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A Fairly Farkled F800GT
- Thread starter racer7
- Start date
The Verholen bar backs are the std for use and suit many. They move the bars back and up as much as possible without more parts changes- track down sellers/maker for exact specs. They come with all the needed parts including a brake line extender.
For my taste, they still leave the bars about an inch too low and a tiny bit too far forward- caused to some extent by the bars being about 1 1/2" wider than needed on this light bike (they're almost dirt bike wide, yet another BMW ergo screwup- but that makes for some very light steering).
You can also look at Rox risers -see advdesigns catalog, for example.
To really get bars truly right, a bar change is needed plus a brake line (plus bar backs) which probably will entail cable changes. On a new bike I've so far been unwilling to do that much- but might get to it eventually if after a riding season these bikes are considered keepers.
Note my comment on mirror width extenders for male riders- the mirrors are too close together and a typical male will see too much shoulder.
Horning bits from Twisted Throttle, etc fix it. Most women will have no issues with stock placement nor will small men (shoulder width and height of average female)
I evaluating my comments which include the SOs, note that I am 6 ft, 180 lbs, 35" sleeve and 30" inseam- all very ordinary except inseam an inch (or a bit more) less than many my height. She's about 5'6", athletically trim (hard core tennis player), about 130 lbs last time I snuck a look at a scale but you know how women are about that number. Between us we've got over 80 years of riding experience and own 6 BMWs and a Honda. She's been coast to coast on a bike more than me and has an MOA number a tiny fraction of mine. We do several rallies per year including RA sometimes but not MOA- July/Aug being the worst time of year to ride near here - and neither of us were teachers. (The BMW mileage contest and rally times being skewed to teachers and those in northern climates make them uninteresting to some others)
BMW simply does not listen in any serious way to ergonomics preferences of experienced US riders despite this being a major market for them because we can afford their stuff- and seems to forget it was UJMs that made bikes popular here, not BMW. They act like we're all cruiser fanatics (never owned one, never will) so our choices don't matter- and are getting a free ride from the J brand folks who have lapsed into aping Harley until very recently (Honda's V-4 1200 aimed at the BMW K1200S being a classic example of J brand stupidity- who in their right mind would waste time and effort targeting a competitors low volume and dying product line rather than their top sellers?). Don't under estimate the cost and time of fixing BMWs arrogance- both are substantial and for me, getting increasing annoying. Take a look at the Kawasaki 1000, now available with passable luggage, to see if it suits you. (Problem- no demo rides except at Kwakker events with a factory truck -and chain drive- but a far more powerful motor- not truly a mid size bike but pretty compact )
For my taste, they still leave the bars about an inch too low and a tiny bit too far forward- caused to some extent by the bars being about 1 1/2" wider than needed on this light bike (they're almost dirt bike wide, yet another BMW ergo screwup- but that makes for some very light steering).
You can also look at Rox risers -see advdesigns catalog, for example.
To really get bars truly right, a bar change is needed plus a brake line (plus bar backs) which probably will entail cable changes. On a new bike I've so far been unwilling to do that much- but might get to it eventually if after a riding season these bikes are considered keepers.
Note my comment on mirror width extenders for male riders- the mirrors are too close together and a typical male will see too much shoulder.
Horning bits from Twisted Throttle, etc fix it. Most women will have no issues with stock placement nor will small men (shoulder width and height of average female)
I evaluating my comments which include the SOs, note that I am 6 ft, 180 lbs, 35" sleeve and 30" inseam- all very ordinary except inseam an inch (or a bit more) less than many my height. She's about 5'6", athletically trim (hard core tennis player), about 130 lbs last time I snuck a look at a scale but you know how women are about that number. Between us we've got over 80 years of riding experience and own 6 BMWs and a Honda. She's been coast to coast on a bike more than me and has an MOA number a tiny fraction of mine. We do several rallies per year including RA sometimes but not MOA- July/Aug being the worst time of year to ride near here - and neither of us were teachers. (The BMW mileage contest and rally times being skewed to teachers and those in northern climates make them uninteresting to some others)
BMW simply does not listen in any serious way to ergonomics preferences of experienced US riders despite this being a major market for them because we can afford their stuff- and seems to forget it was UJMs that made bikes popular here, not BMW. They act like we're all cruiser fanatics (never owned one, never will) so our choices don't matter- and are getting a free ride from the J brand folks who have lapsed into aping Harley until very recently (Honda's V-4 1200 aimed at the BMW K1200S being a classic example of J brand stupidity- who in their right mind would waste time and effort targeting a competitors low volume and dying product line rather than their top sellers?). Don't under estimate the cost and time of fixing BMWs arrogance- both are substantial and for me, getting increasing annoying. Take a look at the Kawasaki 1000, now available with passable luggage, to see if it suits you. (Problem- no demo rides except at Kwakker events with a factory truck -and chain drive- but a far more powerful motor- not truly a mid size bike but pretty compact )
Last edited:
lkchris
Active member
Careful ... or we could get another K1200LT or R1200C!
