Should I buy a 2013 f800GS??

[jesse1]

the 800gs is a great middleweight street bike that can handle moderate off-road terrain and excels at gravel and dirt roads. anything too technical off-road is challenging due to the high center of gravity and somewhat lacking stock suspension. the main drawback on the street is the 21 inch front wheel and lack of wind protection.

if you want to tour, get the 1200gs. if you want to do trail riding get the 990 adv or 690 enduro.

[Duckdog]

Well I went to Grass roots BMW yesterday and test road the f 800 an almost fell in love until I got on the1200 GSA lol.

[Duckdog]

The grassroots people were great by the way!

[RadoR6]

Originally Posted by Loutre

Post the same question in the boxer section and they'll tell you to go with a 1200GS(A).
Ask the orange crush and you'll end up with the 990...

You see where I'm going mate, right?

I've owned a Yamaha R6 for 5 years so I had a clue of how the build quality should look like when I started to think about a second (do it all) bike.Was deciding between The F8GS and 990 ADV.Decided to go the BMW route only because of the £3000 difference.I can't say that an F800 was a bad bike.I quite liked it and it was fine after I spent a fair amount of money on it but still not what I really wanted.Decided to sell the GS and was considering between Yamaha ST 1200 and 990 ADV. I've had two good test rides on both bikes. The difference between them? ST1200 is without any doubts a fantastic great built trouble free bike and I enjoyed riding it but compared to the KTM it left me somehow cold and without emotions.Guess which way I went.Would I buy another BMW? NO! Not because they are not perfect (every bike has got its flaws) but because of whole BMW attitude: designing the product with the knowledge of fitting substandard parts,save a cent/penny everywhere they can and charging a horrific amount of money for parts.Not mentioning the price for aftermarket parts.Foooking hell.....why everything that you buy for a BMW has to cost twice as much as for any other bike?

[Duckdog]

I thought about the Yamaha which i would love because i have a dealer about 20 min from me. BMW 2-4 hour drive, KTM 1-2 hour drive, triumph 2 hours away. I am not in the best place to be looking for an adventure bike

[Hayate]

Originally Posted by jesse1

if you want to tour, get the 1200gs. if you want to do trail riding get the 990 adv or 690 enduro.

If you want to do both... well you come to the right place

[mustardfj40]

Originally Posted by Hayate

If you want to do both... well you come to the right place

LOL, x2!

[machinebuilder]

Originally Posted by Duckdog

Hi this is my first post so hello and here goes! I am looking at buying a new bike. I let my klr 650 go a little bit ago manly because i want something that can do two up highway riding easy and also have fun off road. I was looking forward to test riding one of these bikes this week but after reading the "Has BMW worked the bugs out of the 800 by now?" thread i am thinking these things might not be worth the money. I feel that for what this bike cost you should be able to get a bike the is pretty darn reliable and is mostly sorted out. I am open to any advice about the bike and any other options.

I think the answer is NO..............if you believe everything that you read on the internet

I personally have not had any unexpected issues with mine

I came from a 2008 KLR.

the issues you have read about are probably things that BMW has fixed, or are maintenance issues, or personal preference items.

Even the stock suspension is better than a KLR. (I have upgraded mine, Money well spent).

[SlowRide13]

Originally Posted by machinebuilder

Even the stock suspension is better than a KLR.

Yeah, after I upgraded my suspension so I could launch the F8 over MX jumps and gobble up rock fields, THEN I finally understood the point of the softer stock suspension--I lost some "plush"

[NZ Adventure]

I have just bought a 2013 F800GS with ESA and Traction pack and I personally think this bike is the best adventure bike overall (yes even over the Tiger 800XC Triple). If you want a 1200 (as per the views here) then I believe you will be predominantly a road rider. And just to be clear there is nothing wrong with that as the R1200GSA is one of the best bikes on the road today. However if you want to do a bit of dirt then you really need to think again what you want to do with the bike long-term. The 1200 is a beast and not for the inexperienced when riding off road, even many experienced riders steer clear of the 1200 for any off road sections as they are just too big and cumbersome and take the fun out of it. Although to contradict myself they are capable of doing it but with my ability much slower than the smaller bikes.

