BMW Rider's Manual - Is It Me?

Three days ago, I took delivery of a new 2023 R1250RS. This machine is my dream bike. Really, it is. It's the sixteenth (I believe) motorcycle that I have owned over the past forty-nine years and my ninth new one. I knew that this thing was infinitely more technically advanced than the Yamaha RD400 that I've owned since 2001. I accept that and it's part of the reason why I chose this particular bike. I'm 63-years-old. I remember the very first time that I saw an electronic calculator circa 1973. It only did basic math (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division). It didn't even have a floating decimal and it sold for $30. In 1973, thirty dollars was about what a family of four spent at the grocery store in one week. I remember playing Pong in a WT Grant store at around that same time. So, granted, I'm not the most tech-savvy person in the world. But I can generally figure things out. I'd consider myself probably a 4 on a scale of 1-10 when it comes to tech stuff. I assumed, and have accepted the fact, that it would take me some time to get used to the technological wizardry of the R1250RS.

But I have to say...the owner's manual is, in my opinion, an outright mess. Again, I'm not a genius. But neither am I a complete moron. I spent two hours looking over the TFT section of the manual last evening. Is it just me??? I came away more confused than I was on Saturday. I just want to ride. I am not interested in launching nuclear missiles (well, maybe if I owned some). Honestly, I can't figure out half of the stuff that I read. I love the fact that the bike can be tweaked to suit my riding style and habits. I don't believe that it is the complexity of the thing, per se, that has me befuddled. I believe it to be the manner in which the manual is written. I grew up - and have spent most of my life - on riceburners. I'm used to the manner in which Japanese owner's manuals are written. They were terrible back in the day. Then again, in the 70's and 80's, complexity and electronic gadgetry weren't much of a factor.

I'm wondering how - or even IF - I'll ever figure this thing out. I found several good YouTube videos on "Keyless Ride". I found the manual to be totally useless when it came to that. Here's something else about the manual: There is nothing in the index concerning cruise control. I found it in the manual, quite by chance. But isn't cruise control sort of a basic function? Why is it not referenced in the index? Heck, the last time that I had cruise control on a bike, it was one of those contraptions that clamped around your throttle tube and pinched onto the throttle cable where it exited the right-hand handlebar control. That was on my 1983 CB1100F.

OK. That's my rant. I absolutely love this bike, don't get me wrong. But I'm half afraid to RIDE the darned thing.

I found the TFT instructions hard to follow and figured things out from forum posts and videos.
Here's one video to get you started.
The video does not have information for the heated seat and grips. That changed in 2023.

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If you happen to have a grade school kid next door, give them 10 minutes and they'll be able to show you how it all works

Lee said:

If you happen to have a grade school kid next door, give them 10 minutes and they'll be able to show you how it all works

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Too true.

Lee said:

If you happen to have a grade school kid next door, give them 10 minutes and they'll be able to show you how it all works

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BC1100S said:

Too true.

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One of the reasons that youngsters do better is they don’t have a lifetime of previous experiences such as “how it worked last time” to overcome. This seems to be really evident with the “pictographic” instructions that now are supplied with so many things.
Some of these instructions I have to re-write so it makes more sense to me, then I can proceed with more success.

OM

Lee said:

If you happen to have a grade school kid next door, give them 10 minutes and they'll be able to show you how it all works

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Or - someone in their 30s and early 40s that has grown up with computers and, more importantly, computer interfaces. I read the manual on my new to me 2019GS and when I looked it like I look at my work (software), I thought it made sense.

The YouTube videos on how the TFT works may be informative. Basically, if you look at the diagrams on the first few pages of the manual, there's a little arrow with a number, which is a pointer to which page describes the function of that option more fully.

Between those two things, it makes sense now. I hope that's helpful.

Lee said:

I found the TFT instructions hard to follow and figured things out from forum posts and videos.
Here's one video to get you started.
The video does not have information for the heated seat and grips. That changed in 2023.

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Awesome, Lee. Thank you so much. I told the wife that I learned more in 12 minutes with that video than I did in two hours of reading the manual last evening. I knew that this forum would be a Godsend. It is (you folks are).

BC1100S said:

Too true.

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Indeed. ROFL.

Count your blessings - at least they gave you one. Did you know they won't make a service manual available to you?

mikegalbicka said:

Count your blessings - at least they gave you one. Did you know they won't make a service manual available to you?

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No. I did not know that. Then again, that may not be a BAD thing. I guess they don't want owners wrenching on them, huh? Do they trust us to change our own oil?

sharpestjim said:

No. I did not know that. Then again, that may not be a BAD thing. I guess they don't want owners wrenching on them, huh? Do they trust us to change our own oil?

