BMW 2008 R 1200 GS Installation and maintenance manual

Motorcycle data/dealership details
Motorcycle data
Model
Vehicle identification number
Colour code
Date of first registration
Registration number
Dealership details
Person to contact in Service department
Ms/Mr
Phone number
Dealership address/phone number (com-
pany stamp)

Details described or illustrated
in this booklet may differ from
the motorcycle's actual specifica-
tion as purchased, the accessor-
ies fitted or the national-market
specification. No claims will be
entertained as a result of such
discrepancies.
Dimensions, weights, fuel con-
sumption and performance data
are quoted to the customary tol-
erances.
The right to modify designs,
equipment and accessories is
reserved.
Errors and omissions excepted.
© 2008 BMW Motorrad
Not to be reproduced either
wholly or in part without written
permission from BMW Motorrad,
After Sales.
Printed in Germany.

The most important data for a filling-station stop can be found in the following chart:
Fuel
Recommended fuel grade 95 ROZ/RON, Super unleaded
91 ROZ/RON, Regular unleaded
(fuel grade, usable with power-
and consumption-related restric-
tions)
Usable fuel capacity approx. 20 l
Reserve fuel ≥4l
Tyre pressures
Tyre pressure, front 2.2 bar, one-up, tyre cold
2.5 bar, two-up and/or with lug-
gage, tyre cold
Tyre pressure, rear 2.5 bar, one-up, tyre cold
2.9 bar, two-up and/or with lug-
gage, tyre cold
BMW recommends
Order No. 01 41 7 712 421
02.2008, 2nd edition
*01417712421*
*01417712421*
*01417712421*

Welcome to BMW
We congratulate you on your
choice of a motorcycle from
BMW and welcome you to the
community of BMW riders.
Familiarise yourself with your new
motorcycle so that you can ride it
safely and confidently in all traffic
situations.
Please read this Rider's Manual
carefully before starting to use
your new BMW motorcycle. It
contains important information on
how to operate the controls and
how to make the best possible
use of all your BMW's technical
features.
In addition, it contains information
on maintenance and care to help
you maintain your motorcycle's
reliability and safety, as well as its
value.
If you have questions concerning
your motorcycle, your authorised
BMW Motorrad dealer will gladly
provide advice and assistance.
We hope that you will enjoy rid-
ing your BMW and that all your
journeys will be pleasant and
safe.
BMW Motorrad.

Table of Contents
You can also consult the index at
the end of this Rider's Manual if
you want to find a particular topic
or item of information.
1 General instructions . . . . . 5
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Abbreviations and symbols . . . . 6
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Currency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2 General views . . . . .. . . . .. . . 9
General view, left side . . . . . . . . 11
General view, right side . . . . . . 13
Underneath the seat . . . . . . . . . 14
Handlebar fitting, left . . . . . . . . . 15
Handlebar fitting, right . . . . . . . . 16
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3 Status indicators . . . . . .. 19
Standard status
indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Status indicators with on-
board computer OE ........... 21
Status indicators with
tyre pressure monitoring
(RDC) OE ...................... 22
Standard warnings . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Warnings issued by the on-
board computer OE ........... 26
ABS warnings OE ............. 29
ASC warnings OE ............. 31
RDC warnings OE ............. 34
Anti-theft alarm
warnings OE ................... 39
4 Operation . . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. 43
Ignition switch and steering
lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Electronic immobiliser
(EWS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Odometer and tripmeters . . . . 47
On-board computer OE ....... 49
Tyre pressure monitoring
RDC OE ....................... 52
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Turn indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Hazard warning flashers . . . . . . 55
Emergency off switch (kill
switch) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
BMW Motorrad Integral
ABS OE ....................... 56
Automatic Stability Control
ASC OE ....................... 58
Seat height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Windscreen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Handlebars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Spring preload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Damping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Electronic Suspension Ad-
justment ESA OE ............. 66
Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Front and rear seats . . . . . . . . . . 69

Helmet holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
5 Riding . . . . . .. . . . .. . . .. . . . . 73
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Starting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Lowered suspension OE ...... 78
Running in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Riding off-road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Parking your motorcycle . . . . . 82
Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Securing motorcycle for
transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
6 Engineering details . . . . . 87
Brake system with BMW Mo-
torrad Integral ABS OE ........ 88
Electronic engine manage-
ment with BMW Motorrad
ASC OE ....................... 90
Tyre pressure monitoring
RDC OE ....................... 92
Electronic Suspension Ad-
justment ESA OE ............. 93
7 Accessories . . . .. . . .. . . . . 95
General instructions . . . . . . . . . . 96
Power socket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Auxiliary headlights OA ........ 97
Luggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Case OA ...................... 98
Topcase OA ................. 101
Luggage carrier . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
8 Maintenance . . . .. . . . .. . 107
General instructions . . . . . . . . 108
Toolkit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Rims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Front-wheel stand . . . . . . . . . . 124
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Jump starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
9 Care . . . . .. . .. . . . .. . . .. . . . 139
Care products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Washing motorcycle . . . . . . . . 140
Cleaning easily damaged
components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Paint care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Protective wax coating . . . . . 142
Laying up motorcycle . . . . . . 142
Restoring motorcycle to
use......................... 142
10 Technical data . . . . . . . 145
Troubleshooting chart . . . . . . 146
Threaded fasteners . . . . . . . . 147
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Rear-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Running gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Wheels and tyres . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Electrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Riding specifications . . . . . . . 159
11 Service . . . . .. . . .. . . . .. . 161
BMW Motorrad service . . . . . 162
BMW Motorrad service
quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
BMW Motorrad Service
Card: on-the-spot break-
down assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 162
BMW Motorrad service net-
work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Maintenance work . . . . . . . . . . 163
Confirmation of mainten-
ance work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Confirmation of service . . . . . 169

