BMW F800GS

[Kiteboy]

Many of you out there on the F800GS's? I'm test riding one this morning and a bit confused. The sales pitch is that its smaller so easier to handle on a trail than the 1200GS. Had a look on the BMW off road school and they give the impression its harder to get on with off road than the 1200GS for a Newbie rider. Anyone got aftermarket crash bars etc they'd reccomend. Going to the Stella first time this year and fresh out the box so good chance I'll drop it.

Thanks

[Lancastermick]

I've ridden off-road alongside the f800gs on my f650gs mate and it seemed like a very capable big trailee. I've never heard that the 800 is harder than the 1200?! It's a hell of a lot lighter for starters which would logically mean less impact damage and easier to pick up.

Yeah, get bars though mate if shes new, then throw it around some local trails to get the feel of it. What tyres are you going for?

[scouse]

Many of you out there on the F800GS's? I'm test riding one this morning and a bit confused. The sales pitch is that its smaller so easier to handle on a trail than the 1200GS. Had a look on the BMW off road school and they give the impression its harder to get on with off road than the 1200GS for a Newbie rider. Anyone got aftermarket crash bars etc they'd reccomend. Going to the Stella first time this year and fresh out the box so good chance I'll drop it.

Thanks

Colle Sommelier will be a bit snowy this year ... you need to go next year

Based on what I saw of the little blighters this year buzzing around on the Colle - no worries , a light capable bike, power where it is needed and seem more than capable of decent autoroute cruising speeds.

[Alun]

Had a look on the BMW off road school and they give the impression its harder to get on with off road than the 1200GS for a Newbie rider. Anyone got aftermarket crash bars etc they'd reccomend. Going to the Stella first time this year and fresh out the box so good chance I'll drop it.
Thanks

That's the first I've heard of the 1200 being more off road friendly than the 800, I'll ask my mate Spence, he's owned both. Crash bars are a must on the Stella, which reminds me I've a video to post up of the Tiger going to ground just above the refuge.

[scouse]

Had a look on the BMW off road school and they give the impression its harder to get on with off road than the 1200GS for a Newbie rider. Anyone got aftermarket crash bars etc they'd reccomend. Going to the Stella first time this year and fresh out the box so good chance I'll drop it.
Thanks

That's the first I've heard of the 1200 being more off road friendly than the 800, I'll ask my mate Spence, he's owned both. Crash bars are a must on the Stella, which reminds me I've a video to post up of the Tiger going to ground just above the refuge.

Yes... lets see if it was the same corner

[Magnum]

Hi mate, as Alan said i have had both bikes, and we did the Stella in the last issue of the magazine. The F800 is better off road than the Gs1200 so i dont agree with the feedback you have been given, essentially if the trail your riding is rough, involves steep gradients, hairpins etc then the F800 is the kiddy, The Gs1200 is the bike to ride to Italy, the F800 is the bike to ride up the mountain, My rule of thumb is if you do 90% roadwork then its the 1200, 80% or less then the 800. I was really impressed with the 800 but changed as i do alot more road work than off road. Hope this helps mate but either way you will get a good product, i have been impressed with BMW ownership

[CRAIGREVO]

This is a great video to watch, and in a way adds to the GS1200 being better off road, as its mass ploughs through things without feeling them. But it all depends what you class as off road. I class off road as somewhere you couldn't go in a fwd family car. So Id say the GS800 will be better.

[Paul Neate]

I went on the BMW Off-Road Skills course (level 1) earlier this year, and everyone who tried the 1200 after the 800 found the 1200 easier to ride through the rough stuff. I think most of that was to do with the lower centre of gravity, smoother throttle response, the lower first gear and greater engine braking. I stuck with the 800 since that is what I own. Didn't want to risk scratching my rose-tinted spectacles.

Interestingly, several people commented that the 1200 was easier to pick up as well -- when the 800 goes down it goes down flat on its side, whereas the 1200 rests on the cylinder heads and doesn't go all the way down.

[scouse]

Hi mate, as Alan said i have had both bikes, and we did the Stella in the last issue of the magazine. The F800 is better off road than the Gs1200 so i dont agree with the feedback you have been given, essentially if the trail your riding is rough, involves steep gradients, hairpins etc then the F800 is the kiddy, The Gs1200 is the bike to ride to Italy, the F800 is the bike to ride up the mountain, My rule of thumb is if you do 90% roadwork then its the 1200, 80% or less then the 800. I was really impressed with the 800 but changed as i do alot more road work than off road. Hope this helps mate but either way you will get a good product, i have been impressed with BMW ownership

Get it right you lot - you rode the Colle Sommeleier

"Doing the Stella" is subtly different it's being there on the same weekend as hundreds of other nutters and barreling around corners to meet someone else /riding towards you on the same side/broken down/dropped their bike/or stopped to take in the view right on your line, while faster riders are screaming up behind or screaming towards you... adds a bit more of a frisson to the ride

[scouse]

Interestingly, several people commented that the 1200 was easier to pick up as well -- when the 800 goes down it goes down flat on its side, whereas the 1200 rests on the cylinder heads and doesn't go all the way down.

That is all Boxers on the flat... wait until you hit diesel going along the road when the flip up onto their bars and turn turtle... or going downhill on gravel. Both have happened to me on the 1100 in the last three months. After riding it for over 5 years always on the rubber side I have had it shiny side down three times since the start of July... okay it was twice in one day for the gravel

But any bike with a large front wheel is easy to get back up as you can pivot the weight round the axle better.