F650/800GS road test reports by UKGSers

[Tim Cullis]

Why am I considering a F650GS twin?
I started biking again less than four years ago after a gap of 28 years. Since then I've covered almost 100,000 miles, much of which has been outside the UK. I've now done something like 3,000 miles of piste riding in North Africa. Much of this is solo, exploring areas that are unknown to me, and I tend to combine touring and offroad in the same trip.

Whilst it's brilliant as an intercontinental ballistic missile, the R1200GSA is somewhat big and heavy on unknown pistes so I bought a Honda XR400R to experiment. This was great fun and inspired me to greater things on the 1200GSA, but there were a number of drawbacks--the weak rear subframe means no pillion possibility and poor luggage capacity, the fuel range was extremely poor, the seat was relatively high and uncomfortable and there wasn't an electric start. Whilst it's a gutsy bike it was obviously not happy with travelling at speed on tarmac 'liaison' sections.

I considered the G650 Xchallenge and booked one of these for a day in the Brecon Beacons. It is much better than the XR400 at higher speeds and can take luggage, but the fuel tank is far too small for my mixed tour/trail purposes and it still has a high and uncomfortable seat. I looked at buying an XT660 and indeed the new Ténére looks like it be a good compromise road/piste bike, but with a single cylinder and lower power it wouldn't be that good on motorways.

The new F650GS seems to tick all the boxes for me. Good luggage capability, reasonable fuel range, lowish comfortable seat and electric start. With 70+bhp and two cylinders it would be fine for motorway blasts, and the pricing is extremely keen against the Ténére and other alternatives.

But why the F650GS rather than the F800GS?
For a start it's £1200 cheaper! If this was a replacement for the 1200GSA I would start off looking at the F800GS, but this will probably be a second bike. I have yet to ride the F800GS so my mind isn't irrevocably made up but I don't particularly value those items that differentiate the F800.
- yes the 800 screen is bigger, but probably not high enough.
- yes the 800 has a bash plate, but it's plastic and not big enough
- yes the 800 has twin rotors (discs) at the front but single should be OK
- don't understand/wouldn't appreciate USD forks
- don't value the different handlebars

I prefer the tubeless tyres on the F650 as they can be plugged without having to take the wheel off and mend the tube, they are also safer in case of a blow-out. I'm not fased by the idea of cast wheels, my 12GS had cast wheels and was fine.

The other two points are ride height where the 800 has better ground clearance (but higher seat), and the cosmetic looks where having an 800 sticker rather than a 650 means you have hairier balls, and female riders gain a moustache.

So, on to the ride. What did I think of it?
First impressions. I can get both feet absolutely flat on the floor with the standard seat. The engine is very smooth and quiet. The clutch is light, the gearbox smooth and the fueling is spot on--it's very easy to control at low speed either offroad or in heavy traffic. The engine pulls well from low revs with no obvious power step. It's a well-behaved bike for less experienced riders.

My hands were cold as handguards aren't standard on either the 650 or 800GS. The screen is low--especially on the 650--and I was feeling the wind blast, but then I looked down and realised I was doing 75 mph. Woops (and 4000 revs is 70 mph). If you keep to 60-65 mph the standard screen is fine, but for motorways a higher screen is needed. The screen from the F800GS is higher, alternatively TT sells both higher screens and clip-on screen spoilers.

I briefly took the bike up to 100mph and whilst there wasn't as much power as the 1200GS, it didn't seem that far off. It easily pulls from 35mph in top. There's less 'character' to the engine but it's very enjoyable. The switchgear is traditional BMW. The brake reservoir in on a flexible mount and tends to wave around in the rider's face in a distracting way.

I did about a mile offroad on some deeply rutted tracks and fields. At one time I stalled the engine going uphill in second, probably due to the engine not having quite the pull of the 1200, but otherwise I felt very confident. After seeing the amount of damage caused to non-boxer (Xchallenge) bikes at the Welsh offroad school I am concerned, however, whether the optional crash bars are enough to protect the plastics of the 'tank' area. On the positive side the handlebars were good and I wouldn't need risers.

The front brake is a single disc, as opposed to twin rotors on the F800. Someone on UKGSer suggested the bike would pull to one side, so I tried high-speed halts. Despite activating ABS there was no side pull. I guess the point of the twin rotors is to minimise heat-induced fade in places like the Alps.

The major surprise was fuel consumption. Travelling at 65-70 mph I would normally get 52-55 mpg on the 1200GSA; with the F650GS I got 71 mpg!