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No, but once again, YouTube is your friend and eBay might be helpful when seeking a repair manual. Just sayin'.....

bigjohnsd said:

No, but once again, YouTube is your friend and eBay might be helpful when seeking a repair manual. Just sayin'.....

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Ha! eBay has been my friend - as a buyer, not as a seller - for the past 25 years. I've scored many parts for my old Yamaha (including a number of NOS) scrounging around on eBay.

bigjohnsd said:

No, but once again, YouTube is your friend....

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As is Boxflyer.

Here's something from the manual that struck me as very odd. Far be it from me to question the wisdom of the Motorrad gods. But I don't recall having ever seein this in a manual for any motorized vehicle - two-wheeled or four. Especially water-cooled. Even my lawnmower recommends allowing the engine to warm-up for a few minutes just to get the oil circulating. My ancient, carbureted, two-stroke, air-cooled Yamaha will die if I try to take off too quickly. I understand that idling for extended periods should be avoided. But riding off immediately after starting seems counter-intuitive to me.

sharpestjim said:

Here's something from the manual that struck me as very odd. Far be it from me to question the wisdom of the Motorrad gods. But I don't recall having ever seein this in a manual for any motorized vehicle - two-wheeled or four. Especially water-cooled. Even my lawnmower recommends allowing the engine to warm-up for a few minutes just to get the oil circulating. My ancient, carbureted, two-stroke, air-cooled Yamaha will die if I try to take off too quickly. I understand that idling for extended periods should be avoided. But riding off immediately after starting seems counter-intuitive to me.

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BMW began that advice with the advent of its motorcycle fuel injection systems. There was no need for the engine to warm up before carburetors would meter fuel correctly. Some technologies is wonderful. Others are less so.

Paul,
Didn’t some of the bikes suffer damage from being left idling too long?

OM

I get it. It's not good to allow any engine - air or water - to idle for an extended period of time. I have a 1999 Toyota 4-Runner that I purchased new. It's injected. I've always allowed it to drop its idle speed - about 30-45 seconds - before taking off. And I like the variable redline feature of the BMW. But no additional precaution about loading the engine immediately after starting?

Here's a story: When I was 15, I had a Yamaha DT125. It was a '74 model. That was the underpowered, heavy vintage with electric start. The bike was geared so low (and no transmission/starter mechanism to prevent it) that I could start it IN gear with the clutch disengaged. In other words, the electric starter would move the bike (with me on it) until the engine coughed to life. I guess BMW would frown upon that practice, huh?

There were cases in the 1990s where people left R1100RSL bikes idling too long, overheating the fairing bits behind the exhaust pipes and starting the bike on fire—along with the garage and house. After a case or two involved litigation, the RSL bikes, and their fully-faired side panels, were NLA in the US. In another case, a rider left an R1200GS idling in his garage when a phone call interrupted his departure. It eventually overheated to the point of melting the oil sight glass and pumping out most of its oil and destroying the engine. So, the warnings against excessive idling likely have at least some roots in precluding legal action.

As Paul noted, FI pretty much eliminated the need for any extensive warmup to assure driveability. My bikes get about 30sec while I’m buckling helmet and checking gauges, mirrors, and electronics, then are ridden in moderation for the first 5-6 miles.

Best,
DeVern

GTRider said:

There were cases in the 1990s where people left R1100RSL bikes idling too long, overheating the fairing bits behind the exhaust pipes and starting the bike on fire—along with the garage and house. After a case or two involved litigation, the RSL bikes, and their fully-faired side panels, were NLA in the US. In another case, a rider left an R1200GS idling in his garage when a phone call interrupted his departure. It eventually overheated to the point of melting the oil sight glass and pumping out most of its oil and destroying the engine. So, the warnings against excessive idling likely have at least some roots in precluding legal action.

As Paul noted, FI pretty much eliminated the need for any extensive warmup to assure driveability. My bikes get about 30sec while I’m buckling helmet and checking gauges, mirrors, and electronics, then are ridden in moderation for the first 5-6 miles.

Best,
DeVern

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Thanks, DeVern. That's exactly what I've done with virtually every ICE machine that I've ever owned from cars and bikes to chainsaws and lawnmowers. In winter, I'll start up the wife's CX-5 and let it idle for five minutes so that she can get some heat when she leaves for work. But I'm one of these people who'll shut down if I know that I'm going to be sitting at a red light for more than a couple of minutes. Start out immediately after starting the engine? Nope. Sorry. Write me up.

I am one who gets going shortly following engine start up. There is no need to idle modern engines to warm them up, they are good to go within a few moments of firing up. I recall a study from several years back that found a long warm up of an engine at idle actually increased engine wear due to the prolonged time to reach operating temperatures. Cold engine components were more prone to wear than when at full designed operating temperature. The engine warms up more quickly when working above idle and thus, less wear.