I swore to myself I’d let the motorcycle show me what it could do on the highway this next trip. Packing 85 horsepower on a 392 pound frame just begs to roar down the road. From the moment I leave the driveway I begin to get in the way and derail any plans the bike might have. Rather than put the F800 GS through paces on the open road I continue to turn onto ever smaller and more obscure pavement.
This BMW F800 GS is fast. Or should I say it would go fast in places where one eye is not on the botanical landscape while the other continually scans for deer, groundhogs and skunks. Not the perfect situation for testing the handling and performance of a motorcycle.
BMW rates the top speed at 125 MPH. Don’t expect to read about me going that fast.
Anywhere. Ever. I’m a chicken. Give me snow and give me ice but I’ll say no thank you to speed. In the most extreme you won’t hear descriptions of lean angles or pegs dragging. I’ll leave that to more experienced riders.
Any hopes of a conventional highway ride dissolve when the pavement turns to gravel. I feel myself drawn (again) to roads disappearing into the woods, away from pavement, away from the hum and drum of the road.
The slightly aggressive street tires are fine this mostly packed mix of fine gravel and limestone. Remembering my mission I twist the throttle to bring the bike to life, race through the woods, and give myself over to the BMW experience. At least until the tunnel of green gets the best of me and forces a stop to make a picture.
Sitting in B&N writing part of this review I struggle mightily to retrieve some technical details to impress and describe the superb German engineering. Generally my eyes simultaneously glaze over and roll back into my head whenever I hear (or read) discussions of valve trains, power curves and other equally esoteric engineering topics but it’s so obvious that this motorcycle is well built. So I feel compelled to say something technical.
The bike has ABS brakes, a feature I wished I had on my Vespa, especially in the winter. How’s that for a thorough technical review…
The Touratech gear Kissell Motorsports added is functionally impressive. The extra lights are probably the best investment a rider could make. If you’re nervous about riding at night these will help. The hand shields in combination with the BMW’s heated grips would be a great cold weather combination. Having ridden thousands of miles in sub-freezing temperatures the combination gets my heartiest endorsement even though they weren’t needed for this summer ride. Anyone buying this motorcycle surely won’t store it for winter will they?
On tight packed gravel the bike performed well and it’s surefooted stability left me with a feeling of confidence that I don’t have with my Vespa. Riding faster than usual often didn’t leave time to negotiate ruts and holes or rise up on the pegs to mediate the jolts and thumps delivered by a ragged road. More aggressive tires would be nice for the looser gravel and dirt I encountered and would be a definite plus for extended riding in that kind of environment.
Coming across a shale pit I turned and raced across the bare, stony ground and onto a small road leading into the woods. After less than a mile the road emerges into the open area of a high-power transmission line. There’s a path following the lines up the mountain. It’s steep, irregular and rocky in places. Riding trails like these was a favorite activity as a kid on a dirt bike. Now, at 56, I pause to consider the wisdom of attempting it with a brand new motorcycle that isn’t mine with tires that are less than ideal. After a discussion in my head with Craig Kissell I’m convinced he would say full speed ahead.
At the top of the second hill I’ve had enough and stop to make a few pictures, let my heart rate return to normal and celebrate the fact that I didn’t drop the bike. One thing is for sure – the BMW F800GS does not lack for power to climb a hill. My respect for the machine continues to grow.
My stomach forces me back to the main road and 20 miles later I’m ready to enjoy a leisurely lunch outside McAlevys Fort, Pennsylvania before heading home.
While I consider this ride a failure in respect to my original objective of trying it out on the highway I was able to enjoy the prowess of the BMW in other ways. In the next (and last) installment of this review I finally manage to shift my riding style long enough to put a couple hundred road miles on the BMW F800 GS.
Stay tuned.
OK, You got me drooling. If my budget was unmlimited, that bike would be on my short list.
Riding the little sister F650GS I thoroughly enjoyed your review, and I am dreaming of upgrading one day.
Steve, I find your, for lack of a better term, Zen approach to vehicle reviews refreshing and unique. Looking forward to Part 3!
__Orin
Scootin’ Old Skool
Steve, its good that you didn’t have cause to hit the brakes hard enough to kick in the ABS while on dirt/gravel….it’s not a good thing then. I believe riders switch it off when going off road.
My 1150RT had linked ABS brakes, they did awesome at stopping the nearly 600lb (dry) beast on pavement…on dirt, they sucked as the terrain confused the abs system. BMW does NOT link brakes anymore I believe. Oh, and on the RT, you can’t turn the ABS off. I tried.
The F800 is an awesome motorcycle, if only the money was there…..great review Sir! Is there a part 3 where you meet up with Riepe and show him how things are done on the curves?
dom
Redleg’s Rides
Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner
Anxiously looking forward to part 3. I hear a lot of praise for this bike and it seems to have a very loyal following. And I think it weighs quite a bit less then the R12GS (guess).
I enjoyed the entry/review. Nice shots of the bike and the PA countryside.
Richard
Nice part II, Steve! Bravo for taking the hill! ABS should be on every road bike. It saved my bacon a few weeks ago. Looking forward to part III.
I’m not sure why you agonize about not taking a motorcycle on the highway and opening the throttle. I find that is only fun for about 2 miles unless the “highway” is a nice stretch of twisty parkway or two-lane wonderland. Speed is not boring, but straight is boring at speed!
cpa3485: It is a nice bike. In my mind a do anything go anywhere machine. Just like my Vespa!
SonjaM: I loved the F650GS when I rode it. If I had one I would probably never think of getting anything else.
Orin: Part 3 will have to wait until I post something about my scooter. This is Scooter in the Sticks afterall.
I was talking with someone about how I write and I told them that the machines are incidental. I’m not particularly interested in how they are engineered. The motorcycle or scooter is a means to an end. And for me that end is usually tied up in being alone, escaping the noise of the world, and reflecting on what is ahead. And for those reasons motorcycles and scooters work for me.
And so does a camera and a pen…
Charlie6: I’m embarrassed to say the ABS never crossed my mind but I will remember in the future. Since the rough riding was uphill the brakes weren’t an issue.
Thanks for the kind words about the review. I don’t really consider myself a reviewer in the sense of the people who do this for a living and give a thorough breakdown of the machine and what it can do. I sort of wax on about how things went for me.
I second your opinion — the F800 is awesome.
Charlie6: About Riepe. I am sure that someday we will cross paths. I am still trying to get past his gatekeepers and entourage to set this up. Famous people are tough to talk to.
RichardM: Part 3 will show up next week sometime. Figured I should let the first two parts age….
From what I can tell there is about a 50 pound difference between the f800 GS and the R1200GS. I’m going to have to ride one and see how they are different. They both sure are pretty!
Mike: Thanks for reading and the kind words. I’ve yet to put ABS to the test but everything I have read and heard say it is the thing to have.
BlueSophia: I always think I should put a motorcycle through the paces that a rider would on a long, long trip. Endless freeway miles in heavy traffic. And when I think of doing it I just get bored. And instead keep going to smaller and smaller roads.
And that’s ok I guess.