F650/800GS road test reports by UKGSers

Rob J said:
Oh bloody hell.....I've only gone and done it ! :eek

Having weighed up all the variables I've decided to give the F800GS a try.

The truth of the matter is I never ride 2 up and am drawn as much to muck as I am to tarmac.

I reckon that I've got a pretty good deal all things considered and pick up the new wheels (as pictured below) at the back end of next week.

A question for all you shorties out there..:thumb Do any of you have a standard seat lying around your garage (having replaced it for a lowered version)?

As you will see the new bike has a lowered seat which, given my 6ft2" stature Is in need of replacement :blast

If you can oblige, or advise of where to get my existing seat adapted, please feel free to drop me a line.

BTW if any of you are in the market for a much loved 2007 GSA I will be advertising her on here, along with some sexy accessories that I have lying around the garage.

Book early to avoid disappointment.

Many thanks for all your helpful comments. I am sure that, with your help, I have made the right decision. :thumb2

Regards

Rob
Click to expand...

Well done!

That seat looks like a non BMW one - might therefore be reasonably comfy which the standard one most certainly is not. I reckon you should keep it and get an airhawk and a sheepie to put on it as the extra thickness will take you back to the normal seat height which is plenty tall enough (im a similar height to you) - you will defo need to add the same to the stock seat which makes it a tad tall...

all IMHO of course!:thumb

Regrads
 
new bike

Nice one Rob, looks well with lots of extras fitted. That custom seat looks rather special, I'd be tempted to give it a whirl before swapping it. The std one is a brick.
 
I bought my bike without even having ridden it! Fortunately it turned out OK and I have loved it. Had I been able to see these reviews back then it would have saved me a couple of sleepless nights wondering if I had taken leave of my senses.

I agree with what they say apart from the comments on ABS. Yes, you want to turn it off when going off-road but it saved my bacon spectacularly on one occasion. I had just had new tyres fitted and about 3 miles from the place I had them done, on a country lane I was hit by a huge hailstorm that covered the road in marbles. At the same time a tractor pulled out from a field unseen by me about 20 yards in front. I stopped with inches to spare - just as well seeing as there was a car coming the other way!

I am sure that without the ABS I would have locked up and gone down in front of the car probably.

Plenty of heroes out there wil decry it but I don't claim to be able to beat ABS in the braking stakes.
 
I swore I would never own:
1) A flip up helmet
2) A bike styled like the F series
3) A bike with ABS

I have all 3 and can firmly and honestly state I was dumb.
ABS is a fantastic thing to have when you need it.
 
The GS gets a good review in this month's "Bike" magazine.
Confirms I've made the right choice. :thumb2
 
Had mine for 13 months now, covered 8000miles already:clap and off to Switzerland on it next week.

My previous zx6 did 21000 miles in the nine years I owned it....

Need I say more!

It's the best bloody bike in the world!:clap
 
Agree. Had mine two years and clocked up 17,000 miles. Commuting, back lane scratching, touring, trail riding, two up to the pub. Perfect. :)
 
f800gs

Picked up the new wheels yesterday :drool

I wired in my old Zumo, fitted the tall screen (purchased from NN) popped on the standard seat (courtesy of Ewan) and went out for a couple of hours round the peak district last night. :thumb

I am really chuffed with the bike. :thumb2

I actually found the standard seat quite comfortable, certainly compared to the lowered seat that came with the bike, although two hours isn't much of a test.

The tall screen a significant, albeit expensive, improvement.

I enjoyed the snake pass every bit as much as I did on my old GSA. The only issue I found was the my Zumo's audio packed up half way round. I suspect the audio out lead needs replacing as I did have intermittent problems with it when installed on my GSA. Off to Rainbow today in the hope that they have a replacement.

The overall conclusion is I am delighted with the bike. I think it looks, sounds and rides great.

