Charlie_K
Registered Muser
Yesterday while my R1200RT was getting its 24K service at MAX BMW in Troy, NY they loaned me an F800ST. I was delighted to get a chance to ride the ST. The RT is the only bike I’ve ridden in a couple of years. I’ve gotten used to its bulk but I’m always aware of it. While I like the features on bigger bikes like the K1200LT I’m not willing to take the additional 400 pounds of motorcycle that goes with them. I wondered how a bike a hundred or so pounds lighter but designed for a similar mission would compare to the RT.
I sat on the bike and familiarized myself with the controls before I hit the road. Nothing unusual there, at least to a BMW rider. The horn button is in the same oddball spot as my RT; I’d be hitting the left turn signal whenever I intend to sound the horn on this bike too.
As I rolled out of MAX’s driveway the differences between the bikes became apparent. Going from the RT to the ST is like taking off shoes and putting on sneakers. After a few miles on NY 7 I took NY 346 into Vermont. It’s a good highway to get to know a bike on. In 9 miles you encounter roller coaster road, blind curves, railroad crossings, cattle crossings, and small towns with speed restrictions and 90-degree corners. You don’t just sit on the bike; you’re always doing something. It was fun on the ST; there’s no steering effort. You just think where you’d like to be and the bike goes there.
I hit US 7 and went south into Williamstown, MA then east to North Adams for lunch. As I ate I thought “I’ve been riding for less than a hour and I’ve been in three states, I could ride south into Connecticut then west back into New York making this a four state test drive.”
After lunch I headed south on MA 8 intending to get back on US 7 in Pittsfield and ride into Connecticut. I’d only gone a few miles when I changed my plans. The riding position on the ST had me putting too much weight on my wrists and they were getting sore. I decided to head for home. I turned onto West Mountain Road which I knew would take me to US 7, there I could take Massachusetts route 43 to New York route 43 and be home in an hour.
I’d been on the other end of West Mountain Road but never all the way through. The road quickly went from two lanes to a narrow road with broken pavement then to single lane dirt. The ST handled fine on the dirt, tracking well on the loose rutted surface. I would have continued but after a short while I encountered a “Road Closed” sign. I reversed course back to route 8 and went to Pittsfield.
Leaving Pittsfield on US 20 I found another annoyance with the bike. As I sat in traffic backed up by road construction the bike became uncomfortably warm on my legs, then it got worse, the fan came on blowing hot air in my face. I was real happy to get rolling again.
I’m used to people coming over to look at the RT and it was no different with the ST. When I stopped for fuel I got complimented on the bike’s looks.
As I rolled west on route 20 I noticed I had a tendency to ride too slow. Accustomed as I am to sitting behind the RT’s windshield I must have felt like I was going faster with the wind in my face. When people started passing me I picked up the pace.
When I got on Interstate 90 I again found myself riding too slow. I missed the RT’s cruise control, although I usually rely on that to keep me from accidentally going too fast.
After a stop to show the bike to my brother it was back to MAX BMW and back on my R1200RT. I was happy to be riding it again. I’ve put over 4000 miles on it in the last couple of weeks and I feel at home on it.
I’m glad I had the ST for a few hours. If I’d only ridden it around the block my opinion would be different than it is. It’s a real nice motorcycle but after an hour in the saddle some warts become apparent. The seating position could be fixed by raising the bars a couple of inches. I don’t know about the engine heat, hopefully it cools down as the bike breaks in. The bike I rode had only 36 miles on it when I got it.
So would I rather have an R1200RT or an F800ST? No question about it I like the RT better. The ST is fun and flickable, with good looks and a pleasant sound. It’s probably quite spirited too. I didn’t test that; since I had a brand new bike I rode it gently.
The RT isn’t flickable but it’s everything else the ST is and more. Since the more is all stuff I want I’ll take the size and weight that goes with it.
I sat on the bike and familiarized myself with the controls before I hit the road. Nothing unusual there, at least to a BMW rider. The horn button is in the same oddball spot as my RT; I’d be hitting the left turn signal whenever I intend to sound the horn on this bike too.
As I rolled out of MAX’s driveway the differences between the bikes became apparent. Going from the RT to the ST is like taking off shoes and putting on sneakers. After a few miles on NY 7 I took NY 346 into Vermont. It’s a good highway to get to know a bike on. In 9 miles you encounter roller coaster road, blind curves, railroad crossings, cattle crossings, and small towns with speed restrictions and 90-degree corners. You don’t just sit on the bike; you’re always doing something. It was fun on the ST; there’s no steering effort. You just think where you’d like to be and the bike goes there.
I hit US 7 and went south into Williamstown, MA then east to North Adams for lunch. As I ate I thought “I’ve been riding for less than a hour and I’ve been in three states, I could ride south into Connecticut then west back into New York making this a four state test drive.”
After lunch I headed south on MA 8 intending to get back on US 7 in Pittsfield and ride into Connecticut. I’d only gone a few miles when I changed my plans. The riding position on the ST had me putting too much weight on my wrists and they were getting sore. I decided to head for home. I turned onto West Mountain Road which I knew would take me to US 7, there I could take Massachusetts route 43 to New York route 43 and be home in an hour.
I’d been on the other end of West Mountain Road but never all the way through. The road quickly went from two lanes to a narrow road with broken pavement then to single lane dirt. The ST handled fine on the dirt, tracking well on the loose rutted surface. I would have continued but after a short while I encountered a “Road Closed” sign. I reversed course back to route 8 and went to Pittsfield.
Leaving Pittsfield on US 20 I found another annoyance with the bike. As I sat in traffic backed up by road construction the bike became uncomfortably warm on my legs, then it got worse, the fan came on blowing hot air in my face. I was real happy to get rolling again.
I’m used to people coming over to look at the RT and it was no different with the ST. When I stopped for fuel I got complimented on the bike’s looks.
As I rolled west on route 20 I noticed I had a tendency to ride too slow. Accustomed as I am to sitting behind the RT’s windshield I must have felt like I was going faster with the wind in my face. When people started passing me I picked up the pace.
When I got on Interstate 90 I again found myself riding too slow. I missed the RT’s cruise control, although I usually rely on that to keep me from accidentally going too fast.
After a stop to show the bike to my brother it was back to MAX BMW and back on my R1200RT. I was happy to be riding it again. I’ve put over 4000 miles on it in the last couple of weeks and I feel at home on it.
I’m glad I had the ST for a few hours. If I’d only ridden it around the block my opinion would be different than it is. It’s a real nice motorcycle but after an hour in the saddle some warts become apparent. The seating position could be fixed by raising the bars a couple of inches. I don’t know about the engine heat, hopefully it cools down as the bike breaks in. The bike I rode had only 36 miles on it when I got it.
So would I rather have an R1200RT or an F800ST? No question about it I like the RT better. The ST is fun and flickable, with good looks and a pleasant sound. It’s probably quite spirited too. I didn’t test that; since I had a brand new bike I rode it gently.
The RT isn’t flickable but it’s everything else the ST is and more. Since the more is all stuff I want I’ll take the size and weight that goes with it.
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