F650/800GS road test reports by UKGSers

F800 GS review

Was lent a F800GS as a loan bike today and here is my mini review.

1. It looks nice and clean. You can see my rather less clean 650 in the background on the left. :thumb2

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2. It is very new .. only 240 miles on the clock :thumb2

Bit odd they were using the CAR tax disc holders and I was a bit worried that someone will nick the tax disc. This is crappy London after all. :(

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3. It's bloody tall :eek:
Taller than my GSA I think. Thankfully a lot lighter :thumb2

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4. Very fast. It was light and fast compared to all the bikes I have owned before :thumb2

Bit scary really. :P

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5. New LED indicators are the same as though on the 09 GSA. I am not sure about them :(

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6. I look really cool on it :thumb2 :D

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7. Brake discs had small rust spots on it .. looks bad but no idea whether it is meant to do that :(

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All in all, a really nice bike. Not sure I would like to ride it off road .. it's too tall. Is it a girl's bike?



Probably :D
 
That's nuffin.

I fitted a new rear disc onto my FJ1100, it lives in an unheated shed. I haven't had it out since and the condensation has really started to turn the disc brown.

BTW my 800 front discs are going the same way. Is it important? Nope.
 
Most likely got a high iron content.
The disc's on my car go brown overnight!

The fasteners don't look pretty though do they? for saying what premium we choose to pay for the name?
 
Klanky said:
Is it a girls bike? Oi!:eh
Click to expand...

Just bought the wife a Yamaha scooter. It has a handbag hook and space for a hairbrush and mobile phone. (seriously!)

Now thats a girls bike :wife

I happen to think anyone of any gender on any bike with more than 50hp has balls. And gender don't matter if your mode of transport gives you a h*rd*n :D
 
All jokes aside ....

I really like the 800GS. The height still worries me and I haven't really filtered in the past two days. I will really miss it when I give it back in a couple of hours time.

The power and handling is just really addictive. It has the proper BMW indicator switches, the accessory socket and gear position indicator.

The only thing that is really irritating is the side stand which is not the easiest thing to kick out.

You 800GS owners are a lucky lot! :thumb2
 
Two up & loaded panniers for 3 days

Hi all,
Just thought I'd share my experiences of a little road trip I did on the 800gs recently with friends :thumb
My wife & I went with two other couples up to Conniston in the lakes for a 3 day trip, staying at a central base for two nights and riding round the lakes.
I used SW Motech quick release frames & alpos panniers (32 & 36L). I also have a modifield seat from Tony Archer in Huddersfield (60 quid mod). I also have the adventure spec bash plate modifield to accept the SW Motech crash bars, the BMW handguards and a powerbronze high tinted screen. She's pretty much the adventure version of the 800 after I've lavished cash on her like no other before :rolleyes:
Now I know its not a long way up/down/round but it was my first time out on my stealth grey beauty !
Anyhow, confort wise, my missus is a curvy girl who happily sits on the back of me and likes how comfortable the BM is. I too found it comfy for the time in the saddle which amounted to 3 hours, followed by a break then another hour etc. Everytime I got off had a cuppa, admired the scenery etc I was glad to get back on the bike :beerjug:
As far as the panniers go, the system allowed me to totally remove the panniers & frames which was great for the days we were riding round the lakes & I cannot rate this system highly enough. For ease of getting it on and off its great. Fully loaded and with two of us on she reached limits ehem slightly above the speed limit with no problem, no weave just pure grunt all the way. :thumb2
I was with a VFR800 & a new Motoguzzi 1200twin and the BM was no slacker in keeping up. Ok she doesnt have the top end but she proved herself well capable of accelerating to keep up with these in the traffic. Around the country roads she was excellent, in & out of twisties rolling on and off the throttle was great. I used the engine breaking a lot to slow the bike down and only used the front brake dive to annoy my missus :eek
Attention wise, the vfr is a nice bike but the Guzzi is beautiful but the BM just won the admiring look category from onlookers with many cursing that they'd bought this bike or that bike and not the 800gs !
Negatives, the front brake was squealing a bit which really peed me off and the rear tyre is showing some signs of the middle of the tread breaking away in small parts after just 2000 miles. If only BMW had looked at the rear end of the bike & incorporated some kind of pannier rail clips I think it wouldve helped BUT the SW Motech system is pure simplisity and negates this problem.
Overall, I have to say I am incredibly pleased. I have parked the bike next to the big BMW adventure and its just too unweildy for me I like the 800's nimble handling on the roads, its 2 up capability, agressive acceleration and its fine looks :bow
 
Having riden in Morocco I have rims that look the same as yours. There are a lot of people all over the world complaining about the softness of the RIMS. Have you any details on Excel rims for the F800gs.
 
Had a Go on an 800 today as a loaner

:thumb2Good bike!! My 12GSA is being serviced at Chandlers today,so got a FS800 as a loaner.Real Nice bike. Quick and with a great exaust note.Easier in traffic and very chuckable. Nice in Grey ,feels well planted and overall I am impressed. Was Looking at a Tenere yesterday to replace my T Max ,but I think the 800 is probably just as good.The Brake reseviour looks a bit fragile though:eek: So yes I like it ! Will probably stick with th 12 for now.Can't seem to stop looking for another bike since I sold the H1.I must control the Urge:augie
 
7 days on the F800GS

:thumb I'm a relative newbie bike rider with just a couple of years on a 600 Suzuki Bandit for experience, which I reluctantly sold last summer. By the New Year I was pining for a ride so decided to hire an F800GS for Easter. This is a summary of the result.
I'm only 5' 10", 31" inside leg so I knew I needed the low saddle (820mm), but even with that I was one flat foot / one tip-toe. I hired from Rideout Rentals, picking the bike up at Milton Keynes, and was very nervous about the size of the bike. I shouldn't have worried. The bike they supplied was in excellent condition, 12k miles on the clock with heated grips, on-board computer, ABS and BMW side and top panniers. After leaving the £1,000 excess cheque (and a motivation not to drop / damage the bike) I headed off for home in Cheshire. Wow, what a bike. Over the next 7 days I did Chester, Bath, Dartmoor, Lands End and return, then back to Milton Keynes, in weather varying from the sh*t, torrential downpoors to blue sky, dry as a bone. And the bike never missed a foot. Handles beautifully, plenty of power, corners on rails. I hated the BMW indicators, and would change these if I bought one, its a bit too big for me off-road, but when you're moving all that is forgotten. I like the looks (bumble-bee colours) or is that girlie? I'm going to look at the F650GS, which is smaller / lower, but handed the bike back after 1200 miles with a BIGGG smile on my face. :)
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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