Test rides on A couple of GS's

bigpoppa

bigpoppa

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Went to the BMW demo day this past weekend at GP, thought for sure they'd cancel it due to the downpours and dark clouds, but whitby got lucky and it just meant lots of free spots for test rides...

First the big 1300 GS, I was expecting a lot considering the bikes reputation, but was pretty let down...
-the bike was too tall and at 6'2 I was unable to flat foot, felt still too huge even after the weight reduction, I forgot how big these flagship ADVs are after riding a street triple for a while...
-didnt really like the engine character(first time riding a boxer)
-...2 mins into the ride and electronic errors kept flashing about adaptive ride height not working and the bike needing a suspension specialist...
-coming off the highway on the offramp, I downshifted a bit quickly and felt intrusive weirdness from the ABS brakes...(this only happened once and did not repeat)
-the quickshifter on this bike is awful, its mediocre with downshifts and awful with upshifts.
-The cruise control is weird, instead of going the speed I set it to, it takes your input as a 'suggestion' and instead of going 100 kph, it goes 90 based on its the radar system (even though the closest bike is 5 lengths ahead of you)
Maybe I got a bad demo fleet bike? 🤷‍♂️

Rode the f800GS and this was the opposite of the big GS, I very much enjoyed this machine, light, manageable, and easy (is this a honda or a BMW?), I much prefer the P twin character over the boxer and even the triple!
Plenty of power as well, but didnt get to open it up as much because I got stuck behind a slow guy
No electronic errors on this machine either, would be happy to own one of these
 
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Is the F800GS still around? I thought the F900 had replaced it, and it's a completely different engine.

F800GT/F800ST/F800R have been my favourite hire bikes on overseas trips. Only F900 variant that I've sampled has been the F900XR.
 
Brian P said:
Is the F800GS still around? I thought the F900 had replaced it, and it's a completely different engine.

F800GT/F800ST/F800R have been my favourite hire bikes on overseas trips. Only F900 variant that I've sampled has been the F900XR.
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it is very much still around, I suspect its the same engine shared between the f800/f900/f900xr, but with slightly different tunes for each model
 
bigpoppa said:
-...2 mins into the ride and electronic errors kept flashing about adaptive ride height not working and the bike needing a suspension specialist...
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bigpoppa said:
-the bike was too tall and at 6'2 I was unable to flat foot,
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🤨

bigpoppa said:
-The cruise control is weird, instead of going the speed I set it to, it takes your input as a 'suggestion' and instead of going 100 kph, it goes 90 based on its the radar system (even though the closest bike is 5 lengths ahead of you)
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For a system that lets you take your hands off but also doesn't have access to gear shifts and brakes to slow you down, 5 lengths is probably for the best. The distance is also configured through menus with 3 choices but no idea what 'close' means.
 
Aens said:
For a system that lets you take your hands off but also doesn't have access to gear shifts and brakes to slow you down, 5 lengths is probably for the best. The distance is also configured through menus with 3 choices but no idea what 'close' means.
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I was riding the manual version, didnt want to try out the unfamiliar automatic on a big heavy expensive bike that I dont own just yet, should have fiddled around with their menus before riding
 
The near universally recommended 2 second following distance feels too far, for anyone accustomed to Toronto traffic. Still, there's good reason for not being closer than that.

I believe the Ducati Multistrada adaptive cruise control has some authority to apply brakes, but it won't decelerate beyond some fairly mild threshold to avoid upsetting the chassis and surprising the rider.
 
Brian P said:
The near universally recommended 2 second following distance feels too far, for anyone accustomed to Toronto traffic. Still, there's good reason for not being closer than that.

I believe the Ducati Multistrada adaptive cruise control has some authority to apply brakes, but it won't decelerate beyond some fairly mild threshold to avoid upsetting the chassis and surprising the rider.
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Adaptive cruise if used improperly on a bike could be terrifying. I could see someone leaned over in a tight corner and cruise or collision detection freaking out with oncoming traffic and slamming on the brakes ensuring you go straight into the bumper.
 
