F800GS for adventure traveling?
 

Hi all,

In my previous post about traveling to the Stans and Siberia, (then possibly Australia and south east Asia) several of you talked about the F800GS. Although "sexy", I had not been completly convinced by the bike after trying it 2 years ago.
Now, I just come back from an enduro training at BMW Hechlingen enduro park (Germany) where I had a chance to ride for 2 days that bike and I have been quite impressed how easy i was to handle it on rough terrain and especially the feeling of ligthness and fantastic balance it has. What I did not like is the lack of low-end torque, the very long 1st gear, the throttle that is not so smooth... All in one, it forces to use a lot of clutch and to always have quite high revs... Have you experienced the same?

I also found lots of contradictory information about the reliability of the bike on the web, but very few reports of travelers riding it on RTW for overland trips. What is the the value of the bike for long-range dual sport travelling? Has it been seriously experienced now, after being for 3 years on the market? Have the youth problems been fixed? Besides the better power on highways, especially for a loaded bike, the better resale value, is there really an added-value compared to the F650 Dakar?

Hey Kick,

It, like a lot of other bikes, is perfectly fine for long range dual sport travelling.

I rode one a couple of years back from Ushuaia to Alaska on the last leg of a RTW wander. The other legs I rode a KLR and a DL1000 (long story) so it was interesting to compare and contrast.

As a mid size, it fits in the middle of the bike spectrum so doesn't do any one thing really well but everything pretty well.

If you plan on doing a lot of off road, then you could look at a smaller bike, go with soft bags, etc. as off road, lighter is always better. If you think that you are not going to venture off the highway at all, then you could go bigger or more to an on road orientated dual sport like a Vstrom. If like most people you don't really know what you are going to ride exactly but want to be able to go on and off road with out too much worry, then it's a good fit as it provides great flexibility.

The consensus is that the more years a bike is on the road, the more miles there will be to point out any faults and hopefully allow them to be addressed. If that is a concern for you, then I would think that three years is typically more than enough. That's my perception anyways from my experience having worked for a company manufacturing parts for the transportation industry.

Anyways, it boils down to finding the bike that best matches you and your intended ride. From what you have mentioned about your trip, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend that bike.

Happy planning and have a great trip.

I never understood why BMW is proud of the fact that the bike has a close ratio gearbox. I could sort of understand that on the F800S or ST, but using the same ratios on the GS was just being lazy. Top gear on the higher-geared F650GS is just right, but at the expense of a ridiculously high first gear. The F800GS has a lower, but still not low enough first gear, but could do with a higher top gear. What a mess!

The 800cc twin F650GS is easier on the throttle and better state of tune (IMHO) than the F800GS. I never understood why BMW called the former the F650GS when it's an 800cc.

I hate the side stand and the centre stand. If the bike is heavily loaded it can revolve around the side stand and collapse on its side. Many of the early problems seem to be less common on later models--steering head bearing failure, chain failure, radiator top hose disconnect, rear wheel bearing failure. Still not impressed with the OEM chain, suggest you change before serious journey.

Despite all the problems the F650/800GS is up there with the XT660Z as a RTW candidate (I have one of each). Fuel economy is absolutely brilliant. Because of the underseat tank, the bike has a wide arse (100mm wider than the R1200GS), so keep to narrow panniers.

It's also good for higher-speed touring, I did 960 miles plus a cross-channel ferry crossing in 23 hours coming back from eastern Poland. Many owners would like to meet the designer of the seat and hit him over the head with it. I use an Airhawk inflatable cover to make it more bearable. The screen is not high enough for cold climates.

Not found the perfect out-of-the-crate bike yet...

Tim

Si Johnson took one to Russia last year and the clutch gave up. I think a new one had to be sent out if my memory serves me right. Check out his story at

Away From Here

I know a guy who rode his from UK to Capetown..

After two engine rebuild on warrenty, he was worried but set off anyway.

It kept cutting out on him all the time while in Africa. Turned out to be the side stand switch which was an easy fix.

Apart from that, he said it was faultless....

There have been quite a few posts on here about fuel pump failures !! Do a search.

