BMW MOTORRAD R 850 R 2004 Rider's Manual (in English)

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Starting – Riding – Parking
1
Fully retract the side stand
L Note:
If the side stand is extended
and a gear engaged, you can-
not start the motorcycle.
Select neutral– Neutral indicator light 1
comes on green
k (b 7).
L Note:
Engine does not start:
– Move the gear lever to the
k
position or disengage
the clutch
Engine stops when first gear is
engaged:
– Fully retract the side stand; if
necessary, consult the trou-
bleshooting table ( b Mainte-
nance Instructions, Chapter 2)
Before you start
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Starting – Riding – Parking
ABC1
Starting
e Attention:
If you attempt to start the en-
gine when the battery is flat, you
will hear the relay chattering.
Further attempts will damage
the starter relay and starter mo-
tor.
Before trying again: Recharge
the battery.
d Warning:
Do not warm up the engine
with the motorcycle at a
standstill — risk of overheating
or fire!
Ride away immediately after
starting the engine.
To avoid overheating the air-
cooled engine and possible
damage as a result, avoid
even short warm-up periods
at a standstill. Avoid high en-
gine speeds after a cold start.
Starting
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Starting – Riding – Parking
2
Choke Correct position of choke lever 1:
– Lever up, in position A:
Cold start
– Lever down, in position C:
Engine at operating
temperature
 When starting, pull lever 1 to
position A (arrow) and hold it
in this position
L Note:
Do not turn the throttle twistgrip
when starting the engine.
 Press starter pushbutton 2
– The engine starts
 Turn the throttle twistgrip carefully
Release lever 1
– Lever 1 in position B
 Return choke lever 1 to
position C as soon as possi-
ble (as soon as the engine
runs smoothly)
Starting
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Starting – Riding – Parking
1234*
5
Fuel levelWhen the warning light1
comes on, there are still
approx. 5 litres of fuel in the
tank.
Engine oil pressureWarning light 2 goes out above
idle speed.
* depending on national-market speci-
fication
e Attention:
If warning light 2 comes on dur-
ing the journey, take the follow-
ing action as soon as traffic
conditions permit:
Declutch
 Operate the kill switch
 Bring the motorcycle safely to a halt
 Check engine oil level (
b 22)
If the warning light comes on
even though the oil level is cor-
rect, you must consult a spe-
cialist workshop, preferably an
authorised
BMW motorcycle dealer.
Telltale and warning lights
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1234*
5
Warning light, general General warning light 3 lights
up if the BMW Integral ABSOE
develops a fault (
b 75), or if the
tail light or brake light is defec-
tive.
ABS warning lightOE
The ABS warning light 4 lights
up if the BMW Integral ABS
develops a fault (
b 75)
* depending on national-market speci-
fication
Battery charge currentWarning light 5 goes out above
idle speed.
e Attention:
If warning light 5 comes on dur-
ing the journey:
Consult a specialist, preferably
an authorised BMW motorcycle
dealer.

Optional extra
Telltale and warning lights
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Starting – Riding – Parking
Engine speedLimit engine speed in accord-
ance with engine temperature,
using the highest engine
speeds only when the engine
has reached its regular operat-
ing temperature. When the
revolution counter needle
enters the red zone on the dial,
the fuel supply is interrupted in
order to protect the engine
against overspeeding.
L Note:
The governor cuts in at
7,900 rpm.
Load changes
d Warning:
Try not to open or close the
throttle abruptly, particularly
on wet or slippery roads.
Gear shifts
L Note:
Never slip the clutch exces-
sively when changing gear.
Vary your speed only by using
the throttle in a suitable gear,
not by slipping the clutch.
Riding, gear shifts
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Moving off and upshifts Pull the clutch lever in
 Press down on the gearshift
lever (to select first gear) and
take your foot off the lever
 Smoothly re-engage the
clutch
 Increase engine speed slightly as necessary
 Accelerate when the clutch is fully engaged
 Upshift into 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th gears, in the same
way, but lifting the gear lever
Downshifts Close the throttle (twistgrip)
 Pull the clutch lever in
 Select the next-lower gear:
opposite direction to arrow
 Smoothly re-engage the
clutch
Riding, gear shifts
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Starting – Riding – Parking
Brake system - general
Wet bra kesAfter the motorcycle has been
washed, ridden through water
or ridden in the rain, the brake
discs and pads may be wet (or
iced-over in winter), and may
not take effect immediately.
d Warning:
The brakes have to dry before
they start to bite.
Salt on brakesThe full breaking effect can be
delayed if the motorcycle is rid-
den on salt-covered roads and
the brakes are not applied for
some time.
d Warning:
The layer of salt on the brake
discs and pads must first be
worn away.
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Brake system - general
Oil and grease on brakes
d Warning:
Brake discs and pads must be
free from oil or grease.
Dirt or mud on brakesWhen riding on loose surfaces
or muddy roads, the brakes
may fail to take effect immedi-
ately because of dirt or mois-
ture on the discs or brake pads.
d Warning:
The brakes must first be
applied until the discs and
pads are clean.
Dirt on the brakes increases
the rate of pad wear.
d Warning:
If the brake lever can be moved
right to the limit of its travel, this
indicates a mechanical or hy-
draulic fault. The brake system is
defective.
Immediately consult a specialist
workshop, preferably an autho-
rised BMW motorcycle dealer.
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Starting – Riding – Parking
Brake system - with BMW Integral ABSOE
Sensitive electronic
control
It takes skill and sensitive con-
trol of the brakes to pull up
safely on a motorcycle. If the
front wheel brake locks and the
wheel skids, the necessary lon-
gitudinal and lateral stabilising
forces are lost, and a fall can
result.
For this reason, the rider sel-
dom makes full use of available
braking performance in an
emergency.

Optional extra
BMW Integral ABS is the latest-
generation BMW ABS develop-
ment: by preventing both
wheels from locking and opti-
mising braking-force distribu-
tion by means of the integral
function, it offers much
improved braking performance
(
b 70). Full use is made of tech-
nical braking capacity to mini-
mise braking distances, even
when road conditions are poor.
When the motorcycle is ridden
in a straight line, the
BMW Integral ABS is able to
handle emergency braking
safely.
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