BMW MOTORRAD R 1150 RT 2002 Rider's Manual (in English)
Manufacturer: BMW MOTORRAD, Model Year: 2002, Model line: R 1150 RT, Model: BMW MOTORRAD R 1150 RT 2002Pages: 88, PDF Size: 1.99 MB
Page 61 of 88

3
59
Starting – Riding – Parking
Fuel gauge 2
\f Note:
If only two bars still appear,
about 4 litres (0.9 Imp. gal) of
reserve fuel quantity remain in
the tank (additional orange light
(
b 56)).
Gear indicator 31 - 0 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - E
Clock 4 To adjust, use a ball pen or
similar object to press point 5
(minutes) or point 6 (hours)
Rider Information Display (RID)
2
3
4
65
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Page 62 of 88

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60
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 inter-
rupted in order to protect the
engine against overspeeding.
\f 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
\f Note:
Never slip the clutch excessively
when changing gear. Vary your
speed only by using the throttle
in a suitable gear, not by slipping
the clutch.
The digital gear indicator in the
Rider Information Display shows
which gear is selected (
b 59).
Riding and changing gear
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Page 63 of 88

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Starting – Riding – Parking
Riding and changing gear
Moving off and upshiftsPull 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 E gears, in the same way,
but lifting the gear lever
DownshiftsClose the throttle (twistgrip)
Pull the clutch lever in
Select the next-lower gear:
opposite direction to arrow
Smoothly re-engage the
clutch
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Page 64 of 88

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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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Page 65 of 88

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Starting – Riding – Parking
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
hydraulic fault. The brake sys-
tem is defective.
Immediately consult a specialist
workshop, preferably an autho-
rised BMW Motorrad dealer.
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Page 66 of 88

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Starting – Riding – Parking
Brake system - with BMW Integral ABS
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. 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 66).
Full use is made of technical
braking capacity to minimise
braking distances, even when
road conditions are poor.
When the motorcycle is ridden
in a straight line, the BMW Inte-
gral ABS is able to handle
emergency braking safely.
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Starting – Riding – Parking
Brake system - with BMW Integral ABS
Safety marginBut remember: the potentially
shorter braking distances
which BMW Integral ABS per-
mits must not be used as an
excuse for careless riding. ABS
is primarily a means of ensuring
a safety margin in genuine
emergencies.
–You have to familiarise your-
self with the new, electroni-
cally assisted braking. Try the
brakes several times when
you take your motorcycle out
for the first time. Find out for
yourself how the brakes feel
– Never ride without due care
and attention, or assume that
good fortune will protect you
from your own foolhardiness
– Keep within the permitted
speed limits –
Take care when cornering.
When you apply the brakes on
a corner, the motorcycle's
weight and momentum take
over and even BMW Integral
ABS is unable to counteract
their effects.
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Page 68 of 88

3
66
Starting – Riding – Parking
Brake system - with BMW Integral ABS
Fully integral brakesThe integral brake function
interlinks the front and rear
brakes, so both wheels are
braked when you operate the
brake lever.
The electronic controller in the
BMW Integral ABS computes
the ideal braking-force distribu-
tion between front and rear
wheels, and applies the brakes
accordingly.
The ideal baking-force distribu-
tion depends on load and is
recalculated every time the ABS
controller comes into action.
In a fully integral brake configu-
ration , the integral braking
function is activated by either
the handbrake lever or the foot-
brake lever.
Brake servoThe hydraulic pump in the BMW
Integral ABS actively boosts the
braking force acting on the
wheel when the brakes are
applied.
By boosting the braking force in
this way, the BMW Integral ABS
achieves higher braking effi-
ciency than standard brake
systems.
ABS
anti-lock brake system
ABS prevents the wheels lock-
ing under heavy braking, thus
contributing significantly to
road safety.
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Page 69 of 88

3
67
Starting – Riding – Parking
Brake system - with BMW Integral ABS
RESIDUAL BRAKING
FUNCTION
If the BMW Integral ABS develops
a fault, a RESIDUAL BRAKING
FUNCTION only is available in the
brake circuits in question.
The RESIDUAL BRAKING FUNC-
TION is the braking efficiency
without the hydraulic servo assist-
ance of the BMW Integral ABS.
Under these circumstances,
therefore, you must apply CON-
SIDERABLY 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 system in question.
When the RESIDUAL BRAKING
FUNCTION is active, the integral
braking function is partially or
entirely unavailable.
d Warning:
When the RESIDUAL BRAKING
FUNCTION is active, maintain a
defensive riding style and pro-
ceed immediately to the near-
est specialist workshop,
preferably an authorised
BMW Motorrad dealer.
\f Note:
When the RESIDUAL BRAKING
FUNCTION is active, it is advis-
able to set adjuster A
(
b 25) on the front-brake lever
to position 4.
The RESIDUAL BRAKING
FUNCTION is active under the
following circumstances:
– Ignition off
– Before and during self-diag-
nosis (
b 68)
– Fault in the BMW Integral ABS
(
b 71)
\f Note:
When the RESIDUAL BRAKING
FUNCTION is active for both
brake circuits, the noise of the
pump is no longer audible when
you operate the brake levers.
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Page 70 of 88

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Starting – Riding – Parking
Self-diagnosis with pull-
away test
The BMW Integral ABS per-
forms self-diagnosis and a
pull-away test to ensure
its operability.
Self-diagnosis is performed
automatically when you switch
on the ignition.
d Warning:
Self-diagnosis is not perfor-
med unless both brake levers
are in their fully released posi-
tions.
Only the RESIDUAL BRAKING
FUNCTION is available until
self-diagnosis is
completed (b 67).
Release the brake levers, if
necessary
Switching on the ignition
Initially:
– ABS warning light 1:
Flashes at 4 Hz
– General warning light 2:
ON
bSelf-diagnosis is in
progress
Then:
– ABS warning light 1:
flashes at 1 Hz
– General warning light 2:
OFF
bSelf-diagnosis successfully
completed
*n depending on national-market
specification
1*
2
Brake system - with BMW Integral ABS
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