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

469Riding
Removing motorcycle
from side stand
Brake servo assistance is
not available when the ig-
nition is off; the motorcycle
can start to roll.
Particularly when the motorcy-
cle is parked on a gradient,
switch on the ignition and wait
for the ABS to complete its
self-diagnosis (
b
59). c
• Unlock the ignition lock, switch on the ignition.
• Wait for ABS self-diagnosis
to complete.
• From the left, grip the han-
dlebars with both hands.
• Pull the handbrake lever.
• Swing your right leg over the seat and lift the motorcycle
to the upright position. • Hold the motorcycle upright
and balanced.
• Sit on the motorcycle and use your left foot to retract
the side stand.
An extended side stand
can catch on the ground
when the motorcycle is mov-
ing and lead to a fall.
Retract the side stand before
moving the motorcycle. c

Riding470

471Riding
Placing motorcycle on
its centre stand
OE
The motorcycle cannot
stand securely on poor
ground.
Always check that the ground
under the stand is level and
firm. c
• Switch off the engine.
• Dismount and keep your left hand on the left handlebar
grip.
• With your right hand, grip the rear grab handle or the rear
frame.
• Place your right foot on the
pin of the centre stand, and
press the stand down until
its curved feet touch the
ground. • Place the full weight of your
body on the centre stand,
while pulling the motorcycle
to the rear (arrow).
• Check that the motorcycle is
standing firmly.
Excessive movements
could cause the centre
stand to retract, and the mo-
torcycle would topple in con-
sequence.
Do not lean or sit on the mo-
torcycle with the centre stand
extended. c

Riding472

473Riding
Pushing motorcycle off
centre stand
OE
Brake servo assistance is
not available when the ig-
nition is off; the motorcycle
can start to roll.
Particularly when the motorcy-
cle is parked on a gradient,
switch on the ignition and wait
for the ABS to complete its
self-diagnosis (b
59). c
• Unlock the ignition lock, switch on the ignition.
• Wait for ABS self-diagnosis
to complete.
• Place your left hand on the
left handlebar grip.
• Grip the rear grab handle with your right hand.
• Push the motorcycle forward off the centre stand. • Check that the centre stand
has fully retracted.
Fuel
Fuel is flammable and
explosive.
Do not smoke. Never bring a
naked flame near the fuel
tank. c
Fuel expands under the
influence of high temper-
atures and exposure to
sunlight.
Do not fill the tank past the
bottom edge of the filler
neck. c
Fuel can damage plastic
parts.
Do not permit fuel to come into
contact with body panels. c
Fuel grade
Leaded fuel will destroy
the catalytic converter.
Use only unleaded fuel. c
The engine is designed to run
on:
– Super Plus (premium) unleaded (98 RON)
Use fuel of this grade by pref-
erence, in order to achieve
rated performance and fuel
consumption.
You can also run the engine on
fuel of the following grade:
– Super unleaded (95 RON)

Riding474
Capacity– Usable fuel capacity: 19 litres
– Including reserve of: approx. 4 litres
The fuel gauge in the
multifunction display
works only when the ignition is
switched on.cRefuelling• Make sure the ground is level and firm and place the
motorcycle on its centre
stand
OE or side stand. • Open the protective cap.
• Using the ignition key, turn
the fuel cap counter-clock-
wise to open the tank.
• Refuel with the specified grade of fuel (
b
73).
• Press the filler cap down firmly to close.
• Remove the key and close
the protective cap.
Brake system GeneralDescending mountain
passes
There is a danger of the
brakes fading if you use
only the rear brakes when
descending mountain passes.
Under extreme conditions, the
brakes could overheat and
suffer severe damage.
Use both front and rear
brakes, and make use of the
engine's braking effect as
well. c

