F800st

Dang, I want one of these:

Nekkid yeller bike

I prefer the S version. This is a really hot bike.

Word on the street is these won't be imported into the US in 2006.

flash412 said:

That is a GOOD thing. It will have fewer bugs when it goes on sale in the USA if the Europeans have a year or so to sort it out first. Remember, the first version of ANY new BMW model is the Beta version, the one that has LOTS of problems. (This is because the New BMW follows Bill Gates' business model of letting the customers debug the products and charging them for the honor.)

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How does bmw screw up a rotax motor (my favorite part) and belt drive? Seems to me unless they go all hog wild with the brakes and engine management, shouldht be much to go wrong.

Engine managment seems to be a problem for BMW. The fuel injected F650 is notorious for having surging/stalling issues (perhaps solved by the recent return to twin-sparkness) frequently solved by adding an aftermarket engine mgmt system like the techlusion.

Not to mention how many people have surging oilheads.

Why the K series has avoided these issues is a whole other line of questioning.

My exposure to non-US riders is minimal, I wonder if they have the same sorts of problems? Could it be the difference between US and European emissions laws?

Steve

It is a good-looking bike...except for the saddlebags. Yeccch.

dbrick said:

It is a good-looking bike...except for the saddlebags. Yeccch.

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I'm with ya! Maybe Givi or H&B bags will be sold for it. Is it just me or does this bike fill the K75S niche?

MarkF said:

Is it just me or does this bike fill the K75S niche?

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Yeah, and lighter too!

*shrug*

Got a first year hexhead without a single problem. Same with the first year RT.

YMMV.

dbrick said:

It is a good-looking bike...except for the saddlebags. Yeccch.

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I like my bags. The H and B bags are sort of like Givi and stick out a ways.

Hmmmme want too!

Does anyone else think this is a strange place for the oil filter (see red arrow)? One errant rock and you would be peeing oil over everything.

Want to see it in person.

Lust is a horrible thing Loraz.

M1ka said:

Want to see it in person.

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Don't waste your time. Looks like crap. In fact, it's the first bike I remember seeing that looks worse than it's publicity shots.

The ST if pretty nice, if angular. (Not a big fan) The S, OTOH, looks like your "near total" was repaired and re-assembled by a chinese body shop with no instructions. Notice the headlight in the pic BG posted. It's not connected to the sides of the fairings. Not too noticable in the pic, but in real life it looks like a mistake. The left and right side panels look way out of proportion, as does the can.
To my eye, it also appears that there's 3" or 4" of uneeded wheelbase between the frame and the fork. Gives it a Praying Mantis look, like the CS. It gave me the impression of a grab-bag of styling ideas thrown together without much cohesion.

Overall it has the "built to a price" look that the fuel injected F's had, unlike the Aprilia built units, ie: pressed steel pieces with unsightly welds as opposed to cast alloy.
Then again, it might be a really nice little bike.

But there were at least 5 others that I would own before even considering the F800S. Like this one:



Or this one:



Or this one:



Or far that matter, a garden variety S2R

dlearl476 said:

Don't waste your time. Looks like crap. In fact, it's the first bike I remember seeing that looks worse than it's publicity shots...

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I still want to see it in person but something tells me you are right.

flash412 said:

Have you ever looked at a Ducati? They even put their oil coolers in front of the filter (in the same location) on some models.

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Triumph S3's too...we had a few close calls on gravel roads this summer in WA...lol

I want one. BUT, what I'm really lusting after is the GS model that they surely will make. Light, narrow, powerfull, smooth,....I'm drooling all over the place!
Throw a chain and knobbys on this and they won't be able to make enough of them.

>I want one. BUT, what I'm really lusting after is the GS model that they surely will make. Light, narrow, powerfull, smooth,....I'm drooling all over the place!


Then what you REALLY want is this:


IMHO, a GS version of the F800 would be none of those things, save maybe smooth. Would you seriously want a HEAVIER off-road bike than a F650GS? IMHO, several manufacturers already make a DS that would be better than an F800GS. A Cagiva Gran Canyon comes immediately to mind.

dlearl476 said:

>I want one. BUT, what I'm really lusting after is the GS model that they surely will make. Light, narrow, powerfull, smooth,....I'm drooling all over the place!


Then what you REALLY want is this:

IMHO, a GS version of the F800 would be none of those things, save maybe smooth. Would you seriously want a HEAVIER off-road bike than a F650GS? IMHO, several manufacturers already make a DS that would be better than an F800GS. A Cagiva Gran Canyon comes immediately to mind.

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Don't get hung up on "off road". I, for one, am interested in something between the big GS and the little GS. Am I looking for an off road bike? No, not particularly. But a bike designed to travel to remote places on roads that may or may not be paved is always appealling. Make it light, peppy, and give it good range. While you're at it toss in the durability of a Rotax engine and the comfort of a BMW.

Boingo said:

Hmmmme want too!

Does anyone else think this is a strange place for the oil filter (see red arrow)? One errant rock and you would be peeing oil over everything.

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that's not an oil filter, it's a FLIR.