view, right side
1 Adjuster for spring preload,
rear ( 90)
2 Air cleaner (under center
fairing panel) ( 142)
3 Brake-fluid reservoir, front
( 132)
4 Height adjuster for wind-
shield ( 87)
5 Power socket ( 158)
6 Vehicle Identification Num-
ber (at fork bearing)
Data plate (at fork bearing)
7 Coolant level indicator
( 134)
Coolant tank ( 134)
8 Oil fill location ( 129)
9 Engine oil level indicator
( 128)
10 Behind side trim panel:
Battery ( 150)
Positive battery connection
point ( 148)
Diagnostic connector
( 155)
11 Brake-fluid reservoir, rear
( 133)
2
13
z
Overviews
Underneath seat
2
1 Standard tool kit ( 126)
2 Rider's Manual (US Model)
14
3 Tire inflation pressure table
4 Load capacity table
5 Adjuster for the rider's seat
height ( 82)
6 Fuses ( 154)
z
Overviews
Multifunction switch, left
1 High beam and headlight
flasher ( 52)
2 with cruise control
Cruise-control system
( 74).
3 Hazard warning lights sys-
tem ( 54)
4 ABS ( 61)
ASC ( 63)
with riding modes Pro
DTC ( 64)
5 with Dynamic ESA
Dynamic ESA adjustment
options ( 64)
6
7 Turn indicators ( 54)
8 Horn
9 Multifunction display
( 55)
OE
OE
OE
2
15
z
Overviews
10 with preparation for navi-
2
16
z
Overviews
gation system
Operating the navigation
system ( 165)
Multi-Controller
OE
Multifunction switch, right
1 with heated grips
Heated handlebar grips
( 80).
2 Riding mode ( 67)
3 Emergency on/off switch
(kill switch) ( 52)
4 Starter button
Starting engine ( 97).
OE
2
17
z
Overviews
Instrument panel
2
1 Speedometer
2 Tachometer
18
3 Photosensor (for adjusting
brightness of instrument
lighting)
with anti-theft alarm sys-
tem (DWA)
Alarm system LED
with Keyless Ride
Indicator light for radio-
z
Overviews
operated key
Switching on ignition
( 49).
4 Indicator and warning lights
( 20)
5 Multifunction display
( 22)
OE
OE
Displays
Indicator and warning lights . . . . . . . . . 20
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Warning symbols in the display
panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Service display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Fuel reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Oil level indicator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Outside temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Tire inflation pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Upshift recommendation . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
3
19
z
Displays
Indicator and warning
3
lights
20
1 with cruise control
Cruise-control system
( 74).
2 Neutral position (idling)
3 ASC ( 63)
with riding modes Pro
DTC ( 37)
4 Turn indicators
z
Displays
5 ABS ( 61)
6 General warning light (in
conjunction with warning symbols on display)
( 24)
7 with anti-theft alarm sys-
tem (DWA)
Alarm signal ( 78)
with Keyless Ride
Indicator light for radiooperated key
Switching on ignition
( 49).
8 High beam ( 52)
OE
OE
OE
OE
9 with LED auxiliary head-
10 Fuel reserve ( 42)
The ABS symbol can be shown
differently depending on the
country.
OA
light
Additional headlight
( 53).
NOTICE
3
21
z
Displays
Multifunction display
3
1 Fuel fill level indicator
2 Upshift recommendation
22
z
Displays
( 44)
3 Gear indicator display, "N"
indicates "neutral".
4 with riding modes Pro
Using Hill Start Control
( 76).
5 Odometer ( 55)
6 Service display (mainte-
nance interval) ( 193)
7 Warning symbols ( 24)
8 Onboard computer
with Dynamic ESA
Dynamic ESA adjustment
options ( 64)
9 with heated grips
Heated handlebar grips
( 80).
10 Riding mode ( 67)
11 Clock ( 58)
12 Outside temperature warn-
ing ( 42)
OE
OE
OE
Warning symbols in the display panel
1 with Tire Pressure Moni-
tor (TPM)
Tire inflation pressure
( 43)
2 EWS ( 30)
3 Coolant temperature
( 31)
4 Engine oil level ( 40)
5 Electronic engine manage-
ment ( 31)
6 Battery charging ( 150)
7 Warnings ( 24)
OE
3
23
z
Displays
Warning lights
3
Displays
24
Warnings are displayed with appropriate warning lights.
z
Displays
Warnings for which no separate
warning light is provided are signaled by the general warning
light 1 and are accompanied by
a warning symbol in area 2 or by
a warning notice in area 3. The
universal warning light shows red
or yellow, depending on the urgency of the warning.
The universal warning light lights
up for the most urgent warning.
You will find an overview of the
potential warnings on the following pages.
Overview of warning indicators
Indicator and warning
Display text Meaning
lights
General warning
light lights up yellow.
General warning
light lights up yellow.
General warning
light lights up yellow.
General warning
light shows red.
General warning
light lights up yellow.
Ice crystal symbol
is displayed.
EWS warning symbol is displayed.
appears on the
display
!KEYLO is dis-
played.
appears on the
display.
appears on the
display
Outside temperature warning ( 30)
Electronic immobilizer is active ( 30)
Radio-operated key outside reception
range ( 30)
Replace battery of radio-operated key
( 31)
Coolant temperature too high ( 31)
Engine in emergency-operation mode
( 31)
3
25
z
Displays
Indicator and warning
3
lights
26
z
Displays
General warning
light lights up yellow.
General warning
light lights up yellow.
General warning
light lights up yellow.
General warning
light flashes red.
Display text Meaning
!LAMP_ is indi-
cated
DWALO ! is dis-
played.
DWA ! is
displayed.
Tire symbol with
one or two arrows
is displayed. The
critical tire-inflation pressure also
flashes.
Tire symbol with
one or two arrows
is displayed. The
critical tire-inflation pressure also
flashes.
Light source defect ( 32)
Anti-theft alarm battery low charge
( 33)
Anti-theft alarm system battery
discharged ( 33)
Tire inflation pressure is at limit of approved range ( 33)
Tire inflation pressure is outside approved range ( 34)
Indicator and warning
lights
General warning
light lights up yellow.
General warning
light lights up yellow.
ABS indicator light
flashes.
ABS indicator light
lights up.
ABS indicator light
lights up.
ASC indicator
and warning light
flashes rapidly.
Display text Meaning
appears with one or
two arrows
"--" or "-- --"
is indicated.
!RDC is displayed.
Sensor defective or system error
( 34)
Transmission error ( 35)
Battery of tire-inflation pressure sensor
weak ( 35)
ABS self-diagnosis not completed
( 36)
ABS error ( 36)
ABS deactivated ( 36)
ASC intervention ( 36)
3
27
z
Displays
Indicator and warning
3
lights
28
z
Displays
DTC indicator
and warning light
flashes rapidly.
ASC indicator
and warning light
flashes slowly.
DTC indicator
and warning light
flashes slowly.
ASC indicator and
warning light lights
up.
DTC indicator and
warning light lights
up.
ASC indicator and
warning light lights
up.
DTC indicator and
warning light lights
up.
Display text Meaning
DTC intervention ( 37)
ASC self-diagnosis not completed
( 37)
DTC self-diagnosis not completed
( 37)
ASC switched off ( 38)
DTC switched off ( 38)
ASC fault ( 38)
DTC error ( 38)
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