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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 panel . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3 Status indicators . . . . . . . 21
Standard status indicat-
ors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Status indicators with on-
board computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Status indicators with
tyre pressure monitoring
(RDC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Standard warnings . . . . . . . . . . 24 Warnings issued by the onboard computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 ABS warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 ASC warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 RDC warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Anti-theft alarm warnings . . . . 39
4 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Ignition switch and steering
lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Electronic immobiliser
EWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Odometer and
tripmeters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 On-board computer . . . . . . . . . 45
Tyre pressure monitoring
RDC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Turn indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Hazard warning flashers . . . . . 50 Emergency off switch (kill switch) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Automatic Stability Control
ASC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Grip heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Spring preload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Damping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Electronic Suspension Adjustment ESA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
5 Riding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . 64 Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Starting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Running in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Parking your motorcycle . . . . 71 Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Securing motorcycle for transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
6 Engineering details . . . . . 75
Brake system with BMW Motorrad Integral ABS . . . . . . 76 Electronic engine manage-
ment with BMW Motorrad
ASC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Tyre pressure monitoring
RDC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
7 Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
General instructions . . . . . . . . . 84 Power sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 topcase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
8 Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
General instructions . . . . . . . . . 92 Toolkit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Rims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Front-wheel stand . . . . . . . . . 108 Rear-wheel stand . . . . . . . . . 110 Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Jump starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
9 Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Care products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Washing motorcycle. . . . . . . 124 Cleaning easily damaged components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Paint care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Protective wax coating . . . . 126 Laying up motorcycle . . . . . 126 Restoring motorcycle to
use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
10 Technical data . . . . . . 127
Troubleshooting chart . . . . . 128 Threaded fasteners . . . . . . . 129 Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Rear-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . 135 Running gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Wheels and tyres . . . . . . . . . . 137 Electrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Riding specifications . . . . . . 142
11 Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
BMW Motorrad service . . . . 144 BMW Motorrad service
quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 BMW Motorrad mobility
services - roadside assist-
ance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 BMW Motorrad service
network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Maintenance work . . . . . . . . . 145 Confirmation of mainten-
ance work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Confirmation of service . . . . 151
General instructions
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Abbreviations and symbols . . . . . . . . . . 6 Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Currency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1
5 instructionsGeneral
1
6
General instructions
Overview
Chapter 2 of this Rider's Manual will provide you with an initial 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.
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, ad-
just 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 as- |
|
sembled complete with |
|
all the BMW optional ex- |
|
tras originally ordered. |
OA |
Optional accessory |
|
You can obtain option- |
|
al accessories through |
|
your authorised BMW |
|
Motorrad dealer; optional |
|
accessories have to be |
|
retrofitted to the motor- |
|
cycle. |
EWS Electronic immobiliser.
DWA Anti-theft alarm (Diebstahlwarnanlage)
ABS Anti-lock brake system
ASC Automatic Stability Con-
trol.
ESA Electronic Suspension
Adjustment
Electronic Suspension
Adjustment.
