BMW Motorrad F 800 GS Installation and maintenance manual

Rider's Manual (US Model)
F 800 GS
BMW Motorrad
The Ultimate
Riding Machine

Motorcycle/Retailer Data
Motorcycle Data
Model
Vehicle identification number
Color number
Initial registration
License plate
Retailer Data
Contact in Service
Ms./Mr.
Phone number
Retailer's address/phone number (com-
pany stamp)

Welcome to BMW
Congratulations on choosing a
motorcycle from BMW Motorrad
and welcome to the community
of BMW motorcycle owners and
riders. Familiarize yourself with
your new motorcycle so that you
can ride it safely and confidently
in all highway traffic situations.
About this Rider's Manual
Please read this Rider's Manual
carefully before starting to use
your new BMW. It contains im-
portant information on how to
operate the controls and how to
get the most benefit from your
BMW's advanced technical fea-
tures.
In addition, it contains informa-
tion on maintenance and care to
help you maintain your vehicle's
reliability and safety, as well as its
value.
Suggestions and complaints
If you have any questions con-
cerning your motorcycle, your au-
thorized BMW Motorrad retailer
is always happy to provide advice
and assistance.
We wish you many miles of safe
and enjoyable riding on your
BMW
BMW Motorrad.
01 41 8 565 507
*01418565507*
*01418565507*
*01418565507*

Table of Contents
1 General instructions ... . 5
Overview..................... 6
Abbreviations and
symbols...................... 6
Equipment ................... 7
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Notice concerning current sta-
tus ........................... 7
2 Overviews ................ 9
General view, left side . . . . . . . 11
General view, right side . . . . . 13
Underneath seat . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Under fairing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Multifunction switch, left . . . . 16
Multifunction switch,
right......................... 18
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3 Displays ................. 21
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . 22
Meaning of symbols. . . . . . . . . 23
Warning and indicator
lamps ....................... 24
Fuel level.................... 25
Fuel reserve................. 25
Service display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Ambient temperature. . . . . . . . 26
Warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4 Operation................ 35
Ignition switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Electronic immobilizer . . . . . . . 37
Clock........................ 37
Display ...................... 38
Stopwatch................... 39
Lights ....................... 41
Turn indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Hazard warning flashers . . . . . 42
Emergency on/off switch (kill
switch) ...................... 43
Heated handlebar grips . . . . . 43
BMW Motorrad ABS . . . . . . . . 44
BMW Motorrad ASC . . . . . . . . 45
Riding mode ................ 46
Clutch....................... 48
Brakes ...................... 49
Mirrors ...................... 50
Spring preload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Damping .................... 51
ESA Electronic Suspension
Adjustment.................. 52
Tires ........................ 53
Headlight.................... 54
Seat......................... 55
Helmet holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Rider's Manual (US
Model) ...................... 57
5 Alarm system .. . . . . . . . . . 59
Overview.................... 60
Activation ................... 60
Alarm function. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Deactivation................. 63
Programming................ 63
Logging on additional re-
mote controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Synchronizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Battery ...................... 67
6 Riding.................... 69
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . 70
Observe checklist . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Starting...................... 73

Breakingin.................. 76
Speed....................... 77
Off-road riding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Brakes ...................... 78
Parking your motorcycle . . . . 79
Refueling.................... 80
Fastening motorcycle for
transport .................... 82
7 Technology in
detail..................... 85
Riding mode ................ 86
Brake system with
BMW Motorrad ABS . . . . . . . . 86
Engine management with
BMW Motorrad ASC . . . . . . . . 88
8 Accessories . . . . . . . . . . .. . 91
General instructions . . . . . . . . . 92
Onboard power sockets . . . . . 92
Luggage .................... 93
Auxiliary headlight . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Case ........................ 94
Topcase..................... 97
Aluminum case . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Aluminum Topcase . . . . . . . 102
9 Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . 105
General instructions . . . . . . . 106
Onboard tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Engine oil ................. 107
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Coolant.................... 113
Clutch..................... 113
Wheel rims and tires . . . . . . 114
Chain...................... 115
Wheels.................... 117
Front wheel stand . . . . . . . . . 126
Lamps..................... 127
Fairings and panels . . . . . . . 133
Air filter.................... 134
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Battery .................... 136
10 Care .................. 141
Care products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Washing your motorcy-
cle......................... 142
Cleaning sensitive motorcy-
cle parts................... 143
Paint care ................. 143
Store motorcycle . . . . . . . . . . 144
Protective wax coating . . . . 144
Return motorcycle to
use........................ 144
11 Technical Data . . . . . . 145
Troubleshooting chart . . . . . 146
Threaded fasteners . . . . . . . 147
Engine .................... 149
Fuel....................... 150
Engine oil ................. 151
Clutch..................... 152
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Rear-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . 153
Suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Brakes .................... 154
Wheels and tires . . . . . . . . . . 154
Electrical system . . . . . . . . . . 156
Frame..................... 157
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Weights ................... 159
Performance data . . . . . . . . . 159
12 Service ............... 161
Reporting safety
defects.................... 162
BMW Motorrad Service . . . 163
BMW Motorrad Mobility
Services................... 163

