BMW F800GS Test Ride

I took a test ride on the BMW F800GS on Thursday 23rd July '09. I had the bike for over 2 hours and gave it a run over B roads , A roads , dual carrageways , motorways and town speed stuff.

I think most of the modern "adventure" style bikes are grossly overpowered for their intended purpose, BMW1200GS , KTM990 etc and I wish bike manufacturers would get back to basics and build a well designed adventure bike around 70-80 hp. So I had high hopes of liking the BMW.

So what did I like ..........

It's a very nice bike to approach for the first time , a very comfortable layout (apart from the BMW indicator switches) and quite a nice height for a shorty like me. I had asked for the no cost option low seat to be fitted taking the seat to a stated 850 mm. The bike feels very "planted" on the road , I think a lot of that may be down to the Bridgestone Battlewing tyres fitted to the test bike - it really should have had Trailwings or Pirelli Scorpions or the like if it claims to be a dual purpose bike as Battlewings are purely road tyres. There is ample power from the engine and it pulls strongly , I was often surprised to find myself in the 6th gear thanks to the dash indicator when really my head was telling me she had plenty of grunt left and another gear could be snicked. The test bike was fitted with an excellent touring screen , with not buffeting - other bike makers could learn a lot from BMW screen/fairing designers. The bike had an entertaining ride computer fitted (£123) option and there are hours of innocent fun to be had watching the "to go" tank range indicator changing in real time as you change speed / gear, but a little uncomfortable to see your range change from 120 miles to empty , to 45 miles to empty just by dropping a gear and accelerating for an overtake. I had a few interesting roundabouts and junctions at first trying to get used to the indicator switches , cancelling and trying to maintain a steady throttle while turning takes a bit of practice, but apart from that the throttle felt relatively smooth , for a twin with FI !!!.

What did I not like.........

There is the most annoying and in my opinion , badly designed , front brake master cylinder, it's on some sort of elaborate rubber mount and shakes around violently all the time , distractingly so !! It was bouncing around so much on the test bike , I was sure that air would end up going down the line !!!

The seat got uncomfortable after about an hour , I did have the optional low seat fitted , and noticed that there were also low peg mounts that could be used , so maybe both are meant to be used in conjunction.

The rear shocker has absolutely no guard to prevent it getting whacked by grit and stones if you were to venture on to a track - a huge omission in my opinion - most other dual purpose bikes a least have a bit of plastic fitted to keep the worst abuse away.

My lower legs got caked in dirt a minor issue I know but annoying for a all year commuter like me.

All in all - quite a nice bike. But not for me. It did not move me enough to be considered as a potential replacement for the KTM.

The basic cost for a non ABS version is going to £7200 ish in august and after heated grips, trip computer , mainstand and luggage rack are fitted it comes in around £7700. Then there would be rails for my touratech panniers and crashbars to be fitted, probably around another £500 . So we arrive at £8200 and for anyone wanting the ABS option - another £600 thankyou !!!