I haven't made up my mind whether to get the bike or not. I need to do a back-to-back next week with the 800GS to see what I would be missing by going for the 800's 'little sister'.

Tim

 

[Uinneag]

Managed to prize the bike from Her Highness's palms for half an hour by no means the easiest thing I've done this week

Took the bike into the forestry just behing the house.

It seems well planted on the road and less handle bar tug and front wheel flop on the tight bends than the older 650 or Transalp.

Screen is an orniment and the fixings look flimsy, Front brake reservoir shoogles about annoyingly.

Off up onto the track it's so light and flickable and rides the potholes with ease. Better off the beaten track than my Adventure different sprockets will give better low down gearing as it seems a bit high for grip on the loose stuff but it's road orientaded out the box.

Bmw seem to have taken the ball from KTM with this one and made a more user friendly dual purpose bike.

Do I like it yeah great bike

Wish list
Adv type pegs
Gear and brake extender
Better screen
Something done to brake res

Forgot to say lot more room to move about the bike than the 1150 and 12's when standing up

 

[Wizard]

Off up onto the track it's so light and flickable and rides the potholes with ease. Better off the beaten track than my Adventure different sprockets will give better low down gearing as it seems a bit high for grip on the loose stuff but it's road orientaded out the box.

Would disagree about the gearing a wee bit..... yes, it could be re-geared to be better off road, but the current setup is very well balanced between road/offroad.

The screen is grand for what it is, and will be much better than an awful lot of naked bike riders would be used to.... it's certainly better than the DR. It's just that you're used to the perspex barn door of the 12Adv.

The brake reservoir is a bit strange

And take the rubbers off the pegs... much better, but Adv-style would be nice.
Wholeheartedly agree about the screen & extended/adjustable levers.

 

[Uinneag]

Johnny,What about the fork dive Wiz mentioned?

Never really thought about that when I was out so it couldn't have posed a problem

Need to try a stoppy

 

[Tim Cullis]

Never really thought about that when I was out so it couldn't have posed a problem

Need to try a stoppy

I tried emergency stops and there wasn't a noticeable dive. Maybe I'm too used to the XR400's nodding donkey front suspension.

Tim

 

[alby]

Took one for a thrash ..sorry test ride ...this afternoon ,,, brilliant fun,light and enough power to make the R1 jockey do a double take in his mirrors. I don't if I'd like to take it on a long run on motorways etc but its more fun than the 1200gs on tiny back roads. Now to get mrs A to pass her test....

 

[beemerboy9]

Your arguments in favour of the 650 are good. Ultimately BMW will maintain that the F800GS is the more robust tool with higher quality components. You will have to decide whether you need this functionality or whether you feel it is just marketing hype.
I am sure the F650 machines will be used by the BMW off-road school, but they only have to last 1 season!
Those who only do on-road/light off-road work will be served as least as well by the new twins as by the old singles - and I've no axe to grind as I'm an RT type.

BTW, anyone wanting a lowered F650GS should be aware of the maximum payload of 150kg for rider+pillion+luggage compared to 237kg for the standard set-up.

 

[Tim Cullis]

Barfly: the clue is in 'despite activating ABS'

Yes, the brakes are fine, surely you don't think BMW would fit less-than-suitable brakes?

Beemerboy: the offroad school will have F800GS.

 

[gas boy]

F800GS Test Ride Today

F800GS Test Ride Today - initial reaction - brilliant - 150 miles later - including a couple of easy lanes - Ferkin Brilliant

 

[Tim Cullis]

I took an F800GS out yesterday. First impressions were that the view from the cockpit is very much as the F650 (hardly surprising) and the seat height wasn't that greater--more of which later. As with the F650, the clutch bites quite late in the lever travel which takes a few minutes to get used to. Clutchless changes both up and down the box are easy to do but can be jerky at lower revs compared to the 1200GS.

The F800's higher screen provides a bit better wind protection than the F650 but I would still prefer something higher for touring.

I tried to gauge the performance gain over the 650, but to be honest I couldn't feel any improvement, both bikes have ample power given their lighter weight.

The biggest difference for me is the F800's larger front wheel which has a negative effect for road riding. The bike doesn't drop into corners like the F650 and I found myself having to consciously use counter steering. I particularly didn't like the effect of braking mid corner! Having said this, I guess it's something you would get used to.

