So finally, after 6 months of waiting 14,000km away, the big day arrives and we finally get a day of glory: Viewing our bikes. This was on Friday. :ricky:
On Saturday they were delivered...just look at these beauties :drif:
So we took em on a ride to Potgietersrust to clock up the kms for their first service. Thankfully one of our Wilddogs helped us out with gear, as all of ours was still in lost & found luggage in Buenos Aires!
Here you can see Mrs BB gunning it on the wide open road.
In restrospect it was a pretty boring ride, didnt want to push them to hard until they've run in, but when you have new "motorciclettas" after such a long wait you need the first trip to be boring so you can stroke them without riding off the road and into the bush...
And in my defence, my crashbars aren't on yet. :
We stopped at the garage for a drink and to take a pic of some poser dressed up in borrowed gear. Fortunately the camera focussed on the important stuff!
We finally arrived in Potties after a slow ride only to find our osts were still in Petoria! So we setup a camp on thier lawn and stroked our bikes some more while we waited.
Came back to Pretoria this morning to find that our gear finally arrived.
Some Comments on the F800GS & F650GS and buying bikes and gear in general
Outstanding fuel consumption: The 650 did 350km on 14l and the 800 did 358km on 14l. The 800 went into reserve and the computer said I could do another 58km at the same speed and style of riding (Cruising at 100km/hr, Av trip computer 66km/hr)
Throttle response on both bikes are similar, I never thought it was all that sensitive to be honest. The clutch and gearbox are nice and smooth.
The onboard computer is great, fairly simple to operate and clear. The indicator cancelling button on the one side is irritating, and its easy to bump the indicators on by mistake. Good thing there is a bright flashing indicator light on the console to warn you.
The seat is freaken hard. Need to get a sheepskin cover tomorrow.
To quote others, the "bobbing wart like brake fluid container" on the handlebars did not disturb me at all, despite all the complaints by critics. Its ok where it is as far as I am concerned
We bought these bikes for dirt roads mostly. With this in mind, do not buy these bikes unless you also budget for:
Do your selves a favour, shop around when it comes to the aftermarket stuff. There seems to be PLENTY of politic out there and I found some significant differences in prices and advice given. Watch out for the guys who sell stuff to posers :mwink:.
I thought Micheal Pohl of Lyndhurst auto to be outstanding. If you need to buy a BMW bike, speak to him. He put me first, and always kept me informed of what was happening. I got exactly what I ordered without problems on time, all registered and everything despite me being a million miles away, and he also got me in touch with other similar minded people ad a number of aftermarket suppliers. Thanks Mike and your team. :biggrin:
Let me reserve judgement on the service/maintenance side of things for the time being.
Finally, which bike is better? If you can afford it, I would go for the 800. If cash is an issue, buy the 650, it is an excellent bike and really not far off the 800 at all. Its easier to ride too.
On Saturday they were delivered...just look at these beauties :drif:
So we took em on a ride to Potgietersrust to clock up the kms for their first service. Thankfully one of our Wilddogs helped us out with gear, as all of ours was still in lost & found luggage in Buenos Aires!
Here you can see Mrs BB gunning it on the wide open road.
In restrospect it was a pretty boring ride, didnt want to push them to hard until they've run in, but when you have new "motorciclettas" after such a long wait you need the first trip to be boring so you can stroke them without riding off the road and into the bush...
And in my defence, my crashbars aren't on yet. :
We stopped at the garage for a drink and to take a pic of some poser dressed up in borrowed gear. Fortunately the camera focussed on the important stuff!
We finally arrived in Potties after a slow ride only to find our osts were still in Petoria! So we setup a camp on thier lawn and stroked our bikes some more while we waited.
Came back to Pretoria this morning to find that our gear finally arrived.
Some Comments on the F800GS & F650GS and buying bikes and gear in general
Outstanding fuel consumption: The 650 did 350km on 14l and the 800 did 358km on 14l. The 800 went into reserve and the computer said I could do another 58km at the same speed and style of riding (Cruising at 100km/hr, Av trip computer 66km/hr)
Throttle response on both bikes are similar, I never thought it was all that sensitive to be honest. The clutch and gearbox are nice and smooth.
The onboard computer is great, fairly simple to operate and clear. The indicator cancelling button on the one side is irritating, and its easy to bump the indicators on by mistake. Good thing there is a bright flashing indicator light on the console to warn you.
The seat is freaken hard. Need to get a sheepskin cover tomorrow.
To quote others, the "bobbing wart like brake fluid container" on the handlebars did not disturb me at all, despite all the complaints by critics. Its ok where it is as far as I am concerned
We bought these bikes for dirt roads mostly. With this in mind, do not buy these bikes unless you also budget for:
- Crashbars - Wild at heart Adventure makes the best ones, functionality, cost & style, not to mention great service
- A decent windshield, the 650's shield is almst non-existant.
- A bash plate, the 800's is nt good enough, and the 650 does not have one
- Hand protectors
Do your selves a favour, shop around when it comes to the aftermarket stuff. There seems to be PLENTY of politic out there and I found some significant differences in prices and advice given. Watch out for the guys who sell stuff to posers :mwink:.
I thought Micheal Pohl of Lyndhurst auto to be outstanding. If you need to buy a BMW bike, speak to him. He put me first, and always kept me informed of what was happening. I got exactly what I ordered without problems on time, all registered and everything despite me being a million miles away, and he also got me in touch with other similar minded people ad a number of aftermarket suppliers. Thanks Mike and your team. :biggrin:
Let me reserve judgement on the service/maintenance side of things for the time being.
Finally, which bike is better? If you can afford it, I would go for the 800. If cash is an issue, buy the 650, it is an excellent bike and really not far off the 800 at all. Its easier to ride too.
