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Posts Tagged ‘BMW F 800GS’

The F 800 GS combines road and touring capabilities with superior offroad characteristics. It thus combines the two worlds in a way that has never before been achieved in this class and offers the maximum possible freedom in terms of its areas of use. BMW Motorrad has positioned the dynamic adventure-tourer at an attractive price, thus adding a real asset to the market.

For BMW Motorrad, the abbreviation “GS” is not an empty promise. This will be demonstrated in the future by the F 800 GS too, in continuation of a long tradition. The new model not only offers the typical qualities of an adventure-tourer – it also offers superb offroad riding capabilities. While large-capacity enduros sometimes reach their limits because of their weight and overall design, the new F 800 GS is completely unstoppable. The overall package combines balanced power and weight, excellent ground clearance, long spring travel, precise wheel guidance and sophisticated ergonomics, giving excellent offroad riding and excellent long-distance performance.

The chassis combines all the ingredients that a real enduro needs: a sturdy steel tube frame that allows a steering lock of 42 degrees, a rigid upside-down fork with 230 mm spring travel, a sturdy aluminum double-strut swing arm with a path-dependent cushioned spring strut and 215 mm spring travel and solid wire-spoke wheels. A 21-inch front wheel in the classic enduro dimensions of 90/90-21 gives running stability in slow offroad riding, while the rear wheel, with dimensions 150/70-17 ensures that the engine power is always transferred securely to the track.

The engine is the parallel twin from the F 800 S modified for the new usage, with its cylinders now only inclined 8.3 degrees forward. The strong, liquid-cooled four-valve two-cylinder is particularly convincing because of its spontaneous response, its impressive torque and its low fuel consumption. Nominally, the engine provides 85 HP at 7 500 min–1 and, at 5 750 min–1 sends a torque of 61 pound-feet to the sliding bearing based crankshaft. Thanks to the regulated three-way catalytic converter and secondary air system, the twin releases its power in a way that is absolutely environmentally friendly. The mass balance is provided by a system that is unique in standard motorcycle design: an additional swivel con-rod balances the first and second level mass forces and ensures that the two-cylinder functions with the minimum of vibrations.

The low dry weight of 178 kg makes a major contribution to the dynamic riding properties. When filled with fuel and ready to ride, the F 800 GS weighs in at just 207 kg. The F 800 GS offers an excellent level of seat comfort for both rider and passenger, along with a high standard of safety features. If required, it can be fitted ex factory with two-channel ABS that can be switched off. In addition, the extensive range of BMW accessories meets the further individual wishes of our demanding customers, as always.

Features

• F 800 GS as mid-class adventure-tourer with excellent offroad properties and long-distance capabilities.
• Liquid-cooled parallel twin with 798 cc capacity, four-valve technology and unique mass balance.
• Rev-proof DOHC valve drive via cam followers.
• Manifold injection with electronic engine management BMS-KP, lambda probe and regulated three-way catalytic converter plus secondary air system.
• Closely stepped six-speed transmission for excellent riding performance.
• Dirt-resistant secondary drive via O-ring chain.
• Torsion-resistant tubular steel frame with unusual gusset plate reinforcement of steering head.
• Easy handling and extremely tight turning circle.
• Stable telescopic fork, USD fork with upright tube diameter 45 mm.
• Double-strut swing arm in die-cast aluminum.
• Spring strut with adjustable spring pre-tension and adjustable rebound damping; WAD function (path-dependent damping as in the R 1200 GS).
• Long spring travel for comfort and offroad suitability.
• Excellent seat comfort for rider and passenger.
• Tank underneath seat, for best center of gravity, with easily accessible fill opening.
• Powerful braking system, with ABS if required.
• Air filter and battery positioned behind steering head for easy maintenance.
• Wide range of accessories for offroad and touring use.
• 85 HP
• Valve timing like F 800 S
• Wide radiator
• Offroad-look fairing
• High windscreen
• USD telescopic fork
• WAD spring strut
• Spoked wheels
• 21-in front wheel
• Double-disc brake, floating, front
• Aluminum handlebar
• 880/850 mm seat height
• Ready-to-ride weight 207 kg.

Road Test

The first indication of a revival in the mid-displacement adventure segment came in 2006 when BMW introduced its new F 800 range. It started with the F 800 S and ST, but BMW have been fairly open about the fact that there would be an F 800 GS. A lighter more agile GS was a mouth watering prospect, and here it is! I had the privilege of being in the first group of journalists testing the new GS in various terrains in South Africa. Last night upon my arrival in South Africa, lively Zulu music was accompanied by the smell of grilled lobster, but it was interrupted by some torrential rain. We all feared that what promised to be the most exciting experience on the GS, the offroad part, could be jeopardized. All the F 800 GS test bikes were fitted with the standard Bridgestone Battle Wings. They were not designed for deep mud or wet grass!

