To GS or not to GS?

Edgar Jessop · Sep 26, 2017

Hello good people and this is my first post here so please be gentle

I've been researching bikes to take on a long ride next year, lasting about 4 months and covering 20,000 miles starting and finishing in the UK. I'll be doing mostly blacktop but there will be a fair bit of dirt road and sandy desert thrown in, so i need an "Adventure" style bike, not a 250 trailie and definitely not a lumbering boxer. It seems to me the F800GS Adv ticks quite a lot of boxes - big tank, 'adventurised', enough grunt to handle the distances but nimble enough to be usable on the rough. I've even located a 2015 model with a handful of miles on it for a price I can afford.

What worries me though is that there do seem to be quite a lot of reports of reliability issues. What I don't know is how many of these are historical and can be regarded as not a problem on the later models, and which could come to bite me on the road. My idea of adventure riding does not stretch to replacing tanks, fuel pumps or suspension mounts on the road...

So could I pick your minds, as people who presumably are a great source of information and knowledge on the model. Please don't just say "I love mine and nothing's ever gone wrong" because happy as I may be for you, it doesn't really give me anything. What I'm after is warts and all insights. Do they still have issues? What are they and what should you do about it for such a long trip? Is it really the bike to be taking places miles from a BMW dealer? What would you do to prepare and what spares would you take?

All advice welcomed! (unless it's buy a boxer/Honda/C90)

Ash · Sep 26, 2017

I've had 2 X 650GS an 08 & a 11 & 1 X 700GS 2013
All using the same 800 cc Rotax engines.
Never had a problem with any of them..

Fuel tanks are plastic & under seat, never heard of a problem.

I always carry a - spare fuel - pump controller & a Ring antenna, as some early ones played up. But I think it's more habit than actual need these days..

Some suffered from rotors burning out, but that's only a £100 for a rewind, so no biggy & only a few gave suffered from this..

There will always be horror stories but in my mind they are great bikes which ever model you choose - 650/700/800.

I believe an 850 is on the cards soon ? .

seahorse · Sep 26, 2017

I have seen stuff about leaking tanks but these are on American sites, maybe due to their high ethanol content fuel? The shock mount problem appears to be limited to bikes with heavy off road use, and there is an aftermarket reinforcing part made by someone which addresses that. Alternators, yes some bikes have had issues but I believe the rotor was changed to one with venting holes in 2014. Steering head bearings seem to have a short life, but once again not all. Can't think of anything else, buy the latest bike you can find and I'm sure it will be fine. Ash has plenty of experience of these bikes (see above) , and Micky has about 130k on his by now, sound bikes.

Sooty09 · Sep 26, 2017

My wife and I can thoroughly recommend the 800 Rotax engined bikes. 20000 miles with just a bit of servicing is well within their capability.
All the consumable parts (Chains, sprockets and disk pads) will need changing at some point on your journey. First to go will be the rear pads, they are easy to change and can wear very quickly so its worth taking a spare set. The front pads are not readily available from none specialist bike shops.
You will probably need 2 oil changes on the journey and unless you have a GS911? diagnostic tool you will have the service warning light after 6000 miles.
All our 800s have eaten H7 light bulbs, usually at first switching on after a few days of riding bumpy roads or cobbles. We have also lost a couple of headlight fixing screws.
One early F650GS required a new set of head bearings at 15000 miles, one set of rear wheel bearings at 18000. This has not occurred on the three later bikes.
The suspension handles moderate rough OK (Cobbles and bumps etc) we have never had a shock or fork fail or leak.
The clutches and gearbox have all been trouble free and our oldest F650 covered 45000 miles with the original cable and it felt like new.
The cooling fan kicks in fairly quick in 30 degree ambient. It gets quite un comfy in towns after a few minutes yet I have never needed to top up the coolant level. I did drop my early GS800 and knocked the mounts off the radiator, I kept the plastic parts and fixed it with super glue. It may be worth checking how well protected the Adventure model radiator is.

All these comments are from riding on road.

