BMW Motorrad R 1250RT Installation and maintenance manual

Rider's Manual (US Model)
R 1250 RT
BMW Motorrad

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 information
on maintenance and care to help
you maintain your motorcycle's
reliability and safety, as well as its
value.
Documentation confirming per-
formance of scheduled mainte-
nance is a precondition for gen-
erous handling of out-of-warranty
claims and goodwill warranty
treatment.
Should you want to sell your
BMW one day, please also re-
member to turn over the Ride's
Manual to the new owner. it is
an important part of your motor-
cycle.
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 40 9 899 717
*01409899717*
*01409899717*
*01409899717*

Table of Contents
1 General instructions ... . 5
Overview..................... 6
Abbreviations and
symbols...................... 6
Equipment ................... 7
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Notice concerning current sta-
tus ........................... 8
Additional sources of informa-
tion........................... 8
Certificates and operating per-
mits .......................... 8
Data memory................. 8
2 Overviews ............... 13
General view, left side . . . . . . . 15
General view, right side . . . . . 17
Underneath the seat . . . . . . . . 18
Multifunction switch, left . . . . 19
Multifunction switch,
right......................... 21
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3 Displays ................. 23
Indicator and warning
lights ........................ 24
Meaning of symbols. . . . . . . . . 25
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . 27
Warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Service display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Cruising range. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Electronic oil-level check . . . . 46
Ambient temperature. . . . . . . . 47
Tire pressures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
4 Operation................ 49
Steering and ignition
lock ......................... 50
Ignition with Key-
less Ride .................... 52
Emergency on/off switch (kill
switch) ...................... 57
Lights ....................... 58
Hazard warning flashers . . . . . 59
Turn indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . 60
Onboard computer . . . . . . . . . . 65
Trip recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Automatic Stability Control
(ASC) ....................... 67
Dynamic Traction Control
(DTC) ....................... 67
Electronic chassis and
suspension adjustment (D-
ESA) ........................ 68
Riding mode ................ 69
Cruise-control system . . . . . . . 71
Hill Start Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Anti-theft alarm system
(DWA)....................... 75
Heating...................... 79
Rider's seat ................. 81
Passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Storage compartment . . . . . . . 84
Central locking system . . . . . . 85
5 Setting................... 91
Mirrors ...................... 92
Headlight.................... 92
Windshield .................. 92
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Clutch....................... 94
Gearshift lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Brakes ...................... 96
Spring preload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Damping .................... 99
6 Riding.................. 101
Safety information . . . . . . . . . 102
Observe checklist . . . . . . . . . 104
Always before riding off . . . 104
At every third refueling
stop....................... 104
Starting.................... 104
Runningin ................ 108
Shifting gears . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Brakes .................... 110
Parking your motorcy-
cle......................... 112
Refueling.................. 112
Securing motorcycle for
transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
7 Technology in de-
tail...................... 119
General instructions . . . . . . . 120
Antilock Braking System
(ABS)...................... 120
Automatic Stability Control
(ASC) ..................... 123
Dynamic Traction Control
(DTC) ..................... 124
Electronic chassis and
suspension adjustment (D-
ESA) ...................... 126
Riding mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Dynamic Brake Control . . . . 128
Tire pressure control
(TPC/RDC)................ 129
Shift assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Hill Start Control . . . . . . . . . . 132
8 Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . 135
General instructions . . . . . . . 136
Standard tool kit. . . . . . . . . . . 136
Service tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Front wheel stand . . . . . . . . . 137
Engine oil ................. 138
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Clutch..................... 144
Coolant.................... 144
Tires ...................... 146
Wheel rims and tires . . . . . . 146
Wheels.................... 147
Muffler .................... 153
Light sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Battery .................... 160
Fuses ..................... 164
Data link connector . . . . . . . 165
9 Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . 167
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Onboard power
sockets.................... 168
Case ...................... 169
Topcase................... 171
Navigation system . . . . . . . . . 174
10 Care .................. 179
Care products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Washing your motorcy-
cle......................... 180
Cleaning sensitive motorcy-
cle parts................... 181
Paint care ................. 182
Protective wax coating . . . . 182
Store motorcycle . . . . . . . . . . 182
Return motorcycle to
use........................ 182

