BMW MOTORRAD R 850 R 2003 Rider's Manual (in English)

39
Safety check
2
Adjusting beam throw
\f Note:
When the basic setting is cor-
rect, headlight beam throw is
regulated when spring preload
is adjusted to suit load.
Have the headlight basic set-
ting adjusted by a specialist
workshop, preferably an
authorised BMW motorcycle
dealer.
\f Note:
Adjust beam height so that
oncoming traffic is not dazzled.
Make sure that the throw of the
light cone adequately illumi-
nates the road ahead of you.
Adjusting to suit load: Change the spring strut set-
ting to suit the load (
b 42)
– Spring preload has an effect
on headlight throw
Do not pivot the headlight down
to adjust beam throw unless the
motorcycle is heavily loaded.
Procedure
 Remove cover 1
 Unfasten two screws 2
Readjust the headlight to the
correct basic setting at the ear-
liest possible opportunity.
Lights
12
10Classic1g.book Seite 39 Freitag, 27. Januar 2006 2:01 14

40
Safety check
2
Headlight basic setting
\f Note:
Do not prop the motorcycle on
the centre or side stand.
 Check tyre pressures and
correct if necessary.
 Set the spring-strut adjuster
to the position for one-up
riding
 Position the motorcycle on a
level surface 10 metres
(headlight) from a light-col-
oured wall, and with the
rider's weight (approx. 85 kg)
on the seat
 Measure the distance H from
the ground to the centre of
the headlight
 Transfer this height H to the
wall and draw a cross on the
wall at this point 
Draw a second cross
(x = 25 cm) lower
 Switch on the low-beam
headlight beam
 Align the headlight in such a
way that the light-dark cut-off
starts in the middle of the bot-
tom cross and rises to the
right to the height of the upper
cross, before dropping again.
\f Note:
Have the headlight basic set-
ting checked by a specialist
workshop, preferably an
authorised BMW motorcycle
dealer.
Lights
10Classic1g.book Seite 40 Freitag, 27. Januar 2006 2:01 14

41
Safety check
2
1
2
d Warning:
Before riding off, adjust the
front shock absorbers to suit
the surface and your style of
riding. Adjust the rear shock
absorber to suit the gross
weight of the motorcycle plus
load.
 Place the motorcycle on the
centre stand
 Use a screwdriver to adjust
the front/rear shock absorbers Basic setting (one-up):

Turn adjusting screw 1 or 2 all
the way clockwise in the direc-
tion indicated by arrow H
 Back off adjusting screw 1 or,
as applicable, 2 two turns
counter-clockwise in the
direction indicated by arrow S
Hard setting "H":
 Fully tighten adjusting screw 1
or, as applicable, 2
Soft setting "S":
 Fully back off adjusting screw
1 or, as applicable, 2
Shock-absorber adjustment
10Classic1g.book Seite 41 Freitag, 27. Januar 2006 2:01 14

42
Safety check
2
1
d Warning:
Before the journey starts, ad-
just spring preload to suit
gross weight.
For safety reasons, never at-
tempt to alter spring preload
while the motorcycle is being
ridden.
Always bring the motorcycle
to a stop before adjusting.
If spring preload is changed
the shock absorber setting al-
ways has to be adjusted ac-
cordingly.
Adjusting spring preload  Place the motorcycle on the
centre stand
 Adjust spring preload at
knob 1
Basic setting, one-up:
 Turn knob 1 as far as it will go
counter-clockwise in the
direction indicated by the
" LOW " arrow
 Turn knob 1 one mark clock-
wise in the direction indicated
by the " HIGH" arrow
Setting for two-up and luggage:
 Turn knob 1 as far as it will go
clockwise in the direction indi-
cated by the "HIGH" arrow
Spring preload
10Classic1g.book Seite 42 Freitag, 27. Januar 2006 2:01 14

43
Safety check
2
Wheels
d Warning:
Use only wheels and tyres
that BMW Motorrad has ap-
proved for your motorcycle.
For each size of tyre BMW
tests certain makes, and ap-
proves those that it certifies
as roadworthy.
If BMW Motorrad has not ap-
proved the wheels and tyres
it cannot assess their suita-
bility or provide any guaran-
tee of road safety. You can
obtain detailed information
from your authorised BMW
motorcycle dealer or by
visiting
www.bmw-motorrad.com on
the Internet.
Checking wheel rims
d Warning:
Have damaged wheel rims
checked and, if necessary,
replaced by a specialist work-
shop, preferably an author-
ised BMW motorcycle dealer.
Checking tyre tread
d Warning:
Comply with statutory legal
requirements concerning
minimum tread depth. Worn
tyres can impair handling.
 Measure tread depth at the
centre of the tyre tread
BMW's minimum tread depth
recommendation:
Front ............................... 2 mm
Rear ................................ 3 mm
10Classic1g.book Seite 43 Freitag, 27. Januar 2006 2:01 14

44
Safety check
2
Wheels
Checking tyre pressures
d Warning:
Incorrect tyre pressures have
a considerable influence on
handling and on tyre life.
Adjust tyre pressures to suit
total weight. Never exceed ei-
ther the motorcycle ’s gross
weight or the individual wheel
load limits (b 47). –
When tyres are cold:
 Remove valve caps
 Check/correct tyre pressure
Tyre pressures: Front Rear
One-up 2.2 bar 2.5 bar
Two-up 2.5 bar 2.7 bar
Two-up
with luggage 2.5 bar 2.9 bar
 Fully tighten valve caps
Fully tightening 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.
10Classic1g.book Seite 44 Freitag, 27. Januar 2006 2:01 14

45
Safety check
2
Accessories and loads
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 without con-
stituting a safety hazard. Even
approval by an official inspec-
tion authority or an official per-
mit (General Operating Permit)
cannot always provide this
guarantee. Tests conducted by
these instances cannot make
provision for all operating condi-
tions experienced by BMW mo-
torcycles and consequently,
they are not sufficient in some
circumstances.
\f Note:
BMW accessories and other
products approved by BMW
can be obtained from your
authorised BMW motorcycle
dealer.
10Classic1g.book Seite 45 Freitag, 27. Januar 2006 2:01 14

46
Safety check
2
Correct loading
d Warning:
Overloading can impair the
handling of your motorcycle.
 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 each case
OA (left
and right): 10 kg
 Max. load on luggage rack
and in tank-top rucksack
OA
5kg each
 Check that fastenings are
correctly positioned and tight
d Warning:
With cases installed, it is
advisable not to exceed
130 km/h
OAOptional accessory
Accessories and loads
10Classic1g.book Seite 46 Freitag, 27. Januar 2006 2:01 14

47
Safety check
2
e Attention:
Do not exceed the gross weight
limit of 450 kg.
Do not exceed the wheel load
limits of 180 kg at the front and
300 kg at the rear.
Set the shock absorbers,
spring preload and tyre pres-
sures to suit gross weight
(
b 41, 42, 44).
The gross weight consists of:
– Motorcycle with full tank
– Rider
– Passenger
–Luggage
Accessories and loads
10Classic1g.book Seite 47 Freitag, 27. Januar 2006 2:01 14

48
Starting - Riding - Parking
3
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, the engine is
not yet fully run in.
e Attention:
BMW Integral ABSOE incorpo-
rates a brake booster, so brak-
ing efficiency 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
(b 57).
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.
OEOptional extra
Your first journey
10Classic1g.book Seite 48 Freitag, 27. Januar 2006 2:01 14