BMW MOTORRAD K 1200 LT 2005 Rider's Manual (in English)

22
59
Safety check
Wheels
–If tyres are cold:
 Remove valve caps
 Check/correct tyre pressures
Tyre pressures:Front Rear
One-up 2.5 bar 2.9 bar (36.3 psi) (42.1 psi)
Two-up 2.5 bar 2.9 bar (36.3 psi) (42.1 psi)
Two-up with
luggage 2.5 bar 3.2 bar (36.3 psi) (46.4 psi)
 Screw the valve caps back on tightly
Screwing on valve caps
d Warning:
At high road speeds, tyre
valves have a tendency to
open as a result of centrifugal
force.
Use only metal valve caps
with rubber seals.
Valve caps that are screwed
on well prevent air from es-
caping suddenly.
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60
Safety check
2
Accessories and loads
L Note:
BMW accessories and other
products approved by BMW
can be obtained from your
authorised BMW motorcycle
dealer.
d Warning:
BMW cannot examine or test
each product of outside origin
on the accessories and tyres
market to ensure that it can
be used on or in connection
with BMW motorcycles with-
out constituting a safety haz-
ard. Even approval by an
official inspection authority or
an official permit (General
Operating Permit) cannot
always provide this guaran-
tee. Tests conducted by
these instances cannot make
provision for all operating
conditions experienced by
BMW motorcycles and
consequently, they are not
sufficient in some circum-
stances.
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22
61
Safety check
Accessories and loads
Correct loading
d Warning:
Overloading can impair the
stability of your motorcycle,
as can an incorrectly distrib-
uted load.
 Make sure that the weight is uniformly distributed between
right and left
 Pack heavy items at the bot- tom and toward the inboard
side
 Max. load in topcase:
10 kg (22 lbs)
 Max. load in each case
(left and right): 10 kg (22 lbs)
e Attention:
Do not exceed the gross weight
limit of 600 kg (1,300 lbs). Do
not exceed the wheel load limits
of 204 kg (449 lbs) at the front
and 402 kg (886 lbs) at the rear.
Adjust the rear-suspension
spring and shock absorber set-
tings and the tyre pressures to
suit gross weight (
b 56-59).
Gross weight consists of:
– motorcycle with full tank
–rider
–passenger
– luggage
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62
Safety check
2
Lights
Checking lights
e Attention:
Check that all lights are opera-
tional at the start of each jour-
ney.
L Note:
If turn indicator repeater flashes
at twice the usual speed:
A turn indicator bulb is defec-
tive.
For instructions on changing
bulbs in parking light, headlight
(low beam and high beam), rear
light, brake light and turn indi-
cators:
(
bMaintenance Instructions,
Chapter 2).
Rear lightGeneral warning light 1 (b78)
ON:
Brake light or rear light defec-
tive. If the rear light is defective
the brake light is dimmed and
acts as a rear light. When you
apply the brakes the brake light
shines at full brightness.
Adjusting beam throw
e Attention:
Do not attempt to adjust head-
light beam throw to suit load
unless the motorcycle is at a
standstill
Have the headlight basic set-
ting adjusted by a specialist
workshop, preferably an
authorised BMW motorcycle
dealer.
1
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63
Safety check
Basic setting :
 Turn knob 2 counter-clock-
wise as far as it will go
Adjusting to suit load:
 Change the spring strut set- ting to suit load (
b56)
L Note:
When spring preload is adjust-
ed (
b56), beam throw is auto-
matically adjusted to suit the
load on the motorcycle.
 Precision-adjust by turning knob 2
Adjusting headlight for
RHD/LHD traffic
If the motorcycle is ridden in a
country where the opposite rule
of the road applies, its asym-
metric low headlight beam will
tend to dazzle oncoming traffic.
Consult a specialist workshop,
preferably an authorised BMW
motorcycle dealer, to have the
headlight adjusted to suit
whichever rule of the road
applies.
e Attention:
Adhesive films with unsuitable
adhesives can damage the
headlight lens.
2 Lights
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64
Starting – Riding – Parking
3
First time out
Handling your motorcycle
safely
Each motorcycle has a charac-
ter all its own. It is time now for
you to familiarise yourself with
the way your own motorcycle
behaves:
– acceleration
– roadholding
–cornering
–braking …
These are all things you need to
become familiar with.
