800gs

[Siinthai]

Hey there ,
Is there anyone out there who is currently touring on a 800GS, or has recently done a trip. I'm talking long distance , Africa , Americas etc.

I've read up on one guy who rode from Uk to NZ, came thru thailand.
Biggest complaint, strength of rims and the unadjustable forks...
Any comments please...and any advise on replacement forks or mods.
Just in the early stages of A RTW...
so much research.
Cheers

CLARIFY : F800GS

[roadsacallin]

I´m on a trip around the world on an 800, though it has been highly modified. A couple years ago, I drove 12,000 KM in South America when the bike was almost stock, and since then I´ve been making constant changes. Now it´s a completely different machine, and I could probably offer some advice if you need it. I met an australian in South Africa who has been touring for almost 3 years now on a stock R80 and has over 300,000 miles on it. The mods depend mainly on your riding style and the type of roads you want to take. On each of the following pages, there´s a tab ("Jesse") with a list of the mods I´ve done. Since then, I´ve also converted to and HPN frame and extended the swing arm and front forks. At the beginning of the RTW blog, there´s also some information on modification.

South America: South America with Jesse
RTW: Around the World with Jesse

Safe travels,
Marcus

[roadsacallin]

Here´s a thread of the preparation of the bike:

preparing an airhead for RTW - Page 8 - ADVrider

Marcus

[Siinthai]

Guys thanks for the feedback but everyone is missing the point....

F800GS, the new twin...????

[delta8]

Hi.
I'm shipping a stock F800GS into Beunos Aires at the beginning of October.
Heading south to TDF then up north.
I'll let you know if I have any major problems!

Here's a detailed thread on ADVrider by a chap who rode an F800GS right up.

Bmw F800gs Q&A - ADVrider

[dave ett]

First up, I didn't do the trip myself, but bought my 800GS from the guy that did.

He rode the whole of Africa - 8500 miles from Morocco to Cape town, and the bike ran stock rims and suspension. He did change the seat for a Touratech one (£300) and I don't blame him, the standard is agony.

He also fited 20mm handlebar risers to improve their position for standing-up riding.

Used Continental TKC80 tyres all the way.

Barkbusters handguards.

Metal mule panniers and crash guards. The pannier setup includes a skinny (but road legal) complete exhaust system which means the left pannier sits as close to the bike as the right.

Bike also had front and rear reservoir protectors, as well as a proper bash plate - also Metal Mule gear.

He swapped the standard chainand sprocket for good quality stuff - the BMW one has a very bad reputation.

I've done 1200 miles in the two months I've owned it, and I'm heading to Morocco in October for three weeks and will not make any mods at all, other than some fresh fork fluid - maybe slightly heavier weight.

This is it somewhere in Africa:


His only problems were the leaking top hose (cured with jubilee clips and should be fixed under warranty) and some new clutch plates at 6000 miles. He reckons it was probably his fault for being too harsh on it off road, though I have heard a few of them suffer clutch failure, especially if the cable is badly adjusted and there's no slack.

I'd happily ride the world on it, and will be tackling the Trans-America's next July.