Luckily, the next day was cloudy but dry. I chose to do the more challenging “black route” for a proper enduro experience on the F 800 GS. Slightly daunting it was as I soon realized the route was particularly challenging on a Trail Wing shod F 800 GS. I never regretted it, as that part of the ride is what sticks to my memory more strongly than the road riding. The route was fantastic — with miles and miles of unpaved roads leading onto a steep mountain trail filled with challenging terrain.

But to get there we had to do about 60 miles on country roads. The seat height is quite tall at 880mm. A lowering kit (850mm) is available at no extra cost when ordering. At 6 foot nothing I had both my feet firmly placed on the ground. The seat is narrow at the front and along with a very streamlined chassis there’s no problem reaching the ground despite the tall seat height. If you are much shorter than 6 foot though the 850mm seat option might be a good idea. The foot pegs are low enough for comfort and placed correctly for stand up enduro riding. They are rubber mounted, but the rubber can be removed for safe grip riding offroad on a rainy day.

Gear lever and foot brake were ergonomically correct for my offroad boots. The wide aluminum handlebar is made to absorb vibrations, however some low frequency vibrations do come through. The handlebar provides excellent control and the turning radius is both quick and good for slow speed manoeuvres and tight offroad corners. Without having tested it, the pillion seat looks even more comfortable than the rider’s seat, and the foot pegs seem to provide enough leg room for comfortable touring.

The amazingly offroad-capable F 800 GS adventure-tourer, with its sturdy appearance and long spring travel, indicates what it can do off-road. The signals it gives off are clear yet diverse: fun driving on all types of road, and stamina on journeys even when the destination can only be reached by gravel tracks. A high level of stability combined with playful handling are features of the new F 800 GS, as is high-quality workmanship, a strong chassis and impressive engine performance for maximum riding enjoyment.

The inline two-cylinder engine comes from the well-known F 800 model series, but beyond this, the enduro model has been completely redesigned. A completely new frame and new wheel suspension with new spring-shock absorber elements are used, for example, which will surpass the expectations of even the most demanding enduro riders. The belt drive and single-strut swing arm, which are ideal for pure on-road use, have been replaced by a light chain drive, which, in combination with a very stable, attractive aluminum profile double-strut swing arm, offers particular advantages in offroad riding in particular. The new GS is thus not only in its element on roads – it will also always find a way through off-road too.

The F 800 GS combines road and touring capabilities with superior offroad characteristics. It thus combines the two worlds in a way that has never before been achieved in this class and offers the maximum possible freedom in terms of its areas of use. BMW Motorrad has positioned the dynamic adventure-tourer at an attractive price, thus adding a real asset to the market.

For BMW Motorrad, the abbreviation “GS” is not an empty promise. This will be demonstrated in the future by the F 800 GS too, in continuation of a long tradition. The new model not only offers the typical qualities of an adventure-tourer – it also offers superb offroad riding capabilities. While large-capacity enduros sometimes reach their limits because of their weight and overall design, the new F 800 GS is completely unstoppable. The overall package combines balanced power and weight, excellent ground clearance, long spring travel, precise wheel guidance and sophisticated ergonomics, giving excellent offroad riding and excellent long-distance performance.

The chassis combines all the ingredients that a real enduro needs: a sturdy steel tube frame that allows a steering lock of 42 degrees, a rigid upside-down fork with 230 mm spring travel, a sturdy aluminum double-strut swing arm with a path-dependent cushioned spring strut and 215 mm spring travel and solid wire-spoke wheels. A 21-inch front wheel in the classic enduro dimensions of 90/90-21 gives running stability in slow offroad riding, while the rear wheel, with dimensions 150/70-17 ensures that the engine power is always transferred securely to the track.

The engine is the parallel twin from the F 800 S modified for the new usage, with its cylinders now only inclined 8.3 degrees forward. The strong, liquid-cooled four-valve two-cylinder is particularly convincing because of its spontaneous response, its impressive torque and its low fuel consumption. Nominally, the engine provides 85 HP at 7 500 min–1 and, at 5 750 min–1 sends a torque of 61 pound-feet to the sliding bearing based crankshaft.

Thanks to the regulated three-way catalytic converter and secondary air system, the twin releases its power in a way that is absolutely environmentally friendly. The mass balance is provided by a system that is unique in standard motorcycle design: an additional swivel con-rod balances the first and second level mass forces and ensures that the two-cylinder functions with the minimum of vibrations. The low dry weight of 178 kg makes a major contribution to the dynamic riding properties. When filled with fuel and ready to ride, the F 800 GS weighs in at just 207 kg.

The F 800 GS offers an excellent level of seat comfort for both rider and passenger, along with a high standard of safety features. If required, it can be fitted ex factory with two-channel ABS that can be switched off. In addition, the extensive range of BMW accessories meets the further individual wishes of our demanding customers, as always.