When I took the F650 out I hadn't realised the brakes were not semi linked, so you need to operate both. I've read a couple of reviews panning the F-GS brakes but they seem fine to me. They are not as sharp as a servo-assisted 1200, and feel about the same as the later non-servo 1200.

Playing with the onboard computer I found that in addition to average fuel consumption, there's a actual fuel consumption display instantly showing the impact of the throttle setting. This would be extremely if there were long distances between petrol stops and you were trying to eek out the maximum range.

The test bike was equipped with vario panniers and top box. Whilst similar in concept to the 1200GS vario luggage, the panniers are not interchangeable as the exhaust cutaway is different. It might be possible to bring over the 1200GS top box with bit of Heath Robinson work.

I couldn't understand why the silencer sticks out so far. On other F800 models there's about 15mm gap between the rear tyre and the silencer, whilst on the F-GS bikes the gap is something like 60mm. The rear bodywork of the bike is already wide due to the underseat fuel tank and the exhaust gap will limit the size of alloy panniers.

I found an extremely muddy track that got worse and worse the further I went, with several deep sections of deep water that came over the foot pegs. But despite being shod with Battle Wing tyres the bike was confidence-inspiring and I tackled sections with more gusto than I would have with the GSA, even doing a couple of power slides. There was a 150mm step at one stage which the bike easily took, but I can't say that I noticed the larger front wheel contributing any improvement over the F650 offroad capabilities.

Back at the showroom I found that the bike I had been testing had a low seat which explains why it didn't seem that higher compared to the F650. When you sit on a low seat version in the showroom with your feet on the floor the hard seat edges dig into your thighs, but this doesn't happen on the road, and I certainly had found the low seat comfortable enough when riding as I hadn't noticed it was fitted.

Sitting on the display bike with the standard seat in the showroom the extra height was immediately apparent and it's about the same as my 1200GSA with the seat in low. You can order a low seat as a free-of-charge factory fit, or buy a second seat for about £175. I currently use a low seat on the 1200GSA when I expect to be going offroad and have an Airhawk seat on top which I inflate for the road sections.

One of the concerns I mentioned in the F650 review was whether the 'tank' area would be easily scratched if the bike was dropped--on the 1200GS the cylinder heads help prevent the bike going flat on the floor. Well I found out! I had been sitting astride the F800 chatting to the salesman and another couple in the showroom and when I went to get off the bike I hadn't realised that I had flicked the side stand up. The bike and I went down big time! How embarassing. A careful examination revealed no damage to the 'tank' area, just a slight scratch on the clutch lever. Woops.

So which bike do I prefer?
For looks the 800 has it. The matt magnesium F800 version looks particularly classy, especially in conjunction with the gold anodised forks, but why on earth didn't BMW use gold anodised wheel rims per the G650 X Challenge? The F650 is a pleasing-enough design but the 650 badging annoys me intensely and it would be one of the first things I would change, removing it with a hot air blower.

On the road, both bikes need a screen upgrade plus handlebar protectors. There's no discernable performance difference and the 21-in front wheel of the F800 is a liability, so for me the F650 has it. I'm also not keen on going back to tubed tyres of the F800.

Off road I guess the 800 has it due to the better ground clearance and the larger front wheel, but I think you'd need to be an experienced offroader to notice the differences and even more experienced to take advantage of them. You'd need to spend money on both bikes on engine bars (standard on the 1200GSA) and a decent bash plate.

Price? No contest, the F650 wins hands down.

So it's a draw.

 

[John Armstrong]

Interesting review Tim

I now run a F650 and 1200 GSA and like you the tubed tyre element is a "concern" not large as I'm lucky enough not to have had a bike puncture in the last 10 years but then don't go off road intentionally too often either How often do you get them, and is it a geographical thing ie 99% south of Europe? Ta

 

[Tim Cullis]

I've never had a puncture with tubeless tyre but I understand the repair process is fairly easy. [Note to self: maybe this something I should practise when I'm about to have new tyres fitted!]

The only puncture I've ever has was on the XR400. I had only popped out for a quick ride so didn't have the necessary tools, tyre levers, spare tubes, inflator, etc with me. But one little track led to another, then another, and when the puncture happened I was 80km away from base. So I had to ride back with a flat front tyre.

But my concern is also the safety aspect of the instant decompression of a puncture in a tubed tyre, especially if on a crowded Spanish motorway!

