There’s a stray African dog that looks dead (but only resting) just metres in front of me. I lift the front slightly using the throttle, and change to the right hand trail avoiding the dog. I notice a lazy yawn just as I pass. Better watch out doggie, there are more GS coming.
Once upon a time, back when the big adventure tourer market had its feeble birth (late eighties-early nineties) BMW had the boxer-twin GS, Cagiva the Elefant and Honda the Africa Twin. All derived from Paris-Dakar racing successes. With the introduction of the mammoth 1000-1200cc soft adventure touring motorcycles, the midrange bikes have largely disappeared from the market. Honda and Cagiva stopped making 750cc twins a long time ago, and the BMW GS have just grown bigger and bigger.
The first indication of a revival in the mid-displacement adventure segment came in 2006 when BMW introduced its new F 800 range. It started with the F 800 S and ST, but BMW have been fairly open about the fact that there would be an F 800 GS. A lighter more agile GS was a mouth watering prospect, and here it is! I had the privilege of being in the first group of journalists testing the new GS in various terrains in South Africa.
Last night upon my arrival in South Africa, lively Zulu music was accompanied by the smell of grilled lobster, but it was interrupted by some torrential rain. We all feared that what promised to be the most exciting experience on the GS, the offroad part, could be jeopardized. All the F 800 GS test bikes were fitted with the standard Bridgestone Battle Wings. They were not designed for deep mud or wet grass!
Luckily, the next day was cloudy but dry. I chose to do the more challenging “black route” for a proper enduro experience on the F 800 GS. Slightly daunting it was as I soon realized the route was particularly challenging on a Trail Wing shod F 800 GS. I never regretted it, as that part of the ride is what sticks to my memory more strongly than the road riding. The route was fantastic — with miles and miles of unpaved roads leading onto a steep mountain trail filled with challenging terrain.
But to get there we had to do about 60 miles on country roads. The seat height is quite tall at 880mm. A lowering kit (850mm) is available at no extra cost when ordering. At 6 foot nothing I had both my feet firmly placed on the ground. The seat is narrow at the front and along with a very streamlined chassis there’s no problem reaching the ground despite the tall seat height. If you are much shorter than 6 foot though the 850mm seat option might be a good idea. The foot pegs are low enough for comfort and placed correctly for stand up enduro riding. They are rubber mounted, but the rubber can be removed for safe grip riding offroad on a rainy day.
Gear lever and foot brake were ergonomically correct for my offroad boots. The wide aluminum handlebar is made to absorb vibrations, however some low frequency vibrations do come through. The handlebar provides excellent control and the turning radius is both quick and good for slow speed manoeuvres and tight offroad corners. Without having tested it, the pillion seat looks even more comfortable than the rider’s seat, and the foot pegs seem to provide enough leg room for comfortable touring.
The 798cc parallel twin engine comes directly from the F 800 S. But for the F 800 GS, BMW have used modified camshafts to allow for an even torque response. While the F 800 S engine is tilted 30 degrees forward, the F 800 GS only tilts 8.3 degrees. This has obviously forced quite a few modifications to the engine. Efficient cooling while riding for miles in first and second gear terrain is one of the main developments. Room has been made for a much wider radiator, and the new placement of the cylinders provide ideal conditions for the lubrication system. It has also allowed quick steering as there is plenty of space in front of the engine both for exhaust tubing, wide radiator and the 21-inch front wheel without using excessive rake.
The fuel injected twin cylinder engine produces a maximum 85hp @ 7,500 rpm and 83Nm @ 5,750rpm. The F 800 GS also features air suction snorkels on both sides of the fuel tank dummy. This allows the engine to receive the air volumes required for the torque output. The actual fuel tank is positioned under the seat and carries a total of 16 litres (4.2 U.S. gallons) of fuel.
I did get a couple of chances to try the top speed on the quiet South African roads. Even when having time to push for several seconds in fifth and sixth the F 800 GS didn’t accelerate with any authority above 200km/h (124 mph). You may be able to push to 210 or something in favourable conditions, but not with any ease. I was also slightly disappointed in the fact that the lower gears were not punchier. I couldn’t help but think that I would rather have the F 800 GS accelerate quicker to, let’s say 180-190km/h, than struggle asthmatically to 200+. Lucky for us the F 800 GS has chain final drive, so some sprocket modifications could address this. Paralever or shaft drive lack that adjustability.
As for road handling, the F 800 GS is very stable. The handsome new double swingarm is made from die-cast aluminum. It is long for good traction, and attached to it is an adjustable mono shock with a massive 215mm spring travel. At the front, we find a solid 45mm upside down fork with 230mm of spring travel. Attached to the suspension are new aluminum spoked wheels. The tires fitted are Bridgestone Battle Wings in 90/90-21 at the front and 150/70-17 at the rear. Knobby tires can easily be fitted.