Brian P said:
Is the F800GS still around? I thought the F900 had replaced it, and it's a completely different engine.
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The nomenclature is a bit confusing.

The initial 800cc parallel twin from 2008 was split into two streams: a street oriented F650GS and a more dirt-oriented F800GS. Same engine, just that the F650GS was detuned and mislabeled a 650. Owners distinguished the parallel twin F650GS from the previous single cylinder F650GS by calling the twin the F658GS on forums and groups.

A few years later, both models got a bump up. The F650GS became the F700GS which then became the F750GS, still street-oriented, and the F800GS became the F850GS, still dirt-oriented.

Here's where it gets confusing. Last year, the dirt-oriented F850GS became the F900GS, but the F750GS (with nowhere to go but up) took over the F800GS moniker, but it is not the same as the 2008 F800GS despite having the same name. It's still street-oriented, lower seat, shorter suspension travel, cast wheels, 19" in the front vs 21" spoked rims of the F800/850/900GS.

Street: 2008 F650GS->2012 F700GS->2018 F750GS->2024 F800GS
Dirt: 2008 F800GS->2012 F850GS->2024 F900GS

So yes, there is a new F800GS, but it's a spiritual successor to the original street-oriented F650GS/F700GS/F750GS.

Clear as mud?
 
Is it time to replace the ST765??

Have you considered the new Multi V2? Reviews say it's a lovely machine, and I'm guessing more comfortable for passengers compared to your current bike
 
Lightcycle said:
Clear as mud?
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My head hurts. LOL

So, the new F800GS would therefore be using the new 900cc (I think) parallel twin with the 270-degree crank and with the output shaft on the left (normal side), as opposed to the old F800GS (which I've ridden in Australia) which had the old 360-degree crank and the funky counterbalancing linkage and the output shaft on the right (opposite practically everything else).

In Australia we had the opportunity to compare the then-current F700GS with the then-current (now previous) F800GS. The difference was 1000 rpm lower redline on the tach. We didn't think to bounce them off the rev limiters to see if those were set differently, I suspect so. The bodywork had some visual differences, but if there was something that made the 700 any better as a "street" bike compared to the 800 (which I thought was rubbish on pavement), it wasn't something readily apparent. I suspect the real purpose is to attract people into the showroom with a low price tag (700 which took the place of the cheaper F650 single in the lineup) and then sell them on the fancier 800 with 1000 rpm more revs available, because it's functionally the same bike.

In Italy my hire bike was a F800R. (Old generation) That was a pretty fun bike.

BSB has a racing series for its successor, the F900R. Saw that at Donington last year. They can be made to work pretty darn well on the track.
 
Brian P said:
So, the new F800GS would therefore be using the new 900cc (I think) parallel twin with the 270-degree crank and with the output shaft on the left (normal side), as opposed to the old F800GS (which I've ridden in Australia) which had the old 360-degree crank and the funky counterbalancing linkage and the output shaft on the right (opposite practically everything else).
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Correct.

2024 F800GS: 895cc/87hp/91Nm
2024 F900GS: 895cc/105hp/93Nm

Same engine, just detuned for the F800GS.

From The new 2024 BMW F 800 GS, F 900 GS, and F 900 GS Adventure.

The engine, with a compression of 13.1:1, now has a crankshaft with crankshaft journals offset by 90 degrees and a 270/450 degree firing interval. [..] Two counterweight shafts, one in front of and one behind the crankshaft, eliminate unwanted vibrations.
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Brian P said:
but if there was something that made the 700 any better as a "street" bike compared to the 800 (which I thought was rubbish on pavement), it wasn't something readily apparent.
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Only apparent if you off-road a lot. The 800/850/900 has a 21" front for rolling over obstacles a lot more smoothly, vs the 19" front of the 650/700/750/800. It had spoked rims which were more beefier and stronger than the street version, making it more resistant to rim damage on rocks and logs. It also had tubed tires so you could air down a lot lower without worrying about unseating the bead. Also, taller suspension for more clearance, and a taller seat for making the transition between sitting and standing more quicker and easier on the quads.

