Road Test: 2008 BMW F 800 GS launch – Africa Twin!
Written: 26/02/2008 : 12:57. Read 66141 times (46/day).
“There’s a stray African dog that looks dead (but only resting) just metres in front of me in my trail. I lift the front slightly using the throttle and change to the right hand trail avoiding the dog. I noticed a lazy yawn just as I passed. Better watch out doggie, there’s more GS coming from behind.” BMW F 800 GS is the new Africa Twin! 9 votes
Once upon a time, back when the big Adventure tourer market had its feeble birth (late eighties-early nineties) BMW had the GS, Cagiva the Elefant and Honda the Africa Twin. All derived from Paris-Dakar racing successes. With the introduction of mammoth 1000-1200cc soft adventure touring motorcycles the midrange bikes have disappeared from the market. Honda and Cagiva stopped making its 750cc twins a long time ago and the BMW GS have just grown bigger and bigger into the premium section of the market.
The first indication of a revival in the mid-displacement adventure segment came in 2006 when BMW introduced its new F 800 range for the first time. Then the F 800 S and ST, but BMW have since then 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 accompanied by the smell of grilled lobster 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. I guarantee you that they are no good in deep mud and on grass!
Luckily for me, 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 understood that the route really was challenging and particularly 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 various challenging terrain.
But to get there we had to do about 60 miles on country roads. The seat height is at 880mm quite tall.
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 as standard 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 aluminium handlebar is made to absorb vibrations, however some low frequency vibrations does 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 seems to give enough legroom for comfortable touring.
The 798cc parallel twin engine derives directly from the F 800 S. But for the F 800 GS BMW have used modified camshafts to allow for an even torque response. Whilst 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 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 have also kept the F 800 GS 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. Whilst the 650 GS have different camshaft to reduce power it also features a different fuel injection map that enables the use of low quality 91 Ron fuel. To enable this in the F 800 GS spec engine you need to visit your dealer for a remapping of the injection. The F 800 GS also features high air suction snorkels on both sides of the fuel tank dummy. This enables the volumes required for the torque output. The actual fuel tank is positioned under the seat and carries a total of 16 litres 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. You may be able to push to 210 or something in favourable conditions, but not with any ease.
On the road I was also slightly disappointed in the fact that the lower gears were not punchier. I couldn’t help but to think that I would rather have the F 800 GS accelerate quicker to let’s say 180-190km/h than a motorcycle that struggles asthmatically to 200+. Lucky for us that the F 800 GS have got chain final drive so some modifications are enabled. Paralever or shaft drive can’t give you that adjustability remember…
As for road handling the F 800 GS is very stable. The new handsome looking double swingarm is made from die-cast aluminium. 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 aluminium spoked wheels.
The tyres fitted are Bridgestone Battle Wings in 90/90-21 at the front and 150/70-17 at the rear. Knobby tyres can easily be fitted.
The F 800 GS have two 300mm brake discs and 2 piston callipers. On our test bikes we also had ABS fitted. 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 whilst the bike is in neutral until the ABS warning light stops blinking. And after each time the ignition is turned off and on you need to the same thing again. 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 scenic experience.
For that reason I wasn’t racing through too fast as I wanted to enjoy some of the view too. But when I did use the throttle through the many bends, the suspension felt a tad soft in standard. I adjusted for more preload with the easy accessible adjuster wheel. That was all I needed to feel more comfortable through the bends. A narrow front tyre is great for quick steering but naturally less stable at high speed than a wider road tyre. On the 800 GS I could cruise effortlessly at the same top speed of a typical single cylinder 650 with massive comparative 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 minimizing any headshake or buffeting to my offroad helmet.
Fitted as standard is the mid sized fly fairing in the GS programme. The F 650 GS have the smallest one and there’s a taller touring screen available in the accessory programme only for the 800. In sixth gear which works mostly as an overdrive I was quite happy with the response from around 100km/h. If cruising on a motorway this is all you need to pass a slower car comfortably. For a really fast overtake on a single lane road I would click down a gear or two though.
I heard moaning about the F 800 GS having too little power etc on the launch. I agree that the GS feels a bit asthmatic on top and that the three first gears could be lower for even 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 agile than one with 100 is a lot more useful to a lot more people. If I could have had 100 I would have chosen 100, but that’s not for this product at this moment in time.
Good thing is that the F 800 GS moves effortlessly into first gear when releasing the clutch and just above 5.000 rpm is a good place to gear up for smooth riding.
Taking it all the way up the rev range wasn’t that rewarding and for those that wheelie they don’t come easy. The clutch in first gear is the only easy way.
Offroad After lunch a few of us had psyched ourselves up to doing the “black route” up a mountain and down the other side. BMW didn’t provide any F 800 GS with anything but the semi road/gravel Bridgestone Battle Wing tyres. Our South African guides were on machines such as G 650 Xchallenge and HP2 Enduro’s with knobby tyres. We did reduce the air pressure in the tyres for more grip though. After a few miles I was aching for some knobby tyres and I know that would have been a huge confidence boost for me and I would have gone much faster. At probably the trickiest place along the route I got stuck in a steep uphill rut. With knobbies and some more instant 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 just kriss 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 was where 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.
The very low down torque as soon as you open the throttle was lacking though so had to keep it going on momentum. But really, with some knobby tyres it would have all been cheesecake. You don’t really get the true feeling of a bikes dry-weight before you are stuck and have to move forwards and backwards to get out. The figure for the F 800 GS is a claimed 185 kilos. -Roughly twice the weight of me and neither light nor heavy in this segment. I first watched our South African offroad guru climb on the side of a rut where you would slide straight into the deep mini-trench without momentum. I headed into it in first gear and carried enough momentum and was almost at the top when I used slightly too much throttle so that the rear wheel span slightly to the right and continued spinning along the rut until my bike was turned and in a rut I was, but only with the rear wheel. Since the engine now rested on the side of the rut it was easier for two people to lift it and roll back which is what we did.
This sort of stuff zaps your energy quickly so I slowed down a bit so that I could sit for a couple of miles until rested enough to go faster again. 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 4x4’s so we didn’t get any shots of the action until down from the mountain on normal gravelled roads.
I am quite impressed with how the new F 800 GS tackled all this on road tyres. 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 minus the torque. -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 No more high tech than its cable clutch…
Words: Tor Sagen/Photography: Arnold Debus & Daniel Kraus
Comments
Please register if you want to write a comment: Clic here
About www.motorcyclists-online.com English version:
At the beginning, in 2001, www.motorcyclists-online.com was an exclusive French Motorcycle website. Now, since September 2005, it has become bilingual: English speaking people are welcome !
We do believe, at www.motorcyclists-online.com, that linguistic boundaries are not a problem when we share the same passion for bikes.
We are currently working on translating all articles and contents, to finish the UK/US version. You will certainly notice some bugs or translation errors: please do not hesitate to advise us by e-mail, Private Message or by posting in the Forum. Your help is welcome !
For the moment, articles which haven’t been human translated are automatically machine translated, which I must confess is not really famous, but faster than human translators.
9 votes
