does anyone own a BMW motorcycle?

[red_rock_beetle]

does anyone own a BMW motorcycle? i am really liking the BMW f800 GS for an adventure touring bike and was wondering if anyone had any experience at all with the brand or one of their GS line of bikes in particular. everything i have read has been outstanding from a performance and durability standpoint but i haven't read anything about comfort or ergonomics, anyone?

 

[Tagger]

Been looking at that one myself.

So i don't have any experience (yet ?), but if you get one, i would be happy to read your review of it !

 

[FrozenBiker]

Two friends had their street bikes years ago, but no GS series. The bikes were top shelf tho. Strong & smooth...
One of them had the K100 (one of the 200 black bikes shipped to the USA), and the other guy had the K75s.
I rode the K75s. It made my Nighthawk feel like a skooter.

That F800GT is a sweet bike too. Have you seen it?

 

[Dave.TX]

I meet up with several folks that ride GS's for Thursday lunch in N. Austin. They range from 650-1200 GS's. I'd suggest getting on a forum like ADVrider.com or something similar. TWTex.com has a good adventure section with pretty much nothing but Texas riders, I frequent that forum a lot. My buddy Tom has a 700 and loves it. Basically it's the same engine just different power output. He hasn't been on long distance rides with it yet though, only had it a year.

Now BMW's do cost more for service and parts. I've had mine for a year and have only done oil changes which I can do myself so it hasn't cost me much at all. I've put about 10,000 miles on in 11 months and they've been trouble free. You get better suspension, brakes and other components. They aren't basic like a Honda XR650L dual sport. Honda does make their version of an adventure bike, the NC700X. The only close competitor to the BMW GS is Triumph's Tiger, their 800XC.

As for comfort some stick with the stock seat while others get a Wunderlich, Sargent or similar and are very happy. It's a very upright seating position, you can easily stand on the pegs like a dirt bike.

Take your posterior up to Lone Star BMW/Triumph in Austin and arrange a test ride, they're very good about that. New or used. You just need to have your motorcycle endorsement and proper safety gear.

If you have time on Thursdays head up to N Austin for lunch between 11:00 and 1:00 to talk with guys that have or had them. I'll give you the info if interested. I started meeting with them when I had the FZ6, they don't discriminate. There's several types of bikes and riders up there from street to adventure to dual sport. I rode a guys KTM 690 Enduro a few weeks ago and another guys Yamaha WR250R a couple of months ago. Very nice guys.

 

[red_rock_beetle]

unfortunately i am in big spring for now, ill have to make a trip to lone star maybe next weekend. you said your buddy has the 700 is it the same bike just de-tuned? one of the things i like about the 800 is the size because i am 6'4 and 290. i love my FZ but size and long term comfort is an issue, plus i have access to a lot of land near bastrop with old dirt bike trails (which oddly enough is now a paintball field on weekends)

 

[Dave.TX]

Two friends had their street bikes years ago, but no GS series. The bikes were top shelf tho. Strong & smooth...
One of them had the K100 (one of the 200 black bikes shipped to the USA), and the other guy had the K75s.
I rode the K75s. It made my Nighthawk feel like a skooter.

That F800GT is a sweet bike too. Have you seen it?

Mine is a K1200GT (1157cc) and it moves like a scalded cheetah. I don't normally ride that way just when "needed". It's the same bike as the K1200S and K1200R except for plastics and I have the factory cruise control. It's 630lbs but you don't know it when motoring. Suspension is so good, power is so good too. It's going to be hard to go back to a Japanese bike.

Lone Star had a new F800GT at their shop a few weeks ago, I was drooling over it. They offered me to test ride it but I declined. You know where test rides lead... It's the same parallel twin they use in the GS but tweaked for the street and has 90hp/63ft-lbs. Very smooth engine and gets great mileage. It is top shelf, a step up from the FZ6/8 or SV650. It's like riding in a Toyota Celica then hopping into a BMW M3. You get what you pay for. I got mine used and am paying for it for a few more years! It's worth it though. My fiance loves to ride with me, says it's so much better two up than the FZ6 was and I agree. I can't tell the difference in power delivery whether she's riding with me or not and the ride is so much better (electronically adjusted) than the FZ6. Night and day.

BMW has been making their GS line for many years and everyone copies them as they're the standard for adventure bikes.

Do I sound like a salesman? :spank:

 

[Dave.TX]

I feel ya, I'm 6'4" and about 205lbs (give or take). The FZ6 felt small under me but was still enjoyable to ride. Bastrop has a lot of dual sport type trails and roads. A heavier adventure bike can do a lot but dual sports can do more.

