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I need to drain the brake fluid for my 1999 BMW K1200RS with ABS in order to do some minor service on the Master Cylinder, but I don't have a service manual for the bike. How should I go about doing this, and what are the things I need to watch for?

Also, presumably, at some point I'll need to put brake fluid back in the bike. How do I do this as well?

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Just a note about brake fluid. Don't get it on the bike! It strips paint like you wouldn't believe. – Kendrick Mar 8 '11 at 16:24

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Factory service manuals are usually expensive and they assume you already know how to fix motorcycles and have a full set of tools and equipment. But they cover every part of the bike and have great drawings. Clymer and Haynes make DIY maintenance manuals for just about everything, including your bike. Try http://www.clymer.com/Book.aspx?bid=1233

Be sure to clean around the reservoir before opening it, and keep the cover on the reservoir when you step away, to keep dirt out of the system.

Refilling requires proper bleeding of the brakes lines, to remove any air bubbles. Make sure you use the same kind of brake fluid that was in there before.

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Between step 4 and 6: Open the reservoir enough to allow air to enter and replace brake fluid as it leaves. I wasn't sure with the ABS, but this is exactly the same thing you'd do to drain/replace your clutch fluid. – Kendrick Mar 9 '11 at 15:38
@Kendrick: I removed the step-by-step, because I don't know about ABS systems, and I wanted to keep things pro. – Jay Bazuzi Mar 9 '11 at 16:58

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