The 800GS is equipped with tires that are barely more aggressive than street tires, although with a 21-inch front and a 17-inch rear hoop, real knobbies wouldn’t be hard to track down. Anyway, in stock form we took it easy in the dirt at first. The non-adjustable inverted fork is good for 9 inches of travel, while the adjustable, non-linkage single-shock rear suspension has 8.5 inches of travel. That’s not much by dirt bike standards, but compared to a street bike it sure is!

The trade-off with long wheel travel and a big, tall engine is a tall seat height of 34.6 inches. The bike has adequate ground clearance, and if it were any taller we’d probably fall over in the parking lot. The height is a little awkward on the street, but gives you great visibility and street cred, and it makes the 800GS surprisingly capable on rough terrain.

The handlebar looks like an oversized motocross unit, with a width and bend similar to those used on KTM dirt bikes. The motocross-style footpegs have removable rubber inserts stuck into the top to reduce vibration on the street and to keep you from tearing up your fancy dress shoes. Those inserts are removable easily for off-road use.

Aggressive ‘Attack position” standing ergonomics on the trail are surprisingly much like any other dirt bike. We’ve heard other opinions, but on our test bike the clutch was light and easy to modulate, and the transmission shifted great, with tight gear ratios that were surprisingly appropriate for easy trail conditions. In fact, if we were on the highway all the time we’d want to gear it up to reduce revs by installing a bigger front sprocket.

Price: $11,395.

With the street tires you can’t get crazy off-road, but jeep or ATV trails and gravel roads are a blast if they are dry! The ABS can be switched off for dirt riding, but with the street tires we preferred it left active. In fact, the ABS saved us a few times when we overcooked turns and would have otherwise locked the wheels up. When a bike this heavy and tall suddenly loses traction in the dirt, it’s no easy manner to recover with a little weight shift or blast of throttle! Like we suggested earlier, learning to ride this bike in the dirt was like learning to ride all over again. Old habits were re-learned and old limits were re-evaluated.

The 800GS turns okay, all things considered, and is surprisingly stable at speed in the dirt. We even took on some whooped-out sections of an old gravel railway bed… on a dare. The suspension worked surprisingly well and the bike went straight, so in the name of ummm…science…we did it a few more times at progressively higher speeds. The Beemer was never intended to be ridden this aggressively in the dirt, but it made out pretty well!

The fork was a little too soft, but the back-end worked just fine, bottoming very gently with no harsh clanging and banging and zero swapping. Traction and weight aside, the biggest issue we had off-road was the BMW’s butt width. The bike is pretty top heavy, so you can’t really cut and thrust your way through tight trails. Since you can’t lean much, sometimes you aren’t able to turn sharply enough and end up catching the passenger pegs and muffler on trailside objects and coming to a very abrupt stop. Yanking this tall, heavy bike back out of a jam is not easy!

Forgetting about traction for a moment, we can say the BMW has more than enough power and throttle response to wheelie over trail junk in the first couple gears. We even did some ‘fan the clutch and pin-it panic wheelies’ in third. It was fun surprising other riders with just where this bike can go! And therein lies the rub; after a while the F800GS feels enough like a normal dirt bike that it tricks you into taking it places it can’t go. When that happens, and believe me it did, the results are ugly.

As your saddle time on the F800GS grows you begin to discover how cool this bike is to play ride on. We jumped over all sorts of little things on the trail and did about 246,000 wheelies during our test. The bike is strong and reliable too. We put about 600 miles of very spirited 50/50 street/dirt riding on the bike during our test and nothing came loose, broke or even needed adjustment. The parallel-Twin’s exhaust note sounds really cool too, especially when you are smoking up behind a novice rider on a fast section of two-track dirt road!

Things that bothered us the most about the F800GS were the wide rear end, the non-adjustable brake pedal height and the tricky-to-use turnsignal controls. At highway speeds of 75 mph, wind buffeting gets gnarly, especially if you’re wearing motocross gear. Ridden on the street, the firm saddle, motocross footpegs and motocross handlebars might even be too dirt-bikey to be truly comfortable for long trips.

But if we had to choose a bike to ride from coast to coast, using only dirt roads, an F800GS with a few simple mods and some non-essential items trimmed off to reduce weight would be totally up to the task!

Our feelings for the F800GS are obvious. Despite our initial misunderstandings, we came to really like this bike! This motorcycle has fun doing stuff no other streetbike would dream of doing, yet will run down the highway with a level of comfort, speed and fuel range a dirt-based 600cc single cylinder dual-sport bike can’t possibly approach.

The F800GS may not suit hardcore adventure riders, and it retails at a fairly lofty $11,395. But if you’re looking for a very capable street bike that rides and feels like a dirt bike, you’ll love the F800GS.