Yes, the 700 is a detuned 800. Same engine with different cams, throttle bodies and mapping. It's weird how they do it and call it a smaller motor though technically it's the same bore and stroke, from what I understand. They are better suited for riders on the taller side. I can flat foot his 700 but still on the seat unlike the FZ6 where I could stand and have roughly 6 inches between my bum and the seat.

Sorry you're in Big Spring. Hope it's for family and/or work and not by choice! :BLAA:

 

[red_rock_beetle]

yes its for work, but all these open fields and dunes are not helping me think about work instead of having a little offroad fun
:thumbup:

 

[WaynoJ]

I feel ya, I'm 6'4" and about 205lbs (give or take). The FZ6 felt small under me but was still enjoyable to ride. Bastrop has a lot of dual sport type trails and roads. A heavier adventure bike can do a lot but dual sports can do more.

Yes, the 700 is a detuned 800. Same engine with different cams, throttle bodies and mapping. It's weird how they do it and call it a smaller motor though technically it's the same bore and stroke, from what I understand. They are better suited for riders on the taller side. I can flat foot his 700 but still on the seat unlike the FZ6 where I could stand and have roughly 6 inches between my bum and the seat.

Sorry you're in Big Spring. Hope it's for family and/or work and not by choice! :BLAA:

I have a 2012 G650GS, the 650cc version of BMW's dual-sports, that I got last year as a "learner" bike (just back into riding after MANY years off), and I love it (also have a 2005 FZ6, which is why I'm on this forum). I got it after test-riding an F650GS (the previous de-tuned version of the F800GS) and at 5'10", it was just too tall, especially for a newbie. No way to flat-foot at lights, which I really needed for confidence at the time. I recently rode a friends brand-new F700GS, though, and it seemed much lower, even with the standard suspension -- really wish they'd had this bike when I was buying. Really a nice feeling ride as well. Very comfortable for an "adventure" bike. I would highly recommend trying one out.

 

[oaks]

Do a Search -> Site Search/Google for "f800gs" and you'll get a bunch of hits.

At least one forum alumnus has written a fair amount about their experiences with one.

 

[hattu345]

the GS series are popular for good reasons. the 650 is a detuned beginners bike, but the 800 should be for grown ups..

 

[Botch]

They offered me to test ride it but I declined. You know where test rides lead...

You are a wise, wise man...

Beetle, I've owned a 2009 R1200 GS for, what, almost 8 days now! :rockon: I wanted to go with a used 800, but I've been watching the classifieds and one hasn't turned up in awhile; this 1200 came up loaded with options so I grabbed it (see my thread "Bought Fizzer a Stablemate").
Its built wonderfully, great engineering (when you adjust the rear spring preload electronically the headlights automatically re-aim!). I don't like the seat, and have just ordered a Tall seat from Touratech ($$ouch$$). Its only my second bike, and a night-and-day difference from Fizzer. I bought it mainly for legroom, allowing me to do more long-distance touring (for the time being I'm keeping both).
One thing that surprised me: boxer engines often use a lot of oil, like 1 qrt/600 miles, until the engine is totally broken in; and that can take up to 40K miles!! The previous owner warned me about the oil thirst, it has 16,000 miles on it now so I'll just keep my fingers crossed. There are some threads on advriders.com and this is common, but apparently ALL engines eventually quit using oil.
Just gotta ride it more; as a federal worker (I know, call the Oxymoron Police!) I may be working 4-day weeks from April thru September this year as part of the Sequester, so I intend to burn massive quantities of dinosaur sauce during those weekends. :thumbup:

 

[SweaterDude]

does anyone own a BMW motorcycle? i am really liking the BMW f800 GS for an adventure touring bike and was wondering if anyone had any experience at all with the brand or one of their GS line of bikes in particular. everything i have read has been outstanding from a performance and durability standpoint but i haven't read anything about comfort or ergonomics, anyone?

ive been on the pillion of many a bike growing up, and as far as comfort goes nothing compares to my dads BMW. even now that i can be the pilot it still seems more comfortable from the initial sit. He has an R-r bike though not a GS. from my understanding however the R-GS is better still. I think the 800GS is the best bike BMW currently makes but i think they are a little overpriced. i like the Triumph 800 tiger a little more. Having said that, i havent ridden either of them. If you plan on doing iron butt rides, the GS is leagues ahead of the FZ. but i think i'd miss the zip of a 4cylinder.

 

[SweaterDude]

You are a wise, wise man...


...One thing that surprised me: boxer engines often use a lot of oil, like 1 qrt/600 miles, until the engine is totally broken in; and that can take up to 40K miles!! ...

