Hey there ,
Is there anyone out there who is currently touring on a 800GS, or has recently done a trip. I'm talking long distance , Africa , Americas etc.

I've read up on one guy who rode from Uk to NZ, came thru thailand.
Biggest complaint, strength of rims and the unadjustable forks...
Any comments please...and any advise on replacement forks or mods.
Just in the early stages of A RTW...
so much research.
Cheers

CLARIFY : F800GS

I´m on a trip around the world on an 800, though it has been highly modified. A couple years ago, I drove 12,000 KM in South America when the bike was almost stock, and since then I´ve been making constant changes. Now it´s a completely different machine, and I could probably offer some advice if you need it. I met an australian in South Africa who has been touring for almost 3 years now on a stock R80 and has over 300,000 miles on it. The mods depend mainly on your riding style and the type of roads you want to take. On each of the following pages, there´s a tab ("Jesse") with a list of the mods I´ve done. Since then, I´ve also converted to and HPN frame and extended the swing arm and front forks. At the beginning of the RTW blog, there´s also some information on modification.

South America: South America with Jesse
RTW: Around the World with Jesse

Safe travels,
Marcus

Here´s a thread of the preparation of the bike:

preparing an airhead for RTW - Page 8 - ADVrider

Marcus

Guys thanks for the feedback but everyone is missing the point....

F800GS, the new twin...????

Hi.
I'm shipping a stock F800GS into Beunos Aires at the beginning of October.
Heading south to TDF then up north.
I'll let you know if I have any major problems!

Here's a detailed thread on ADVrider by a chap who rode an F800GS right up.

Bmw F800gs Q&A - ADVrider

First up, I didn't do the trip myself, but bought my 800GS from the guy that did.

He rode the whole of Africa - 8500 miles from Morocco to Cape town, and the bike ran stock rims and suspension. He did change the seat for a Touratech one (£300) and I don't blame him, the standard is agony.

He also fited 20mm handlebar risers to improve their position for standing-up riding.

Used Continental TKC80 tyres all the way.

Barkbusters handguards.

Metal mule panniers and crash guards. The pannier setup includes a skinny (but road legal) complete exhaust system which means the left pannier sits as close to the bike as the right.

Bike also had front and rear reservoir protectors, as well as a proper bash plate - also Metal Mule gear.

He swapped the standard chainand sprocket for good quality stuff - the BMW one has a very bad reputation.

I've done 1200 miles in the two months I've owned it, and I'm heading to Morocco in October for three weeks and will not make any mods at all, other than some fresh fork fluid - maybe slightly heavier weight.

This is it somewhere in Africa:


His only problems were the leaking top hose (cured with jubilee clips and should be fixed under warranty) and some new clutch plates at 6000 miles. He reckons it was probably his fault for being too harsh on it off road, though I have heard a few of them suffer clutch failure, especially if the cable is badly adjusted and there's no slack.

I'd happily ride the world on it, and will be tackling the Trans-America's next July.

Sweet...fully kitted and tested bike...like the MM gear but its dear as poison....new !
You bought Billy Bunters ...right ? Nice...

Yup. The MM stuff is rich, but you get that full system with it - worth it to keep things narrow, good looking and sounding fruity!

ADVRider has already been mentioned but UKGSer has an F800 forum: 650 & 800 GS Twins - ::. UKGSer.com .::
that covers most of the problems and modifications that you're likely to meet. There's a good long list of moans and failures which should help you work out what is more prone to failure and thus needs attention before you set out.

I've just taken delivery of a 2nd hand F800GS and I like what I see so far although the seat comfort aint great .

Sorry, man. I forgot about the F800GS. To me an 800GS is an airhead.

Even though it's water cooled and is a parallel twin?

Er, ok man. Maybe you should cut down on that stuff you're smoking?

I did africa on an 08' F800GS and from yorkshire UK round trip covered 12000 miles. Plenty of off road riding, even a prang in Burkina which she survived admirably.

Mine had the following extras fitted:
- Barkbusters
- Full MetalMule Pannier Kit - VERY strong (worth the £)
- AdventureSpec Crashbars
- AdventureSpec Heavy Duty Sump Guard
- Good Screen (not standard one its pants)
- DiD xlink Chain (standard BMW one is pants)
- Heavy Duty Tubes
- ScottOiler - Rubbish dont bother.

Couple of points to watch:

- Top hose on radiator (right side) is too short out of the factory and it is a warranty fix - works itself loose and leaks

- Sh*tty fuel will cause unwelcome bike stalls, but rare even on 76 octane rubbish out of a bottle the bike performed well if a little spluttery.

- Carry a spare rear (and front if you can) sprocket. When travelling through sandy zones, do not over lube the chain without getting excess sand off as it will act like a grit paste and wear your sprockets out in 1000 miles. As i found out....

- Handlebars are prone to 'shift' very easily if dropped. Which you WILL do - its a heavy bike.

- Don't turn off ABS in the wet.

- Carry all the tools or you will end up somewhere having to make them! I have a full list of what you are likely to need. PM me.

- TKC's dont last for sh*t on tarmac. If you're doing mainly tarmac and some light offroad use metzeler tourance.

- She's too heavy for too much sand work realistically.

- NEVER overheated, even when low on water in the sahara at around 40 degrees.

Hope this helps and good luck,

Craig

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What was the tool list you used? I'm planning a week long trip and want to make sure i'm covered. Thanks
Matt

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"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside on a motorcycle, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming WOW... What a ride!"