General instructions
General instructions
Overview ............................. 6
Abbreviations and symbols ........... 6
Equipment ............................ 7
Technical data ........................ 7
Currency .............................. 7
1
5
z General instructions

Overview
Chapter 2 of this Rider's Manu-
al will provide you with an initial
overview of your motorcycle. All
maintenance and repair work on
the motorcycle is documented in
Chapter 11. This record of the
maintenance work you have had
performed on your motorcycle is
a precondition for generous treat-
ment of goodwill claims.
When the time comes to sell
your BMW, please remember
to hand over this Rider's Manu-
al; it is an important part of the
motorcycle.
Abbreviations and
symbols
Indicates warnings that you
must comply with for reas-
ons of your safety and the safety
of others, and to protect your
motorcycle against damage.
Specific instructions on
how to operate, control, ad-
just or look after items of equip-
ment on the motorcycle.
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 a
passage relating to spe-
cific accessories or items
of equipment.
Tightening torque.
Item of technical data.
OE Optional extra
The motorcycles are as-
sembled complete with
all the BMW optional ex-
tras originally ordered.
OA Optional accessory
You can obtain option-
al accessories through
your authorised BMW
Motorrad dealer; optional
accessories have to be
retrofitted to the motor-
cycle.
EWS Electronic immobiliser
(Elektronische Wegfahr-
sicherung).
DWA Anti-theft alarm (Diebs-
tahlwarnanlage)
ABS Anti-lock brake system
ASC Automatic Stability Con-
trol.
1
6
z General instructions

ESA Electronic Suspension
Adjustment
Electronic Suspension
Adjustment.
RDC Tyre pressure control
(ReifenDruck-Control)
Equipment
When you ordered your BMW
motorcycle, you chose various
items of custom equipment. This
Rider's Manual describes option-
al extras (OE) offered by BMW
and selected optional accessor-
ies (OA). This explains why the
manual may also contain de-
scriptions of equipment which
you have not ordered. Please
note, too, that your motorcycle
might not be exactly as illus-
trated in this manual on account
of country-specific differences.
If your BMW was supplied with
equipment not described in
this Rider's Manual, you will
find these features described in
separate manuals.
Technical data
All dimensions, weights and
power ratings stated in the
Rider's Manual are quoted to the
standards and comply with the
tolerance requirements of the
Deutsche Institut für Normung
e.V. (DIN). Versions for individual
countries may differ.
Currency
The high safety and quality
standards of BMW motorcycles
are maintained by constant
development work on designs,
equipment and accessories.
Because of this, your motorcycle
may differ from the information
supplied in the Rider's Manual.
Nor can BMW Motorrad entirely
rule out errors and omissions.
We hope you will appreciate that
no claims can be entertained on
the basis of the data, illustrations
or descriptions in this manual. 1
7
z General instructions

1
8
z General instructions

General views
General views
General view, left side................ 11
General view, right side . . ............ 13
Underneath the seat ................. 14
Handlebar fitting, left ................. 15
Handlebar fitting, right . . . ............ 16
Instrument cluster ................... 17
Headlight ............................ 18
2
9
z General views

2
10
z General views

General view, left side
1Adjuster, spring preload,
front ( 63)
2Adjustment of windscreen
( 60)
3Adjuster for headlight beam
throw (underneath the in-
strument panel) ( 69)
4Clutch-fluid reservoir
( 116)
5Type plate (on frame, be-
hind side cover)
6Seat lock ( 69)
7Power socket ( 96)
8Adjuster for damping char-
acteristic, rear suspension
( 64)
9Engine-oil filler neck
( 110)
10 Engine oil level indicator
( 109)
2
11
z General views

2
12
z General views

General view, right side
1Adjuster for spring preload,
rear ( 63)
2Fuel filler neck ( 84)
3Brake-fluid reservoir, front
( 114)
4Vehicle Identification Num-
ber (VIN) (on steering-head
bearing)
5Air filter (behind right side
panel) ( 132)
6Brake-fluid reservoir, rear
( 115)
2
13
z General views

Underneath the seat
1Rider's Manual
2Battery ( 135)
3Toolkit, Payload table (in
tool tray), Tyre pressures
table (in tool tray)
4Helmet holder ( 71)
2
14
z General views

Handlebar fitting, left
1Operating the odometer
( 47), Operating the on-
board computer OE ( 49)
2Operating the ABS OE
( 56), Operating ASC OE
( 58)
3Operating ESA OE ( 66)
4Horn
5Flashing turn indicators,
left ( 54), Hazard warn-
ing flashers ( 55)
6Headlight flasher and high-
beam headlight ( 53)
2
15
z General views

Handlebar fitting, right
1Emergency off switch (kill
switch) ( 56)
2Starter button ( 76)
3Grip heating
4Flashing turn indicators,
right ( 55), Hazard warn-
ing flashers ( 55)
5Cancel button, flashing turn
indicators ( 55), Pushbut-
ton, cancel hazard warning
flashers ( 56)
2
16
z General views