My dad's R-1150r boxer and our buddies 1150GS and 1200GS never used/burned oil. I would have your valve seals checked or something. i know that if you mess up your break in period on a BMW i can cause problems for a while, like running Synthetic too early, not cycling RPMs, taking the Revs too high for extended periods, etc. and break in should be complete by 24000mi. on a Boxer. big intervals every 12k and little maintenance every 6k.

and if you dont know, every time you remove your battery remember to reset the TPS, or the bke will run like it's detuned.

 

[Heatmiser]

I have an '06 k1200s and am very happy with it. My fz6 is more comfortable on long runs, but the power and overall quality and durability are far superior on the BMW.
I had a new f800gs for a day as a loaner bike from the dealership and I liked it a lot. Very easy to maneuver. But of course you have to be pretty tall. I'm 6'4" and I felt the height was perfect for me.

 

[Dave.TX]

The G650 uses the old single cylinder (thumper) as opposed to the more recent inline twin 650/700/800 F-GS. The older F650GS used that single cylinder Rotax motor from 2000-2007.

The 700 is a tad "smaller" than the 800 as the 800 has a higher seat height, a larger front wheel and different suspension. It also has 85hp over the 800's 75hp.

A guy I know has a 2007 Triumph Tiger 1050 (street version) that he got after selling his R1200GSA. He loves the Triumph! Granted it's strictly a street bike but he loves the increased power and such for riding in traffic and in the twisties. Guys with the full size GS will tell you it does just fine on winding roads and can keep up with sport bikes. I remember he had a hard time keeping up with my FZ6 in city traffic when it came to turns and instant power. Then again the air cooled boxer engine is different than anything else.

 

[MichaelInVenice]

Yeah, be careful with the names, because they've meant different things at different times.

F650GS up until 2008 - Single cylinder 650. Most of them came with wire wheels, but you see both wire and aluminum. Many of them came with the lowered suspension.

G650GS 2009-present - Same single cylinder 650 as the old F650GS. Really, the same bike in almost all important ways. Again, often delivered with the lowered suspension and those make great bikes for smaller beginners. Usually cast aluminum wheels, but you do see some with wire spokes.

F650GS Dakar/G650GS Sertao - The "enduro" version with taller suspension, 21" front, spoked wire wheels, etc.

F650GS 2008-2012 - Dutuned 800cc twin from the F800GS. 19" aluminum wheel on the front and lower suspension compared to the F800GS.

F700GS 2013 - Recently re-tweaked version of above. Puts out a bit more power, has a few more bells and whistles and requires premium fuel.

F800GS 2008-present - 800cc twin completely unleashed. Wire wheels with a 21" front for the dirt. Tallest of the bunch, most versatile as an adventure tourer, but less fun on the twisties.

I find the seats on the twins to be less comfortable than the ones on the singles. If I owned one of these bikes, I'd have to go with the Seat Concepts upgrade.

Under-seat fuel on all of them is nice for keeping the CG low, but does limit tank size, and that's one of the bigger complaints.

Some find the shifting to be less than effortless.

There are some people who will criticize BMW to the ends of the earth for reliability. Reality is that some of these bikes, especially the original F650GS in the first few years, have had some teething problems, which is not unique to BMW. BMW has generally taken care of people. I think a lot of people feel that for the money they should get much better reliability. I also think there is a large group of people who love to nitpick BMW and would do so even if the bikes were perfect.

Honestly though, if I were looking for a second bike with dirt roads and trails as a primary consideration (assuming I was keeping a real street bike), then I wouldn't spring for the BMW. Kawasaki KLR650 and Suzuki DR650 would be my top choices. The former better for "adventure touring" with highway segments and the latter better in the dirt, much worse on the highway. Both dead realiable, easy to care for on your own, simple to operate/fix, etc.

 

[red_rock_beetle]

i am looking for something to do 75/25% street/dirt, because the fz will probably end up sold.

 

[dxh24]

Gs series supposed to be great bikes, but for me I'd probably go with a Triumph Tiger 800 XC just because

I also think BMW should come up with a different badge for their bikes because it's single handedly the ugliest badge on a motorcycle in modern times (my opinion lol).

Have you looked into the Triumphs? The new Tigers look sweet! Oh the Explorers are supposed to be good too, though Ive never seen one in person..

 

[SweaterDude]

Gs series supposed to be great bikes, but for me I'd probably go with a Triumph Tiger 800 XC just because

I also think BMW should come up with a different badge for their bikes because it's single handedly the ugliest badge on a motorcycle in modern times (my opinion lol).

Have you looked into the Triumphs? The new Tigers look sweet! Oh the Explorers are supposed to be good too, though Ive never seen one in person..

I looked at an explorer when i went to see the 800xc's but imho theres no reason to buy any (NEW) big ADV bike over the Super Tenere, except maybe the KTM 990adv if you really like offroading.