"Bayern" remained with the fleet for the 1885 maneuvers, though she was joined only by the older ironclads and . The maneuvers were begun with a visit to Ålesund, Norway, after which the fleet went to the Baltic Sea for training exercises. "Bayern" was demobilized at the close of maneuvers. In October 1885, August von Thomsen, who had been appointed chief gunner, set up the first long range gunnery experiments on "Bayern". He went on to gain fame as "the father of German naval artillery." "Bayern"s three sisters and the new ironclad comprised the training squadron for 1886. In 1887, she was present for the ceremonies marking the beginning of construction of the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal, which was to link the Kiel with the North Sea. "Bayern" returned to active duty in 1888, when she participated in a tour of the Baltic by the newly crowned Kaiser Wilhelm II. The fleet stopped in St. Petersburg, Stockholm, and Copenhagen on the seventeen-day cruise.