BMW MOTORRAD K 1200 R 2004 Rider's Manual (in English)

349Operation
ESA
OE
Electronic Suspension
Adjustment (ESA) makes the
motorcycle’s suspension easy
to adjust to suit changing
surfaces.
Calling up settings Switch on the ignition.
Briefly press button 1.
»The current setting is displayed. 2
Damping set
3 Spring preload set
The reading disappears if you
do not press button 1 within
two seconds.
Adjusting the shock
absorbersYou have a choice of three set-
tings, indicated in field 2 as fol-
lows: Comfort
Soft damping
characteristic Normal
Medium damping
characteristic
Sport
Hard damping
characteristic

Operation350
• Switch on the ignition.
• Briefly press button 1.
» The current setting is displayed.
• Briefly press button 1 to step
through the settings one by
one.
» Starting with the current set- ting, the settings are dis-
played in the following
sequence:
–Comfort
–Normal
–Sport The shock absorbers are
adjusted to the setting shown
on the display if you do not
press button
1 within one
second.
The display flashes while
adjustment is in progress.
Adjusting spring preloadYou cannot adjust spring
preload while riding.
You have a choice of three set-
tings, indicated in field 3 as
follows: One-up riding
One-up riding with
luggage
Two-up riding
(with luggage)
• Start the engine.
• Briefly press button 1.
» The current setting is
displayed.
• Press button 1 for longer
than one second to step
through the settings one by
one.

351Operation
» Starting with the current setting, the settings are
displayed in the following
sequence:
– One-up riding
– One-up riding with luggage
– Two-up riding
(with luggage)
Spring preload is adjusted to
the setting shown on the dis-
play if you do not press
button 1 within one second.
The display flashes while
adjustment is in progress.
WheelsChecking tyre pressures
Incorrect tyre pressures
adversely affect the han-
dling of the motorcycle and
can lead to accidents.
Always keep the tyres inflated
to the correct pressures. c
Incorrect tyre pressures
result in accelerated tyre
wear.
Always keep the tyres inflated
to the correct pressures. c
The correct tyre pressures are
listed in the Technical Data
(
b
130). At high road speeds, tyre
valves have a tendency
to open as a result of centrifu-
gal force. To prevent sudden deflation,
use a metal valve cap with rub-
ber sealing ring on the rear
wheel and tighten it securely.
c

Operation352

453Riding
Safety instructions ....................... 54
Safety check ................................. 56
First time out ................................. 56
Before you start ............................ 57
Starting .......................................... 60
Riding ............................................ 63
Running in ..................................... 63
Shifting gear ................................. 64
Placing motorcycle on its
side stand ...................................... 67
Removing motorcycle from
side stand ...................................... 69
Placing motorcycle on its
centre stand
OE
.............................. 71
Pushing motorcycle off
centre stand
OE
............................. 73 Fuel ................................................ 73
Brake system ................................ 74
Riding

Riding454
Safety instructionsSpeedWhen riding at high speed,
various marginal conditions
can adversely affect the han-
dling characteristics of the
motorcycle:
– Adjustment of the spring-strut and shock absorber
system
– Unequally distributed load
– Loose clothing
– Insufficient tyre pressure
– Poor tyre tread
–etc.Correct loading
Overloading can ad-
versely affect the riding
stability of the motorcycle.
Never exceed the motor-
cycle's permissible gross
weight (
b
140). c
Alcohol and drugs
Even small amounts of al-
cohol or drugs can con-
siderably adversely affect your
perception, judgement and
ability to make decisions, as
well as your reflexes. Taking
medication can increase these
effects.
Do not ride your motorcycle
after consuming alcohol,
drugs and/or medication.c
Risk of poisoningExhaust fumes contain carbon
monoxide, which is colourless
and odourless but highly toxic.
Inhaling the exhaust
fumes therefore repre-
sents a health hazard and can
even cause loss of conscious-
ness with fatal consequences. Do not inhale exhaust fumes.
Do not run the engine in an en-
closed space.
c
High voltage
Touching live parts of the
ignition system with the
engine running can lead to
electric shocks.
Do not touch parts of the igni-
tion system when the engine is
running. c
Catalytic converterIf misfiring causes unburned
fuel to enter the catalytic con-
verter, there is a danger of
overheating and damage.
For this reason, observe the
following points:

