Ridden: F800ST

[85138]

Suuuuuueeeeet!

Thanks Kbasa. Nice write up. But stop torturing me.

I was at the dealer last evening to get a new tire and ogled around the showroom while waiting. Of course there was that graphitan F800ST staring back at me.

Gotta wait til next year. Stop doing this.

 

[kbasa]

Thanks Kbasa. Nice write up. But stop torturing me.

I was at the dealer last evening to get a new tire and ogled around the showroom while waiting. Of course there was that graphitan F800ST staring back at me.

Gotta wait til next year. Stop doing this.

I'm happy to be your enabler.

 

[DougGrosjean]

Excellent write-up, Dave.

Reminds me very much of my 1984 Kawasaki GPz-550. Meant as a compliment. Can see the engine, good power, light weight, half-fairing, does (did) everything well.

 

[KUTCHER]

Dave, you know I was joking...Right?

I had to have a good comeback to Flash's response...

I went looking for a VFR before going down the GS path.

With this ST/S being used as a possible fore gleam of what the 800GS power plant "WILL" be like, I'll be having a tough time saying no...

 

[dlearl476]

Sorry Dave...

I did a SS1000 on a VFR's English cousin, a Triumph Sprint ST. And no sissy-butt freeway drone either. CA 395 through Yosemite then over Sonora Pass.

I'm with Flash, there isn't a bike around that can't complete an Iron Butt ride with the proper planing, patience, and perserverance.

 

[kbasa]

Dave, you know I was joking...Right?

I had to have a good comeback to Flash's response...

I went looking for a VFR before going down the GS path.

With this ST/S being used as a possible fore gleam of what the 800GS power plant "WILL" be like, I'll be having a tough time saying no...

No worries, Kutcher.

 

[johnnyquest]

Great write up

I was lucky enough last week to ride an f800s. Unfortunately, the clutch on my k75s had to quit working in order for it to happen....

Anyways, I love the bike and am convinced I will have one...have to wait a couple of years though so I can pay cash for it. No worries, my k75s is far from worn out.

Oh, the reason I posted is because I completely agree with your assessment. I'm unique among the members here in that I'm still a rookie, I own an old bike, and I've only ridden 6 or 7 different bikes, none of which are sport bikes. From my point of view, I found the bike very easy to ride, very quick but easy to manage, and the brakes are soooo much better than my bike! I think the beauty of this bike is that it's easy enough for novices to ride, powerful enough to be fun for experienced riders, and built well enough to be a keeper. Oh, and here's another interesting bit of info. You can mix and match parts between the bikes. Windshields, center stand, real luggage rack, side cases, and top case can all be interswitched (is that a word??). This appeals to me because I think I like the riding position of the f800s better than the st, and i think it looks better. So I can get an S model and put the tall windshield from the ST, the rear luggage rack from the ST, and the side cases and be ready to sport tour without compromise. The dealer told me maintenance on the f800 is dirt cheap as well.

JQ

 

[ultracyclist]

hey! kbasa....

Where is it written in our by-laws that you (the president) gets to torture members of the organization at will?

The 800 sure sounds like one hell of a bike.

Will there be 800's for us to ride in WI this July. The local dealer will not even allow me to sit on one because they are all pre-sold with BIG RED "SOLD" tags on them. As a matter of fact, the 800's at this point are all pre-sold!

What is amazing to me is that the 800 has about 90+% of the HP of my '02R1150R, and weighs about 45+ or- lbs less.

And so Mr. President, I put it to you!: Is the 800 a street bike, a commuter, a tourer, a sport tourer, or ?

Personally, I am waiting for the GS because I need kindler and gentler ergo's.

 

[knary]

Where is it written in our by-laws that you (the president) gets to torture members of the organization at will?

The 800 sure sounds like one hell of a bike.

Will there be 800's for us to ride in WI this July. The local dealer will not even allow me to sit on one because they are all pre-sold with BIG RED "SOLD" tags on them. As a matter of fact, the 800's at this point are all pre-sold!

What is amazing to me is that the 800 has about 90+% of the HP of my '02R1150R, and weighs about 45+ or- lbs less.

And so Mr. President, I put it to you!: Is the 800 a street bike, a commuter, a tourer, a sport tourer, or ?

Personally, I am waiting for the GS because I need kindler and gentler ergo's.

Only 90% of your 1150's power? BMW claims 85 rwhp for both bikes.

 

[AZ-J]

Where is it written in our by-laws that you (the president) gets to torture members of the organization at will?

The 800 sure sounds like one hell of a bike.

Will there be 800's for us to ride in WI this July. The local dealer will not even allow me to sit on one because they are all pre-sold with BIG RED "SOLD" tags on them. As a matter of fact, the 800's at this point are all pre-sold!

What is amazing to me is that the 800 has about 90+% of the HP of my '02R1150R, and weighs about 45+ or- lbs less.

And so Mr. President, I put it to you!: Is the 800 a street bike, a commuter, a tourer, a sport tourer, or ?

Personally, I am waiting for the GS because I need kindler and gentler ergo's.

Only 90% of your 1150's power? BMW claims 85 rwhp for both bikes.