The F 800 GS has two 300mm brake discs and 2 piston callipers in front. On our test bikes, we also had ABS. ABS is good when you ride on unfamiliar roads and when it’s wet, but for the offroad part I made sure to turn ABS off. This is done by pushing the ABS button while the bike is in neutral until the ABS warning light stops blinking. You need to do the same thing again each time the ignition is turned off. There was no doubt that some of the roads we were riding were very slippery, as the ABS worked hard when braking and I had some slides when ABS was turned off.
Riding in the South African countryside in the Valley of 1000 Hills was a very special experience. For that reason, I wasn’t racing through too fast, as I wanted to enjoy the view. But when I did use the throttle through the many bends, the suspension felt a tad soft with the standard settings. I added more preload with the easily accessible adjuster wheel. That was all I needed to feel more comfortable through the bends.
Although a narrow front tyre is great for quick steering, but naturally less stable at high speed than a wider road tire, on the 800 GS I could cruise effortlessly at the same top speed of a typical single-cylinder 650 with much more stability.
The F 800 GS is definitely more of a long range motorcycle than any single cylinder enduro. The M-shaped fly fairing didn’t protect that much from the wind, but helped minimize any headshake or buffeting to my offroad helmet. Fitted as standard is the mid-sized fly fairing in the GS programme. A taller touring screen is available. In sixth gear, which works mostly as an overdrive, I was quite happy with the response from around 100km/h (62 mph). This is all you need to pass a slower car on the motorway. For a really fast overtake on a single-lane road, I would click down a gear or two though.
I heard moaning from some other journos about the F 800 GS having too little power. I agree that the GS feels a bit asthmatic on top, and that the three lower gears could be lower still for more punch, but I feel that the F 800 GS is a good package despite this. I believe that 85 horsepower in a travel enduro that is much lighter and more agile than one with 100 horsepower is a lot more useful to a lot more people.
After lunch, a few of us psyched ourselves up to do the “black route” up a mountain and down the other side. BMW had on all of the bikes the semi road/gravel Bridgestone Battle Wing tires. Our South African guides were on machines such as the G 650 Xchallenge and HP2 Enduros with knobby tires. We did reduce the air pressure in the tires for more grip. After a few miles, I was aching for some knobby tires and I know that would have been a huge confidence boost for me and it would have allowed me to go much faster. At probably the trickiest place along the route, I got stuck in a steep uphill rut. With knobbies and some more punch in that first gear, this wouldn’t have been a problem at all. I could have paddled through and lifted the front wheel out with the engine power. However, the F 800 GS in standard shape isn’t quite that kind of bike. So I really was stuck and had to back up with some help. At that point, I swapped the F 800 GS for a G 650 Xchallenge that easily criss-crossed the rut and provided real grip on the grass next to the long rut on the narrow path. At the top of the mountain, I swapped back to the F 800 GS.
Further down the mountain I passed that wild dog having his nap in the trail. It got steeper and steeper from there on, and momentum was important. Passing some big rocks and horizontal trenches was no problem at all on the F 800 GS. The suspension action, riding position and controls are all very suitable for this type of riding. Low down torque was lacking though, so I had to keep it going on momentum. But really, with some knobby tires it would have all been cheesecake.
You don’t really get a true feeling for a bikes dry-weight until you are stuck and have to move forwards and backwards to get out. The F 800 GS is a claimed 185 kilos (407 lbs.), roughly twice the weight of me, and neither light nor heavy in this segment. Sliding into ruts is mostly rider error, but with some knobbies it would have been easier to make some mistakes and get out again. I am not sure of the exact mileage we did on gravel and trails, but it took us about 5 hours to get out and onto paved roads again. Only shame about it is that none of the photographers managed to get up there in their 4×4’s, so we didn’t get any shots of the action until we were down from the mountain on normal gravelled roads.
I am quite impressed with how the new F 800 GS tackled all this on road tires. One thing that I am absolutely convinced of now is that the F 800 GS is a much better offroad motorcycle than the big 1200 Boxer. On well maintained gravelled roads the F 800 GS is the best travel enduro I have ridden since the KTM 990 Adventure. The handling is sublime, the suspension action predictable and the big 800cc engine doubles as a touring machine of some class. The F 800 GS really works better as an all-rounder than the big 1200cc Boxer . . . mainly because it is narrower and lighter.
+
The most versatile motorcycle in the F-series
Decent suspension and handling
Really works well offroad
–
The F 800 engine lacks a little bit of oomph in lower gears for the enthusiast