Either way, seems a massive improvement over the earlier F650's

Yeah.. That sounds like BMW !!

They sell the bike with videos and brochures of it flying over sand dunes and bouncing rock fields; but when their bikes fall apart because of it, they don't want to know...

:thumbdown:

It's not a great bike. It's a nice bike for those who want to brag about the potential of their bike rather than finding out for themselves if it has any. It's also not a good bike to own out of warranty. In my opinion the power over a 650 single is not enough to warrant the massively reduced reliability, simplicity and price. I had one, very nice to ride in the short term. Seat is torturous over 50 miles and screen is a joke (again, my opinion but a taller screen looks ridiculous).
Very expensive to get bits to increase the versatility and usefulness of the bike and I found it fragile. Build quality is not where it should be either. Sadly this and a lot of other bikes (triumph 800, etc) are now the latest trendy fashion and are being built japanese style to fill a gap in the market rather than for genuine durability. There needs to be another Dakar style rally where bikes like this can compete and we might see better bikes getting to the market. Until then enduro-tourers come with starbucks coffee holders.

What evidence do you have that the Triumph Tiger 800 is built to a similar crappy standard that the F800GS is built to? I think the Tiger is a much higher quality machine, in fact.

Well, still too early to say !!

Although, Triumphs are usually built to a pretty high standard !

Quite.

I've spent the last 10 months riding a BMW F800GS 34000 odd miles from New York up to Alaska, Alaska down to Ushuaia & tomorrow I'm shipping the bike back to London from here in Buenos Aires.

70% Of my trip was on sealed road but in places such as Bolivia the bike did have it hard, so keep that in mind...

Faults.

Radiator fan - far too exposed to the ingress of dirt & by no means am I talking about hard core off road riding. Got wedged & threw up an oil pressure fault (???) on the electronic display, the computer cut in & shut the bike down whilst the temperature gauge didn't move despite the lack of cooling. Happened to me after crossing into Mexico & cost a mere $420 to get a replacement fan back in San Diego. All of this was less then 200 miles of freeway riding after a $1000 BMW service.

Side stand. Too short to adequately support the bike.

Fuel gauge. Despite being 'updated' under warranty reads full for 110 or so miles & then plummets to empty.

Water pump - failed & the new $520 replacement that took three weeks to arrive in Santiago, Chile was unable to pump water. Had to bastardise the old & new to avert another three week delay. $520 Well spent.

Rear bearings - failed & took most of the rear wheel hubb with them, despite being replaced at recommended intervals. 6 Hours in the desert spent smashing the remnants out with a rock as they'd been ground into the hubb when the bearing failed. Fun, fun fun.

Long first gear - when the going is slow off road (which is was for day after day in Bolivia) the clutch takes a hammering & therefore mine might just get me to the airport in the morning.

Front fork seals. One blew, followed by the other soon after.

I rode with three others. One African Twin - no faults & ridden hard. One neglected & hammered DR650 which still proved more reliable then my BMW & one other F800GS who had the same tale of woe as me.

Don't even consider buying one.

Smudger.

www.mytb.org/Smudger1

Might have to put up one of those 'is anyone having a trouble free run' threads to see if they exist! Doesn't sound good, I was considering one of these for the upgrade bike but think I might stick to the KTM990.....

Your reports are SCARY! Seems better of sticking with the Dakar...

Thoughts from F800GS land
 

I've got to way in on this one but full disclosure I'm an F800GS owner (wife has the F650GS twin) and a big time Yamaha fan. A true contradiction indeed.

It's my belief that there is truly no perfect overland bike. Like stated previously its all about compromise, what you value in a machine and its' capabilities.

All bikes have something go wrong at some point, but the F800GS has had its fair share upfront to be sure. Mine has been flawless so far with the exception of the recalls, (fingers crossed). Yes the throttle is "snatchy".

The new 660 tenere may have been my choice but I can't get one here in Canada. I've had several Yamahas in the past and have had very few problems. Then again they were very different bikes that weren't expected to travel thousands of miles over terrain varying from tarmac to Mongolian plains.