I don't mean to pick, also but how does an R1150R weigh +/- 45 lbs to an F800S? Is the R1150R under 500 lbs wet weight? A soaking wet F800S is 441 despite it is listed officially at 450, dry it is 401 lbs. A new Honda CBR600RR is listed as 383 with no gas, and 412 wet (3/07 Motorcyclist page 56). BMW is VERY conservative estimating wet weight, so the 441 weight listed by a half dozen reviews, is probably dead-on.

 

[ultracyclist]

feet to the fire

I remember reading one of the Euro bike Mags about 7 or 8 months ago, and their conclusions (estimates) stuck in my head.

The R1150R is heavier.

My R-R is rated at 87HP. At the wheel? hub?

You guys have "correct" spec's.










r

 

[kbasa]

And so Mr. President, I put it to you!: Is the 800 a street bike, a commuter, a tourer, a sport tourer, or ?

The answer is "yeah".

 

[AZ-J]

The answer is "yeah".

Otherwise known as "ALL of the above"

FYI, broke the 400-mile break-in barrier, after exiting highway on trip into work yesterday. After work, pulled onto to highway with 1st and 2nd gear 8.5K rpm runs, and saw 60 awfully fast (4-5 secs). I weigh 170-175 lbs with gear on, so ymmv. Had a blast hovering 65+ all the way home.

 

[knary]

I remember reading one of the Euro bike Mags about 7 or 8 months ago, and their conclusions (estimates) stuck in my head.

The R1150R is heavier.

My R-R is rated at 87HP. At the wheel? hub?

You guys have "correct" spec's.










r

The 1150R is around 540 lbs wet, and makes around 77 rear wheel HP. That's around 100 lbs more than the F800. They claim identical power at the crank, but there should be less lost to the belt drive of the F800 as compared to the heavy shaft of the oilhead. All of it means that the F800 whips the ol' 1150's prodigious behind.

The more I think about it, the more I want one. I'm finding my GS less and less comfortable as I put more and more bicycle miles in. I want more weight on my hands and less on my ass.

 

[kbasa]

The 1150R is around 540 lbs wet, and makes around 77 rear wheel HP. That's around 100 lbs more than the F800. They claim identical power at the crank, but there should be less lost to the belt drive of the F800 as compared to the heavy shaft of the oilhead. All of it means that the F800 whips the ol' 1150's prodigious behind.

The more I think about it, the more I want one. I'm finding my GS less and less comfortable as I put more and more bicycle miles in. I want more weight on my hands and less on my ass.

Having lived with an R1150R for a couple three years, I can assure you that the F800 will indeed kick an 1150R's behind, prodigous or not. The 1150R will have an advantage if the pavement gets really nasty, mostly due to para/telelever suspension.

I'll also say that the F800 is much less work to ride. Not muscling around an additional 75 pounds is a big advantage. A case of paper weighs 50 pounds, so the R is like riding around with a case and a half of paper on the back seat of the F.

Scott, you'd love the F. The seating position is much like a K75S.

 

[bjohnson]

I just sold my F650 Dakar and bought a red F8s. I'm still in the break in and getting used to the aero position, but love it.
ben

 

[AZ-J]

I just sold my F650 Dakar and bought a red F8s. I'm still in the break in and getting used to the aero position, but love it.
ben

Aero position? Is that a bent-over one?

I usually sit upright on my S, saving lay down for windy rides, or high highway speeds. I am just shy of 6', you?

Here's my wishes you have good rides on the break-in, mine took 3 weeks. I couldn't use the bike more than 2 days a week the first two . Last week was 4 days in a row, and I broke 400 miles on the in-trip on the last day. The out-trip was a lot of fun, with 8.5K rpm on highway runs to start it.

As for bumpy roads, I am not sure a para/tele setup like the R has would beat this one. We have a para setup on the belt drive (don't we?), and it much lighter and more responsive than one carrying a heavy shaft drive assembly. And, the front suspension is just tight enough, that it lets you know if you are using too much front brake, but otherwise just moves with bumps. It has plenty of travel.

The tele is nice, but the S is so light, and so flickable, I am uncertain if a tele would benefit it, or just make it heavier.

Enjoy your red S! It was a great move.

 

[bjohnson]

I'm 5'9, so compared to what I'm used to it's more bent over .

 

[johnnyquest]

Otherwise known as "ALL of the above"

FYI, broke the 400-mile break-in barrier, after exiting highway on trip into work yesterday. After work, pulled onto to highway with 1st and 2nd gear 8.5K rpm runs, and saw 60 awfully fast (4-5 secs). I weigh 170-175 lbs with gear on, so ymmv. Had a blast hovering 65+ all the way home.

I'm green with envy....well, maybe i'll win the lottery this year.

JQ

 

[AZ-J]

I'm green with envy....well, maybe i'll win the lottery this year.

JQ

I hope you do johnnyquest. BTW, the front brake line on my ABS equipped F800S is steel braided, the rear is not but is high compression thick tubing. Stops as nice as it goes and with ABS, pull it as hard as you like.

Handlin' can do with the legs as Reg and Jason Pridmore taught me years ago in a track-based CLASS, but could never truly do it right until this bike. The arms just stabilize it.