BMW MOTORRAD R 850 R 2004 Rider's Manual (in English)

2
39
2
Safety check12Adjusting beam throw
L 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.
L 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 adjust headlight beam
throw by tilting the headlight
downward unless the motor-
cycle is very heavily loaded. To
adjust throw in this way:
 Remove trim panel 1
 Slacken two screws 2
Readjust the headlight to the
correct basic setting at the ear-
liest possible opportunity.
Lights
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40
Safety check
Lights
Headlight basic setting
L 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 solo riding
 Position the motorcycle on a level surface 10 metres
(headlight) from a light-
coloured 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
 Align the headlight in such a
way that the “light-dark” cutoff
starts in the middle of the bot-
tom cross and rises to the
right to the height of the upper
cross, before dropping again
L Note:
Have the headlight basic set-
ting checked by a specialist
workshop, preferably an
authorised BMW motorcycle
dealer.
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2
41
2
Safety check
Shock-absorber adjustment
d Warning:
Before the journey starts, ad-
just the rear shock absorber to
suit the gross weight and load
on the motorcycle.
 Place the motorcycle on the centre stand
 Adjust the rear shock absorb-
ers with a screwdriver Basic setting (solo)
:
 Turn adjusting screw 1 in
direction indicated by arrow H
(clockwise) as far as it will go
 Turn adjusting screw 1 two
turns in the direction indicated
by arrow S (counterclockwise)
Hard setting “H”:
 Fully tighten adjusting screw 1
Soft setting “S”:
 Fully back off adjusting screw 1
1
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42
Safety check
1
Suspension spring preload
d Warning:
Before riding off, always set
spring preload to suit total
weight.
For off-road riding, increase
spring preload at front and
rear by a suitable amount.
For safety reasons, never at-
tempt to alter spring preload
while the motorcycle is being
ridden. Always halt the motor-
cycle before adjusting.
Adjusting suspension
spring preload
 Place motorcycle on centre stand
 Adjust spring preload at
handwheel 1
Basic setting, solo:
Turn knob 1 as far as it will go
counter-clockwise as indi-
cated by the “ LOW” arrow
Turn knob 1 one mark clock-
wise as indicated by the
“ HIGH ” arrow
Setting for two-up and
luggage:
 Turn handwheel 1 fully to the
right as indicated by the
“HIGH” arrow
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2
Safety check
Wheels
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 treads
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
Screwing valve caps on
tightly
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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44
Safety check
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
either the motorcycle’s gross
weight or the individual wheel
load limits (b 47). –Tyres cold:
 Remove valve caps
 Check/correct tyre pressure
Tyre pressures:
Front Rear
Solo 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 on valve caps
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2
Safety check
Accessories and loads
d Warning:
BMW cannot examine or test
every product of outside
origin to ensure that it does
not represent a safety risk if
used on or in connection with
your BMW motorcycle. Even
approval by an official inspec-
tion authority or an official
permit (General Operating
Permit) cannot always pro-
vide this guarantee. 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.
L Note:
BMW accessories and other
products approved by BMW
can be obtained from your
BMW motorcycle dealer.
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46
Safety check
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 carrier
and in tank-top rucksack
OA:
5kg each
 Check that fastenings are
correctly positioned and tight
d Warning:
With cases installed, it is ad-
visable not to exceed
130 km/h.
OA Optional accessories
Accessories and loads
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2
Safety check
Accessories and loads
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.
Reset the suspension spring
preload and the shock absorb-
ers to match the total weight
(
b 41, 42, 44).
The total weight consists of:
– Motorcycle with full tank
–Rider
–Passenger
– Luggage
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48
Starting – Riding – Parking
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
certain distance before they
acquire their full road grip
(b 57).
When riding at high speed,
a l w a y s b e a r i n m i n d t h a t v a r i o u s
boundary conditions such as:
settings of the spring and
shock-absorber system, unbal-
anced loading, loose clothing,
low tyre pressures, worn tyres,
etc., can affect the handling of
your motorcycle.
OEOptional extra
Your first journey
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