 

[Barfly]

Thanks, Tim. Another very helpful write-up. I'm in the same position - about to change my 650 V-Strom because I value ABS (had it on my two 1150GS's and 1150RS) and I ride all year. ALso I think I'm really a BM man. My first was an R800 ST back in 83 - anyone remember those? I saw the 650 in the flesh yesterday and was offered a test ride but as it was lashing down thought I'd postpone it. I agree with you about the colour of the 800 - much more agreeable. Not sure why the 650 colour options are so bland. Never mind, its about the bike. It was interesting to read your pros and cons of each model and, for the reasons you've identified, I feel the 650 is more for me. I dare hardly say this on this site but I am slightly confused after dropping by my local Honda dealer the other day for some cleaner and seeing the new 700 Transalp. Some significant changes over the old 650 Tranny - the engine's vastly improved and it's about £700 cheaper than the BM (with ABS and HGs). What did I say about being a BM man?

Loved the description of the fall in the showroom. We've all done it! My best was when I was trying to impress a French girlfriend who said I looked so macho on my new K100RS (back in the 80s). As I pushed it off its stand I dropped it and couldn't lift it up. She never said that again and the relationship soon petered out...

 

[HTWB]

Tim, I found your 650GS review most interesting. The weather here (Dublin)has been pretty miserable and I have only been out on mine a couple of times. I am still trying to understand the OBC. The reading before the range is not mentioned in the handbook but appears as you say to be an instant read out of consumption. My bike is metric - kmh rather than mph etc- yet this particular reading increases with lighter throttle opening so is not litres/100km. Doesn't seem to be any decimal point in the av consumption reading as shown in the handbook either.
Another point I was not aware of is that the hand book doesn't have the usual service places for dealers to stamp at set intervals. They are all blank in terms of miles or dates and when the bike needs a service it is displayed on the standard OBC apparently linked to mileage and time. Bit like the BMW car ones tho less complicated I think.

Temperature compensation for the tyre pressure indicators has managed to make topping up the tyres a surprisingly complicated affair.

I traded in an F800ST and slightly miss the power of the acceleration tho haven't pushed the 650 yet as still running in. The 800ST is a nice bike but I couldn't cure the buffeting and wind noise despite trying a higher screen. I find the 650GS better. The ST seemed to be still in the development stage when it was released - jerky transmission, engine cutouts, stupid side stand, worries about the ABS etc. (see the F800 riders list). I hope we are not guinea pigs for the GS version. Still have an R850GS - more comfortable saddle but gearbox much worse than the 800s and now too heavy for OAPs like me. Pity the F650GS and I suppose the 800GS don't come with a rear luggage rack. The ST had one albeit an irritatingly curved shape. So have ordered one from Touratech.

I don't know about BMW presenting the F650GS as a good entry bike but I think in my case it could be a very nice exit bike.

Just rethinking my own little probs with the OBC. I am beginning to suspect that whereas my speedo, odo and trips are all in km maybe the rest of the OBC -the optional part- is in miles. Wouldn't surprise me if BMW have fitted the UK OBC. A little more research on my next ride.

 

[Tim Cullis]

Barfly: I was briefly interested in the new Transalp as an alternative to the Ténére until I found out it was heavier than the 1200GS!

HTWB: The metric/imperial aspect of the onboard computer is software driven. On my 1200GSA the fuel consumption is calculated in litres/100km and then converted to mpg, which explains why the steps from one reading to another use totally illogical numbers.

Although both my 1200GS and 1200GSA had/have 19-in front wheels, my XR400R had 21-inch, so I'm not totally unused to the larger front wheel and I did write, "I guess it's something you would get used to."

But I've been thinking some more on this. I've ridden on knobblies for the last 100,000 miles and when I road tested the F650 my TKC80 tyres were fairly knackered having covered 9000 miles to Senegal and back. By the time I rode the F800 I had a new set of knobblies on the 1200GSA which of course have a sharper drop-in and I'm wondering whether my poor opinion of the 21-in front of the F800 was down to it having road tyres?

 

[Paul Young]

Took out Southport S'bikes testbike, today & my initial impression was the same as those above - superb.

However, after 2hrs with it, I had a few minor gripes...

- Front brake was a bit wooden & lacked intial bite. Now, I know that you don't want an off-road bike to have brakes that'll turn round & bite you but, take a look at how many sections the front line is made up of. I counted 5 sections.

- Seat was a bit of a plank &, due to the upright riding position, I found the base of my spine & cheeks went numb.

- The throttle is very on/off & made the bike very difficult to keep smooth while standing up on the pegs over rough ground.

Good points were...

- Flexible/torquey engine with silky cruising ability & superb acceleration. Very smooth.