Maintenance proce-
dures...................... 163
Maintenance schedule . . . . 167
Standard BMW Service . . . 168
Confirmation of mainte-
nance work................ 169
Confirmation of service . . . . 174
13 Appendix... . . . . . . . . . . 177
Certificate for Electronic
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
14 Index ................. 180

General instructions
Overview ............................ 6
Abbreviations and symbols . . . . . . . . . . 6
Equipment........................... 7
Technicaldata....................... 7
Notice concerning current status . . . . 7
1
5
z General instructions

Overview
Chapter 2 of this Rider's Man-
ual will provide you with an ini-
tial overview of your motorcy-
cle. All maintenance and repair
work carried out on your mo-
torcycle will be documented in
chapter 11. Documentation con-
firming performance of scheduled
maintenance is a precondition
for generous handling of out-of-
warranty claims and goodwill war-
ranty treatment.
When the time comes to sell
your BMW, please remember
to hand over this Rider's Manual;
it is an important part of the mo-
torcycle.
Abbreviations and
symbols
CAUTION Hazard with
low risk. Failure to avoid
this hazard can result in minor or
moderate injury.
WARNING Hazard with
moderate risk. Failure to
avoid this hazard can result in
death or serious injury.
DANGER Hazard with high
risk. Failure to avoid this
hazard results in death or serious
injury.
ATTENTION Special in-
structions and precaution-
ary measures. Non-compliance
can cause damage to the vehi-
cle or accessories and warranty
claims may be denied as a result.
NOTICE Special informa-
tion on operating and in-
specting your motorcycle as well
as maintenance and adjustment
procedures.
Indicates the end of an
item of information.
Instruction.
Result of an activity.
Reference to a page with
more detailed informa-
tion.
Indicates the end of ac-
cessory or equipment-
dependent information.
Tightening torque.
Technical data.
OE Optional extra.
BMW Motorrad optional
extras are already com-
pletely installed during
motorcycle production.
1
6
z General instructions

OA Optional accessory.
BMW Motorrad op-
tional accessories can
be purchased and in-
stalled at your autho-
rized BMW Motorrad
retailer.
EWS Electronic immobilizer.
DWA Anti-theft alarm.
ABS Anti-Lock Brake System.
ASC Automatic Stability Con-
trol.
ESA Electronic Suspension
Adjustment.
Equipment
When you ordered your BMW
motorcycle, you chose various
items of custom equipment. This
Rider's Manual describes optional
equipment (OE) offered by BMW
and selected optional accessories
(OA). This explains why the man-
ual may also contain descriptions
of equipment which you have not
ordered. Please note, too, that
your motorcycle might not be ex-
actly as illustrated in this manual
on account of country-specific
differences.
If your BMW is equipped with
options or accessories not de-
scribed in this Rider's Manual,
then this equipment is described
in a separate set of instructions.
Technical data
All dimensions, weights and out-
puts in the Rider's Manual refer
to the Deutsches Institut für Nor-
mung e. V. (DIN) and comply with
its tolerance regulations. Ver-
sions for individual countries may
differ.
Notice concerning
current status
The high safety and quality stan-
dards of BMW motorcycles are
maintained by consistent, on-
going development efforts em-
bracing their design, equipment
and accessories. For this rea-
son, aspects of your motorcycle
may vary from the descriptions
in this Operating instructions. In
addition, BMW Motorrad can-
not guarantee the total absence
of errors. We hope you will ap-
preciate that no claims can be
recognized based on the data, il-
lustrations or descriptions in this
manual.
1
7
z General instructions

1
8
z General instructions

Overviews
General view, left side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
General view, right side . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Underneathseat.................... 14
Underfairing........................ 15
Multifunction switch, left . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Multifunction switch, right . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2
9
z Overviews

2
10
z Overviews

General view, left side
1Onboard socket ( 92)
2Seat lock ( 55)
3Engine oil fill location and
oil dipstick ( 107)
2
11
z Overviews

2
12
z Overviews

General view, right side
1Fuel filler opening ( 81)
2Adjusting spring preload
( 50)
3Brake-fluid reservoir, rear
( 112)
4Brake-fluid reservoir, front
( 111)
5Vehicle identification
number, type plate (on
steering-head bearing)
6Coolant level indicator (be-
hind side panel) ( 113)
7Damping adjustment
( 51)
2
13
z Overviews