So what to do? First determine where you will really be riding, we all think we are "hardcore" but the truth is very few are and that's not a bad thing. Buy the bike that fits you, buying a 1200 adventure if you are 5'.4" and 150 pounds wanting to ride off-road maybe mission impossible. Lastly know your machine and its potential weaknesses. Prevention is always the best medicine. Lastly get on a bike and ride, shit happens and that very often is the best part of the adventure.

There is one bike I definitely would NOT take on a RTW and that's the F800GS - way too many problems; pretty indisputable problems, too, from people that have done big trips on them. In fact, I have to say I would steer clear of BMW full stop, given their reputation for reliability (or not).

Of course all bikes can have their problems, but BMWs have more than most - a 30% warranty rate on new bikes - that's outrageous. The V-strom 650 has something like a 2% warranty rate.

It would have to be Japanese bike (think XT660Z) or Triumph for my money, based on personal experience and hearsay, but what else does one have to go on?

You know it must be a bad'n when you don't have the usual:

"How dare you slag off my BMW, it's the best bike in the world"

Crikey !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:rofl:

I had so many faults on my initial F650GS twin that after 22,000 miles BMW part funded a replacement. I now use a Tenere as my main travel bike so the replacement F650GS has only done 4,000 miles in the past 18 months.

Following the bad press with F800S and ST problems, BMW did itself no favours with the rushed launch of the F650/800GS with a resulting abysmal QA and attempts by the company to duck warranty responsibility on a whole range of problems.

Although I almost choke writing the words, much of that is in the past, and if you were choosing a new bike right now the situation is now much better. Nevertheless if I were embarking on a RTW trip with a F650/800GS I would do quite a lot of preventative work (even on a new bike) starting with replacing the sub-standard chain and extracting and repacking wheel and steering head bearings. I would also attempt to resolve the side stand issue through custom engineering. And then there's the other 'design flaws' remaining such as the hard-as-a-plank seat, low screen, blah, blah...

Here's a link to threads on some of these topics on UKGSer.

It will be interesting to see how the Tiger XC gets on with hard-arse journeys. If it really does well it could stick a stake through the heart of the F800GS.

Tim

Exactly, Ted. It's clearly a stonking piece of sh1t as a travel bike and even the owner's aren't disputing it!

Ha ha ha. I nearly bloody bought one as well but thought I'd wait until the beta testers had put it through it's paces - glad I did too.

C'mon gents, a bit more unemotional and balanced commentary please.

As the proud owner of a BMW, and a Suzuki and a Honda (and formerly a Kawaski) I find the strong emotions associated with specific brand loyalty and brand hatred endlessly fascinating and somewhat perplexing.

For sure any new model is going to have teething problems until all the manufacturing issues and assembly issues are worked out. Having worked in the manufacturing industry that produces things that go into automobiles, heavy trucks, and a very small amount of motorcycles, I've seen it firsthand.

It's an incredibly complex process, and that's why you see huge companies with industry leading quality control histories (eg. Toyota) still have recalls. It is a process that is impossible to perfect. Multiple suppliers produce items at various times using different inputs and different personnel. Conditions vary, and therefore so does quality.

Over time, you are able to identify and adjust for recurring issues. Unfortunately, there are always sporadic issues that will crop up due to a batch of substandard inputs or workmanship. Some companies are better at dealing with both these things than others. But make no mistake, all companies are challenged by this as everyone has been forced to move some or all manufacturing to low cost centers.

Needless to say, industry insiders are rightfully skeptical of sweeping generalizations claiming that any one vehicle or motorbike is either perfect or a piece of junk. Obtaining authentic performance data that is verifiable and statistically relevant is extremely difficult.

One big barrier is owner bias. A person buys one vehicle and it is either good or bad based on their perception of their experience. 100% (1/1) of his sample therefore proves his conclusion. In his mind, the evidence is irrefutable, and understandably that is why you get black and white opinions.

That's not to say they are incorrect, it is just that the individual experiences need to be extrapolated over a much larger data set to glean any really meaningful conclusions. Once meaningful conclusions can be determined though, quality control issues are costly, and cost erodes profits so in general manufacturs are very incented to identify and correct true quality issues.