I agree with Race7, and BMW arrogance. They invented human size sport touring and touring with the original R100RS and RT. 500lbs and a easily manageable size. While the F800GT is closer than the ST it is still not there....and for the premium BMW price things like an adjustable wind screen, cruise control and adjustable bars and pegs should be expected. Nope. It would take a grand our two to tailor a GT...and still fall short.
I've just looked at a bunch of Japanese bikes. The FRJ is close but it is HEAVY. The honda ST is evan heavier. The new ninja 1000 is not a bad base but would also take a couple of grand to tailor that....and the farkles are much harder to find than BMW ones.
The Guzzi Norge is close to but again heavy....the last Norge I rode had the old engine and no torque...the new one is supposedly better.
Four years ago, after riding RTs 25 years i bought a F650GS and spent $3k+ farkeling it out to RT like functionality.
Unfortunatelh I will be keeping it for another year....maybe something will come up. yep I know BMW is not listening.
I know it is time to stop whining and ride!!
I've just looked at a bunch of Japanese bikes. The FRJ is close but it is HEAVY. The honda ST is evan heavier. The new ninja 1000 is not a bad base but would also take a couple of grand to tailor that....and the farkles are much harder to find than BMW ones.
The Guzzi Norge is close to but again heavy....the last Norge I rode had the old engine and no torque...the new one is supposedly better.
Four years ago, after riding RTs 25 years i bought a F650GS and spent $3k+ farkeling it out to RT like functionality.
Unfortunatelh I will be keeping it for another year....maybe something will come up. yep I know BMW is not listening.
I know it is time to stop whining and ride!!
Rod Sheridan
New member
take good look at RKA - luggage web site for a small tank bag. Richard and Kathy are easy to talk to on the phone too, for questions. ALL are USA MADE.
Another source is Nelson Rig.
Here's onr on my bike.
http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?70053-F650-700GS-Tank-Bag
Regards, Rod.
Thanks for the info. We may bite the bullet and look at changing the cables to go with the extra bit the Rox Risers give.
WRT the K1000, one of our biggest challenges is seat height with my wife. Very short inseam. The F800 with the low seat will work, but most bikes are just too tall for her.
Due to an injury to her wrist we are staying with a comfortable mid size bike. The wide bars will help as they make the steering effort easier. We are also looking at adding a cruise control. (http://www.mccruise.com) She uses a cramp buster, but anything to help take the pressure off her wrist means we can go a little further between breaks.
Now we just need to find a nice little MC sound system for it to make it an RT.....
Thanks again for the great string!
I would think cruise control would cost BMW less than $50 to incorporate the software mod to the ECU, add a switch to turn it on and integrate signals they have now, either directly or via can bus of throttle position, engine speed, wheel speed, brake application, etc.
remember they already have this on most models.
Modify the 1200GS manual wind screen adjustment mechanism... another easy factory enhancement..that would be really useful
remember they already have this on most models.
Modify the 1200GS manual wind screen adjustment mechanism... another easy factory enhancement..that would be really useful
Some more farkles for my GT
This time SW Moto items from Twisted Throttle - a tank bag and mirror extenders. Note that these items use cheap hex fasteners of substantially lower quality than the torx stainless items used by BMW. If you intend to do roadside repairs when needed, you will need to carry a set of hex wrenches in addition to torx. I've yet to find a factory hex on the F800GT- there may not be any.
The mirror extenders are necessary for normal size male riders who want to see anything close behind them- like a vehicle or a riding partner. BMWs cute factory stuff, like the mirrors on many other BMW models just don't work very well for normal size males though the SO says her shoulders are narrow enough they're no issue for her. Once again I can't resist noting that my 89 Honda Transalp, like anything with UJM ergos out of Japan, has a fully adequate set of mirrors- because they are on the bars and large enough. BMW stylists apparently don't like that look so they keep fitting inadequate mirror designs that they think look better. I wonder how many riders missed something closing along side and got injured simply by not fixing BMWs marginal mirrors.