- Amazingly good gearchange. A revelation after riding to the dealers on my 1150...

- Surefooted, with excellent roadholding/handling. Very well suspended & balanced, it was easy to steer through the footpegs.

- The waterpump is mounted on the end of the camshaft & so is up under the frame rails where it gets protected from damage. On most pogos, it's down at the bottom/front of the engine & can get hit by nasty hard things...

After teasing the wife that I had ordered one for June delivery, I got back on the 1150 & rode home with the impression that the 800 is what the 1200 tried to be, but missed. Lighter, nimbler, etc but by keeping the flat twin layout, it was always going to be compared to the 1150 & so people either loved it or loathed it based on how they felt about the 1150. The 800 doesn't have that baggage & gets rated on its own merit.

My own thoughts are that it's very impressive, but no substitute for my 1150. When you turn the throttle on the 1150, you get a feeling that there are big things happening "down there somewhere" driving you forward like a glacier (only quicker ). It could be a very good alternative for the CRM250 I've also got, though. Stick some proper knobblies on it (not TKC's - proper enduro tyres) & take it greenlaning &, with the right gearing & engine bars, it could be huge fun.

 

[Brian ROSEN]

"....both bikes have ample power given their lighter weight."
71 hp or 85hp seems to be the major difference between the 650 and the 800. After more than three years with 100hp on my 1200 I wonder how much it matters?
My first "big" BMW was the R100RS and that seemed to me to have more than adequate power - it had 70 hp and weighed about 50 kg more than these new 800 models. In those days I went to work every day where it was possible and safe to travel at well over 100mph. The acceleration was sufficient to wear out a rear tyre in 4 - 5,000 miles. I was a lot younger but I never felt it lacked power. Later when I had a K100RS (with another 20 hp and 20 kg) it wasn't vastly superior - although the engine was smoother the fairing was less effective at the sort of speeds you dare not attain any more.
I would really like to hear the reactions of someone who is changing or has changed their 1200GS for either of these models.

 

[ChasF]

I wouldn't buy a F800GS

But I thought it was a great bike.

Went to our local dealers open day today and test rode a 1200GS Adventure, F800GS and a R1200RT in that order, all in the pouring rain, all with my wife as passenger. We're looking for a 'tourer' but compared to the other two the 800 felt like a bit of a shopping bike. Goes well, light and easy to handle, good brakes. I would think it is feasible off-road - felt very KTM in terms of riding position and handling - steering (on the road) would take a bit of getting used to probably due to the 21" front wheel but I can't really see us on it easily doing 400/500 miles a day with panniers etc. on it. Seating seemed a bit of a compromise. The 1200GS was the best of the bunch (for our use) but wifey liked the pillion seat on the RT.

 

[Brother Amadeus]

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.

 

[Bob Baker]

F800GS - Another test ride report

I popped into Southport Superbikes on sunday while out for a bimble on my TDM and had a look at the new 800 (grey one) and the nice guy there said "take it out for an hour if you want, as its not booked out and we close in a couple of hours" so I pottered around southport town and found the engine to be very smooth at low speeds with great midrange for overtaking and the gear box is an absolute delight. A quick blast up a dual carriageway saw an indicated 85mph and very little wind blast. My hands were kept warm by heated grips and hand guards with wind deflectors.

The handeling was very light and easy to ride and the brakes upto usual BMW standard, filtering through traffic is far too easy. The suspension was better than I thought in would be and the bikes weight is carried low due to the fuel tank being low under the seat.

Now southport being a seaside town does not have many hills or green lanes and it was a short test ride but it does have sand dunes and it performed very well even without propper knobblies on and even standing up on the pegs I could barely see the tyre on the 21" front rim due to the rake of the steering

The seat was standard and comfy when moving but not too clever on the inner thighs when you stop for a while but the ergonomics of the riding position was good for me (6' tall and 14 stone) but shorter folk might struggle a little.


To sum up...

Good points - Its a beemer and a GS, light weight, nimble, economical, well equipped with off road capabillities and priced right.

Bad points - none realy but anyone stepping down from an 1150/1200 may be dissapointed by not having the sheer bulk or presence on the road and as for the colour choice, the desert yellow looks best and they will sell loads, the grey looks bland but may be more exclusive as no bugger likes it. So come on BMW, lets have one in pearlised white with red seat and graphice or how about gloss black?


Finally, will I buy one? yes but got to work out the money, selling the TDM ect.

Bob