(And if you think that bike owners are passionate and opinionated folks, try sorting through a truckers feedback when his $250K investment that also provides all the income for his family isn't running perfectly.)

To repeat my previous comments on the specific bike the OP asked about, it like a lot of other bikes, is perfectly fine for the ride you are planning.

There are a some of items that need addressing before you head out. If you want you can read through the chatter draw meaningful conclusions as to what faults seem to be well known and replace as necessary.

As for me, I bought mine overseas before they were available here so rode it from TDF to Alaska prior to the avaialbility of spare parts for it in the Americas. I wasn't too worried about it. It has gone through a fairly broad diversity of warm to hot weather conditions well and the next year I rode it up to the Canadian Arctic (Tuktoyuktuk). It doesn't start great colder than -15C but ran well up to -28.5C (much better than the operator). It has had the usual warranty gasket and hose replacements, otherwise it has performed as well and been pretty much as reliable as my KLR and DL. To each his own though. Happy planning.

MountainMan the voice of reason
 

Ditto for me.

Oh, it was a bit of TFIC, chaps, don't worry. But the F800 series have had rather a lot of problems compared to, say, the V-strom 650, right? It will be interesting to see how many issues the new Tiger 800s have, but having previously owned a first release Triumph I would trust my cash to that rather than the Beemer. But then I'm British, so what do you expect?

Hey Dano,

Thanks, hope to see you in Nakusp. By the sounds of the doom sayers, we'll have to arrange to trailer the bikes there or risk certain death by spontaneous combustion:)


Hey Doc,

Well you must know from your days on the sunshine coast that Canucks can only aspire to be as eminently thoughtful and unbiased as your average British Triumph owner:) A bit of home country bias is certainly acceptable though, we have to make due with secretly pining over the Can-Am Spyder...


Ride safe.

For an example of the scope of the problem check out post #56 on this thread where even the chain manufacturer admitted there were known problems that BMW were denying. The text of the emails highlights that it took 15 months to decide to fit a stronger chain on the bike. This however hasn't totally fixed the problem.

I accept all of the above however, after 34000 odd miles & 10 months of riding which finished today when the bike was shipped home, I believe my comments are valid.

Bikes I met on route that came off the production line two years (two years!!!) after mine suffered from the same woes (& much, much more).

Parts availability??? A three week wait for a dud water pump in Santiago, Chile - does that fall within the definition of parts availabilty?

Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, sadly after all those miles, day after day (for 10 months!) my opinion of the BMW F800GS is not a good one.

Perhaps I should have changed all the component parts in preparation for this trip but that's exactly the opposite reason to why I buy a bike - as a complete package. I niavely rely on the manufacturer to have done the ground work, after all the F800 isn't marketed as a cafe racer.

& I've had three BMW's. An 1150 Adv & a 1200 Adv just in case my opinion of the F800 & the BMW brand would carry any less weight had I not have mentioned that.

By all means buy one. I just wanted to detail my experience.

Bmw
 

Mountain man

Will see you in Nakusp if my 650 GS makes it past the Port Mann without multiorgan failure!! sp

Tim, a bit OT, but how has the 660 Tenere held up? They look like great bikes, any problems with it (other than not being available where I live...)?

F800GS rescue trailer
 

Now preparing the requested rescue trailer for my 800 and the many others that will require assistance in Nakusp this summer. I will be taking suggestions on which dealer to haul to for repair. Please have your warranty cards and ownership documents ready to better facilitate the repairs required. MountainMan will have first dibs for his brilliant idea that clearly will be very profitable for yours truly. Oh crap I forgot my bike will be requiring the trailer as well.

Nakusp here we come (if my bike makes it that is,wish me luck). Whoop whoop!!

I knew they'd show up in the end !! :welcome:
:cool4:

The Tenere had 3,000km when I bought it and is now on about 24,000 I think (not seen it for several months as it's in Spain).

