F700, any good?

[Sooty09]

After three years of worrying following a medical procedure my wife has finally received a 3 year driving licence. We can finally move on and replace her 47000 mile old F650GS. At the launch of the F700 we had a good test ride and found it just felt like the F650 to ride, Having had the F800GS myself I always found the F650 much sweeter to run, it did not rattle half as much and pulled from low revs much easier (no top end though) Have any of the changes spoiled the F700?
The present F650GS 08 model has been 100% fault free and always a pleasure to ride, hopefully the F700 will be as good.

 

[Shunt]

My wife has been brilliant so far, She loves it, Light enough for her to manage confidently on her own, Yet keeps up with the big boys when needed .

I used it for work the other day and was pleasantly surprised, Great pull away straight from tickover and not very vibey.

Our only gripes with it are the seat is like a plank and very little protection from the screen, All easily fixed.

 

[Gigsy]

Had mine for a couple of years now and still enjoy it - best part of 60mpg is not to be sniffed at on a commute either. Had a couple of teething issues with mine as it was one of the first but the dealership has been excellent at sorting those out.

Have done a fair few miles on the latest F800 too (GS and GSA) find the 700 the better choice on the road compared to both of them... not quite as perky performance-wise maybe, but the suspension is smoother and better suited to road miles IMHO.

The stock Bridgestone tyres are pants though and I've fitted Anakee III on mine now which are fantastic - worth seeing if your dealer would supply it with them if you decide to go ahead with one.

I don't find the seat to bad at all - might have softened up will mileage I suppose or I might just be carrying some extra padding.

 

[IOM]

Mines great though feel I could do with one tooth on front sprocket (think gearing different than 650 that I previously owned ) Time will tell but happy so far

 

[IOM]

Dont have an issue with the bridgestones ? shortened suspension with hyperpro then lost it all by fitting comfort seat lol, fitted mudsling a real must along with BMW handguards and after market screen crash bars and sumpguard handlebar raisers, just made the bike fit me rather than me fitting the bike

 

[thefooleryoftom]

I much preferred the 800 engine tune to the 700 which felt flat and embodied everything negative about parallel twins, in my opinion. I went for the 800R instead.

 

[Colin]

bought my F700 GS august 2014. done approx. 3000 miles. low suspension and low seat. but I bought a comfy BMW touring seat also. Got s/h 650 gs screen. front mudguard extender, vario luggage. givi top box. 70 mpg. came with Anakee tyres good grip but noisy. starter button jammed solid at 2.500 miles. dealer changed it. chain clatters a bit but love the bike. had a R850R , R100 RT,R100RS Before.
I keep up with mates on tigers and explorers. and I can reach the ground with both feet. 29" inside leg. 5' 7".

 

[Sooty09]

So the seat has not changed despite all the complaints.
Not a problem for us, we have a comfort seat and a Rally seat spare from my GS800 days, supprisingly my wife has no problems with the stock F650 seat and can ride Leeds to Dover with only one stop for fuel. The bike we are looking at has a Lowered riders seat? may be more comfy as I found sliding foreward on the stock seat caused the main discomfort.
Off to Southport on Saturday to see a nice looking s/hand machine.

 

[Halfa1200]

Got mine new from March 2013, have added loads of stuff or made it myself. used in all weathers back and forth to work and done some touring. Sprayed with ACF50 before winter washed off during the spring. Best bike I ever had.

 

[Sooty09]

Deal done, thanks Southport superbikes. Wife very excited and looking forward to touring Europe in June.

 

[Sooty09]

Bike arrived early this morning, good shake down ride and despite the weather an muddy roads my wife had a big smile on her face. Little improvements all over the bike compared to the F650, nothing major but all good.
Except fuel consumption? we did not reset the trip computer so seeing 45mpg displayed was a shock, the old bike was good for 75mpg on the same run, I think its only been used for short town runs in its previous 1400 miles, the average speed indicated 15mph, we are slow but not that slow.

 

[Gigsy]

About this time last year I was commuting about 10 minutes each way and getting 45mpg, but now I commute about 30-40 minutes each way and get 58 so yours sounds about right. I'm sure if you got 75 on the F650, you'll get about the same on the F700.

Glad your wife's enjoying the new bike!

 

[Sooty09]

Good long ride today, Through town, M1 south for 15 miles. turn off for South Pennines and Strines into the Peak district, M1 back to Leeds. Total 175 miles and averaged 74 mpg.
Got stuck in a traffic jam and the fan came on after only a few minutes, similar to the F800gs. The old F650 fan hardly ever came on, must be all that extra power.
Things she has noticed
Power smoother at small throttle openings.
Exhaust note louder when accelerating.
Gear change much better.
Bike feels lower and slimmer at the front.
Steering much better.
Brakes much better with more feel, (did not tell her its probably because I fit E-bay gold pads to the old bike)
No distance to empty on the computer, although this was always a bit unreliable and will not be missed.

I swapped over the Touratech hand guards, these needed a small mod because the bar end bolt is different. I could not fit the fender extender, the new mud guard is wider and a different shape.

Just need panniers now, it will be a shame to fit the Givi 21 set as the bike is all fitted out with BMW mountings. Pity we cannot rent these,£400 for a few weeks use each year seems a bit excessive.