BMW F800ST. Even used it's spendy, but it's nicely tricked out with ABS brakes, bags, and a center stand. It's a lot more stable than the V-Strom was - I'm pretty comfortable with both feet flat on the ground.
But damn, Beemers seem to be even spendier for what you get than Harleys. And they seem to inspire the same sort of customer loyalty. What do you think? Worth the extra cash?
In other biking news, my raid gear works great in the rain. Ask me how I know. Also, #1 Son takes the Motorcycle Safety Course next weekend. I'll need another bike soon.
15 comments:
my raid gear works great in the rain
Borepatch, you're the only blogger I know who could write that and make me think of three possible meanings:
1) It's a typo, and you meant to say "my rain gear works great in the rain."
2) Your riot shield, helmet, nightstick, and tear gas launcher are all water resistant.
3) Your off-site backup storage is a rack of disk drives in a NEMA 4 box in the back yard.
Dave, LOL. But no "All of the above" option?
All of the above.
They're excellent bikes, don't skimp on the maintenance. be sure your comfortable with the seating position, Beemers tend to not have a lot of options as to where you put your feet.
The Anti-lock breaks have saved my life at least twice. Try some emergency stops and you should notice that the front doesn't dive like it does on most bikes - that's the front end geometry.
They tend to be light for the displacement which is nice.
The electrical systems are pure CAN-bus - or were, I doubt they've changed. If you want to add electronics, you may want to add a CAN-Bus fuseblock - check out
http://www.touratech-usa.com/Store/597/PN-044-0450/TPS-15-CAN-Bus-Output-Helper-fuse-block
It's a nice bike.
I have no experience with the F800 but I do have about 10 years riding the R1100 and R1150 RTs. I love my BMWs and I wholeheartedly recommend them. With one caveat. Service and repair. It's not too bad if you can do most of your own work but parts are expensive and some work just needs to be done by the dealer and it ain't cheap. That said I'm a BMW guy. I rode one at work for better that 6 years and loved it so much I bought one of my own. The best word for a BMW is competent. I've had most every type and make of motorcycle you'd care to name and have settled on the Beemer.
Having had a few Beemers, I'll second Six's comment above - learn to spin your own wrenches. FYI, www.capitalcycle.com in DC is (or, at least used to be) a source of discounted BMW parts. Reuben and Jerry (can't remember their last names) owned Capital Courier, which used about 30 old R600s, and at the time Butler & Smith in NJ was the BMW importer. Parts were VERY spendy and sometimes hard to get, so R&J went to Munich and bought a couple containers worth of parts to keep their stuff running, and to defray costs advertised BMW bits at 20% off retail in the bike mags, UPS to your door. Don't know if R&J are still there, or if CC still discounts parts. Even at a discount tho, BMW bits are still spendy. Fortunately, with proper maintenance you don't need many more than the usual expendables (filters, brake pads, etc.). BMWs do take lots of specialty tools to perform major work, so you're a dealer prisoner if you do need that.
That, and the dealer infrastructure, figured into my choice of the Honda ST1100. Very few Honda dealers stock much in the way of ST parts, but I can easily get those online, and if wrench work is needed on the road there are a lot more Honda dealers than BMW dealers.
I'll echo the above, one of my co-workers has both an 800 and an 1100 and loves them both. He DOES bitch about the dealer maintenance costs though...
Forgot to mention, the BMW Boxer twins have an advantage over designs like the 800 (never had an 800, or saw one apart so I'm guessing) - "Mexican base gaskets." BMW makes thicker cylinder base gaskets - moves the cylinders out another .025" or so, lowering the compression enough so they can run regular gas. Otherwise, you're buying premium all the time. Drops the HP a few, but not enough to worry about on an 1100, simple to install. Other than wrenches, only tools needed are a ring compressor (or two sets of hands with good thumbnails) and a torque wrench, readjust the valves, done. Few bucks up front for gaskets, save 30 cents a gallon for life. I've even gotten away with re-using the original head gaskets, although I'd suggest new ones.
OldNFO, that's what I'm starting to think. The bike is very likeable - comfortable and, well, competent. But the gas is high octane (spendy) and the repairs seem spendy, too.
Before committing to a Beemer try a boxer.
The parallel twins and inline 4s are heretics in the eyes of this biased, airhead owner. I've heard vague, self satisfying, and therefore unresearched rumors the 800s have heat issues that eat stators and cause a few other issues.
But I'm biased. This all may be fixed or have never been a problem and the bikes may be fan-frickn-tastic at this point. I have to admit the F800GS I saw a the MOA rally a few (five?) years ago looked like a worthy successor to the R80GS.
Yeah, parts are expensive. And the new ones have a lot of software in them. But you'll be able to keep that bike running forever, unlike Japanese options.
Highly recommended by our club members that own one. BMW quality without the height & weight issues of the bigger bikes, very adaptable (twisties or straight lines, no problem), and a very comfortable medium distance tourer.
I am aware that BMW parts are more expensive in the USA than in the UK - but the likelihood of needing anything major outside of routine servicing is low. Look at Ebay UK, it may be cheaper to import your own used spares for major repairs. I suggest DIY spanner twirling as much as possible - note : extreme caution and some knowledge of CANBus needed if you want to play auto-electrician.
Forgot to mention, BMW practically invented modern motorcycle ergonomics, so you near enough have to be an alien species not to be comfy on a BMW..!
Late to the party, but still adding my .02:
Loved the 1200GS I rented in Oz last year... Comfy, responsive, nice ergos.
Beemer ABS kicks ass.
Cons: BMW-certified/Dealer maintenance is pricey. Find a mom & pop shop that will work on Beemers for regular scale...
Otherwise, If I find the right one for the right price, I'd jump on it.
Literally.
TBG
I still say to check out the Triumph Tiger 800. They're pushing hard to equal the F800 GS. I think they exceed it in some respects, particularly power, smoothness, and bang-for-the-buck.
That being said, if you get the Beemer, you won't be sorry. That F800 ST is gorgeous.
Echoing pretty much everything the other BMW owners said in comments. I've owned two R bikes now, and loved them both. Routine maintenance I perform myself, as well as R&R on brake pads and that sort of thing. Both bikes have run like a dream with very few issues. Properly cared for, the BMWs will run a lifetime.
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