850 GSA Parr 2
850 GSA Review Part 2.
Well good ride out on the 850 GSA today with a friend on his GSA1200 Rallye . Cold day with sone slippery roads early on at 0 Degrees which made the ride interesting to say the least, so how did the new BMW 850 GSA perform.
Well despite still running in and limited to 5000 revs maximum, in short it did brilliantly. So let’s look at the different parts of the bike and how they performed , starting with the engine.
As stated in an earlier post it’s a parallel twin cylinder producing 95 BHP and 92 Nm of torque at 6750 RPM , it has a 270 degree crank , this means it feels like a v twin.
The engine has torque all over the rev range , and once the miles covered loosened the new engine , it pulled cleanly and briskly in 5th and 6th gear overtakes/ Roll-ons. The induction from the air intake sounds more like a Ducati or KTM , is noise is addictive and makes you want more blipping the throttle to feed your addiction for its throaty roar. 5000 Revs maintained 80MPH with no vibrations felt through the bars, unlike my current 800 GS. Whilst not as much as a 1200 GSA , the engine rewards you with good engine breaking when you shut the throttle off.
Handling was excellent , unlike the 800 GS which can become light and skittish on the front end at speed , particularly in windy conditions.The 850 GSA was totally un fazed by the wind at speed , this is probably to do with the fuel now being in the normal place on the bike .
Suspension was excellent both front and rear , even though the front is not adjustable , the rear being electronically adjusted (ESA).
Under heavy braking you get done dive on the front , but no ware near as much as the 800 GS , BMW seem to have up rated the forks .The suspension handled very poor road surfaces brilliantly .
The different riding modes , rain , road , dynamic, Enduro and Enduro pro , are available on the bike I was riding , the Exclusive TE. I mainly used road and dynamic which really pepped up the bikes response to throttle input.
During my ride the bike averaged 55.6 MPG , this continued to improve as the engine loosened up . From experience of new BMW engines with will increase further as the engine loosens off more . BMW claim around 350 miles to a tank, which I believe is more than possible.
The gearbox was sublime to use just like the 800 GS , the quick shifter works brilliantly , making clutchless shifts up and down the box easy . The clutch is cable operated , as such it is not as light as the 1200 GSA , but lighter than the 800 GS. Like the 1200 GSA it has a slipper clutch.
The LED headlight dipped and main beam together with BMW’s LED spots meant your are really visible to other drivers and your vision at night is excellent , this was a big weaknesses of the previous 800 GS.
The instrumentation was to BMW high standards , with controls easily to hand , and it’s TFT a delight to view. Anyone who says this is not worth the money , has obviously never used one.
The multifunction wheel , or as we call is the wizz wheel , can control the TFT and sat nav if it’s a BMW navigator , although a Garmin 660 will work but you can’t use the wizz wheel.
The Brembo front and rear brakes are more than adequate for this size of bike , but will never be as good as the 1200 ‘s mono block radial callipers , but for this bike they don’t have to be.The Brembo callipers on the bike bring it to a standstill.effectively , supported by the ABS system , which seems less sensitive the the 800 GS.
Regarding rider comfort , although firm the seat was comfortable for the 165 miles ride today .The seat is s one piece so as such it’s height can’t be adjusted.The tank and bodywork provide excellent protection for your legs and lower body . The screen which has a high and low setting operated by a lever as you ride. On its highest setting you can still feel the wind on your head , but it’s a clean wind with no buffeting ( I am 6 Ft ) the protection together with its excellent engine make long journeys comfortable for its rider. On the old 800 GS the engine was working hard , which makes the rider feel they are working hard. To improve further a slightly taller screen would be great , but the existing screen is still more than up to the job.
Regarding it’s extra weight , you at no times feel this when riding and the bike handles corners brilliantly , following any line you choose with ease.
Hope this review is of use to you , I’ve enjoyed writing it and of course riding the bike.
All in all this is a brilliant bike , go try it yourself .
Thanks again to Chris Lawson and a the team at Alan Jeffries South Yorkshire