Anyway, the 60 mm mirror extenders are made from a hard plastic material and move the mirrors out so the "close behind" view is possible. For me, that means I'll be able to see the SO riding behind me (her preferred spot, not my choice).
The install is is just a couple bolts loctited on each side but there is a trick and pitfall to know. The trick is to use some crazy glue on the spacer bushings to hold them to the back of the extender during installation. This will allow you to see the holes for the bolts being inserted and get them started easily. The bolts go into brass threaded inserts that are easily pushed out of their location in BMW plastic if you push on the bolts trying to start them- so don't push. If you knock one out, it can be replaced from below if you don't have a very large hand. If your hand is large you willl seriously regret knocking out that brass insert as the other options to replace it take a lot of disassembly.
Here are some pics of stock plus the extender installed
This time SW Moto items from Twisted Throttle - a tank bag and mirror extenders. Note that these items use cheap hex fasteners of substantially lower quality than the torx stainless items used by BMW. If you intend to do roadside repairs when needed, you will need to carry a set of hex wrenches in addition to torx. I've yet to find a factory hex on the F800GT- there may not be any.
The mirror extenders are necessary for normal size male riders who want to see anything close behind them- like a vehicle or a riding partner. BMWs cute factory stuff, like the mirrors on many other BMW models just don't work very well for normal size males though the SO says her shoulders are narrow enough they're no issue for her. Once again I can't resist noting that my 89 Honda Transalp, like anything with UJM ergos out of Japan, has a fully adequate set of mirrors- because they are on the bars and large enough. BMW stylists apparently don't like that look so they keep fitting inadequate mirror designs that they think look better. I wonder how many riders missed something closing along side and got injured simply by not fixing BMWs marginal mirrors.
Anyway, the 60 mm mirror extenders are made from a hard plastic material and move the mirrors out so the "close behind" view is possible. For me, that means I'll be able to see the SO riding behind me (her preferred spot, not my choice).
The install is is just a couple bolts loctited on each side but there is a trick and pitfall to know. The trick is to use some crazy glue on the spacer bushings to hold them to the back of the extender during installation. This will allow you to see the holes for the bolts being inserted and get them started easily. The bolts go into brass threaded inserts that are easily pushed out of their location in BMW plastic if you push on the bolts trying to start them- so don't push. If you knock one out, it can be replaced from below if you don't have a very large hand. If your hand is large you willl seriously regret knocking out that brass insert as the other options to replace it take a lot of disassembly.
Here are some pics of stock plus the extender installed
Here's the tank bag installation.
A Bags Connection Daypack- the second smallest. The smallest is the Micro.
The supplied hardware that mounts the X shaped base replaces factory screws with inadequate hex screws that will rust. It also means that you need an additional hex tool to remove body panels which is not acceptable to me- so those 4 screws will be replaced by longer torx equivalents. Its time that these kits came with factory equivalent torx fasteners- not the cheap generic hex stuff that is supplied.
This tank bag is about as big as can be fitted with the bar backs and gps setup I use. The SO will want the Micro, I suspect.
When in use, I will also need to relocate the WarmNSafe remote heated gear controller- which is easy to do. It can easily be attached on top of the clutch lever with DuoLock as shown. A handy spot that allows thumb control of heated gear. (The other non-stock switch is for my SP-120 lights.)
Photos below
A Bags Connection Daypack- the second smallest. The smallest is the Micro.
The supplied hardware that mounts the X shaped base replaces factory screws with inadequate hex screws that will rust. It also means that you need an additional hex tool to remove body panels which is not acceptable to me- so those 4 screws will be replaced by longer torx equivalents. Its time that these kits came with factory equivalent torx fasteners- not the cheap generic hex stuff that is supplied.
This tank bag is about as big as can be fitted with the bar backs and gps setup I use. The SO will want the Micro, I suspect.
When in use, I will also need to relocate the WarmNSafe remote heated gear controller- which is easy to do. It can easily be attached on top of the clutch lever with DuoLock as shown. A handy spot that allows thumb control of heated gear. (The other non-stock switch is for my SP-120 lights.)
Photos below
wjg4oh
New member
Very informative write-up, racer7. Thanks!
I'm interested to hear about your experience with the AF-XiED. I just installed one on my F800GT last week. After running a tank full of gas through it the motor seems stronger and perhaps a bit smoother. I will run several more tanks full through it then reset the BMS-K so I can get a better before/after comparison. The AF-XiED made a dramatic difference on my R1150GS, but I don't expect it to be as dramatic on the F800 because the fueling is already better controlled.