The major problem that many have encountered is a poor connection between the wiring loom and the rectifier. My bike also had this problem, see attached pics, and it took six weeks for the dealer in Spain to get approval to do the work under warranty, get the parts in, and do the work. Fortunately that was at the end of a seven-week trip to Morocco.

I also had to get the steering head bearings replaced. They were badly corroded (!) and it took a couple of hours to get them out.

The other problem I'm not used to is tubed tyres with inner tubes which are a real pain in the ass. But generally a lovely bike that inspires confidence.

Smudger - I'd like to ask you about your experiences comparing these three bikes - but don't want to hijack this thread. I only have well, 2 posts now, so I'm not allowed to PM you. Can you PM me, so I can respond with a couple questions or share a direct email address with me?

I currently own a 1200Adv, had a 1150Adv too.

OK...back the regularly scheduled program..:oops2:

I think that F800GS is a very good bike, there are thousands out there, some of them had problems, but I would like to know how many ( talking in %). I have one, now with 49.000km with no mayor problems, only valve cover gasket with 11.000km.
Al the time 2up (all the time, yes), offroad (Marocco), all Europe, and now we are on the way to Mongolia, pamir, etc..
I would not choose other bike for adventure traveling (2up), maybe to go alone a 650 dakar. bier

I've been massively impressed with the quality and reliability of my two Speed Triples.

Once my daughter is out of school, I'm thinking seriously about bringing home either the new Tiger 800 XC or the BMW F800 GS. The bugs should be worked out of the Tiger by that time...

Likewise (minus the daughter in school lol)..

The new tiger is too expensive for me at the moment and that suits me fine as I'll let everyone else do the beta testing.. I still wouldn't buy a BMW though. I'd never seen one with problems yet...

The 660 Ten is now on my shortlist. Nothing seems to go wrong apart from the rectifier coupling as Tim kindly pointed out. I'd just put a stockier plug on it and take a spare.. Easy !!

For now though, I think a 650 V-Strom is on it's way to my garage :)

Hilarious. probably from one of the goons who ride around Guilford in full Charley Boringman gear, on the way to Waitrose-do you really need 2 zegas and a top box for Pimms??

My F800GS is currently on 23000 miles. First owner bought it new in 08 and rode it to Cape town. Only fault was the clutch burning out on the way.

Having fitted new chain and sprockets before he left didn't suffer that fault. He'd also fitted jubilee clips to the coolant hose, so didn't have that problem either.

I bought it at 8500 miles, and rode it to Morocco. Was faultless for me, including one stint of 828 miles in one day.

Since then, it's had a new rear wheel bearing, and a new clutch when the nut dropped off the rod - another well documented fault. Luckily both were repaired under warranty, and despite those incidents love the bike to bits - would happily take it round the world.

Ted,
As you know I am riding RTW on an F650 twin and have had no trouble so far it has now done about 18000km many thru the crap rides in Africa, I upgraded the suspension before I left and I still have the original chain and everything else.
However I don't go along with the theory of buying an older bike as they are easy to fix as one thing I observed on my travels thus far is that most people on older bikes were indeed doing just that, and if I recall you had to spend quite a bit of time at Jjs repairing your older bike. I have just spent another week at Jjs and noticed the work shop full with KTMs & a couple of DR650s (incidentally my favourite bike) but the BMWs were all parked up. I think this thread is turned to a bashing BMW topic & you only every hear the bad stories not the good, of course there will be lemons in every bike but it annoys me when the owners of BMWs are sniggered at, but I suppose they can console themselves by going to count there money !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My 2 cents
Paul

I agree. Older doesn't mean better,but it often does mean simpler. The repairs I did to my 2003 DRZ were changing chain & sprockets, getting a new tyre and having my home made racks welded after a crash. The bike was fine and still is :)

I don't think this is a BMW bashing thread... Just bashing the small minded folk who refuse, point blank, that their mega bucks bells and whistles bike are more suited to riding up and down beach front cafes than anything else. You are not one of those folk..... :thumbup1:

BTW. I do not hate BMW's at all. I hold them in the same esteem as Ducati, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, KTM etc etc. They are all capable of making fantastic motorcycles (and often do), but they sadly often chose to spend the R&D money on flashy marketing rather than engineering when it comes to some of their models.