All things that make zero difference if you never take the bike off-road.

I agree with you though. If you're 100% street, then why handicap yourself with anything less than a 17" F/R setup, low-seat/centre of gravity, sport or sport-touring rubber, and stiff street suspension?

I never understood why pavement guys go for Adventure bikes with a 19/21" front, tall-seat/high centre of gravity, 90/10 chunky adventure tires, and tall, bouncy suspension travel when all of those are liabilities on the pavement. And then they go on the forums and ask if they can lower the bike with street suspension, swap out the front for a smaller diameter wheel and put road rubber on the rims.

Um... I think you bought the wrong bike, dude...

It's like the Jeep guys with the lifted, deep-tread knobby 33s with front and rear lockers, and all they do is go to the mall and back...

Brian P said:
In Italy my hire bike was a F800R. (Old generation) That was a pretty fun bike.
BSB has a racing series for its successor, the F900R. Saw that at Donington last year. They can be made to work pretty darn well on the track.
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The Rs make way more sense as a road bike. And if you are a fan of the ADV look and ergos, then go for the F900XR: 17" F/R, sport-touring rubber. Tall, upright seating position for the old-guys who can't bend at the knee anymore. Leave the GSes for the off-road crowd.
 
Brian P said:
BSB has a racing series for its successor, the F900R. Saw that at Donington last year. They can be made to work pretty darn well on the track.
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Brian, you remember the Thunder class at CSBK? My buddy used to run a R1200S in that series. Best sounding class IMO.

Also BMW had a special race series call the Boxer Cup. One of my favorite bikes, the HP2 Sport came out of that series.

BMW_HP2_Sport_2009_3.jpg


I think they're still running the Boxer Cup, but with RNineTs.
 
Lightcycle said:
Brian, you remember the Thunder class at CSBK? My buddy used to run a R1200S in that series. Best sounding class IMO.

Also BMW had a special race series call the Boxer Cup. One of my favorite bikes, the HP2 Sport came out of that series.

BMW_HP2_Sport_2009_3.jpg


I think they're still running the Boxer Cup, but with RNineTs.
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Seen an HP2 in person once, looks sick!
 
Did they have an R18 out and if so get any feedback on that?
 
LBV said:
Did they have an R18 out and if so get any feedback on that?
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I've ridden a few, meh. The foot controls are especially wack, barely any room to get to the rear brake..cylinder cover is in the way!

The Indian was a much nicer experience.
 
Lightcycle said:
I agree with you though. If you're 100% street, then why handicap yourself with anything less than a 17" F/R setup, low-seat/centre of gravity, sport or sport-touring rubber, and stiff street suspension?
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The seat on the f900xr looks noticeably less comfortable for passengers(surface area and shape of the seat)

Every bike with "adventure" in the name at GP bikes had visibly comfy passenger seats with large surface areas and lots of padding(I checked)
LBV said:
Did they have an R18 out and if so get any feedback on that?
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I had 0 interest, I spoke to the bmw sales guy, he said the s1000RR is their best seller and the r18 the worst selling bike
 
PacoT said:
Is it time to replace the ST765??

Have you considered the new Multi V2? Reviews say it's a lovely machine, and I'm guessing more comfortable for passengers compared to your current bike
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puede ser, i'll have to test ride it, I missed the ducati day, maybe they have a demo laying around?
 
bigpoppa said:
The seat on the f900xr looks noticeably less comfortable for passengers(surface area and shape of the seat)
Every bike with "adventure" in the name at GP bikes had visibly comfy passenger seats with large surface areas and lots of padding(I checked)
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Given the choice between buying the wrong bike and having to switch out suspension, rims and tires, and buying the right bike and buying an aftermarket passenger seat, the latter is probably the cheaper and more logical option.

Changing out the stock seat to something more comfortable is probably the most common thing most riders do when they buy a motorcycle.
 
The R18's are CHEAP used as they're not selling as mentioned but I'll have to test ride one ... no other way to tell if it's even worth buying.
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