RDC Tyre pressure control (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 Deutsches 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 |
1 |
or descriptions in this manual. |
|
|
7 |
|
General instructions |
1
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 panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2
9 viewsGeneral
2
10
General views
General view, left side
1Clutch-fluid reservoir (
99)
2Fuel filler neck (
72)
3Adjuster for damping characteristic, rear suspension (
56)
4Power socket (
84)
5Engine-oil filler neck (
94)
6Engine oil level indicator (
92)
2
11
General views
2
12
General views
General view, right side
1Seat lock (
60)
2Brake-fluid reservoir, front (
97)
3Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) (on steering-head bearing)
2
13
General views
2
14
General views
Underneath the seat
1Battery (
119)
2Brake-fluid reservoir, rear (
98)
3Rider's Manual Toolkit
4Type plate
5Table of tyre pressures
6Adjuster for spring preload, rear (
55)
2
15
General views
2
16
General views
Handlebar fitting, left
1with on-board computer OE
Operating the on-board computer (
45)
2with Automatic Stability Control (ASC) OE
Operating ASC (
52)
3with Electronic Suspension Adjustment (ESA) OE
Operating ESA (
57)
4Horn
5Flashing turn indicators, left (
50)
Hazard warning flashers (
50)
6High-beam headlight and headlight flasher (
49)
Handlebar fitting, right
1Emergency off switch (kill switch) (
51)
2Starter button (
67)
3with heated handlebar grips OE
Grip heating (
53)
4Flashing turn indicators, right (
50)
Hazard warning flashers (
50)
5Cancel button, flashing turn indicators (
50) Pushbutton, cancel hazard warning flashers (
50)
2
17
General views
2
18
General views
Instrument panel
1Telltale lights (
22)
2Speedometer
3Operation of the clock (
44)
4Multifunction display (
22)
5Control for the odometer (
44)
6Ambient-light brightness sensor (for adapting the brightness of the instrument lighting)
with anti-theft alarm OE Anti-theft alarm telltale light (see the instructions for use for the anti-theft alarm)
7 Rev. counter
Headlight
1Low-beam headlight
2High-beam headlight
3Side light
2
19
General views
2
20
General views
Status indicators
Standard status indicators . . . . . . . . . . 22
Status indicators with on-board computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Status indicators with tyre pressure monitoring (RDC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Standard warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Warnings issued by the on-board computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
ABS warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 ASC warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 RDC warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Anti-theft alarm warnings . . . . . . . . . . . 39
3
21
Status indicators
3 |
Standard status |
Telltale lights |
|
Service-due indicator |
indicators |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
22 |
Multifunction display |
|
|
|
Status indicators
1Clock (
44)
2Odometer and tripmeters (
44)
3Gear indicator (
22)
1High-beam headlight
2Flashing turn indicators, left
3Idle
4Flashing 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 1 is shown briefly after the Pre-Ride Check completes. The month is shown as a two-digit 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 2011.
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 2. 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 sevice-due indicator appears more than a month
before the service date, the date saved in the instrument cluster must be adjusted. 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 with on-board computer OE
1Status-indicator panel of the on-board computer (
45)
2Engine temperature (
23)
3Fuel capacity (
23)
Engine temperature
The horizontal bars above the temperature symbol
indicate the engine temperature.
Fuel capacity
The horizontal bars above the fuel-pump symbol indicate the remaining quantity of fuel. The top bar is larger than
3
23
Status indicators
3
24
Status indicators
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)
with tyre pressure monitoring (RDC) OE
Standard warnings
Mode of presentation
1Tyre-pressure readout (
48)
The figures shown in the tyre-pressure readings are
temperature-compensated (see the section entitled "Engineering details").
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.
The possible warnings are listed on the next page.
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.
3
25
Status indicators
3
26
Status indicators
Warnings, overview |
|
|
Warning light |
Status indicators |
Meaning |
|
|
|
Lights up yellow |
Appears on the dis- |
Electronic immobiliser active ( 27) |
|
play |
|
|
|
|
|
EWS appears on |
|
|
the display. |
|
|
|
|
Lights up |
|
Fuel down to reserve ( 27) |
|
|
|
Lights up yellow |
Appears on the dis- |
Engine in emergency-operation mode |
|
play |
( 27) |
|
|
|
Flashes |
|
Insufficient engine oil pressure ( 28) |
|
|
|
Lights up |
|
Insufficient battery charge current |
|
|
( 28) |
|
|
|
Lights up yellow |
Appears on the dis- |
Bulb defective ( 28) |
|
play |
|
|
|
|
|
LAMP appears on |
|
|
the display. |
|
|
|
|
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 authorised 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 re-
placed, 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
approx. 3 l
Refuelling (
72).
Engine in emergencyoperation mode
General warning light shows yellow.
Engine symbol appears on the display.
The engine is running in
emergency operating mode. Full engine power or full engine rpm might not be available 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 diagnosed 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
Status indicators
3
28
Status indicators
an authorised BMW Motorrad dealer.
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 pressure 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 oil level indicator.
Possible cause:
The engine-oil level is too low.
Check the engine oil level (
92).
If the oil level is too low: 
Top up the engine oil.
Possible cause:
The engine-oil pressure is insufficient.
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.
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