Last week I traded in my old bike for the F700GS. So far I love it. It's so incredibly comfortable and easy to ride and in spite of the fact that I "downgraded" from a Speed Triple (which had gobs of power), the F700 has plenty of kick (at least for what I need from a bike). I love the way the bike looks and handles and it's such a great thing to have a bike with utility built into it. Next up: taking it on unpaved roads after I get engine guard and splash guard.
Congratulations on your new ride. I'm also looking at trading in my DR650 for the F700GS. Still waiting on them to arrive at the local dealer. Is that the BMW comfort seat on yours? my butt is in need of some rehab after riding the DR plank for so long : ) Also like the idea of the throw over panniers, can you advise of brand and model and how they attach? Thanks Mark
Congrats. What options did you get and if you don't mind me asking, what was the price before taxes? What kind of gas mileage are you getting? Thanks and enjoy your new ride.
Congrats. I got mind last week. Just want to ask you that if your bike has engine knocking sound after you ride it for a while and put in neutral? The knocking noise goes away once you hold the clutch. Mine is doing like that and I want to know that if yours has similar symptom.
Ya these bikes sound terrible in neutral with the clutch out, but not to worry, its normal on all the F-twin bikes. There was a few threads about it when the ST first came out. After a few weeks you won't even notice it anymore. At least not until you see a thread about it again. So Thanks, tonight riding home when I put it into neutral I'm gonna notice the clutch out rattle again.
Yes it's the comfort seat. It came with the bike actually. I didn't special order it, but it's AWESOME. I can ride for 2-3 hours straight without any consequences whatsoever. This bike is more comfortable than my car ... that's all I gotta say. Yes I hear the knocking sound when in neutral ... but I am reading that it's normal. Plus I never put it in neutral. I always have the clutch pulled and in first when I'm at a light. Never got into the habit of putting it in neutral I suppose. I'd rather have the engine power ready to go on a moment's notice ... As for panniers I got the Cortech Super 2.0 Saddlebags. I got them for 130 at the dealer (gave me a discount the day I bought the bike). they are not perfect. They kinda seat crooked on the bike since one bag is resting on the frame outside of the muffler and the other isn't. So the bag on the muffler side sticks out more than the one on the other side. Not terrible and you don't notice it unless you are a stickler for perfection ... Hard BMW bags are probably the way to go but I don't have 1000 dollars right now (that's how much they cost) ... so I'll stick to the cheapo Cortech bags for now.
Forgot to add: the panniers are simple to put on. They don't require any hardware. You just throw over the velcro straps and then tie them up with loops and belts around the tubing of the frame to keep them in place. Easy to put on and take out. They get in the way of the tank when you need to refuel but they are easy to move out of the way.
this is one of the best new bikes, I am waiting for it to come to India and also collecting money for the same.... give more reviews with more pics please
You lucky devils i have to wait for my Red F700GS until Feb 2013 because i am a vertical challenged old dear with a young heart. I'm enjoying the feed bck from you gents. Pleased to here about the neutral knocking noise as I would flip ( a little). When I ran my Yammy XJ6N in it use to make clunking noises but not sure if it was rider or just the newness of the bike. I love my XJ but I'm sure I will like the F700GS toooooooooo.
Hi! Thanks for posting; I'm also interested in the F700GS. Could you let us know the worst things you've noticed about the 700? Basically, I want you to talk me out of it I'm (mostly) happy with my Versys, but the BMW really caught my eye when I first saw its announcements. Thanks!
The pitiful windscreen is the worst part of the bike. Before buying the F700, I test rode the Versys and on a lark, the Honda NC700. I was really torn between the Versys and the F700 for weeks - they both have positive aspects. For me, they are both tall bikes, so the F800 was not in the running. In the end, knowing that I'd be riding dirt, gravel, and other not very good roads quite a bit, I went with the F700 ... yes, yes, the Versys can do dirt and fire roads too (just look for all the threads on that subject). Can't think of any other major detractors for the F700.
Looks like those are battlewing tires, watch out in wet grass until you change to dual sport tires. You can guess how I know:eek1
Nice bike. Mine is in the queue in Germany waiting to be built. What kind of gas mileage are you getting?