11 Technical data . . . . . . 183
Troubleshooting chart . . . . . 184
Threaded fasteners . . . . . . . 185
Fuel....................... 187
Engine oil ................. 188
Engine .................... 188
Clutch..................... 189
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Rear-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . 190
Frame..................... 191
Suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Brakes .................... 192
Wheels and tires . . . . . . . . . . 193
Electrical system . . . . . . . . . . 195
Anti-theft alarm system . . . 196
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Weights ................... 198
Performance data . . . . . . . . . 198
12 Service ............... 199
Reporting safety
defects.................... 200
BMW Motorrad Service . . . 201
BMW Motorrad Service
History .................... 201
BMW Motorrad Mobility
Services................... 202
Maintenance proce-
dures...................... 202
BMW Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Maintenance schedule . . . . 205
Maintenance confirma-
tions....................... 206
Service confirmations . . . . . 220
13 Appendix... . . . . . . . . . . 223
Certificate for Electronic
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Certificate for Remote
Key........................ 226
Certificate for Key-
less Ride .................. 230
Certificate for Tire Pressure
Control.................... 232
14 Index ................. 233

General instructions
Overview ............................ 6
Abbreviations and symbols . . . . . . . . . . 6
Equipment........................... 7
TechnicalData....................... 7
Notice concerning current status . . . . 8
Additional sources of information . . . . 8
Certificates and operating permits . . . 8
Datamemory ........................ 8
1
5
z General instructions

Overview
This Rider's Manual has been
designed to provide quick and ef-
ficient orientation. The quickest
way for you to find information
on specific topics is to consult
the comprehensive index at the
back of the manual. If you would
like to start with a quick overview
of your motorcycle, this informa-
tion has been provided in chapter
2. All maintenance and repair
work carried out on your mo-
torcycle will be documented in
Chapter 12. 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, remember to hand
over this Rider's Manual; it is an
important part of the motorcycle.
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.
1
6
z General instructions

OE Optional extra.
BMW Motorrad optional
extras are already com-
pletely installed during
motorcycle production.
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.
D-
ESA
Electronic chassis and
suspension adjustment.
DTC Dynamic Traction Con-
trol (optional equipment
only in combination with
Pro riding modes).
TPC Tire Pressure Control
(TPC/RDC).
Equipment
When you ordered your
BMW motorcycle, you chose
various custom equipment items.
This Rider's Manual describes
optional equipment (OE) offered
by BMW and selected optional
accessories (OA). This explains
why the manual may also contain
descriptions of equipment which
you have not ordered. Please
note, too, that your motorcycle
might not be exactly as illustrated
in this manual on account of
country-specific differences.
If your motorcycle features
equipment that is not described
here, you can find these features
described in a separate manual.
Technical Data
All dimensions, weights and per-
formance data contained this
Rider's Manual refer to the Ger-
man DIN standards and comply
with their tolerance specifications.
The technical data and speci-
fications in this Rider's Manual
serve as points of reference. The
vehicle-specific data may vary,
for instance due to the selected
optional equipment, national-mar-
ket version or country-specific
measuring procedures. Detailed
values can be obtained from the
registration documents and the
signs on the vehicle or from your
authorized BMW Motorrad re-
tailer or other qualified service
partner or specialist workshop.
The information on the vehicle
documents always takes prece-
1
7
z General instructions

dence over the information in this
Rider's Manual.
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 reason,
some aspects of your motorcycle
may vary from the descriptions
in these 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.
Additional sources of
information
BMW Motorrad retailers
Your BMW Motorrad retailer is
always happy to answer any of
your questions.
Internet
The Rider's Manual for your
vehicle, the operating and
installation instructions for
optional accessories and general
BMW Motorrad information
related to the technology or
other features are available at
www.bmw-motorrad.com/
service.
Certificates and
operating permits
The certificates for the vehicle
and the official operating per-
mits for possible accessories
are available at www.bmw-
motorrad.com/certification.
Data memory
General
Electronic control units are in-
stalled in the vehicle. Electronic
control units process data re-
ceived from vehicle sensors,
self-generated data or data ex-
changed between control units,
for example. Some control units
are required for safe vehicle op-
eration or provide driving assis-
tance, such as driver assistance
systems. Control units also make
comfort and infotainment func-
tions possible.
Information about the stored or
exchanged data can be obtained
from the vehicle manufacturer,
such as in the form of a separate
booklet.
Personal references
Every vehicle is marked with a
unique vehicle identification num-
ber. Depending on the country,
the vehicle owner can be iden-
1
8
z General instructions