I have owned an R1150GSA, R1200GS, KTM 990 and currently still own a 2012 Yamaha XT660Z Tenere (fully farkled up thanks to Touratech and Ohlins). I have switched to the F800GS because I want something that has the versatility to change with my riding ambitions. The Tenere IMO is one of the best off road adventure bikes made today, but it is a little more work on the tar seal (up and down the gears more frequently). I wanted another R1200GSA (Triple Black...yum) but I knew I would not enjoy the available rides I have around where I live. Example...we have a ride in NZ through an army base and they recommend under 1000cc bikes...the Army state the 1000cc+ are too hard to manage the terrain (ridden it on my KTM 300EXC I agree)

I suppose my overall point is, only you know where you will ride the bike and then you will know what works for you. Peoples opinions are mainly driven by their own riding style, abilities and passions, so don't be swayed by how others find their bikes. It's what YOU get from it that counts. If you get 5 people on here telling you the bike is crap then it doesn't mean it is....it just means you have found 5 people on this site with a similar view, the other 50000 who love there bike are riding it and not on forums :-)

Keen to know what you ended up buying! :-)

[Jonny955]

Originally Posted by NZ Adventure

I have just bought a 2013 F800GS with ESA and Traction pack and I personally think this bike is the best adventure bike overall (yes even over the Tiger 800XC Triple). If you want a 1200 (as per the views here) then I believe you will be predominantly a road rider. And just to be clear there is nothing wrong with that as the R1200GSA is one of the best bikes on the road today. However if you want to do a bit of dirt then you really need to think again what you want to do with the bike long-term. The 1200 is a beast and not for the inexperienced when riding off road, even many experienced riders steer clear of the 1200 for any off road sections as they are just too big and cumbersome and take the fun out of it. Although to contradict myself they are capable of doing it but with my ability much slower than the smaller bikes.

I have owned an R1150GSA, R1200GS, KTM 990 and currently still own a 2012 Yamaha XT660Z Tenere (fully farkled up thanks to Touratech and Ohlins). I have switched to the F800GS because I want something that has the versatility to change with my riding ambitions. The Tenere IMO is one of the best off road adventure bikes made today, but it is a little more work on the tar seal (up and down the gears more frequently). I wanted another R1200GSA (Triple Black...yum) but I knew I would not enjoy the available rides I have around where I live. Example...we have a ride in NZ through an army base and they recommend under 1000cc bikes...the Army state the 1000cc+ are too hard to manage the terrain (ridden it on my KTM 300EXC I agree)

I suppose my overall point is, only you know where you will ride the bike and then you will know what works for you. Peoples opinions are mainly driven by their own riding style, abilities and passions, so don't be swayed by how others find their bikes. It's what YOU get from it that counts. If you get 5 people on here telling you the bike is crap then it doesn't mean it is....it just means you have found 5 people on this site with a similar view, the other 50000 who love there bike are riding it and not on forums :-)

Keen to know what you ended up buying! :-)

A great post ^

Jon

[cchoc]

Originally Posted by NZ Adventure

I have just bought a 2013 F800GS with ESA and Traction pack and I personally think this bike is the best adventure bike overall (yes even over the Tiger 800XC Triple). If you want a 1200 (as per the views here) then I believe you will be predominantly a road rider. And just to be clear there is nothing wrong with that as the R1200GSA is one of the best bikes on the road today. However if you want to do a bit of dirt then you really need to think again what you want to do with the bike long-term. The 1200 is a beast and not for the inexperienced when riding off road, even many experienced riders steer clear of the 1200 for any off road sections as they are just too big and cumbersome and take the fun out of it. Although to contradict myself they are capable of doing it but with my ability much slower than the smaller bikes.

I have owned an R1150GSA, R1200GS, KTM 990 and currently still own a 2012 Yamaha XT660Z Tenere (fully farkled up thanks to Touratech and Ohlins). I have switched to the F800GS because I want something that has the versatility to change with my riding ambitions. The Tenere IMO is one of the best off road adventure bikes made today, but it is a little more work on the tar seal (up and down the gears more frequently). I wanted another R1200GSA (Triple Black...yum) but I knew I would not enjoy the available rides I have around where I live. Example...we have a ride in NZ through an army base and they recommend under 1000cc bikes...the Army state the 1000cc+ are too hard to manage the terrain (ridden it on my KTM 300EXC I agree)

I suppose my overall point is, only you know where you will ride the bike and then you will know what works for you. Peoples opinions are mainly driven by their own riding style, abilities and passions, so don't be swayed by how others find their bikes. It's what YOU get from it that counts. If you get 5 people on here telling you the bike is crap then it doesn't mean it is....it just means you have found 5 people on this site with a similar view, the other 50000 who love there bike are riding it and not on forums :-)

Keen to know what you ended up buying! :-)

+2 - well said.

