BMW R 1200 RT 2012 Owner's Manual

4.5 (2)

Rider's Manual

R 1200 RT

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 Multifunction switch, left . . . . 16 Multifunction switch,

right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Instrument panel . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

3 Status indicators ....... 21

Multifunction display . . . . . . . . 22 Warning and telltale

lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Telltale light of cruise con-

trol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Service-due indicator . . . . . . . . 24 Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Ambient temperature. . . . . . . . 25 Tyre pressures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

4 Operation................ 39

Ignition switch/steering

lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Electronic immobiliser

EWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Multifunction display . . . . . . . . 44 Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Turn indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Hazard warning flashers . . . . . 46 Emergency off switch (kill switch) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Grip heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Seat heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Automatic Stability Control

ASC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Cruise-control system . . . . . . . 50 Stowage compartment . . . . . . 53 Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Shift mechanism . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Windscreen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Spring preload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Damping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Electronic Suspension Adjustment ESA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Front and rear seats. . . . . . . . . 60 Helmet holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

5 Riding .................... 65

Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . 66 Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Starting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Running in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Parking your motorcycle . . . . 72 Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Securing motorcycle for transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

6 Engineering details..... 77

Brake system with BMW Motorrad Integral ABS . . . . . . 78 Electronic engine management with BMW Motorrad

ASC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Tyre pressure monitoring

RDC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Electronic Suspension Adjustment ESA II . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

7 Accessories ............. 85

General instructions . . . . . . . . . 86 Power sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Topcase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

8 Maintenance ............ 93

General instructions . . . . . . . . . 94 Toolkit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Rims and tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Front-wheel stand . . . . . . . . . 109 Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Body panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Jump starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Riding specifications . . . . . . 141

11 Service ............... 143

BMW Motorrad Service . . . 144 BMW Motorrad Mobility services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Maintenance work . . . . . . . . . 144 Confirmation of mainten-

ance work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Confirmation of service . . . . 151

12 Index ................. 153

General instructions

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Abbreviations and symbols . . . . . . . . . . 6 Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Currency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

5 instructionsGeneral

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 optional
	accessories through your
	authorised BMW Motor-
	rad dealer; optional ac-
	cessories have to be
	retrofitted to the motor-
	cycle.
EWS	Electronic immobiliser.
DWA	Anti-theft alarm (Dieb-
	stahlwarnanlage)
ABS	Anti-lock brake system
ASC	Automatic Stability Con-
	trol.

ESA Electronic Suspension

Adjustment

Electronic Suspension

Adjustment.

RDC Tyre pressure monitoring (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 or descriptions in this manual.

7 instructionsGeneral

General instructions

General views

General view, left side. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 General view, right side . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Underneath the seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Multifunction switch, left . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Multifunction switch, right . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Instrument panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

9 viewsGeneral

General views

General view, left side

1Headlight beam-throw adjustment ( 59)

2Brake-fluid reservoir, front ( 99)

3On-board socket (OE/OA) ( 86)

4Adjuster for damping characteristic, rear suspension ( 56)

5adjustable shift lever ( 54)

6Engine oil level indicator ( 95)

7Power socket ( 86)

8Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) (on steering-head bearing)

General views

General view, right side

1Seat lock ( 60)

2with seat heatingOE Control for rear-seat heating (underneath rear seat) ( 48)

3Tank rucksack adapter

4Fuel filler neck ( 73)

5Clutch-fluid reservoir

6electrically adjustable windscreen ( 54)

7Storage compartment ( 53)

8Engine-oil filler neck ( 96)

General views

Underneath the seat

1Front-seat height adjustment ( 62)

2Battery ( 118)

3Brake-fluid reservoir, rear ( 100)

4Rider's Manual

5Toolkit

6Helmet holder ( 62)

7Payload table

8Table of tyre pressures

9Adjuster for spring preload, rear ( 55)

General views

Multifunction switch, left

1Operation of the audio system (OE, see separate instructions for use)

2High-beam headlight and headlight flasher ( 45)

3with cruise-control systemOE

	Cruise control system con-
	trol ( 51)
4	Hazard warning flashers
	( 46)
5	Windscreen control
	( 54)
6	Operation of the flashing
	turn indicators ( 45)
7	Horn
8	With Electronic Suspen-
	sion Adjustment (ESA
	II)OE
	Operating ESA ( 57)

9with Automatic Stability Control (ASC)OE

Operating ASC ( 49)

10 Selecting readings ( 42)	2
	2
	17
	General views

General views

Multifunction switch, right

1with heated handlebar gripsOE

Grip heating control ( 47)

2with seat heatingOE Front seat heating control ( 48)

3Emergency off switch (kill switch) ( 46)

4 Starter button ( 68)

Instrument panel

1Speedometer

2Warning and telltale lights ( 23)

3Multifunction display ( 22)

4Rev. counter

5Anti-theft alarm telltale light (OE, see separate instructions for use)

6Operation of the clock ( 41)

Adjust the dimmer ( 44).

