| | | | Road Test: 2008 BMW F 800 GS launch – Africa Twin! |  Written: 26/02/2008 : 12:57. Read 7941 times (102/day). | | The integrality of this filed article is for Premium Members. | “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!
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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 s ...
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