[Avner]

Originally Posted by NZ Adventure

I have just bought a 2013 F800GS with ESA and Traction pack and I personally think this bike is the best adventure bike overall (yes even over the Tiger 800XC Triple). If you want a 1200 (as per the views here) then I believe you will be predominantly a road rider. And just to be clear there is nothing wrong with that as the R1200GSA is one of the best bikes on the road today. However if you want to do a bit of dirt then you really need to think again what you want to do with the bike long-term. The 1200 is a beast and not for the inexperienced when riding off road, even many experienced riders steer clear of the 1200 for any off road sections as they are just too big and cumbersome and take the fun out of it. Although to contradict myself they are capable of doing it but with my ability much slower than the smaller bikes.

I have owned an R1150GSA, R1200GS, KTM 990 and currently still own a 2012 Yamaha XT660Z Tenere (fully farkled up thanks to Touratech and Ohlins). I have switched to the F800GS because I want something that has the versatility to change with my riding ambitions. The Tenere IMO is one of the best off road adventure bikes made today, but it is a little more work on the tar seal (up and down the gears more frequently). I wanted another R1200GSA (Triple Black...yum) but I knew I would not enjoy the available rides I have around where I live. Example...we have a ride in NZ through an army base and they recommend under 1000cc bikes...the Army state the 1000cc+ are too hard to manage the terrain (ridden it on my KTM 300EXC I agree)

I suppose my overall point is, only you know where you will ride the bike and then you will know what works for you. Peoples opinions are mainly driven by their own riding style, abilities and passions, so don't be swayed by how others find their bikes. It's what YOU get from it that counts. If you get 5 people on here telling you the bike is crap then it doesn't mean it is....it just means you have found 5 people on this site with a similar view, the other 50000 who love there bike are riding it and not on forums :-)

Keen to know what you ended up buying! :-)

+3. I took my old R1200GS to many off-road rides and events that were made for 200-500cc dirt-bikes and did OK, but other than the satisfaction of actually doing it - I was not enjoying it as much as I do with my G650. However, apparently I overshot the size and went too small... The G650 Sertao is a great dirt devil, but on the highway (with my camping gear loaded) it is missing many extra horses and stability. I understand that no bike can do everything well, but FOR ME it looks like the F800GS is the right fit and this is what's coming this winter... I appreciate the info on this thread!

[kiwiAdventure]

I've just arrived home from an all day ride on a demo 2012 800gs. I enjoyed the bike on gravel but did not enjoy the buzzing my hands and body took once I got on the freeway. An hour after getting home my body still has a buzzing feeling. Wind buffeting was another problem as I lke to ride without a visor. This can be solved with another screen proberly but the buzzing to me is something I could not put up with. I've had a few 1200 gs and could easily ride the 1200 any where an 800 can go. I may look at the new 650gs or wait to have a ride of the 2013 1200gs.

[zofo]

My view
I have just bought a 2013 F800GS with ESA and Traction pack and I personally think this bike is the best adventure bike overall (yes even over the Tiger 800XC Triple). If you want a 1200 (as per the views here) then I believe you will be predominantly a road rider. And just to be clear there is nothing wrong with that as the R1200GSA is one of the best bikes on the road today. However if you want to do a bit of dirt then you really need to think again what you want to do with the bike long-term. The 1200 is a beast and not for the inexperienced when riding off road, even many experienced riders steer clear of the 1200 for any off road sections as they are just too big and cumbersome and take the fun out of it. Although to contradict myself they are capable of doing it but with my ability much slower than the smaller bikes.

I have owned an R1150GSA, R1200GS, KTM 990 and currently still own a 2012 Yamaha XT660Z Tenere (fully farkled up thanks to Touratech and Ohlins). I have switched to the F800GS because I want something that has the versatility to change with my riding ambitions. The Tenere IMO is one of the best off road adventure bikes made today, but it is a little more work on the tar seal (up and down the gears more frequently). I wanted another R1200GSA (Triple Black...yum) but I knew I would not enjoy the available rides I have around where I live. Example...we have a ride in NZ through an army base and they recommend under 1000cc bikes...the Army state the 1000cc+ are too hard to manage the terrain (ridden it on my KTM 300EXC I agree)

I suppose my overall point is, only you know where you will ride the bike and then you will know what works for you. Peoples opinions are mainly driven by their own riding style, abilities and passions, so don't be swayed by how others find their bikes. It's what YOU get from it that counts. If you get 5 people on here telling you the bike is crap then it doesn't mean it is....it just means you have found 5 people on this site with a similar view, the other 50000 who love there bike are riding it and not on forums :-)

Keen to know what you ended up buying! :-)

Thanks for your considered post. I was torn between the GS800 and the Yamaha 660 Tenere. Most of my riding is done on the tar and I was concerned about the 660's ability for long runs. I want a bike for daily riding and for touring, I think I will go for the GS800.