BMW R 1200 R 2008 Owner's Manual
Rider's Manual
R 1200 R
BMW Motorrad
The Ultimate Riding
Machine
Motorcycle data/dealership details
Motorcycle data
Model
Vehicle identification number
Colour code
Date of first registration
Registration number
Dealership details
Person to contact in Service department
Ms/Mr
Phone number
Dealership 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.
Familiarise 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 authorised
BMW Motorrad dealer will gladly
provide advice and assistance.
We hope that you will enjoy riding your BMW and that all your
journeys will be pleasant and
safe.
BMW Motorrad.
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
Currency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2 General views . ... .. .. .. .. . 9
General view, left side . . . . . . . . 11
General view, right side . . . . . . 13
Underneath the seat . . . . . . . . . 15
Handlebar fitting, left . . . . . . . . . 16
Handlebar fitting, right . . . . . . . . 17
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3 Status indicators . .. .. .. 21
Standard status
indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Status indicators with onboard computer
OE
........... 23
Status indicators with
tyre pressure monitoring
OE
(RDC)
...................... 24
Standard warnings . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Warnings issued by the onboard computer
ABS warnings
ASC warnings
RDC warnings
Anti-theft alarm
warnings
OE
........... 29
OE
............. 29
OE
............. 32
OE
............. 34
OE
................... 40
4 Operation .. . .. ... ... ... .. 41
Ignition switch and steering
lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Electronic immobiliser
(EWS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Odometer and tripmeters . . . . 44
On-board computer
OE
....... 46
Tyre pressure monitoring
OE
....................... 48
RDC
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Turn indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Hazard warning flashers . . . . . . 51
Emergency off switch (kill
switch) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Automatic Stability Control
OE
ASC
....................... 52
Grip heating
OE
............... 53
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Spring preload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Damping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Electronic Suspension Adjustment ESA
OE
............. 57
Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
5 Riding .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 63
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Starting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Lowered suspensionOE...... 69
Running in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Parking your motorcycle . . . . . 72
Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Securing motorcycle for
transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
6 Engineering details .. . .. 77
Brake system with BMW Motorrad Integral ABS
OE
........ 78
Electronic engine management with BMW Motorrad
OE
ASC
....................... 80
Tyre pressure monitoring
OE
RDC
....................... 82
7 Accessories . .. .. .. .. .. .. 85
General instructions . . . . . . . . . . 86
Power socket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
OA
Case
Topcase
...................... 88
OA
................... 90
8 Maintenance . . .. .. .. .. .. 93
General instructions . . . . . . . . . . 94
Toolkit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Rims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Front-wheel stand . . . . . . . . . . 111
Rear-wheel stand . . . . . . . . . . 112
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Jump starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
9 Care . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 127
Care products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Washing motorcycle . . . . . . . . 128
Cleaning easily damaged
components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Paint care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Protective wax coating . . . . . 130
Laying up motorcycle . . . . . . 130
Restoring motorcycle to
use......................... 130
10 Technical data . .. . .. . 131
Troubleshooting chart . . . . . . 132
Threaded fasteners . . . . . . . . 133
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Rear-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Running gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Wheels and tyres . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Electrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Riding specifications . . . . . . . 145
11 Service . .. ... ... .. .. .. . 147
BMW Motorrad service . . . . . 148
BMW Motorrad service
quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
BMW Motorrad Service
Card: on-the-spot break-
down assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 148
BMW Motorrad service net-
work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Maintenance work . . . . . . . . . . 149
Confirmation of mainten-
ance work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Confirmation of service . . . . . 155
General instructions
Overview ............................. 6
Abbreviations and symbols ........... 6
Equipment ............................ 7
Technical data ........................ 7
Currency .............................. 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 on
the motorcycle is documented in
Chapter 11. This record of the
maintenance work you have had
performed on your motorcycle is
a precondition for generous treatment of goodwill 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.
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 protect your
motorcycle against damage.
Specific instructions on
how to operate, control, adjust or look after items of equipment on the motorcycle.
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 a
passage relating to specific accessories or items
of equipment.
Tightening torque.
Item of technical data.
OE Optional extra
The motorcycles are assembled complete with
all the BMW optional extras originally ordered.
OA Optional accessory
You can obtain optional accessories through
your authorised BMW
Motorrad dealer; optional
accessories have to be
retrofitted to the motorcycle.
Electronic immobiliser
EWS
(Elektronische Wegfahrsicherung).
DWA
Anti-theft alarm (Diebstahlwarnanlage)
Anti-lock brake system
ABS
ASC Automatic Stability Con-
trol.
ESA Electronic Suspension
Adjustment
Electronic Suspension
Adjustment.
Tyre pressure control
RDC
(ReifenDruck-Control)
Equipment
When you ordered your BMW
motorcycle, you chose various
items of custom equipment. This
Rider's Manual describes optional extras (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 was supplied with
equipment not described in
this Rider's Manual, you will
find these features described in
separate manuals.