I'm interested to hear about your experience with the AF-XiED. I just installed one on my F800GT last week. After running a tank full of gas through it the motor seems stronger and perhaps a bit smoother. I will run several more tanks full through it then reset the BMS-K so I can get a better before/after comparison. The AF-XiED made a dramatic difference on my R1150GS, but I don't expect it to be as dramatic on the F800 because the fueling is already better controlled.
Wally,
I've got an AF-XiED installed on an R1100S and the change is dramatic- conpletely transforms the bike with a more aggressive and broader power curve.
On the F800GT I'm still evaluating. Got it on one bike and not the other so we can do roll on comparisons, etc. It looks like I might gain a little power with it but because the GT has no major fueling issues changes are no where near as dramatic as with Motronics bikes.
I do get a somewhat deeper exhaust tone and we've done enough mileage testing to know that if any differences exist, they are less than 3%. But the bike with AF-XiED is also hauling me and tools so 80-90 lbs more weight than the other and it has a bigger windscreen so one would expect it to use a small amount more fuel anyway.
I've got an AF-XiED installed on an R1100S and the change is dramatic- conpletely transforms the bike with a more aggressive and broader power curve.
On the F800GT I'm still evaluating. Got it on one bike and not the other so we can do roll on comparisons, etc. It looks like I might gain a little power with it but because the GT has no major fueling issues changes are no where near as dramatic as with Motronics bikes.
I do get a somewhat deeper exhaust tone and we've done enough mileage testing to know that if any differences exist, they are less than 3%. But the bike with AF-XiED is also hauling me and tools so 80-90 lbs more weight than the other and it has a bigger windscreen so one would expect it to use a small amount more fuel anyway.
105258
Old Rider - OK Mechanic
Verholen Bars - Installation of Brake Extension
Great job on this motorcycle. My wife has ordered one and I must do what you just did (great model). I just received a set of Motorad Verholen Bar backs and I am not too sure were the brake extension is installed. I have looked at the bike in the showroom a month ago but my dealer does not have any in stock now and my memory is a little fuzzy. Any chance you can post a photo of where this piece goes and instructions on installation ? Thanks and I can only hope my wife's bike turns out as well as yours.
Great job on this motorcycle. My wife has ordered one and I must do what you just did (great model). I just received a set of Motorad Verholen Bar backs and I am not too sure were the brake extension is installed. I have looked at the bike in the showroom a month ago but my dealer does not have any in stock now and my memory is a little fuzzy. Any chance you can post a photo of where this piece goes and instructions on installation ? Thanks and I can only hope my wife's bike turns out as well as yours.
clowry
Active member
Wunderlich Tank Pads
Thanks for the info. I visited the site that makes the tank pads for Wunderlich. They showed the use of double-backed tape, the type that has some thickness, to affix the pads to the bike. But, they only put the tape around the edges of the pad. The bulk of the pad isn't stuck to the bike, which bothers me. If the center of the polyurethane pad can move with the pressure of your knee, will the material eventually stretch/wear? I have always used Gripster tanks pads on previous bikes and Gripster pads are very good. I'm reluctant to buy the Wunderlich pads because of the way they attach. Any one have any experience with the Wunderlich pads?
Thanks for the info. I visited the site that makes the tank pads for Wunderlich. They showed the use of double-backed tape, the type that has some thickness, to affix the pads to the bike. But, they only put the tape around the edges of the pad. The bulk of the pad isn't stuck to the bike, which bothers me. If the center of the polyurethane pad can move with the pressure of your knee, will the material eventually stretch/wear? I have always used Gripster tanks pads on previous bikes and Gripster pads are very good. I'm reluctant to buy the Wunderlich pads because of the way they attach. Any one have any experience with the Wunderlich pads?
Gripster (TECH SPEC) Tank Pads
I contacted Grispter (http://techspec-usa.com/magento/) and they do make tank pads for a 2013 F800GT, but this is not reflected on their website (yet). I chose to get the Pro 1 tank pad rather than the Pro 90 pad that they offer in the three piece set. total cost plus shipping for the three piece set was $73.45. More expensive than the Wunderlich, but I know that these are top quality.
I contacted Grispter (http://techspec-usa.com/magento/) and they do make tank pads for a 2013 F800GT, but this is not reflected on their website (yet). I chose to get the Pro 1 tank pad rather than the Pro 90 pad that they offer in the three piece set. total cost plus shipping for the three piece set was $73.45. More expensive than the Wunderlich, but I know that these are top quality.
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