7Control for the odometer ( 42)

8Ambient-light brightness sensor (for adapting the brightness of the instrument lighting)

General views

Status indicators

Multifunction display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Warning and telltale lights . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Telltale light of cruise control . . . . . . . 23 Service-due indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Ambient temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Tyre pressures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Status indicators

Multifunction display

1The height of the column indicates the quantity of fuel left in the tank.

2Warnings ( 26)

3- with audio system (OE) Audio-system readings

4Gear indicator; "N" indicates neutral.

5The height of the column indicates engine temperature.

6with seat heatingOE Seat-heating indicator ( 48)

7Clock ( 41)

8with heated handlebar gripsOE

Grip-heating indicator ( 47)

9 Odometer

with on-board computerOE

Odometer reading and tripmeter reading ( 43)

10 Trip meter ( 43)	Warning and telltale
with on-board com-	lights
puterOE
On-board computer read-
ings ( 42)
with tyre pressure monit-
oring (RDC)OE
RDC status indicators
( 25)

	1	Telltale light for left turn
		indicators
	2	High-beam headlight tell-
		tale light
	3	Telltale light for neutral
	4	ABS warning light ( 34)
	5	Telltale light for right turn
		indicators
	6	with Automatic Stability
		Control (ASC)OE
		ASC warning light ( 35)

	7 General warning light, in	3
	combination with warnings	3
	in the display ( 26)
	in the display ( 26)	23
	The ABS symbol might dif-	23
	The ABS symbol might dif-
	fer, depending on the spe-
	cifics of national regulations.
	Telltale light of cruise	indicatorsStatus
	control	indicatorsStatus
	control

with cruise-control systemOE

1Telltale light of cruise control ( 51)

Status indicators

Service-due indicator

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. In this example the reading means "March 2012".

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 2 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 accompanied by the 'General' warning light showing yellow. The word "Service" remains permanently visible.

If the service-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.

Range

RANGE

The range readout indicates how far you can ride with the fuel remaining in the tank. This distance is calculated on the basis of fuel level and average consumption.

When refuelling after running on reserve, make sure that you top up the tank to a level above reserve, as otherwise the sensor will not be able to register the new level. If the sensor cannot register the new level the range readout cannot be updated. When the motorcycle is propped on its side stand the slight angle of inclination means that the sensor cannot register the fuel level correctly. This is the reason why the range is calculated only when the side stand is in the retracted position.

The calculated range is only an approximate reading.

Consequently, BMW Motorrad recommends that you should not try to use the full range before refuelling.

without on-board computerOE

The range reading does not appear until the fuel is down to the reserve level.

with on-board computerOE

The figure for average consumption used to calculate range is not shown and might not be the same as the average-consump- tion reading that appears on the display.

Ambient temperature with on-board computerOE

When the motorcycle is at a standstill the heat of the engine can falsify the ambient-

temperature reading. If the effect of the engine's heat becomes excessive, -- temporarily appears on the display.

If ambient temperature drops below 3 °C the temperature display flashes to draw your attention to the risk of black ice forming. The display automatically switches from any other mode to the temperature reading when the temperature drops below this threshold for the first time.

Tyre pressures

with tyre pressure monitoring (RDC)OE

Status indicators

The tyre-pressure readings are based on a reference tyre temperature of 20 °C. The front tyre pressure is on the left 1; the reading on the right 2 is the rear tyre pressure. -- --

appears directly after the ignition is switched on, because the sensors do not transmit tyre pressures until the first time the motorcycle accelerates to more than 30 km/h.

Warnings

Mode of presentation

If warning symbol 2 also shows, the reading is a warning. The critical tyre pressure flashes.

If the critical value is close to the limit of the permissible tolerance range, 'General' warning light 1 also comes on and shows yellow. If the tyre pressure registered by the sensor is outside the permissible tolerance range, the general warning light 1 flashes red.

The detailed description of BMW Motorrad RDC starts on page

( 82).

Warnings are indicated by 'General' warning light 1 showing

in combination with one of the warning symbols 2. The 'General' warning light shows red or yellow, depending on the urgency of the warning.

If two or more warnings occur at the same time, all the appropriate warning lights and warning symbols appear. The status of the 'General' warning light matches the most urgent warning.

The possible warnings are listed	3
on the next page.

	27
	Status indicators

Status indicators

Warnings, overview
Warning light	Status indicators	Meaning

Lights up yellow	EWS ! appears on	Electronic immobiliser active ( 31)
	the display

Lights up yellow	Flashes	Fuel down to reserve ( 31)

Lights up yellow	Appears on the dis-	Engine in emergency-operation mode
	play	( 31)

Flashes red	Appears on the dis-	Insufficient engine oil pressure ( 32)
	play

Lights up red	Appears on the dis-	Insufficient battery charge current
	play	( 32)

Lights up yellow	Appears on the dis-	Rear light bulb defective	( 32)
	play

	Appears on the dis-	Front light bulb defective	( 33)
	play

Lights up yellow	Appears on the dis-	Bulbs defective ( 33)
	play

+ 131 hidden pages