F800R alternative?

[pauljr]

Got a chance to demo a F800R Friday and totally loved it. Way too much money though! Anyone rode the F800R and something else that provide the same level of feel and excitement for some less money. Prefer new and something I could ride with my wife on the back if possible. She joined me on a second demo ride and told the BMW rep she could tell I at least have a heartbeat when riding this bike. Thanks for any feedback.

[mrbreeze]

Ymaha FZ8 or FZ1

Kawasaki Ninja 1000

Honda CB1000F

Triumph Street Triple R

BMW F650GS ???

Ducati Monster ???

Aprilia Dorsoduro

just a few off the top of my head, don't know what they cost

[gadgetguy1288]

The triumph, Duc and aprilia are all gonna run you about the same as the F8R after taxes and fees and such.

These will all run right around 10K after Taxes and such(you should be able to negotiate them down at least, in my experience the Ducati and the Aprilia[both at the same dealer] wouldnt budge much on price at all).

Take a look at the
-Yamaha FZ8 and FZ1
-Honda CB1000R
-Kawasaki Z1000


On the other hand, Ive got a 2012 F8R, and I love it.

[DAKEZ]

Tiger 800.

[L.B.S.]

Jeez, do you Americans get a free bike in every box of breakfast cereal down there, or what? (Jealous...)

Are most/all of the bikes listed in the above posts less than the cost of the F800R?

$10K including taxes? Really!!!?? Bastards!



In Canada (BC anyway) a base 800R is $10,150.00 before any taxes, fees or dealer prep stuff, shipping, Eco Levies etc., Approx. $12,208.00 including. (barring of course registration, plate, document fees, insurance etc., etc.)

A loaded 800R is $14,246.00

All those other bikes are waaaay more than that!

My '09 F800ST was listed @ $12,500.00 base, and when the smoke cleared I signed for $20,000.00 give or take. (Insurance, plates registration and all other related crap is about $1,600.00/year on top of that)

[mrbreeze]

Originally Posted by L.B.S.

Jeez, do you Americans get a free bike in every box of breakfast cereal down there, or what? (Jealous...)

yeah but you have to buy the family size.

[JDK111]

Yamaha FZ8 or FZ1
Honda CB1000F

It's tough to beat the bang for the buck with these 3.

[Patch]

Originally Posted by pauljr

... for some less money.

Pardon the question... but how much less? If you like the bike but are way, way off in $$ then time to ride others. Next spring you'll likely have a few used ones to pick from, but damn... you'd not be riding til next year

If you're close in $$... maybe you can swing it with a motivated dealer?

FZ8 could be a good fit - hard to test-ride around here though. Hopefully not in your neck of the woods. I rode the Tiger 800 street and 800R back-to-back and preferred the Beemer. I felt the triple was easier to modulate the throttle but was less comfy. YMMV

[Milar]

Originally Posted by pauljr

Got a chance to demo a F800R Friday and totally loved it. Way too much money though! Anyone rode the F800R and something else that provide the same level of feel and excitement for some less money. Prefer new and something I could ride with my wife on the back if possible. She joined me on a second demo ride and told the BMW rep she could tell I at least have a heartbeat when riding this bike. Thanks for any feedback.

Hi Paul, I'm following this thread because I've thought of an R800R as a 2nd bike to my K1200S. But to me the R is a $10,000 bike and not much more.

1. Is 2 up important? You have the GS for that.

2. The GS is a pretty good all arounder. Do you need another? Why not push the envelope in another direction? You could go sporter than the GS with something like a Street Triple or Daytona 675. Or go retro with a Bonneville or Scrambler or XR1200X. You could widen your riding horizons with a dual sport. Or go cruising on a Sportster fourty-eight.

[Grainbelt]

I'd think hard about the FZ8 - some good deals out there. low running costs too, with that long valve interval.

[ADVBMR]

Originally Posted by Grainbelt

I'd think hard about the FZ8 - some good deals out there. low running costs too, with that long valve interval.

I agree, except that the FZ8 and F800R are both relatively new models so there aren't a lot of deals on them yet. Look for an '07 FZ1 or newer, if you want a good bike for the money. I'm not that big but the Striple seemed too small for me. I went with the F800R in part because I bought at the end of last season and they couldn't give them away. They discounted $900 by September, then another $400 after October. If money was more of a factor, though, I would have gone with the FZ8. The dealer here is great and he would have swung a deal.

The used F800Rs should be going for about 8k or so, maybe less. 2011 was the first year in the US so used ones are just starting to show up. End of the year sales were going for about 10k new last year. Still, for a good bike with low miles, I would not hesitate to go to $9k.

The F800R is a fun bike for sure. But I'll throw this out there. For value, you can't beat a DL650 Adventure. $9 or 10k with bags, bars, handguards, AND abs - pretty much ready to hit the road - it's a really good value. I picked up my '06 with 27k miles for $3500, no abs. (I only use mine a few weeks a year so the price made sense.) It's a good traveler and very reliable. But for fun, as my friend once said, "It ain't no BMW."

Talk to the wifey. If the F800R brings smiles to both of you, you'll figure it out.

[pauljr]

Thanks for the input. Was hoping someone had ridden some of the contenders and might offer advice. Pretty east to get a ride on a Triumph of BMW in my area but none of the others.

[mrbreeze]

Originally Posted by pauljr

Thanks for the input. Was hoping someone had ridden some of the contenders and might offer advice. Pretty east to get a ride on a Triumph of BMW in my area but none of the others.

haven't ridden the FZ8, but I owned an FZ6 and I have ridden the FZ1. I currently own an FJR. I think Yamaha builds a great bike and I highly recommend the brand.

[Grainbelt]

Originally Posted by pauljr

Thanks for the input. Was hoping someone had ridden some of the contenders and might offer advice. Pretty east to get a ride on a Triumph of BMW in my area but none of the others.

Yamaha does have a demo truck that makes a lap of the country. I dunno which one would be closest to you, but it might be worth your time.

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/mcy/demo.aspx

[garandman]

Originally Posted by pauljr

Thanks for the input. Was hoping someone had ridden some of the contenders and might offer advice. Pretty east to get a ride on a Triumph of BMW in my area but none of the others.

So your budget is less than $10,000 and it must be new?

? Is your focus fun-to-ride, acceleration, two-up or all of above? Upright riding position?