That's right JB
If you had Leggo as a kid, or maybe a Meccano set if you're much older, then it's just plain old nuts and bolts
I do all the servicing myself, but I do have special privileges of the watchful eyes of a team of excellent BMW Technicians
It's a simple procedure to get down to the cam cover, just nuts and bolts and straight forward gradual disassembly, as Johnny Cash used to sing ... "One Piece At A Time"
At 74,700 miles the valve clearances are still within the manufacturers tolerances. They're opening up rather than getting tighter, so that's just fine
I change the oil and filter every 5,000 to 6,000 miles and ALWAYS use BMW original parts. Each time I have checked the valve clearances I have put a new cam cover gasket set on (not cheap) but an investment in the future!
The oil change frequency varies depending on my trips and tours, most often earlier than required, never to my knowledge later.
Today, at 74,700 miles I fitted the first replacement front disc pads. I wince at folk on here when they get on about cheap alternative brake pads. I'm still on the original front discs, so whatever the cost of original pads are they are exceptional value in my book.
Still on original pads at 74,000+ miles? Some may suggest I ride like a wuss, but I've had at least, at the very least, 15 rear tyres on, to my knowledge.
Standard BMW suspension, no matter which model, is usually fecked by 30 to 40,000 miles. I fit Wilbers which are rebuildable and soooo much better
The bike gets thrashed ... but not abused. It's done der Nürburgring on many many occasions ... and not been discredited. It's been to Morocco and overland through Turkey, Iran and in to Pakistan and the Karakorum Highway ... and it's still as good as new. It's been dropped and slid down the road on a few occasions but only cosmetic damage resulted, and always put right quite cheaply.
Whilst it doesn't have that lazy mid range 'thrump' of an 1150 or 1200 it somehow seems to have it's own mid range 'pull' and can most certainly stay with the 1150's and 1200's whatever the occasion.... and at the end of the day take 12 to 15 euro's less to fill the tank
You can short shift the gearbox and she'll pull up hill in a high gear at low revs ... or you can hang on the gears and play at being Rossi
Genuine BMW sprockets and a DID Gold Professional chain (probably overkill) give me 25,000 to 30,000 trouble free miles before replacement which is far far cheaper than a 1200 final drive rebuild
F800GS ... dunno if it's the best bike I've ever had, cos I've had many and probably done half a million miles on two wheels
But it's certainly a terrific value for money bike with as many smiles per mile as anything else I've ever had
