BMW F800GS IMHO

[Captain Zef]

So i went to look at the new BMW F800GS... and i'm going to say it from my unbiased point of view...... 

The bike looks very impressive, i see lots of potential. I must say BMW is definitely evolving. The bike really looks like a work of art.

Now the negative points....

The bike looks bare, naked..... meaning you're going to have to spend a fortune on the bike to make it a proper offroad tourer. No protection, wind protection looks poor, etc.

IMHO BMW is really selling half a german bike at the price of a full Japanese bike... 










Ps: Forgot to mention..... i'll rather have a KTM 

[brettp]

Since being in the market for a new bike after the sale of the KTM, I also took a good look at the 800GS. I wasnt overly impressed with the bike and have to agree thjat its not quiet up to scratch in terms of being used as a tourer DS type bike.

Again, the target market is clearly defined and I guess my needs dont match up to the bike in question.

For the price of a new fully kitted 800, you can get an excellent 1200 secondhand.

Its a no brainer IMHO.....

[Welsh]

I don,t have a HO but, I could probably find a SH HP2 for the priceof a fully kitted 800

[Captain Zef]

I don,t have a HO but, I could probably find a SH HP2 for the priceof a fully kitted 800

Now we're talking

[Hermanator]

Hey Cappie,

You should not look through the keyhole of temping minxes. Open the door, take her by the hair and when done, give a full on report. 

To be honest, and this is not because I'm in the BMW camp, I'm a big fan of the new 800. It's incredibly light and fantastically agile. When I rode it, i felt I could wrap up my favourite things from the KTM 990, the VStrom and Dakar. Engine, ability, and suitability to needs. Also, should I decide to take a more hard line view of off-roading, I can dress the bike to a manner which suits that style.

So, IMHO, it's a great canvass from which to start.

My use, should I ever go offroad again, would be a bike which can tour dirt roads as well as it can tar. I wouldn't be looking to ride technical stuff and for this, I believe the 800GS is perect as it comes out of the box.

Then again, like the VStrom, I bought it naked and then added the crash bars and PSP bashplate and that made the bike infinitely more capable off-road.

I'll bet though, there's no other bike company though that gives you a handle bar mounted "Specimen" container for those times in your life.... 

You do have to ride it though, you'll be blown away, especially when the engine goes past 6000rpm, oooooohhh, what a sweet place!

L

[Trailrider]

Well, to me seemed like a "softer" DS bike too. Of course me and Herm could not come from more different places i.t.o. what we're looking for in a bike. DS bikes are by definition a compromise, so you don't really get bad DS bikes, just some that don't suit your style. Decide WHAT you want to do and buy the DS bike that does that best.

[GreenMamba1974]

cappie,

glad you brought this up.  i was in the garden route on business this week and went to bmw george on thursday afternoon for a look see.

the 800 is pretty.  it is quite a tall bike and i have to agree with you, it does feel naked/sparse.  some bikes, you feel like you are sitting 'in' the saddle, the bmw makes you feel like you are sitting on top of the saddle/bike.  don't know if that made sense at all.  you feel high up on the bike in other words.
so wind protection must be interesting.  pity they did not have a demo bike available.

right next to the 800 on the showroom floor they had the new 650 (with the 800cc engine)
to me the new 650 is the 'better' ds bike.  lower, easier to mount, feels like you are sitting 'in' the saddle, more part of the bike feel to it.  shitty small screen, can't be good for much, would definitely get a better screen to use for dualsporting.

me old man is buying a bike, the new bmw 650 seems like a good one to recommend.  the 800 looks good, but i can honestly say after all the hype the bike generated i wasn't blown away after seeing one in the flesh.  it is just another nice bike from bmw, they build good bikes, nuff said.

btw... according the the good looking sales lass at bmw it is selling for 99k
that is 15k more than first rumoured.  seems all the interest in the bike may have got the bmw boys rubbing their palms together me thinks! 

south africans are by nature greedy fuckheads, screw you bmw, that bike is nice, i don't see 100,000 south african rands worth though!

[Captain Zef]

Mamba, add another R20k for all the BMW crash tech and creature comforts.

[Bollocks]

The same European bike costs the equivalent of 134 000 "South African Rands" here in Europe.

[Captain Zef]

I feel BMW marketing is so good that the whole idea of the 800GS got me so excited and then when i first saw it i went "Jeeeezzzz is this it...." *Captain sighs with dissapointment* 

[Captain Zef]

The same European bike costs the equivalent of 134 000 "South African Rands" here in Europe.

 

[Bollocks]

I feel BMW marketing is so good that the whole idea of the 800GS got me so excited and then when i first saw it i went "Jeeeezzzz is this it...." *Captain sighs with dissapointment* 

I have to agree, and now the 990 Adv looks top-of-the-pops again.

[Captain Zef]

I feel BMW marketing is so good that the whole idea of the 800GS got me so excited and then when i first saw it i went "Jeeeezzzz is this it...." *Captain sighs with dissapointment* 

I have to agree, and now the 990 Adv looks top-of-the-pops again.

Hijack..... you've got the funniest avatar pic....

[LeonDude]

Go Orange Captain, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

[Captain Zef]

Go Orange Captain, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Kannie bekostig nie. My budget is R60k

[Bollocks]

I feel BMW marketing is so good that the whole idea of the 800GS got me so excited and then when i first saw it i went "Jeeeezzzz is this it...." *Captain sighs with dissapointment* 

I have to agree, and now the 990 Adv looks top-of-the-pops again.

Hijack..... you've got the funniest avatar pic....

The tax man always makes me feel like that poor panther

[GreenMamba1974]

The same European bike costs the equivalent of 134 000 "South African Rands" here in Europe.

 

                        

[Bollocks]

The same European bike costs the equivalent of 134 000 "South African Rands" here in Europe.

 

                        

Ok, so I shouldn't measure all of Europe by the prices in Sweden. In Germany they only cost R118 000 at todays exchange rate (which is not as bad as it was a month or two ago)

[Beagle Boy]

A bit emotional there GM74  

Cappie what happened to the V-Strom?

I'm only going to have the opportunity to ride the 800 on the 7th May ........ for convenience sake, but I agree ones not getting much for what you're coughing up. I know of a couple of chaps that got caught up on the hipe around the 800 all of them own 1200's ...... guess what ..... they all still own 1200's.

2nd hand 1200 with the extra's is a far better option.

On your budget, one of the Japanese V's is a far better buy.

[sidetrack]

TENERE, sure it will be at least R20 000 to R25 000 cheaper. Not in the same class but a better buy IMHO.