BMW R 1200 ST 2008 Owner's Manual
Rider's Manual (US Model)
R 1200 ST
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 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
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 manu-
al . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2 Overviews . ............... 9
General view, left side . . . . . . . 11
General view, right side . . . . . 13
Underneath seat . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Left handlebar fitting . . . . . . . . 16
Handlebar fitting, right . . . . . . . 17
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3 Status indicators . ...... 21
Standard displays . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Displays with onboard com-
puterOE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Displays with Tire Pressure
Control RDCOE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Standard warning indica-
tors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Warning indicators of on-
board computerOE. . . . . . . . . . 28
ABS warning indica-
torsOE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
ASC warning indica-
torsOE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
RDC warning
indicatorsOE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Anti-theft alarm warning indi-
catorsOE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4 Operation .. .............. 43
Ignition switch and steering
lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Electronic immobilizer
EWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Odometer and
tripmeters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Onboard computerOE. . . . . . . 50
Tire Pressure Control
RDCOE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Turn indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Hazard warning flashers . . . . . 56
Emergency ON/OFF
switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Heated hand gripsOE. . . . . . . . 57
Automatic Stability Control
ASCOE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Seat height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Windshield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Handlebars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Spring preload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Damping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Electronic Suspension Ad-
justment ESAOE. . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Front and rear seats . . . . . . . . . 67
Helmet holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
5 Riding .................... 71
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . 72
Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Starting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Running in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Parking your motorcycle . . . . 79
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
6 Technology in
detail .. ................... 83
Brake system with BMW
Motorrad Integral ABSOE. . . . 84
Engine management with
BMW Motorrad ASCOE. . . . . 86
Tire Pressure Control
RDCOE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
7 Accessories . ............ 89
General instructions . . . . . . . . . 90
Onboard socket . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
CaseOA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
TopcaseOA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
8 Maintenance . ........... 97
General instructions . . . . . . . . . 98
Toolkit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
General brake system . . . . . 101
Brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Rims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Front wheel stand . . . . . . . . . 114
Rear-wheel stand . . . . . . . . . 115
Lamps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
9 Care . .. .. ............... 129
Care products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Washing your motorcy-
cle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Cleaning sensitive motorcy-
cle parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Paint care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Protective wax coating . . . . 132
Storing motorcycle . . . . . . . . 132
Returning motorcycle to
use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
10 Technical data . .. ... 133
Troubleshooting chart . . . . . 134
Threaded fasteners . . . . . . . 135
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Rear-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . 141
Running gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Wheels and tires . . . . . . . . . . 142
Electrical system . . . . . . . . . . 145
Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Riding specifications . . . . . . 148
11 Service . .. ............ 149
Reporting safety
defects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
BMW Motorrad Service . . . 151
BMW Motorrad Service
Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
BMW Motorrad Service
Card - On-the-spot break-
down assistance . . . . . . . . . . 151
BMW Motorrad Service
Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Maintenance work . . . . . . . . . 152
Confirmation of mainte-
nance work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Confirmation of service . . . . 158
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 initial
6
overview of your motorcycle. All
maintenance and repair work carried out on your motorcycle will
be documented in Chapter 11.
Proof of the maintenance work
performed is a prerequisite for
generous treatment of 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
z
General instructions
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.
Special information on op-
erating 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.
OE Optional equipment
The motorcycles are assembled complete with
all the BMW optional extras originally ordered.
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 System.
ASC Automatic Stability Con-
trol.
RDC Tire Pressure Control
(TPC).
ESA Electronic Suspension
Adjustment
Electronic suspension
adjustment.
