The 800GS looks just about perfect to me, all apart from the 14lt tank. Has anyone made a big tank yet?? Something about 2--30lts would make this bike IMO the best adv bike in the market, and my next bike!
George

Don't just look at the 800GS, ride it on/off road and then judge whether it's the bike you need. I put a deposit on the 800, then rode it off road. It sure isn't the off road adventurer it's made to look.

The 800GS already has a good reputation on bitumen, which it should, as its engine started life on a 'sports' bike. But off road it's a different story. It needs a tooth less on the front sprocket and you need to rev the engine to find some usable torque. So controlling the bike off road is tricky. IMHO the 800GS doesn't do off road particularly well. If you want to ride on road and be seen to look the part of an on/off road adventurer, then fine, but if you genuinely want to mix it up and take a bike off road, then the 800 may disappoint.

Despite it's extra weight, the 1200GSA due to it's torque and, particularly with the option of lower gearing, is arguably a better balance for on/off road than the 800GS. The GSA's only achilles heel, due to it's weight, is on sand. Otherwise, the big GS will take you just about anywhere: it's the real deal.

Best place to try it out is at the BMW off road skills course, where you can do the basic skills course and try out the range of Beemers. I can assure you that by the end of the course the 800GS won't be your bike of choice for dual purpose riding.

Thanks for that reply really good to hear first hand info, even if it is a bad report. I will keep an eye out for on and see if I can sweet talk the owner to let me take her for a spin!

Contrary to above, most of the ride reports I have read are praising the 800's better balance off road. Final gearing should be easy to lower due to the chain drive, if that is an issue for you. Still, I haven't ridden one yet, so I can't tell from personal experience.

As to the Tank, I'm sure that Touratech will eventually come out with the now standard 'cheek' tanks similar to those made for the F650 and now the R1200, if BMW doesn't beat them to it. You just know that we will be seeing a F800GS'A' in a few years time with a bigger tank stock.

The fuel economy is supposed to be good, so range should be at least reasonable with the smaller tank.

I too am a little surprised at your comments but appreciate them. All of the evaluations I have read previously praised the off road capability of the F800GS.

I currently ride an F650GS Dakar and was looking forward to the F800GS as perhaps a similar ride with a little more engine.

I have ridden the F650GS twin and found it too street oriented for my taste but expected the F800GS to be closer to the mark.

Have you ridden the F650GS Dakar and if so, could you offer a comparison to the F800GS?

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Bill Atchison
Red Deer, Alberta Canada
www.backroadexplorers.ca

The F800GS is not an off road model. The lack of adjustability of the front suspension should be an indication that BMW motorrad never intended for this bike to be a proper off road model.
But the same can be said about the GS Adventure as well. BMW is selling the rugged off road lifestyle and is making big business with it, but they also understand that more than 90% of their products sold will never see any real off road conditions and more than half will most likely never see a dirt road in its live.
All these bikes are fast and comfortable and they handle tarmac sometimes even better than most road bikes. In this is the problem though, true off road bikes will have fork travel of over 250mm and frame geometry that allow them to handle well in tight turns or deep sand. This make these bike very difficult to handle on fast road conditions and sometimes even dangerous.
If you are buying a bike today you will spend most of your mileage on tarmac and only some on mostly good dirt roads and the current BMW models will give you the best of both worlds but it will never be the best at off road.


The F800GS is a good option for a smaller budged I just found the throttle response very uncontrollable.
In normal riding this will not be a problem but when on slow technical off road sections where tapping on and off the whole time it is very unnerving especially when you are standing up.

I agree with discoenduro's comments about the gearing, the F800GS gearing is far too high because of the use of the close ratio gearbox from the F800S/ST. How stupid is that?

I use the new F650GS off road which is even higher geared but with a more manageable throttle. The main problem isn't uphill as you can slip the clutch, but using the first gear to slow you on a downhill stretch is a definite no no. It has lower ground clearance but is a credible alternative to the F800GS.

I also use a 1200GSA offroad and have to say that the gearing of that bike isn't much better. Forget about dropping the ratio 10% or so, BMW needs to put in a proper walking pace first gear per the police version of the 1200RT which is a 50% drop. After all, all of these bikes have six-speed boxes so there's absolutely no need for such a high first gear.

Going back to the original question, the tank on the F650/800GS takes over 17 litres. The bikes are incredibly fuel-efficient and I've managed fuel range in excess of 260 miles. Any more than I will handle with a bungied plastic can!

As gsworkshop writes, none of BMW's GS bikes are intended for true offroad, they are for a mixed use of 98% tarmac and 2% dirt roads. If you want a BMW offroad bike you need to look at a XChallenge or even better, the new G450X.

Tim

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I cant really see that the 800 is worth the extra above the 650 they have the same engine and for light off roading then I cant see any advantage the 800 has over the 650 either. check out the picks of Tim's bike it certainly looks purposeful with the nobblies on. I met 2 irish chaps off on a tour to Eastern Europe I never got their names as 1 was on a new 650 and the other an 1150. It would have been good to have a report back. The new 650 is putting out nearly as much power as the old 1150.

