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The boss man let me take the demo F800GS home for an evening. Well riding it through rush hour traffic just wasn't enough for me to get a true understanding of what this bike is all about. So, I asked Honz if I could keep it for the weekend. I was grinning from ear to ear after I heard the words "Sure, have fun." coming from his mouth.
I love my job! Where else can you hang out with like minded people all the work day long, gabbing about BMW motorcycles and then get to take the latest and the greatest out for a spin. I get to do that and I even get paid for it!
Unlike most mornings, on this day, I didn't need to hit the snooze button on the alarm clock more than once. I quickly gathered my things, strapped my GPS with a pre-programed route onto the F800GS's handlebar. In no time flat, my new little friend and I were off bright and early on a beautiful Sunday morning to explore the Gasconade and Osage Counties of Missouri.
OK, here's my take on the F800GS. Like all bikes, none do all things. What one should look for is what he or she needs in a bike and choose which ever comes closest to fulfill that persons needs. There is always a compromise somewhere...
First thing's first. If you live in the city especially a rather large city, you have to get out of town to get to the good stuff. That means, interstate highway.
I use to have a K75S. It would do fine on the highway, but it would get buzzy at around 75-80 MPH. The F800GS has a 6th gear. I found that 80 MPH was it's sweet spot. That's a little slower than my R1150GS which likes to be at 85-90 MPH. That doesn't mean that it won't go 90. When I rolled on the throttle to pass, it got there really quick. I didn't even need to downshift!
Before I even got on the bike, I was really concerned that the F800GS would have the highway characteristics of a couple former bikes I had owned previously that had 21" front wheels. Both the KLR and an LC4 had an unsettling wobble at speed that I really did not like. This didn't happen on the F800GS. As a matter of fact. This bike has that best feel for the road than any telescopic forked bike I have ever ridden. I really am spoiled with the R1150GS's paralever suspension. The F800GS takes a little more effort at the bar to steer than the 1150GS but I got use to it in short order.
The F800GS will get you there in as much comfort as one would hope for from an under 1000CC dual sport. That is very important for those of us that refuse to trailer.
So, I'm tooling down the gravel roads of Gasconade County with this big stupid grin on my mug. Thinking, "Hot damn! This bike is awesome!" The F800GS is totally at home on gravel. I have never felt so 'in control' as on this day. I can only imagine what this puppy will do donning a pair of TKC's.
I love my job! Where else can you hang out with like minded people all the work day long, gabbing about BMW motorcycles and then get to take the latest and the greatest out for a spin. I get to do that and I even get paid for it!
Unlike most mornings, on this day, I didn't need to hit the snooze button on the alarm clock more than once. I quickly gathered my things, strapped my GPS with a pre-programed route onto the F800GS's handlebar. In no time flat, my new little friend and I were off bright and early on a beautiful Sunday morning to explore the Gasconade and Osage Counties of Missouri.
OK, here's my take on the F800GS. Like all bikes, none do all things. What one should look for is what he or she needs in a bike and choose which ever comes closest to fulfill that persons needs. There is always a compromise somewhere...
First thing's first. If you live in the city especially a rather large city, you have to get out of town to get to the good stuff. That means, interstate highway.
I use to have a K75S. It would do fine on the highway, but it would get buzzy at around 75-80 MPH. The F800GS has a 6th gear. I found that 80 MPH was it's sweet spot. That's a little slower than my R1150GS which likes to be at 85-90 MPH. That doesn't mean that it won't go 90. When I rolled on the throttle to pass, it got there really quick. I didn't even need to downshift!
Before I even got on the bike, I was really concerned that the F800GS would have the highway characteristics of a couple former bikes I had owned previously that had 21" front wheels. Both the KLR and an LC4 had an unsettling wobble at speed that I really did not like. This didn't happen on the F800GS. As a matter of fact. This bike has that best feel for the road than any telescopic forked bike I have ever ridden. I really am spoiled with the R1150GS's paralever suspension. The F800GS takes a little more effort at the bar to steer than the 1150GS but I got use to it in short order.
The F800GS will get you there in as much comfort as one would hope for from an under 1000CC dual sport. That is very important for those of us that refuse to trailer.
So, I'm tooling down the gravel roads of Gasconade County with this big stupid grin on my mug. Thinking, "Hot damn! This bike is awesome!" The F800GS is totally at home on gravel. I have never felt so 'in control' as on this day. I can only imagine what this puppy will do donning a pair of TKC's.