SuperTed · Sep 26, 2017

I concur with everything Sooty has said above.
I have an 08 plate 800GS which I got in 2011 with 14000 miles on the clock. I have put a further 54000 miles on it since then. The only real problem I have had was when the alternator packed up a couple of years ago. 4 days before we were going to France which is always when these things happen.
It got new front wheel bearings 18 months ago, and the head & rear wheel bearings I got done at the last service. First time for all of them.
I am signed up for the GlobeBusters Trans-Americas Alaska to Argentina trip next year and have no concerns about simply giving the bike a full service and then heading off on this 24000 mile trip.

Deano64 · Sep 26, 2017

Had to have a new ecu after 9 years, but I've only done 18000 miles, so it probably wasn't getting enough action! Apart from that, still fine 800GS. 2008. Ecus are expensive!

Phil-H · Sep 26, 2017

Edgar Jessop said:
Hello good people and this is my first post here so please be gentle

I've been researching bikes to take on a long ride next year, lasting about 4 months and covering 20,000 miles starting and finishing in the UK. I'll be doing mostly blacktop but there will be a fair bit of dirt road and sandy desert thrown in, so i need an "Adventure" style bike, not a 250 trailie and definitely not a lumbering boxer. It seems to me the F800GS Adv ticks quite a lot of boxes - big tank, 'adventurised', enough grunt to handle the distances but nimble enough to be usable on the rough. I've even located a 2015 model with a handful of miles on it for a price I can afford.

What worries me though is that there do seem to be quite a lot of reports of reliability issues. What I don't know is how many of these are historical and can be regarded as not a problem on the later models, and which could come to bite me on the road. My idea of adventure riding does not stretch to replacing tanks, fuel pumps or suspension mounts on the road...

So could I pick your minds, as people who presumably are a great source of information and knowledge on the model. Please don't just say "I love mine and nothing's ever gone wrong" because happy as I may be for you, it doesn't really give me anything. What I'm after is warts and all insights. Do they still have issues? What are they and what should you do about it for such a long trip? Is it really the bike to be taking places miles from a BMW dealer? What would you do to prepare and what spares would you take?

All advice welcomed! (unless it's buy a boxer/Honda/C90)

Just spend 1500 quid on a decent old Transalp. Sorted

Sent from my SM-A320FL using Tapatalk

SuperTed · Sep 26, 2017

Phil-H said:
Just spend 1500 quid on a decent old Transalp. Sorted

Sent from my SM-A320FL using Tapatalk

Problem being that when Honda designed & built the Transalp they made sure the design brief and spec ticked every box marked 'Bland'. I rode one of these on a 1500+ mile tour round southern Turkey a couple of years ago. It has to be the most nondescript bike I ever ridden. Do you really want to be that bored with the bike over 20,000 miles?

Phil-H · Sep 27, 2017

Just goes to show that we are all different.

Sent from my SM-A320FL using Tapatalk

Chalky723 · Sep 27, 2017

Head bearings went on my 650 around 27,000 miles. Front wheel bearing is approaching retirement too, aside from that, no "major" issues.

D

Edgar Jessop · Sep 27, 2017

Thanks all. Would it be fair to say the horror stories you read on other forums are either isolated cases or ancient history that have been developed out of the newer bikes then?

Would love to hear more if anybody hasn't yet contributed?

And a random question, what's likely to be the result if I try to run one of these bikes on 80 octane?

dippy · Sep 27, 2017

I doubt if there's a bike out there without horror stories of some kind. we rode 2 650 twins cape town to uk with no issues at all. well, only with the kit added on, luggage rack for one. but the bike were solid and didnt let us down at all.

Sooty09 · Sep 27, 2017

We fuelled up at a farm pump in France, nothing else available for miles, it may of been low octane or just bad fuel. The F800 and F650 both ran really badly and we only managed 40mpg, not a nice experience. Added a few litres of supermarket fuel later and everything went back to normal, no long term damage.
Perhaps a drop of octain booster may be advisable.

To GS or not to GS?

Edgar Jessop

Registered user

Ash

Oh Yes....

seahorse

Well-known member

Sooty09

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SuperTed

Active member

Deano64

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Phil-H

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SuperTed

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Phil-H

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Chalky723

Well-known member

Edgar Jessop

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dippy

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Sooty09

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