Technical data
All dimensions, weights and
power ratings stated in the
Rider's Manual are quoted to the
standards and comply with the
tolerance requirements of the
Deutsche Institut für Normung
e.V. (DIN). Versions for individual
countries may differ.
Currency
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.
Nor can BMW Motorrad entirely
rule out errors and omissions.
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
General views
General view, left side ................ 11
General view, right side . . ............ 13
Underneath the seat ................. 15
Handlebar fitting, left ................. 16
Handlebar fitting, right . . . ............ 17
Instrument cluster ................... 18
Headlight ............................ 19
2
z
9
General views
2
10
z
General views
General view, left side
1 Clutch-fluid reservoir
( 101)
2 Fuel filler neck ( 73)
3 Power socket ( 86)
4 Adjuster for damping char-
acteristic, rear suspension
( 56)
5 Engine-oil filler neck
( 96)
6 Engine oil level indicator
( 95)
2
11
z
General views
2
12
z
General views
General view, right side
1 Seat lock ( 60)
2 Vehicle Identification Num-
ber (VIN) (on steering-head
bearing)
3 Brake-fluid reservoir, front
( 99)
2
13
z
General views
2
14
z
General views
Underneath the seat
1 Battery ( 122)
2 Brake-fluid reservoir, rear
( 100)
3 Rider's Manual, Toolkit
4 Type plate
5 Table of tyre pressures
6 Adjuster for spring preload,
rear ( 55)
2
15
z
General views
Handlebar fitting, left
2
1 Operating the on-board
16
z
computer
2 Operating ASC
3 Operating ESA
4 Horn
5 Flashing turn indicators,
left ( 50), Hazard warning flashers ( 51)
6 High-beam headlight and
headlight flasher ( 49)
General views
OE
( 46)
OE
OE
( 52)
( 57)
Handlebar fitting, right
1 Emergency off switch (kill
switch) ( 52)
2 Starter button ( 66)
3 Grip heating
4 Flashing turn indicators,
right ( 50), Hazard warning flashers ( 51)
5 Cancel button, flashing turn
indicators ( 51), Pushbutton, cancel hazard warning
flashers ( 51)
OE
( 53)
2
17
z
General views
Instrument cluster
2
1 Telltale lights ( 22)
2 Speedometer
18
3 Operation of the clock
( 44)
4 Multifunction display
( 22)
5 Operating the odometer
( 44)
6 Ambient-light brightness
sensor (for adapting the
brightness of the instrument
lighting)
z
General views
with anti-theft alarm
Anti-theft alarm telltale light
(see the instructions for use
for the anti-theft alarm)
7 Rev. counter
OE
Headlight
1 Low-beam headlight
2 High-beam headlight
3 Side light
2
19
z
General views
2
20
z
General views
Status indicators
Standard status indicators ........... 22
Status indicators with on-board com-
puterOE.............................. 23
Status indicators with tyre pressure
monitoring (RDC)
Standard warnings ................... 24
Warnings issued by the on-board
computerOE......................... 29
ABS warnings
ASC warningsOE..................... 32
RDC warningsOE.................... 34
Anti-theft alarm warningsOE......... 40
OE
................. 24
OE
..................... 29
3
21
z
Status indicators
Standard status
3
indicators
22
Multifunction display
Telltale lights
Service-due indicator
1 Clock ( 44)
2 Odometer and tripmeters
z
Status indicators
( 44)
3 Gear indicator ( 22)
1 High-beam headlight
2 Flashing turn indicators, left
3 Idle
4 Flashing turn indicators,
right
Gear indicator
The gear engaged or N
for neutral appears on the
display.
If no gear is engaged, the
'neutral' telltale light also
lights up.
If the next service is due in less
than one month, the date for the
next service is shown briefly after
the Pre-Ride Check completes.
The month is shown as a twodigit number and the year as a
four-digit number, with a colon
as separator, so in this example
the next service is due in March
2007.
If the motorcycle covers long distances in the course of the year,
under certain circumstances it
might be necessary to have it
serviced at a date in advance
of the forecast due date. If the
countdown distance to the odometer reading at which a service
will be due is less than 1000 km,
the distance is counted down in
steps of 100 km and is shown
briefly after the Pre-Ride Check
completes.
If service is overdue, the due
date or the odometer reading at
which service was due is accom-
panied by the 'General' warning
light showing yellow. The word
"Service" remains permanently
visible.
If the service-due indicator
appears more than a month
in advance of the actual due date
or if the word "Service" does not
show permanently even though
a service is overdue, the date
stored in memory in the instrument panel is incorrect and must
be set. This situation can occur if
the battery was disconnected for
a prolonged period of time.
If you want to have the date set
consult a specialist workshop,
preferably an authorised BMW
Motorrad dealer.