There are a few other bit n bobs I am looking to get hold of, namely :

1. Haynes manual (for the DIY quick fixes and general maintenance)
2. Head light protector
3. Sump/oil filter guard
4. Hugger
5. spot lights

I guess I will acquire the aforementioned items over time but if any of you guys have any of this kit in reasonable condition and going spare feel free to drop me a line. :thumb2

Regards

Rob :D
 
I went down to Rainbow yesterday to collect my standard seat & screen in the car and ended up buying a fenda extenda for the front and a mudsling for the rear. A sump guard is next on the list, then a top box, then panniers, then....

Sent via Tapatalk
 
Think we spoke to you yesterday at Rainbow - me on grey 800 and Hubby on Yellow.

Enjoy your new bike :D
 
Just as a follow up - I attended this event last weekend

http://www.adventurebikerider.com/f...5-none-of-us-have-a-clue-how-to-do-this-.html
http://www.adventurebikerider.com/forum/49-we-love-pics/57589-none-of-us-have-a-clue-photos.html

The bike was superb on the relatively straight forward lanes, tracks and ruts we rode across Salisbury Plain. Most of the plain was closed for army training but enough tracks were open for a great day out. The GS was smooth and powerful over all the surfaces we encountered and the front suspension, lambasted as soft by some, proved to be near perfect at sticking to the ground over bumps and hollows at speeds of up to 40mph. I used gears 1 to 3 and occasionally 4 with ease: 2 and 3 were best for most work with 1 for down-hill engine breaking and some steep uphill sections. After a long day I then rode the bike home for 3.5 hours with knobblies at speeds of up to 80mph. The bike cruised well and comfortable (I have a standard seat - just get used to it!). The fuel consumption across the 2 day 418 mile trip (about 50 or so miles off road) ... 63 mph.

Did I mention that I like this bike? :thumb

Apologies to those who have seen these images in another post.

IMG_0173.jpg

IMG_0177.jpg

IMG_0188.jpg
 
Fanum
Naff orfff!

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Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Away with the fairies
Posts: 30,307
 
f65o gs

Brother Amadeus said:
Hello All,
Ooh, my first post! Pleased to meet y'all. Well, like Tim, I went out yesterday and rode both the 800 and the 650 back to back in crappy wet weather. Bother were very confidence inspiring I felt. I currently have a VFR800 and my bike is my only transport. I once rode an older 650GS around a bit of Australia and loved the bike.

These bikes are a far cry from that. But I found the 800 actuaklly very buzzy and vibey! Not what I expected. The 650 was much smoother - silky in fact. No vibrations at all. Has anyone else noticed that? the chain was very loose on the demo bike so I wonder if that was a factor. And Tim is right about something he mentions in passing - the bars feel different on both. I prefered the 650's. But maybe jumping from a VFR they both felt a little odd anyway. The 800 I rode had a taller screen than the 650 and I found it fine up to 100mph. And the 800 is a lot taller - I could see OVER cars and small vans in front! You big GS riders are probably used to that but I was reminded of an old Landrover on lifted suspension I used to have...

I didn't ride either off road but I really wanted to! Never taken a bike off road (landrover experience is probably not that useful in this case!) and I had visions of calling the dealer and trying to explain how his mint condition demo was lodged bar-deep in mud. Anyway, I'm quite conflicted about which one to go for!

Is the 800 worth an extra grand???

Nigel.
Click to expand...
hello all I have just invested in a f650 gs and love it I am used to riding an 89 r80gs so the smoothness and lack of vibration was a bonus, seat a bit hard but have ordered a sheepskin cover, very economical and big bonus is the ability to get my feet flat on floor.my son has an 08 f800gs and having sat on that I was not happy with the height also I seemed to be sitting in it as apposed to on it. it just seemed soo much bigger and heavier.i have crash bars and bmw alum luggage. the screen is too low but have a higher adj one coming. the only thing one might say is it doesn't look as off roady as the f800 but it suits me. I'm very happy with it so far.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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