Ah Ted, how I do enjoy your posts! Please don't hold back though, tell us what you really think:)

As much fun as it can be to wind people up, I don't believe that anyone would truly think that such disparate manufacturers as BMW, Ducati, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, KTM can be grouped together in meaningful way. They are such different companies from different countries with different corporate cultures with different strengths and weaknesses that any attempt to broadly paint them with the same brush doesn't result in any easily drawn conclusions.

And I know that you know this, but even light hearted bashing of folks as small minded if they refuse to see the world your way...although good for a chuckle, could be perceived by some to be small minded.

Doesn't it seem reasonable that the reality is that some of the higher priced bikes such as BMW are actually very well suited to long distance touring but they are also attractive for different reasons to urban folks who just ride it down to the corner cafe on Sundays? I certainly think so.

As the very loose poll here on HU shows and also based on all the overland bikers I have run into on a few continents, there are a heck of a lot of different bikes out there including a ton of BMWs as well as plenty of bikes you don't see discussed here very much such as KTM. We all have the choice of either believing that the owners knew what they are doing in researching, buying and riding their bikes and made good choices for themselves, or that they didn't.

Based on my experience, whatever the bike, they all seem to function fairly well with different, easily researched, issues that the owner planned around or dealt with on the road. Some were better than others in different ways. At the end of the day, bikes in general are so well built compared to not so long ago, that almost any bike is rarely the limiting the factor in travelling the world and seeking adventure, the limiting factor is usually us and our willingness to push ourselves and put up with discomfort.


P.S. If you do end up doing the Yukon, there are a few good shake out paddles you can do here in B.C. beforehand. You're welcome to drop by and borrow my canoe and gear to break in those old muscles before the big trip.

Mine's one of the first UK batch and has not given trouble. I have done 6,000 miles in the three months since buying it with 4k on the clock. I did open the rec/reg coupling and fill with silicone grease, which may have helped. The main problem with these bikes is the short life of the cush drive rubbers, which get hammered. I've sorted mine using the tried and tested method of adding bits of inner tube. I glued them to the lumps of rubber using bicycle tubular tyre cement.
As of a couple of days ago I know it will cruise two-up at over 80 on the motorway and still return 58mpg.

Gentlemen,

I'd like to thank you all. I've been fancying a new bike. The Triumph Tiger ticks many many boxes including keepng the dealer/parts contacts I've built up with the Bonneville, but as the stalling issue video on the XC thread shows it's just too new. My second choice Tenere fails because some of the use is with a pillion and 660 cc's plus a tall seat and short rider just doesn't work. I'm also damned if I'm going to buy a £6000 bike and stuff old inner tube in the cush drive. If I was happy with less power than the Bonneville, I'd get a Scrambler, everything I know just newer.

So, despite my better judgement after my last experiences of BMW I'm thinking of the F800. The underseat tank, Rotax bits and other assorted weirdness does nothing for me (at least it hasn't got the *****y three thumb indicator switches I'm currently trying to strip off the Brick) but there is a 2 year old yellow and black one on e-bay at decent money. Then I read this thread. Too many reminders of how BMW reacted to shorts in my F650 single, the waterpump in the desert walk and the three front shocks on my R1100 it took before they found one that didn't fail overnight.

So, the Bonneville (that hasn't done anything I couldn't fix with the stuff I had with me for the last seven years) is getting more petrol and a new back tyre. I have a big birthday in 2014 when the 790 will then have ten years use on it. We'll see how the Tiger is rated then I guess.

I would offer you a beer out of the cash I just saved, but I'm still saving up (and tight). :rofl:

Andy

Rear/front wheel bearing,steering head bearing failure after 10-20.000 km on new bike?BMW?! After over 100.000 km on each my Jap "crap"(TTR,XTZ)It only takes some grease.
I was thinking about changing my old bikes,old wife...for new one
but now I'm no so sure any more...

