Thinking of buying an F800GS

[gteps]

To start I would like to say hello as I'm new to this forum and after visiting as a guest I decided to join and ask for some advice and guidance from those in the know.

I'm interested in getting some feedback about the F800GS, good points, bad points (if any), things to watch out for etc, I would like to use the bike for a little commuting, I would like to get into some green lane riding and the occasional trip to France.
I currently ride a Tiger 1050 (please don't hold that against me) and I'm not really looking to replace it, more that the GS would be a second bike.

I have taken a 35 min test ride on the F800GS and found it to be a little gem but a 30 min ride is not really enough to fully evaluate the bike, can't seem to find anyone who allows the sort of test I took before buying the Tiger which was for around 3 hours.

I do have one direct question, am I right in thinking that the tyres on the F800GS have tubes ?

Thanks in advance and I look forward to hearing from you all very soon

Glenn (gteps)

 

[Fordy]

I bought my F8 last June as a second bike to a GSXR750 and to use mainly as a commuter. I've done 10k miles on it and get about 60-65mpg. The upright position is great for the view ahead, the wide bars are at van/4x4 mirror height so you can get into tight spots filtering. Through congested roads its comfortable, but gets a bit vibey when the road opens up which is ok for a bit of a blat now and then but I find I slow down more often than not. Saying that, on a trip to Scotland with sportsbikes I wasn't that far off the pace but was sitting on the tank to stop the front wheel from wobbling all over the place.

Some complain about the seat, coming from a sportsbike it seems comfy to me and I rode from Glasgow to MK with only a 30 minute break. The OEM screen is blamed for buffeting, I fixed that with tap washers on the top two mounts to tilt it forward a bit.

Yes it is tubed.

I've hardly used my GSXR in the last year, and after a planned trip with sportsbike riding mates to the Pyrenees in September it may be up for sale next spring.

 

[jackassdave]

hello and welcome to the gs forum,plenty of info on here about the 800 ,if you look down the pages i think y2blade asked the same question,
most of what you want to know is in that bit .
1050 tiger a nice bike ,as said before ive had 8 or 9 gsers ,1150/r100/r80 /1200 /1200gsa etc.
the 800 i have is the best allrounder ive had .
check out the search down the page ..dave .

you will need a thick skin on this forum !!

 

[jackassdave]

its under F800 GS A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS .
have a read of that

 

[Ash]

its under F800 GS A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS .
have a read of that

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=307513

 

[v8legend]

To start I would like to say hello as I'm new to this forum, I'm interested in getting some feedback about the F800GS, good points, bad points (if any), things to watch out for etc. Glenn (gteps)

Hello, and welcome. As other have said 'search is your friend'. This bike wasn't without problems in its early days, but all will have been modded/fixed by now.

I'm not sure if you're buying new or used. A thorough visual check will cover most of the known issues. Check the top hose pump connection, despite being fixed by BMW 3 times mine was finally fixed with a jubilee clip. Check the engine carefully for flaking paint (particularly the sump), only a few are affected, so should be easy to spot. Rear wheel bearings can fail, but are easily fixed. There are a fair few ex 'off road skills' bikes out there, so check for damage.

As a bike, it's one of the best I've had. Good all rounder, touring, commuting, scratching. Excellent handling. Unbelievable fuel consumption, coupled with good performance.

 

[Biffabacon]

Hi most BM dealers will allow you to go out for at least half to a full day if you are interested in the bike, so that should cover that, and yes you will come back wanting one. . . . . .. As most other folk have said there is plenty of info on this site just dig around, Mickey of this parish has one of the early 800 GS that has over 75,000 miles on it with no major problems, chances are if you buy one, your Triumph would soon be up for sale due to it been made redundant from all riding duties

 

[gteps]

Many Thanks for all your replies, I have now read through the thread pointed out by Ash and taken on board the other posts, I will endeavour to contact my local dealer again and try and organise a longer test ride, failing that I will look at the next closest, I'm sure that a longer test ride will make my mind up completely as I already stated, the 30 min ride I took just wetted my appetite

Kind regards and safe riding to all

Glenn (gteps)

 

[ricfrench]

Hi Glenn,
SBW aren't as scarey as they seem at first, they were very helpful towards the end of last year when I bought my F650, David Hailwood(yes son of Mike) was great, unfortunately I believe he no longer works there. Just try to point out just how interested you are and that a reasonable length of test ride may very well end in a sale.