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Long Tours with F800ST

The bigger the bike the more stuff you can carry that you probably don't need. Did the Salty Fog Rally with the side panniers on the R1200GS empty. They did come in handy for hauling bottles and a few provisions.

The ST would carry a rider anywhere without any worry of a final drive problem.
 
Tweety1, you mentioned that you've "deemed" it unsafe to ride alone through the deserts of AZ, UT and CO. I notice that you are from AZ and surely know more about this than I do.

Will you say more about what those unsafe elements are--beyond being hot? As a solo, female rider, I'm always interested in hearing what others can add to my knowledge about a trip/route.

Thanks

Sharon


Sharon, I apologize for any confusion here.

First, it is unsafe for me to ride alone that long to Gillette. I have been nursing a weakened left shoulder that is subject to flare ups, since two shoulder surgeries in late '01 to middle '02. By late 2006, I almost had to consider giving up riding after 30+ years based on handlebar/gas tank/engine weight issues, but found I could ride the F800S because there is no upper weight, I can steer it more with my lower body, and leave the shoulder with little to do. BUT, the shoulder seems to have a mind of its own and since acquiring the F, after one 8.5 hour day, it ached a bit. Add on a second day to that; I could be in trouble. BUT, that's me, because after a day of rest from that 8.5 hour day, I rode home 6.75 hours. It is that two days in a row that is daunting to me, and on this long trip, I could not take extra days like this.

Second, middle July in the deserts of AZ, UT and CO are heat-exhausting hot. An hour in 101 (I did it yesterday at 9:45 AM) is OK, but all day in well over 100 (yesterday was 115 here); it is much safer to have a companion to watch you as you watch them. When it cools off a bit in September (at least in UT and CO) there is nothing unsafe about this.
 
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800st tourability

Even if I could afford to have 2 bikes I would have had to sell my 05RT since owning the 800ST. The ding from all the rocks hitting the side of the RT would have reduced it's value.
 
Not a fluke.

Great mileage just like that is one of the reasons I love my F800S!

P1130984.jpg


Voni
sMiling
 
'Tis true!

In a combination of city / country riding to work, I average
about 56 mpg. At a steady 55 mph, I average about 65 mpg.
This is actual measured by fillnig the tank and calculating,
but the on-board computer agrees.

Looking forward to Beartooth pass next month!!!
 
I've heard that the 800ST tends to be a very hot bike. Can anyone tell me if excessive heat has been a factor when riding, and is it in fact is a problem with this bike?
 
My first BMW was a K75. From DC I rode that to Cape Breton, to Florida, to Georgia (a couple times), Ohio, pretty much wherever I could go with vacation time. I traded it for a K1100RS - it was bigger, WAY more powerful, better suspension yet less nimble, and also took me all over the place. With the exception of 2-up travel with lots of stuff I don't think the size of either bike had any impact on touring at all. I bought another K75 to replace the K1100RS after its untimely demise, great bike I love a lot and have taken and hope to take a lot more long trips on it.

As others have said, it is all about ergonomics. Unless you do a lot of 2-up travel with lots of stuff, pick the bike that fits you best.

PS - even after over 140k miles on BMWs I still avoid highways when I can. Especially big highway bridges ;)
 
Heat?

I haven't had a problem with heat so far on mine (2011)
I'm taking a long trip across South Dakota / Wyoming /
Montana next month. Maybe I'll have a different opinion
then. I feel a little heat at stop lights, but it doesn't
seem worse than any other bike I've had.
 
I've included a link to a photo of Diann and her 40 HP R60/7 on the Blue Ridge near Biltmore.

The bike has almost 300,000 miles on it.

You won't have any problem with an 800 cc bike, it's way bigger than is needed to travel the world in comfort.

Diann bought an F650GS twin last year, comfortable and extremely capable.

Don't let the "bigger is better" idiots ruin your fun, they're wrong, an 800cc bike will be perfect.........Rod.

http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=60874&page=9
 
Thanks,

I've looked at them a couple of times as I was considering a lighter bike, but one of the guys in my Club keeps talking about how hot his is. I'd never heard other complaints and thought I'd ask here. I might give one a test ride.
 
The ST might be hot if you are using a big screen in summer. It's perfect if you just use the stock screen once the temps get above 80 F. Also handles MUCH better in Nebraska crosswinds with the stock screen. Just my own personal experience. My winter screen is the 19" V stream.

Rick
 
The guy I was talking to was mentioning the excessive (his words) engine heat and how uncomfortable it made him. I don't have experience with the 800ST so I don't know how hot it really is while riding. I'll test ride one and see for myself, thanks for the replies everyone.
 
; )

I sure haven't noticed it on my F800S, but the ST is a whole other bike.

Voni
sMiling
 
I have ridden both and the ST is much hotter than an S!

But my S was bought back by BMW 1.75 years into ownership under AZ's lemon law, and I bought a bigger, but now lighter S.
 
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