455Riding
– Do not ride the motorcycle with the fuel tank empty.
– Do not run the engine with the spark-plug cap removed.
– In the event of engine misfir-
ing, stop the engine
immediately.
– Only refuel using unleaded fuel.
– Be sure to adhere to the
prescribed maintenance
intervals.
Unburned fuel destroys
the catalytic converter.
Note the points listed for
protection of the catalytic
converter. c
Risk of fireHigh temperatures occur at
the exhaust pipe.
Flammable materials
(e.g. hay, leaves, grass,
clothing and luggage, etc.)
could ignite if allowed to come
into contact with the hot ex-
haust pipe.
Do not permit flammable ma-
terials to come into contact
with the hot exhaust system.c
Cooling would be inade-
quate if the engine were
allowed to idle for a lengthy
period with the motorcycle at a
standstill: overheating would
result. In extreme cases, the
motorcycle could catch fire.
Do not allow the engine to idle
unnecessarily. Ride away im-
mediately after starting the
engine. c
Tampering with
electronic engine
management system
Tampering with the con-
trol unit of the electronic
engine-management system
can damage the motorcycle
and cause accidents.
Do not tamper with the control
unit of the electronic engine-
management system. c
Tampering with the con-
trol unit of the electronic
engine-management system
can result in mechanical loads
that the motorcycle's compo-
nents are not designed to
withstand. Damage caused in
this way is not covered by the
warranty.
Do not tamper with the control
unit of the electronic engine-
management system. c

Riding456
Safety checkPrior to every journeyUse the following checklist to
check important functions,
settings and wear limits before
starting to ride.Checklist–Brakes (
b
93)
– Brake fluid level (
b
95)
–Clutch (
b
96)
– Clutch fluid level (
b
97)
– Warning and telltale lights (
b
20)
– Shock absorber setting (
b
48) and spring preload
(
b
47)
–Rims (
b
98), tread depth
(
b
98) and tyre pressure
(
b
51, 130)
– Load, gross weight (
b
140)
– Luggage system At regular intervals:
– Engine oil level (every time
you refuel) (
b
89)
– Brake pads (every second/ third time you refuel) (
b
93)
First time outSafe handling of your
motorcycleYou have to take the time to
familiarise yourself with your
motorcycle's unique
character:
– Acceleration
– Roadholding
– Cornering
–Braking
Bear in mind, too, that the
engine has to be run in over
the first 1,000 km (
b
63). The description of the BMW
Integral ABS
OE starts on page
(
b
75).
BMW Integral ABS
OE
incorporates a brake
booster, so braking efficiency
is significantly higher than with
conventional brake systems.
Inadvertently severe braking
can lead to dangerous situa-
tions, particularly when the
motorcycle is cornering.
Practice braking with BMW
Integral ABS
OE under safe
conditions.c

457Riding
Before you startSwitching on the ignition See the notes on the elec-tronic immobiliser (EWS)
(b
24).
Kill switch 1 in operating
position A.
Switch on the ignition.
» Pre-ride check is performed.
» With BMW Integral ABS
OE:
ABS self-diagnosis is
performed.
Pre-ride checkA pre-ride check is performed
after you switch on the igni-
tion. All the warning lights and
warning symbols are checked
to make sure that they are in
working order. The multifunc-
tion display shows the follow-
ing in the order in which they
are described below: Phase 1
General warning light
lights up red.
Engine oil pressure
symbol is displayed.
Battery charge current
symbol is displayed.

Riding458
Phase 2General warning light
lights up yellow.
Engine electronics
symbol is displayed.
EWS symbol is
displayed. Phase 3
Warning light for defec-
tive bulb is displayed.
If a warning light or a
warning symbol cannot
be displayed, a malfunction
cannot be indicated if one
occurs in the corresponding
system.
Check that all the lights and
symbols are activated in the
pre-ride check. c Phase 4 (only if anti-theft
alarm
OE is fitted)
The "DWA" battery warn-
ing for the anti-theft alarm
appears if the voltage level of
the batteries in the anti-theft
alarm system
OE is too low.
If a warning light or a
warning symbol cannot
be displayed, a malfunction
cannot be indicated if one
occurs in the corresponding
system.