Is it safe to go look at a new BMW F 800 GS?

[Lord Vader]

Seemed to be a sea of All The Gear No Idea balding beer bellys all with the full on 1200 ADV, but all very very clean, probably never seen rain let alone mud all squeezed into matching BMW textile suits...Hmm, I never felt so young before

Lots of BMWs on the surrounding roads, no nods let alone waves
.

Not all the gear yet
Not bald
No Beer belly(at least not a big one)
1200ADV yes
Clean no
seen lots of rain
BMW textiles i dont think so
and i am not that much older than you(well i am but that does not count)

[russh]

Not all the gear yet
Not bald
No Beer belly(at least not a big one)
1200ADV yes
Clean no
seen lots of rain
BMW textiles i dont think so
and i am not that much older than you(well i am but that does not count)

I probably win on the beer belly

........That why I'm now on the "Wine instead of beer diet!" lol

[Chad]

I probably win on the beer belly

........That why I'm now on the "Wine instead of beer diet!" lol

tried that it dont work ....now im banking on the gold watch diet

[boboneleg]

My test ride is booked for Tues 18th March. I'm amazed I got that far as I went in covered in crap after going trail riding on my 650 Dakar.

They even gave me a cup of coffee

[Palmer]

Was that you leaving on the black FMX around 12.30 - 13.00?


I must admit, the bike looks great, not so sure about the whole BMW "thing" though. Seemed to be a sea of All The Gear No Idea balding beer bellys all with the full on 1200 ADV, but all very very clean, probably never seen rain let alone mud all squeezed into matching BMW textile suits...Hmm, I never felt so young before

Lots of BMWs on the surrounding roads, no nods let alone waves

Did get a trade in price for my 8000 mile 06 Transalp in good condition....



.....£2500 - £2700.

Also they didn't seem to want to sell the 800GS without heated grips and on-board computer, pushing the price up to £7100 otr

I will probably book a test ride next week coz the bike is a stunner, felt right sat on the thing, overall looks pretty well made, but the price is getting close to the 990ADV.

Yes that was probably me, with a 990 Adv as well?

[Palmer]

DID ANYBODY SEE THAT THING THEY CALLED A CENTER STAND

[russh]

Yep Palmer it must have been you, I noticed the 990 parked up earlier on too. Shame if I had read your previous posting so I knew you would be there I would have come over and said hello.

I know what you mean about the centre stand! it was massive!!! more like a paddock stand, I've seen smaller kids climbing frames, it seemed to raise comments from others there too.

[Palmer]

Yep Palmer it must have been you, I noticed the 990 parked up earlier on too. Shame if I had read your previous posting so I knew you would be there I would have come over and said hello.

I know what you mean about the centre stand! it was massive!!! more like a paddock stand, I've seen smaller kids climbing frames, it seemed to raise comments from others there too.

Also im not sure if you noticed on the silver 1, but when the stand get's lifted up the complete bottom sides are all scratched, and always would be unless you didn't use it, plus it would look even worse once it had a bit of surface rust etc.

But to be fair it is a very nice bike, but not sure about the BMW "gang"

[boboneleg]

Also im not sure if you noticed on the silver 1, but when the stand get's lifted up the complete bottom sides are all scratched, and always would be unless you didn't use it, plus it would look even worse once it had a bit of surface rust etc.

But to be fair it is a very nice bike, but not sure about the BMW "gang"

Doesn't matter how big it is as long as it tucks away nicely, I didn't have chance to test that as there were too many of the 'BMW gang' hanging around it

They looked at me like I was an alien especially when I chipped in 'I wonder if it's any better than my Africa Twin'

The Motoradd centers are a good place for a wind-up, they even looked in when I parked my muddy 650 Dakar right inbetween their pristine 1200GS's

[beep]

I was at the Scottish Motorcycle show this weekend and had a chance to sit on all the mains contenders, except the new Tenere.

F800GS, nice looking bike, comfortable, riding position just right for me (6'4"). Not impressed by the way they've done the pillion footrest, welded to the rear frame and fairly long, one small tumble and they'd twist or snap the frame itself (they're the same tube diameter as the frame itself so wouldn't sacrifice themselves in a fall). Looks like an adventure offroader, but looking at the detailing, I have my doubts unless you spend a fair bit on aftermarket parts.

F650GS, not quite as much presense as the above, definately lower, but still plenty of legroom and felt pretty comfortable. Considerably cheaper and only a few bhp down, might be worth considering instead of the new Transalp, which costs the same and is heavier.

Transalp 700, although I like the bike a LOT on paper and it's a Honda, I don't like the riding position as much as the BMWs - the riding position is more cramped and I wouldn't find it as comfortable over long distances, there's too little distance between seat and pegs and knee room is just okay. Someone with shorter legs may have less problems.

Versys, having sat on this bike a couple of times in the past it was good to compare it next to the other bikes and to be honest I was very impressed, having been a bit non-plussed before. Riding position is slightly more upright, but the comfort levels are probably higher, with a thicker seat. Finish is probably a bit lower than either the BMW or Honda but I think it's quite good looking in an whacky sort of way, certainly prefer it to the Honda's looks.

V-strom 650, nice comfy bike, feels considerably more like a road bike than the rest, with the rider sitting in rather on the bike. Plenty of room, but the seat height is a bit low for me and it felt heavy compared to the rest. More of a tourer.

I'll wait for the Tenere to appear and try and get a testride on it and Versys. Both cost about the same but are at different ends of the onroad/offroad spectrum. The TA is now off my shopping list, couldn't live with the riding position and I'd have to have serious look at my bank balance before looking at the F800GS.