New Owners - Stupid Questions Thread

I don't want to abuse yet another tire topic but i was wondering. What are the legal ramifications for having a tire with a speed rating lower than the manufacturers fitted tire. In this case the Anakee 2 that has a 220 kph rated tire that the F800GS came with and the K60's that are rated for 180 kph.

I'm not sure about the legal stuff in your Country but it shouldn't be an issue. BMW tested and certified the bike claiming a top speed of "over 200 kmh". Therefore the tires required to certify the bike must have a speed rating of at least that. Now in reality, how often are you doing over 200? How about over 180? The onice should be on you. If you go over 180 and have a tire failure, that's your fault. What's the maximum speed limit in your country? In Canada, 120 kmh is the highest I've seen so the tire is safe for all legal speeds here with room to spare.

Bottom line......you know the speed rating so ride within it.

Simple.

Any lawyers here??

Yea wondering what the lawyers think. If you have malicious insurance company they could invalidate your claim i think. Not too woried about the speed. Doubt those semi knobies are comfortable above 160 km/h.

Speed limit is 130 km/h at most in the Netherlands. Doesn't stop me from flying low sometimes

Some European countries just require a sticker (visible from the driver's seat; for example on the speedo) stating the max allowed speed for the tires.

Stupid noob question... Just picked up a 13 F800gs last week. Took it out today for the first time. My question is how do you know if the abs/adv is on or off? I've read the owner's manuel and have played around with it for a while but still not sure how to use it. Any advice would be appreciated.

You notice that the abs light is on when you start the bike and before you start moving. Then the light goes off after you start moving. That shows the abs is working. It isn't when the light is on. You can hold down the switch after you start the bike and will turn the abs off. The light will be on when you start moving.

Thanks.... It all makes sense now. I was trying to adjust sitting still.

Hey guys,

First off, thanks a lot for this thread. I finally got a 2010 F650GS twin last week as my first bike so it's great to read all of this!
The bike didn't come with passenger footrests so I'm looking for them, but they seem rather hard to find second hand where I'm at (The Netherlands).

I'm kind of assuming they're the same as on the 800GS. But are the passenger footrests also the same as on other bikes? Like the 1200GS or maybe even the 1100/1150?

The passenger footrest brackets are part of the frame and not removable, so hopefully the previous owner didn't cut them off. If you just need the foot pegs then I think they are the same.

Hi, Everyone,

This is my first post on the entire forum. I have a question about seat height on the G-650-GS.

About me: I'm 5'7", and I will take the MSF Basic Rider Course in early April 2013. Right now, I am researching bikes, and BMW has caught my interest. When I'm on a still G-650-GS (or any other bike for that matter), should my feet be flat on the ground? I sat on a G-650 in a dealer's showroom this past weekend, and I could only get my toes and the balls of my feet on the ground. That made me uncomfortable; I don't like to be on my toes on bicycles. The salesman said that was okay, but, hey, he's a salesman...I'll trust him to a point.

So, do my feet need to be flat on the ground when the bike is standing still?

This must be the noob-iest question of all time, but I gotta start somewhere and I trust the forum.

-JR

1. Welcome to the asylum
2. You don't need your feet to touch the ground, I only get a bit more than my toes on my f800gs
3. your in the wrong forum, here is parellel universe, not thumper
4. go fill up that profile, noob! <label for="rb_iconid_25"></label>

I don't remember the last time I was flat footed on my bikes. :huh

No, you don't need to be but should you be?....sounds like in your case. If you're buying a shiny new bike and are a relatively new rider then being flat footed will give you more confidence. If the Dealer was worth anything he would have put the "low" seat on it for you. My GF started out with the low seat on both her bikes before graduating to the standard seat. The low seat is low because they remove half the foam making it more uncomfortable on a long journey. That's why I don't use one. I accept the fact that I will dump it one day from it being too tall for me.

You can also get a lowered bike with a standard seat.

Good Luck.

Can't we all just get along?

Yeah, fill in your location so we know which country you're in at least. Don't put "Studly Adventurer" under your Avatar until you're big and brave like the rest of us.

At 5' 7" you won't find many bikes, with the exception of cruisers, where you can get your feet flat. You will learn to slide ahead and to the side to get a foot down.

Hackling: One of the rare privileges we have here

The only bike I have EVER been able to touch with both feet is my Trials bike!!

As a beginner, you will feel more confident touching with both feet, but as your experience grows it won't be as much of an issue.

5'7" with a 27" inseam. I can barely touch with one foot.

Remember that touching with running shoes in the showroom is much easier than touching with motorcycle boots.......

Huh? You must have some whopping big running shoes!

Anyway, regarding heights, I just got my first GS and ordered the factory-lowered suspension model of the 2013 F800GS, and even so, sitting on the bike (with motorcycle boots on) on flat ground I cannot flat foot it. I am a little concerned about that and hope that I'll be able to get used to it.

On my K1300GT I CAN flat foot it on level ground, but I've got to tell you that the road's not always flat and you cannot always control where you have to stop, especially if riding in city traffic. There are plenty of slanted roads, dips and even potholes (heck, we've got some potholes that could swallow a VW Beetle!) and there have been MANY times when I stopped with that bike that I was only able to touch with the tiptoes of one foot.

So my strong advice to you, especially regarding a first bike, is to start with something you can comfortably reach the ground with, flat footing on level ground, while wearing appropriate riding boots. Even then you're going to drop the bike, and probably more than once.

The 650 you sat on in the showroom, was the bike on the center stand when you did that? If so, the bike will be lower when it's properly on the ground. You could also investigate getting a lower seat (and/or lowered suspension).

I think the 650GS is a terrific bike and if you start with that you may end up loving it so much that you'll never want to get rid of it.

Cheers!

All of what he said! Good luck with the new GS Mtl Biker. Just remember that when people see a damaged GT they go "poor thing" and when they see a damaged GS they go "Cool!"

To the OP:

If you really want a G650GS but are afraid to scratch it then get an older F650GS single first for 1/3 the price and go learn without fear. Then when you're ready, go buy a new one. Otherwise you may become a fair weather biker who polishes chrome on weekends.

I'm wondering about the Gal till Empty read out on my '09 F650GS. The most I have seen, after a fill up is >102. Later that day I saw >85, I assume that until you get down to the last gallon or two it just says >X? I guess it really depends on riding style, just trying to get a better idea of range for my bike and starting to see that maybe the Gal till Empty is not the best measuring point.

You are right, the riding style plays a big role in milage.

fyiw my 2010 f650gs get a high of around 65mpg while riding secondary roads..45-60 mph. range over 220 miles

on the other end riding 75-80 with Jessie bags and top case(yes these make a difference) into a significant head wind across alberta i got about 45mpg range 150 miles.

If you are off road, always in lower gears, in sand or mud (high drag) you will be pretty poor milage there too

on my bike the gas warning like come on with about a gallon left in the tank.

hope this helps