Asking for my son who is going a little crazy looking at something KLR-like (or just pure adv-touring) that can handle cruising at 70. He has and LOVES the KLR but... The Chinese-made engine on the newer F's is a deal breaker- what was the first year of that engine? Second- What year did they put the fuel tank where it belongs (Sorry- I had a 650GS I get it!!) Is there a year when engine wasn't chinese and tank wasn't under the seat?? Oh a funny wrinkle- he just found a dealer who has 2 NEW 2014 Veestrom 1000 for a very tempting price...so some of this may be moot! Heading to the not-so-local BMW dealer tomorrow. (Max) Thanks. The appeal of an F (or the triumph 800) is that it'll allow a little more aggressive offroading as well as handle the faster touring speeds (I believe...yes?)
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2 F questions
- Thread starter rick601
- Start date
If you want the tank in the conventional location, you get a Chinese engine.
The last year for the Austrian Rotax engine was 2018, in the F700GS and F800GS. But they had the tank under the seat. I prefer the Rotax, and tank under seat is not a problem for me, so I bought an F700GS.
An F7/8GS will certainly be a better road bike for touring. But I don’t believe any GS will be more capable for “aggressive off-roading” than a KLR.
Thailand:
https://www.rideapart.com/articles/400402/triumph-motorcycles-production-line-thailand/
Maybe my Hinkley-made Thunderbird will be worth a few dollars more now...
Loncin has been assembling motors for BMW for quite some time - 35,000 so far according to wikipedia .
The Vstroms may be a good deal, but I'd make sure that they've been "pickled" properly since that time. I know there were several recalls that were done on some years/models of Vstroms as well. Plus their OEM tires are going to be at least 6 if not 7 years old...
Personally, I'd take an F800GS over a Vstrom any day - ABS (which if the Vstrom has, it can't be disabled without pulling a fuse), off-road ABS, traction control, stainless brake lines, etc. The F750/850 gives you cruise control which would be nice for highway cruising...
The Vstroms may be a good deal, but I'd make sure that they've been "pickled" properly since that time. I know there were several recalls that were done on some years/models of Vstroms as well. Plus their OEM tires are going to be at least 6 if not 7 years old...
Personally, I'd take an F800GS over a Vstrom any day - ABS (which if the Vstrom has, it can't be disabled without pulling a fuse), off-road ABS, traction control, stainless brake lines, etc. The F750/850 gives you cruise control which would be nice for highway cruising...
lawrencecarlson
Member
Putting the fuel tank “where it belongs”, coupled with a significant actual weight increase for the F750/850, makes it feel completely different from the F700/800 bikes.