The new 450 looks good but it also looks like a full on Enduro bike and I can only hope that doesnt mean it also comes with KTM style service intervals.

This week I test drove both bikes under all the possible conditions and in my opinion the 800 did not give any big reasons for the over price. Power is basically the same and the 650 twin deffinitely handles better on road, while off road you can't tell the difference. I still preffer the 650 "off road", because of it's weight which handles better in tight turns and deep cut in the ground. The 800 only felt more tough and ofcourse had the ground clearence in favor.

I agree with discoenduro that the 800 only gives you the "off road" look, but really doesn´t give more than the 650 twin.

I was thinking about the F800GS myself a while back ... till a friend who instructs at the the Off Road School in Wales said he didnt like it and preferred his GSA over the 800 for hooning round in the dirt (when he is not on a KTM)

His comments too were not enough low down torque and "too revvy". I took one for a ride off road and had to agree.

That got me thinking critically and resulted in the realisation that the bike is also still way too heavy and less than 10kgs lighter than a standard 1200GS when equipped with a centre stand, handguards and other stuff the 1200 comes standard with. (its 186kgs nude and 191kgs with stand and guards etc, vs the 199kgs the 1200 weighs). Add to that the "fat ass" (for some reason - probably asthetics only - the exhaust pipe is miles away from the wheel, results in it being a very wide bike at the back,

So in summary, you are gaining a mere 8 kg advantage over the 1200 once similarly equipped, and giving up low down torque, comfort, systems, and width!

It hardly seems worth it.

Would rather wait for a KTM 690 Adventure to come out ... at least it will be somewhere near 160kgs all ready to go, rather than 190.

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[QUOTE=gsworkshop;197903]The F800GS is not an off road model. The lack of adjustability of the front suspension should be an indication that BMW motorrad never intended for this bike to be a proper off road model.
But the same can be said about the GS Adventure as well. BMW is selling the rugged off road lifestyle and is making big business with it, but they also understand that more than 90% of their products sold will never see any real off road conditions and more than half will most likely never see a dirt road in its live.


I tend to agree with this to the tee! I have several BMW's from a R50, R100GSPD, to the R1200GS and have rode them all on dirt roads. While the 1200 is comfortable and can carry some gear and quick, I say that both the PD and '54 R50 are better on dirt roads!

I rode my 1200 down through east africa and accross Australia several times and they are really a road bike that will go off road. Just ask BMW! I collapsed my suspennsion (both ends) and buckled the front rim in Kenya and tried to get warranty? I was told that they would cover the suspension but would not even talk about the rim and this did happen after I had no front suspension!! I even have an email from BMW Motorrad Germany which states the R1200gs is NOT an off road bike and I was riding in extreme conditions. If you want a good offroad bike to travel the world cheap and get you to where your going get a DR650 in my book. But if you want to look the part in the coffee shops on Sat morning with all the other GS riders, get a 800gs or 1200gs!

Choice is simple really.

Cheers

I've been driving a 2005 lc4 640 adv & sincerelly i love the bike and also love the chance it gives off road, also a nice on road performance.
As an upgrade, i was thinking about a two-cil bike, not so heavy and that would offer more or less the same posibilities: I'm based in the Andes where in a single day you can get from the Snow to the beach, pass the tropics and feel the desert sand on your skin. Also i'm still planning a big journey in Latin America.
My 640 feels the weight of 2up, and after 28000 km over it, i begun to buy mags again and check a little on webs about new dual-purpose bikes.
Nevertheless, the F800GS with new local taxes will costs $30K (YES 30) I'm enthusiastic about buying (abroad eventually 'cause i can't afford that quantity) with the money i can sell my KTM here, so we can travel 2up in diferent destinations.
I just saw one here (you can just find 1 or 2) and i found it like the right one.
It depends on choices and i'd love to take a ride in one and decide!
Any suggestions? Jap ones or any news about a 690 adventure?
RG

In the current financial climate? Don't hold your breath (no really, it's bad for you). Bear in mind that manufacturers are building 'adventure' bikes because they're in fashion - fingers crossed for that future fashions appreciate the versatility of these bikes. Look at Honda's VFR1200: very average range and not that comfortable to sit on, and that's supposed to be a tourer!

I agreed with all the above re: F800GS so I won't labour the point. It is a superb hybrid-'road'-bike that will handle rougher stuff but don't let that add undue persuation. Again, I prefered the GSA offroad and on, as Colebatch says - better power at low revs (torque) (I ride a WR250R everywhere I can and appreciate ultra-lightweight over power-excesses).

That having been said you can drive from London to CapeTown down the West Coast on >95% road where the F800GS's comfort, road handling, and fuel tank range will be a perfectly valid choice.

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Way Off Topic Motozen, you should have started a new thread with this post.

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Touratech currently do a 36l conversion for the GS800. Very scary price -£1300 (£999 unpainted) - ouch!

baswacky

Touratech UK Webshop