Why not? I did mine and the result has been excellent over 2000 miles. It's about the only problem with these bikes - although less vibration and a bit more power would be welcome. Just in the middle of a two-up tour around Wales; with three box luggage, it will cruise on the motorway at >80mph and still get 58mpg.

The bike manufacturers (Especially BMW and Ural) love you :rofl:

So where would you draw the line? Putting your own oil in and air in when you collect the bike? Checking all the nuts and bolts to find the ones they've missed? Rewiring it? Replacing the "Hand Grenade" alternator with a car bit you buy on E-bay? Throwing the whole thing away and buying a new one because they missed a bit out of the engine (but they all do that Sir)?

If we buy this crap and fix it ourselves, they'll just sell even crappier stuff next year doh

Andy

All good points but after some 50 machines I have yet to own a bike I didn't manage to fix something on eventually. Sure I'd like the cush rubbers to be better made but if that's the only major flaw in the bike (airbox drain tube slowly fills with oil, oil changes are a pain... I know), the replacements aren't any better than the original and it's easily fixed I'll live with it.

Agreed, there has to be a level of tolerance, but I compare what I'm offered by the bike people and say a small car or electronic gadget and I worry bikes aren't going the same way.

I had a BMW R1100 that died on me on day 2. The dealer (since fired by BMW for not getting a grey slate floor) was a star. They recovered the bike and sent me off on a loaner. They let me keep this for almost a week as getting away from work to swap back was difficult. They replaced the duff starter relay and ignition switch loom the factory had used and improved the mounting with cable ties and conduit to stop a repeat. They saw the rusty shock and replaced it. I wasn't happy with BMW but the dealer recovered it. Then they tried to charge me for a new tyre as it had arrived on the recovery truck with a flat. I refused to pay on the grounds that if I hadn't had the ignition failure I wouldn't have been parked in a gutter full of nails near a DIY shop. It took the manager to intervene and waive the bill. I wouldn't hold it against the service guy for trying to pass on the charge on a "consumable" as if I'd had the puncture without the ignition failure that would have been a fair policy. I bought another bike from that dealer and servicing done there for years.

If Yamaha admitted they had the cushdrive issue and announced they'd changed something, I'd buy. I understand they won't do this as some fool would claim the old cushdrive had made him fall off/lose his hair/be unable to get a girlfriend or whatever his lawyer suggested. Hopefully they'll just sneak in the improvement and in two years we'll be saying "Cush drive issue, I rememeber that". Unfortunately, the example of say the BMW drive spline thing is going to give them ideas that simply denying the whole thing might be a lot less hassle.

Andy

F800
 

As far as the F800 goes I don't know, but I just flogged my 650 twin thru some very tuff roads in Uganda, I wanted to get off the beaten track and the bike never missed a beat. One flaw is that it is a bit low but I think the 800 would not have that problem. I may be lucky ? or others just unlucky ? who knows ?
I only know i like mine more & more each time i ride it, hope my luck doesn't run out in the Congo & Sth. Sudan ! tho.doh
Cheers
Paul:scooter:

KTM Adventure
 

Last year i rode so many different adventure bikes it got beyond a joke. I wanted to replace my faithful Vstrom 650 with something a bit more powerful. Rode the BMW's both the 1200 and 800. The 1200 was way to cumbersome and was out of the running straight away. The GS800 was an ex demo they were trying to get ride of and it felt terrible. It rattled so much I was looking for bits falling off. The gearbox was fine for the test ride but I could feel that once in the loose stuff it would be a problem. I had also heard lots of stories. The Tiger at that time was not an adventure bike just an upright tourer. Seriously looked at the 1000Vstrom but the shop would not let test ride so that was the end of that. In the end I walked into a KTM dealer who had two 09 990 adventures he wanted clearing off the floor. He let me test ride a bike even though it was brand new. The bike felt good standing and sitting and I could feel the bike would not be embarrassed when the roads turned to crap or disappeared.

Glad to say I am still happy a year after buying the bike. I have done trips into the Aussie bush 2 up with far to much gear on board, organised adventure rides that reminded me of my enduro days and recently did the loop from Brisbane to Alice springs and back on the seal with my wife who was riding her CBF 1000. The bike has never let me down and has had some rough handling. My only bitch is the need to carry octane booster everywhere as you can not run anything less than premium fuel for more than one tank. I think this is a problem for a lot of modern adventure bike though.