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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Left handlebar fitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Handlebar fitting, right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2
9
z
Overviews
2
10
z
Overviews
General view, left side
1 Headlight range adjustment
( 66)
2 Clutch fluid reservoir
( 105)
3 Adjusting handlebar height
( 61)
4 Adjustable windshield
( 59)
5 Onboard socket ( 90)
6 Adjuster for spring preload,
rear ( 61)
7 Adjustment of rear damping
( 62)
8 Engine oil fill location
( 100)
9 Oil sight glass ( 99)
2
11
z
Overviews
2
12
z
Overviews
General view, right side
1 Seat lock ( 67)
2 Brake-fluid reservoir, rear
( 104)
3 Vehicle Identification Num-
ber
4 Brake-fluid reservoir, front
( 101)
5 Case carrierOA( 93)
2
13
z
Overviews
2
14
z
Overviews
Underneath seat
1 Driver's seat height adjust-
ment ( 59)
2 Battery ( 125)
3 Helmet holder ( 69)
4 Type plate
5 Tire pressure table
6 Label on payload
2
15
z
Overviews
Left handlebar fitting
2
1 Operating odometer
16
z
( 47), Operating onboard
computerOE( 50)
2 Operating the ASC
( 58)
3 Operating ESAOE( 63)
4 Horn
5 Turn indicators, left ( 55),
Hazard warning flashers
( 56)
6 Headlight flasher and high-
Overviews
beam headlight ( 54)
OE
Handlebar fitting, right
1 Emergency ON/OFF switch
( 57)
2 Starter button ( 74)
3 Heated hand grips
( 57)
4 Turn indicators, right
( 55), Hazard warning
flashers ( 56)
5 Turn indicators off ( 55),
Hazard warning flashers off
( 56)
OE
2
17
z
Overviews
Instrument cluster
2
1 Speedometer
2 Tachometer
18
3 Indicator lights ( 22)
4 Multifunction display
( 22)
5 Anti-theft alarm indicator
light (OE) and sensor for
instrument lighting
6 Selecting readings ( 47)
Resetting tripmeter ( 48)
z
Setting clock ( 46)
Overviews
The instrument-cluster
lighting has automatic day
and night switchover.
Headlight
1 Low and high-beam
( 54)
2 Parking lights ( 54)
2
19
z
Overviews
2
20
z
Overviews
Status indicators
Standard displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Displays with onboard comput-
erOE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Displays with Tire Pressure Control
RDCOE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Standard warning indicators . . . . . . . . 24
Warning indicators of onboard com-
puterOE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
ABS warning indicatorsOE. . . . . . . . . . 30
ASC warning indicatorsOE. . . . . . . . . . 33
RDC warning indicatorsOE. . . . . . . . . . 35
Anti-theft alarm warning
indicatorsOE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
3
21
z
Status indicators
Standard displays
3
Multifunction display
22
1 Clock ( 46)
2 Gear indicator ( 22)
3 Engine temperature ( 22)
4 Odometer and tripmeters
z
Status indicators
( 47)
5 Fuel capacity ( 22)
Indicator lights
1 Turn indicators, left
2 High-beam headlight
3 Idling
4 Turn indicators, right
Fuel capacity
The horizontal bars under
the gas pump symbol indicate the remaining fuel quantity.
When the fuel in the tank is
topped up the gauge briefly
shows the original level, before
the reading is updated.
Gear indicator
The gear engaged or N
for neutral appears on the
display.
If no gear is engaged, the
'neutral' indicator light also
lights up.
Engine temperature
The lateral bars under the
temperature symbol show
the engine temperature level.
Service display
If the time remaining until the
next service lies within a month,
the service date is briefly displayed following the pre-ride
check. The month and year are
shown as two digits each separated by a dash; in this example
the display means "March 2007".
If the motorcycle is driven long
distances annually, it is possible
that earlier service is required. If
the odometer reading for the earlier service lies within 600 miles
(1,000 km), the remaining miles
(kilometers) are counted down
in 60-mile (100-km) steps and
briefly displayed following the
pre-ride check.
If the service interval has been
exceeded, the general warning
light also lights up yellow in addition to the date or mileage display. The Service lettering is displayed continuously.
If the service display already
more than one month before the service date, or if the
Service lettering does not stop
after the service date is exceeded, then the date stored in the
instrument cluster must be set.
This situation can occur if the
battery has been disconnected
for a longer time.
Consult a certified workshop,
preferably an authorized BMW
Motorrad retailer, for setting of
the date.
Displays with onboard
computer
1 Onboard computer display
areaOE( 50)
OE
3
23
z
Status indicators
Displays with Tire
3
Pressure Control
OE
RDC
24
Standard warning indicators
Display
The possible warnings are listed
on the next page.