Please remember too that if the
motorcycle has not yet covered
1,000 kilometres (600 miles),
the engine is not yet fully run in.
e Attention:
BMW Integral ABS incorporates
a brake booster, so braking ef-
ficiency is significantly higher
than with conventional brake
systems.
d Warning:
The tyres need to cover a cer-
tain distance before they ac-
quire their full road grip
(b74).
If you ride at high speed, always
bear in mind that various
boundary conditions such as
the spring preload setting and
the shock-absorber setting, an
unbalanced luggage load,
loose clothing, low tyre pres-
sure, poor tyre tread, and so on,
can affect the handling of your
motorcycle.
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3
65
Starting – Riding – ParkingSafe motorcycling does not
depend on the motorcycle and
equipment alone.
Your own skill and common-
sense are needed too.
The key to genuine safety on
the road is a sensible balance
between the motorcycle’s tech-
nical features and the rider’s
skill, so that together they form
a single efficient unit.
Riding safely in traffic calls for a
sense of responsibility to your
passenger and to other road
users.d Warning:
Do not ride the motorcycle af-
ter drinking alcoholic bever-
ages. Even small amounts of
alcohol or drugs, particularly
if taken in conjunction with
medicines, will adversely af-
fect your perception and your
ability to assess situations
and make decisions, and also
slow down your reflexes.
Take to the road now by all
means, but think carefully about
everything you do.
First time out
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Starting – Riding – Parking
3
Important notes
Risk of fatal accidentYour motorcycle is equipped
with a digital electronic engine
management system and a
high-power ignition system.
d Warning:
When the engine is running or
the ignition switched on, nev-
er touch electrically live parts
of the ignition system or the
digital engine electronics.
BMW Integral ABS
d Warning:
When the ignition is switched
off or if the BMW Integral ABS
fails, only a RESIDUAL BRAK-
ING FUNCTION remains avail-
able for slowing the
motorcycle (
b87).
Under these circumstances
you must apply CONSIDERA-
BLY higher pressure to the
brake levers in order to apply
the brakes, and lever travel is
longer
Risk of poisoningExhaust fumes contain carbon
monoxide, which is colourless
and odourless but highly toxic.
d Warning:
Inhaling the exhaust fumes
therefore represents a health
hazard and can even cause
loss of consciousness with
fatal consequences.
Do not run the engine in an
enclosed space.
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67
Starting – Riding – Parking
Important notes
Catalytic converter
e Attention:
To avoid damage to the cata-
lytic converter:
 Do not run the fuel tank dry
 Do not push start your motor-
cycle. Use jump leads instead
 Do not run the engine with a
spark plug lead disconnected
 Do not exceed the engine- speed limits marked on the
revolution counter
 Comply with all specified
maintenance intervals
 Stop the engine at once if it is
misfiring
 In the event of misfiring or a severe drop in engine power,
consult a specialist work-
shop, preferably an author-
ised BMW motorcycle dealer
If misfiring or malfunction of the
fuel-air mixture preparation sys-
tem causes unburned fuel to
reach the catalytic converter,
there is a risk of it overheating
and being damaged.
Risk of fireHigh temperatures occur at the
exhaust system, particularly if a
catalytic converter is installed.
d Warning:
Make sure that whether riding
or standing still or when the
motorcycle is parked, no eas-
ily flammable material
(for example hay, grass,
leaves, clothing or luggage
etc.) can come into contact
with the hot exhaust system.
Do not allow the engine to
idle unnecessarily or for pro-
longed periods of time
– risk of overheating or fire.
Ride away immediately after
starting the engine.
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68
Starting – Riding – Parking
3
Placing motorcycle on
side stand
d Warning:
For safety reasons, never sit
on the motorcycle with the
side stand extended.
e Attention:
Stop the engine before using
the side stand.
Make sure the surface under
the stand is firm.
On a gradient, the motorcycle
should always face uphill; se-
lect 1st gear.  Switch off the ignition
 Keep both feet on the ground
 Hold the left handlebar grip
with your left hand
 Keep your right hand on the
right handlebar grip and the
handbrake lever
 Hold the motorcycle upright and balanced
 U s e y o u r le f t f o o t a t t h e e x t e n -
sion pin to extend the side
stand fully (arrow)
 Slowly lean the motorcycle to the side until its weight is
taken by the stand and dis-
mount from the motorcycle
 Turn the handlebars to full left
lock (
b13)
 Check that the motorcycle
is firmly supported
Side stand
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