skillie
Pack Dog
I went to the ABBG this past weekend and sampled some of BMW's new products :
The F800 GS :
WOW !.
The demo route was on a 90km tar section and did not allow me to sample to 800 GS on gravel, but as a 1200 GS owner I was impressed with this new bike's on-road performance
I thought the power delivery from the 800 motor was great, as well as the throttle response. It felt really nimble and the seating position was quite comfortable.
Later in the day I took the new GSA out for a demo, and the group tried to emulate the Isle of Man TT, well I had to join in the fun. I had two guys in front of me on the 800 GS, we were doing speeds of between 180 and 210 and the GSA could not catch up to the 800. Obviously the pillion made quite a difference but the power and speed from a 400cc smaller engine was impressive.
Being used to a GSA seat, the 800 seat felt a little uncomfortable after around 30 minutes but I am sure that as soon as you get used to the shape and design of the 800 seat the "pyn in die gat" effect will start a lot later on a journey if at all.
The gearbox was SMOOTH, the 1200 GS guys here knows about the box on their bikes, and the 800 GS felt even smoother than the wife's Transalp.
I am 2 metres tall which meant the wind protection on the 800 was not good enough for me but there should be some clever mods available on the fairing soon.
One negative thing is the brake fluid reservoir on the handlebar, it really looks like an afterthought. :
I think that this bike will do very well in the marketplace for BMW and if there are enough of them available I am sure that quite a few of the smaller guys currently on the 1200 GS will switch to the 800 the moment they have had a chance to sample it properly.
Will I swop my 1200 GS, NO. Is the 800GS a great bike, YES !.
The GSA :
I expected a bit more from the power side from this bike as it already had 5000 km on the odo, and it should have been loose enough by now. But again I removed the cat from my bike and I am sure compared to a standard 1200 GS it would feel more lively.
When I have a pillion on my current bike and we do the "jaag" thing I tend to bottom out in corners and scrape stands and stuff. But after I tuned the ESA on the new GSA that was gone. I am sure this will help a lot when loaded or when carrying a pillion in off road conditions.
As I said previously, the demo route did not include any gravel or off road sections and that limited my sampling of this bike, because I believe the new electronic suspension and traction control starts making a difference when you leave the tar road.
Do I want a new GSA ? YES !
F650 GS :
I did not sample this bike but wanted my wife to feel it and when I went out with the 800 she took a new 650 for a ride.
We have a Scala bluetooth set for comms while she pillions on the back of my bike so we were in constant communication through the whole demo ride.
She rides a 2007 Model Transalp at this moment in time and her being 1.63 metres tall and weighing only 55 kg the Transalp is a bit of a monster for her sometimes.
After the friendly people from BMW fitted a lowered seat on the red 650 my wife immediately said when she got onto the bike that it felt a lot better and more manageable than the TA.
We have not even left the driveway of the Champagne resort when she said that the GS feels a lot lighter that the TA, and it handles a lot easier when riding slow.
She also commented on the handling and said it turns a lot easier than her TA. The controls , clutch, gear selector and brakes felt a lot lighter and easier to use than the TA.
During the ride the commented that the GS made her feel a lot more in control when she goes into corners and she loved the overall solidity of the bike.
She had 2 negative comments :
She is used to the wind protection on the TA, and the screen on the GS was not high enough to deliver the same level of performance.
At one stage during the ride she told me that something on the handlebar was loose and it looked as if it was going to brake of at any moment. I asked het to stop and she pointed at the brake fluid reservoir... enough said.
Finally, the 2007 Model TA ( black with 3000 km on the odo is for sale) and my wife wants a new F650 GS. In retrospect the whole demo thing was not such a cunning plan as I will now have to buy a new 650 GS quite soon.
The wife on the 650.
Me following the wife on the 800
And finally a shot taken over the right shoulder of the wife following me.
The F800 GS :
WOW !.
The demo route was on a 90km tar section and did not allow me to sample to 800 GS on gravel, but as a 1200 GS owner I was impressed with this new bike's on-road performance
I thought the power delivery from the 800 motor was great, as well as the throttle response. It felt really nimble and the seating position was quite comfortable.
Later in the day I took the new GSA out for a demo, and the group tried to emulate the Isle of Man TT, well I had to join in the fun. I had two guys in front of me on the 800 GS, we were doing speeds of between 180 and 210 and the GSA could not catch up to the 800. Obviously the pillion made quite a difference but the power and speed from a 400cc smaller engine was impressive.
Being used to a GSA seat, the 800 seat felt a little uncomfortable after around 30 minutes but I am sure that as soon as you get used to the shape and design of the 800 seat the "pyn in die gat" effect will start a lot later on a journey if at all.
The gearbox was SMOOTH, the 1200 GS guys here knows about the box on their bikes, and the 800 GS felt even smoother than the wife's Transalp.
I am 2 metres tall which meant the wind protection on the 800 was not good enough for me but there should be some clever mods available on the fairing soon.
One negative thing is the brake fluid reservoir on the handlebar, it really looks like an afterthought. :
I think that this bike will do very well in the marketplace for BMW and if there are enough of them available I am sure that quite a few of the smaller guys currently on the 1200 GS will switch to the 800 the moment they have had a chance to sample it properly.
Will I swop my 1200 GS, NO. Is the 800GS a great bike, YES !.
The GSA :
I expected a bit more from the power side from this bike as it already had 5000 km on the odo, and it should have been loose enough by now. But again I removed the cat from my bike and I am sure compared to a standard 1200 GS it would feel more lively.
When I have a pillion on my current bike and we do the "jaag" thing I tend to bottom out in corners and scrape stands and stuff. But after I tuned the ESA on the new GSA that was gone. I am sure this will help a lot when loaded or when carrying a pillion in off road conditions.
As I said previously, the demo route did not include any gravel or off road sections and that limited my sampling of this bike, because I believe the new electronic suspension and traction control starts making a difference when you leave the tar road.
Do I want a new GSA ? YES !
F650 GS :
I did not sample this bike but wanted my wife to feel it and when I went out with the 800 she took a new 650 for a ride.
We have a Scala bluetooth set for comms while she pillions on the back of my bike so we were in constant communication through the whole demo ride.
She rides a 2007 Model Transalp at this moment in time and her being 1.63 metres tall and weighing only 55 kg the Transalp is a bit of a monster for her sometimes.
After the friendly people from BMW fitted a lowered seat on the red 650 my wife immediately said when she got onto the bike that it felt a lot better and more manageable than the TA.
We have not even left the driveway of the Champagne resort when she said that the GS feels a lot lighter that the TA, and it handles a lot easier when riding slow.
She also commented on the handling and said it turns a lot easier than her TA. The controls , clutch, gear selector and brakes felt a lot lighter and easier to use than the TA.
During the ride the commented that the GS made her feel a lot more in control when she goes into corners and she loved the overall solidity of the bike.
She had 2 negative comments :
She is used to the wind protection on the TA, and the screen on the GS was not high enough to deliver the same level of performance.
At one stage during the ride she told me that something on the handlebar was loose and it looked as if it was going to brake of at any moment. I asked het to stop and she pointed at the brake fluid reservoir... enough said.
Finally, the 2007 Model TA ( black with 3000 km on the odo is for sale) and my wife wants a new F650 GS. In retrospect the whole demo thing was not such a cunning plan as I will now have to buy a new 650 GS quite soon.
The wife on the 650.
Me following the wife on the 800
And finally a shot taken over the right shoulder of the wife following me.