What ever you chosoe I hope you still love it after owning a year.

F800GS Latin America 2012-2013 ride
 

Left New Jersey with 3200 miles of break in, no issues prior to leaving.

Modifications (for a 6'3" rider)
- Madstad 22" windscreen (adjustable pitch and height, love it)
- BMW touring seat (forget the stock enduro seat, built for those that mostly stand on the pegs...)
- Beadseat (thousands of truck and taxi drivers can't be wrong, they aren't)
- Foam sleeves for hand grips (helps smooth the throttle action, not installed for vibration)
- PIAA Cross Country (love them regardless of various blub failures, now discontinued)
- ScottOiler (can get messy, hate oiling chain all the time, also carried spray and used from time to time.)
- Roxs Handle bar riser
- AltRider bash plate
- AltRider crash bars (love them)

Failures (during 32,500 miles / 9 month trip through CA, then clockwise around SA, boat to Cuba, boat to Cancun, MX and back to New Jersey)

- Burnt low beam bulb (south of Salvador, BR)
- Front chain sprocket lost a tooth (somewhere south of Salvador BR, replaced in Sao Paulo, BR, replaced chain and back sprocket while at it.)
- Oil heat exchange caught a rock (despite the AltRider bash plate...replaced by private mechanic in Buenos Aires, AR)
- Chain broke on country road in Bolivia (repaired without chain breaker tool, still riding on same chain. May have been caused by rock or poor lubrication?)
- Rear wheel bearing (replaced with generic bearings, Cusco, Peru)
- Battery failed (near the last leg, south of Mexico City, covered by warranty when I got home, but had to buy one in DF)

Criticism
- 4.1 gallon / 16 liter gas tank is too small. The 2013 model has more capacity.
- How can BMW sell a GS (enduro!) with a tiny side stand pad?
- Gas gauge does not update fuel level well...jumps from near full to 1/4 full. I use the odometer and wait for the low fuel light to come on. Best practice is to fill up when your tank is half empty...

Experience
- With large load on back of bike the front tire has little braking traction when stopping on steep inclines...back wheel failed to grab on gravel and another time on cobble stone, sliding backwards, not a pretty story. This could happen with any bike.
- Responsive off road. I rode mostly on paved surface except:

• A couple hours off road north of Lake Atitlan, GU.
• Several hundred miles of dirt, clay and some sand in Guyana.
• More dirt and gravel entering Brazil from French Guiana, ~100 miles
• Dirt roads in Argentina (off road riding for a few hours, then getting to a camping site for a stage of the Dakar Rally)
• A few hundred miles of dirt entering Bolivia from Yacuiba and riding to Tarija...)
• Maybe 50 miles of dirt northwest of Sucre, BO and miles and miles deep truck grooves south of La Paz...I still get nightmares from these...

- I found the gear ratio to be fine, but what do I know. This is my second bike and I don't have a lot of off road experience.
- Plenty of power, but had trouble keeping up the 1200's =)

Final word
Glad I had this bike when off road, plenty of power/speed on highway. I travel solo most of the time and don't ride dirt roads by choice, unless riding with others, so not that many miles logged on dirt. The F800GS has plenty of height for bumps, might be too high for vertically challenged riders. Rode an 21 year old K75 during a Central America trip in 2008-09 and had issues finding parts in some locations. Decided to get a late model BMW and rely on dealers in almost every country (I think there are three countries in Latin America without a BMW dealer.)
The bike is larger than most will need. I wanted the power for after the trip, not while in Latin America. It is light enough that I could pick it up, sometimes I had to remove luggage, but could always recover when dropping bike.
Yeah, BMW is expensive and I think its worth it. I did not suffer engine or structural problems once. Sure there will be small mechanical problems with this bike, as with any bike.
Wish I had maintenance statistics across the whole production run. Individual experiences can be misleading.

I hope this is useful to someone.