475Riding
Wet brakes After washing the motor-
cycle, after riding through
water or when it is raining, the
braking effect can be delayed
due to damp brake discs and
brake pads.
Bear in mind that this extends
your stopping distance, be-
cause the brakes have to ei-
ther dry out as you ride, or dry
themselves when applied. c
Salt on brakes The brakes may fail to
take effect immediately if
the motorcycle was ridden on
salt-covered roads and the
brakes were not applied for
some time.
Bear in mind that this extends
your stopping distance, be- cause the force of friction has
to remove the layer of salt
when the brakes are applied.c
Oil or grease on the brake
Oil and grease deposits
on brake discs and pads
considerably reduce the brak-
ing effect.
It is particularly important to
check the brake pads and
discs after repair and
maintenance work is carried
out, to make sure they are free
of oil and grease. c
Dirt or mud on brakes When riding on loose sur-
faces or muddy roads,
the brakes may fail to take ef-
fect immediately because of
dirt or moisture on the discs or
brake pads. Bear in mind that this extends
your stopping distance, be-
cause the brakes have to
clean themselves when
applied.
c
BMW Integral ABS
OE
In extreme situations, it takes
skill and sensitive control of
the brakes to pull up safely on
a motorcycle. If the front wheel
brake locks and the wheel
skids, the necessary longitudi-
nal and lateral stabilising
forces are lost, and a fall can
result. For this reason, the
rider seldom makes full use of
available braking performance
in an emergency.
By preventing both wheels
from locking and optimising
braking-force distribution by
means of the integral function,

Riding476
BMW Integral ABS offers
improved braking efficiency.
Making full use of the motorcy-
cle’s braking capability signifi-
cantly shortens 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 emer-
gency braking safely, if cir-
cumstances permit.
Reserves for safety
The potentially shorter braking
distances which BMW Integral
ABS permits must not be used
as an excuse for careless rid-
ing. ABS is primarily a means
of ensuring a safety margin in
genuine emergencies.
Take care when cornering.
When you apply the brakes ona corner, the motorcycle’s
weight and momentum take
over and even BMW Integral
ABS is unable to counteract
their effects.
Partially integral brakes
Your motorcycle is equipped
with partially integral brakes.
Both front and rear brakes are
applied when you pull the
handbrake lever.
The electronic controller in the
BMW Integral ABS regulates
braking-force distribution
between front and rear
wheels. Braking-force distri-
bution depends on load and is
recalculated every time the
ABS controller comes into
action. The footbrake lever
acts only on the rear brake.
Brake booster
The hydraulic pump in the
BMW Integral ABS boosts the
braking force acting on the
wheel when the brakes are
applied. By boosting the brak-
ing force in this way, the
BMW Integral ABS achieves
higher braking efficiency than
standard brake systems.
ABS
OE anti-lock braking
system
ABS prevents the wheels lock-
ing under braking, thus con-
tributing significantly to road
safety.

477Riding
Rear wheel lift
Even under severe braking, a
high level of tyre grip can mean
that the front wheel does not
lock up until very late, if at all.
Consequently, ABS does not
intervene until very late, if at all.
Under these circumstances
the rear wheel can lift off the
ground, and the outcome can
be a highsiding situation in
which the motorcycle can flip
over.Severe braking can
cause the rear wheel to
lift off the ground.
Bear in mind that ABS cannot
be relied on in all circumstanc-
es to prevent the rear wheel
from lifting clear of the
ground. c Residual braking function
When the ignition if off, while
self-diagnosis is in progress,
and if a fault develops in the
BMW Integral ABS, only a
residual braking function is
available in the brake circuits
in question. Residual braking
function is the braking per-
formance available without
hydraulic assistance. Under
these circumstances, there-
fore, you must apply consider-
ably higher pressure to the
brake levers in question in
order to apply the brakes, and
lever travel is longer. When the
residual braking function is
active, the ABS function is
unavailable in the brake sys-
tem in question. When the
residual braking function is active, the integral braking
function is partially or entirely
unavailable.
Without the ABS func-
tion, the wheels may lock
under braking; without braking
power assistance, considera-
bly greater force is required to
brake.
Think well ahead and brake
carefully; avoid severe brak-
ing. Have the fault rectified as
soon as possible by a special-
ist workshop, preferably an
authorised BMW motorcycle
dealer. c

Riding478
The brake-lever travel
needed to build up brak-
ing pressure can be consider-
ably longer when the system is
in residual braking function
mode, so it is advisable to set
the brake lever to a wider span
(
b
41). c
When the residual brak-
ing function is active for
both brake circuits, the noise
of the pump is no longer audi-
ble when you operate the
brake levers.c