Brakes - BMW F 800 GS Adventure Rider's Manual

6
WARNING
Changed values for spring
78
preload and spring-strut
damping for riding off-road.
Impaired handling characteristics
on surfaced roads.
If you have been off-roading,
be sure to correct spring pre-
load and spring-strut damping
z
characteristics before you re-
turn to surfaced roads.
Rims
BMW Motorrad recommends
checking the rims for damage
after off-roading.
Air filter element
ATTENTION
Dirty air-filter element.
Engine damage
If you ride in dusty terrain
check the air filter element for
clogging at shorter intervals;
clan or replace as necessary.
Operation in very dusty condi-
tions (desert, steppes, or the like)
necessitates the use of air filter
elements specially designed for
conditions of this nature.

Brakes

How can stopping
distance be minimised?
Each time the brakes are applied,
a load distribution shift takes
place with the load shifting for-
ward from the rear to the front
wheel. The sharper the motor-
cycle decelerates, the more load
is shifted to the front wheel. The
higher the wheel load, the more
braking force can be transmitted
without the wheel locking.
To optimise stopping distance,
apply the front brakes rapidly and
keep on increasing the force you
apply to the brake lever. This
makes the best possible use of
the dynamic increase in load at
the front wheel. Remember to
pull the clutch at the same time.
In the "panic braking situations"
that are trained so frequently
braking force is applied as rap-
idly as possible and with the
rider's full force applied to the
brake levers; under these circum-
stances the dynamic shift in load
distribution cannot keep pace
with the increase in deceleration
and the tyres cannot transmit the
full braking force to the surface
of the road.
BMW Motorrad ABS prevents
the front wheel from locking up.
Descending mountain
passes
WARNING
Braking only with the rear
brake on mountain descents.