Status indicators with
on-board computer
Multifunction display
1 Status-indicator panel of
the on-board computer
( 46)
2 Engine temperature ( 23)
3 Fuel capacity ( 24)
Engine temperature
The horizontal bars above
the temperature symbol
indicate the engine temperature.
OE
OE
3
23
z
Status indicators
Fuel capacity
3
24
z
Status indicators
The horizontal bars above
the fuel-pump symbol indicate the remaining quantity of
fuel. The top bar is larger than
the others and the quantity of
fuel it represents is correspondingly larger.
When the fuel in the tank is
topped up the gauge briefly
shows the original level, before
the reading is updated.
Status indicators with tyre pressure monitoring (RDC)
1 Tyre-pressure readout
( 48)
The figures shown in the
tyre-pressure readings are
temperature-compensated (see
the section entitled "Engineering
details").
OE
OE
Standard warnings
Mode of presentation
Warnings are indicated by the
warning lights 1 and 2 or by
'General' warning light 3 showing in combination with a text
warning or a warning symbol in
the multifunction display. The
'General' warning light shows red
or yellow, depending on the urgency of the warning.
Warning symbol 1 can show
on the multifunction display.
Text warnings such as 2, for
example, appear in the odometer
panel and are accompanied by
warning-triangle symbol 3.
If two or more warnings occur at
the same time, all the appropriate
warning lights and warning symbols appear. You can call up text
warnings to alternate with the
odometer readings ( 44). The
status of the 'General' warning
light matches the most urgent
warning.
The possible warnings are listed
on the next page.
3
25
z
Status indicators
Warnings, overview
3
Telltale lights Status indicators Meaning
26
Lights up yellow Appears on the dis-
play
EWS appears on
the display.
Lights up Fuel down to reserve ( 27)
Electronic immobiliser active ( 27)
Lights up yellow Appears on the dis-
Flashes
z
Status indicators
Lights up
Lights up yellow Appears on the dis-
play
play
LAMP appears on
the display.
Engine in emergency-operation mode
( 27)
Insufficient engine oil pressure ( 28)
Insufficient battery charge current
( 28)
Bulb defective ( 28)
Electronic immobiliser
active
General warning light shows
yellow.
Warning-triangle symbol
appears on the display.
EWS appears on the display.
Possible cause:
The key being used is not au-
thorised for starting, or communication between key and engine
electronics is disrupted.
Remove all other vehicle keys
from the same ring as the ignition key.
Use the reserve key.
Have the defective key replaced, preferably by an authorised BMW Motorrad dealer.
Fuel down to reserve
Warning light for fuel down
to reserve shows.
Lack of fuel can result in
the engine misfiring and
cutting out unexpectedly. Misfiring can damage the catalytic
converter; a hazardous situation
can result if the engine cuts out
unexpectedly.
Do not run the fuel tank dry.
Possible cause:
The fuel tank contains no more
than the reserve quantity of fuel.
Reserve fuel
≥3l
Refuelling ( 73)
Engine in emergencyoperation mode
General warning light shows
yellow.
Engine symbol appears on
the display.
The engine is running in
emergency operating mode.
Engine power might be reduced
and this can cause hazardous
situations, particularly if you attempt to overtake other road
users.
Engine power level might be
lower than normal: adapt your
style of riding accordingly.
Possible cause:
The engine control unit has dia-
gnosed a fault. In exceptional
cases, the engine stops and refuses to start. Otherwise, the engine runs in emergency operating
mode.
You can continue to ride, but
bear in mind that the usual engine power might not be available.
Have the fault rectified as
quickly as possible by a
specialist workshop, preferably
3
27
z
Status indicators
an authorised BMW Motorrad
dealer.
3
28
Insufficient engine oil
pressure
Warning light for engine-oil
pressure flashes.
The oil pressure in the lube-oil
system is too low. Stop immediately and switch off the engine.
The insufficient oil pres-
sure warning does not fulfil
the function of an oil gauge. The
only way of checking whether the
oil level is correct is to check the
z
Status indicators
oil sight glass.
Possible cause:
The engine-oil level is too low.
Check the engine oil level
( 95)
If the oil level is too low:
Top up the engine oil.
Possible cause:
The engine-oil pressure is insuffi-
cient.
Riding when engine-oil
pressure is low can result
in engine damage.
Do not continue your journey.
Have the fault rectified as
quickly as possible by a
specialist workshop, preferably
an authorised BMW Motorrad
dealer.
Insufficient battery charge
current
Warning light for battery
shows.
A discharged battery can
render various systems unavailable, for example the lights,
the engine or the ABS. This can
result in dangerous situations.
If possible, do not continue your
journey.
Possible cause:
Alternator or alternator drive belt
defective
Have the fault rectified as
quickly as possible by a
specialist workshop, preferably
an authorised BMW Motorrad
dealer.
Bulb defective
General warning light shows
yellow.
Warning-triangle symbol
appears on the display.
LAMP appears on the display.
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.
Loading...