1 Tire inflation pressures al-
ternating with clock, with
z
onboard computer as ad-
Status indicators
ditional value of onboard
computer.OE( 53)
Warnings are indicated by the
'General' warning light 1 showing in combination with a warning
word, for example 2 or with one
of the warning symbols 3. The
'General' warning light shows red
or yellow, depending on the urgency of the warning. If several warnings are active, all corresponding warning lights and
warning symbol are displayed;
warnings are shown alternately.
Overview of warning indicators
Meaning
Lights up yellow
Lights up yellow
Lights up yellow Is indicated Engine in emergency-operation mode
Flashes red Is indicated
EWS ! appears on
the display.
FUEL ! appears
on the display.
Electronic immobilizer is active ( 26)
Fuel down to reserve ( 26)
( 26)
Engine oil pressure insufficient ( 26)
3
25
Lights up red Is indicated
Lights up yellow
LAMPR ! appears
on the display.
LAMPF ! appears
on the display.
Lights up yellow
LAMPS ! appears
on the display.
Battery charge current insufficient
( 27)
Rear bulb defective ( 27)
Front bulb defective ( 28)
Bulbs defective ( 28)
z
Status indicators
Electronic immobilizer is
active
3
26
General warning light shows
yellow.
EWS ! appears on the display.
The key being used is not authorized for starting, or communication between the key and engine
electronics is disrupted.
Remove other motorcycle keys
from the ignition key ring.
Use the reserve key.
Have the defective key replaced, preferably by an authorized BMW Motorrad retailer.
z
Status indicators
Fuel down to reserve
General warning light shows
yellow.
FUEL ! appears on the display.
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.
At the most, the fuel tank still
contains the reserve fuel quantity.
Reserve fuel quantity
~1.1 gal (~4 l)
Refueling ( 80)
Engine in emergencyoperation mode
General warning light shows
yellow.
Engine symbol appears on
the display.
The engine is in the emer-
gency operating mode. Only reduced engine performance
may be available, which can lead
to danger driving situations, es-
pecially during passing maneuvers.
Adapt your driving style to
the possibly reduced engine
performance.
The engine control unit has diagnosed a fault. In exceptional
cases, the engine stops and can
no longer be started. Otherwise,
the engine runs in the 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 light flashes red.
Oil-can symbol appears on
the display.
The oil pressure in the lubricating
oil circuit is too low. Stop immediately and switch off the engine.
The warning on insufficient
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
( 99)
If oil level is too low:
Top up engine oil.
If the engine oil level is correct:
Driving with insufficient en-
gine oil pressure can result
in engine damage.
Do not continue driving.
Have the malfunction corrected
as soon as possible by a specialized workshop, preferably
an authorized BMW Motorrad
retailer.
Battery charge current
insufficient
General warning light shows
red.
Battery symbol appears on
the display.
A discharged battery can
result in the engine cutting
out unexpectedly, causing 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 light shows
yellow.
LAMPR ! appears on the dis-
play.
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
3
27
z
Status indicators
complete set of spare bulbs if
possible.
3
Rear light or brake light bulb de-
28
fective.
Replacing brake light and tail
light bulbs ( 120)
Front bulb defective
LAMPF ! appears on the dis-
play.
A defective bulb places
your safety at risk because
it is easier for other users to
oversee the motorcycle.
Replace defective bulbs as
z
Status indicators
soon as possible; always carry a
complete set of spare bulbs if
possible.
Low-beam headlight, high-beam
headlight, parking light or turn
signal bulb defective.
Replacing low-beam and highbeam bulbs ( 117)
Replacing parking light bulb
( 119)
Replacing front turn indicator
bulb ( 121)
Replacing rear turn indicator
bulb ( 122)
Bulbs defective
General warning light shows
yellow.
LAMPS ! appears on the dis-
play.
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.
A combination of several bulb
defects is present.
See the fault descriptions
above.
Warning indicators of
onboard computer
Display
Warnings of the onboard computer are shown in area 1.
The possible warnings are listed
on the next page.
OE
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