The only time I’ve ever had an issue with heat from the bike on my right side is in very hot conditions (30C/90F+) when stuck in traffic and the fan kicks in and fires baking hot air at my right inner leg. It’s not an issue at all on cool days as the fan rearly, if ever comes on. If it’s hot air from the fan then I’m not sure there is a solution as the fan needs to cool off the engine.
D

Can anyone contact me and tell me how to solve the issue.

john.cowen@csaa.com

Firstly you’re right, my height is 5’9”/179cm and not 170cm, my mistake there.

At 170cm you might have a problem with the stock seat height in the beginning, tall bikes get a bit of getting used to. You’ll have to get used to getting on/off differently than low bikes, also you need to get used to only having one foot on the ground while stopped with the other foot remaining on the foot peg. Tall bikes generally have narrow seats to help facilitate this. There are plenty of vids on YouTube giving tips on this technique, there is a slight learning curve which anyone can master and there are plenty of folks shorter than 170cm riding bikes taller than the 800GS. It took me a few weeks to get used to the 800GS height, now it’s second nature to the point that bikes with lower seats feel weird.

When I bought the 800GS I decided to get the low seat which gave me more confidence as it was a very different type of bike to what I was used too, but now I mostly use the standard seat as I find the low seat too low. However you might find the low seat a option better for you.

The 800GS is a great bike for solo touring, it will happily do 130kph for days on end returning around 58-62mpg with 68mpg-70mpg at 100kph. However if you are looking to do long distance touring with big motorway distances of 700-1000km in a day you really need to get a touring screen, the stock fly screen is perfect for trails/greenlanes etc but they don’t work well on motorways. The stock saddle is comfortable enough for 300km, less for a pillion, after that it becomes a pain if not unbearable. The best solution for this is the AirHawk Seat or at the very least a gel pad. For you I’d recommend using the low seat + the AirHawk + touring/tall screen for touring and you’ll happily cross continents.

Touring with a pillion is a different ball game, personally I think the stock 800GS is not very well suited for this for a number or reasons, all of which are fixable, but at a cost. You have to realize though that the F800GS was never designed for two-up touring in the first place! Neither the frame, suspension, tyres nor brakes are comparable to the likes of the 1200GS which was designed with rider + pillion in mind. If I wanted to do a big tour of Europe with my wife I’d choose the 1200GS to do it on.

Firstly the front forks are too softly sprung, at the best of times they dip heavily if you need to grab the brakes for a quick stop and a pillion is not going to enjoy that! This becomes a bigger issue if you roll into a corner too fast, if you don’t know how to handle the bike you can easily find yourself loosing control and end up parking in a tree. The soft front end suspension is a common complaint with all 800GS owners. It’s ok for solo riding, but the extra weight of a pillion drastically changes the dynamic of the bike. The biggest blight of the bike is the lack of valving in the fork and springs that are two soft. Both of those problems are solvable by a suspension specialist or a cartridge kit and then there no qualms with the bikes handling.

Alternatively the BMW ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjust) works well, slipping the ESA into Sport Mode firms up the bike to compensate for a pillion. I however flatly refuse to take a pillion on a 800GS with a standard stock suspension setup.

Another safety issue to consider is the tubed tyres. These do not suit two up touring! Firstly you need to carry extra tools to fix a flat, that’s more weight you don’t want. The big issue however is the way tubed tyres deflate, i.e. very quickly or possibly explosively which is more likely with the extra weight and extra psi in your tyres. In the admittedly unlikely event you were to pick up a sharp object causing a puncture at any speed you’ll have little to no hope of bringing the bike to a safe and controlled stop with a pillion. In 24 years of riding bikes a blow-out on the rear tyre has only happened to me once, but fuck me sideways if I ever want to experience that again. Due to that experience I’ll never accept the responsibility and take a pillion on any bike with tubed tyres. Tubeless are a much safer option for two-up touring, they also last longer as they don’t run as hot. Because tubed tyres run hotter you will also have to ride slower (120kph max, 110kph to be safe) if riding in hot weather with a pillion on a motorway on tubed tyres. There are other tyre matters to consider too for two-up touring. The 800GS has a 21” front wheel which limits your tyre choice, basically you’re stuck with dual sport tyres like Pirelli Scorpion Trails or Anakee III’s neither of which are as good at road touring as 100% road tyres. For solo riding they are fine, but if you accept the responsibility of carrying a pillion you should really aim for the best tyres possible for wet weather grip and braking. The sad truth is that in an off the pillion almost always receives more serious injuries. Also, as far as I am aware today, the Pirelli Scorpions and the Anakee III are the only tyres tested and recommended by BMW. This means that if you chose any other tyre your motorcycle insurance company may NOT cover you in the event of an accident.

The issue with tubed tyres can be solved by fitting Alpina tubeless rims, but they are not cheap! If you also add in the cost of fixing the suspension you’re already spending almost the same as you would for a 1200GS which as I mentioned before is a far better option for two-up touring.

All of this really depends on what type of two-up touring you’re talking about. If you simply intend an occasional trip where you will not be using the motorway or doing high speeds or long distances then you will be fine on a stock 800GS. But if you want to cross Europe and ride in the Pyrenees or Alps you need to spend a lot of money (€2500-€3000) turning the 800GS into a capable touring bike for two-up touring. If this is the case you really need to consider a 1200GS or the likes of maybe the Tiger 800.
I love the 800GS, I have both the standard 800GS which I love using for trail riding, solo touring and everyday use. I also have the 800GS Adventure with ESA and Alpina Tubeless Rims fitted which I use for long distance touring or riding with a pillion. However when touring I always ride solo, if I decided to do much touring with a pillion I’d probably sell the 800GSA and buy a 1200GS as it’s much better suited, and safer for two-up touring.

Hope this info helps with your decision.

Safe riding,
Denis

I’ll be returning to ride part of the Wild Atlantic Way in September starting in Dublin on the 2nd and finishing around 1pm on the Sligo/Donegal border on the 8th after which I’ll be riding to Belfast to get the ferry to the Isle of Man. You are more than welcome to join us. Here’s my itinerary accommodations that I’ve booked into along the way if you would like to book the same places yourself. You can book them all online using booking.com with the exception of The Beach Bar B&B on the 7th, to make a booking here you will have to contact them by email beachbarireland@gmail.com but best by phone and ask for Darren +353 (0) 719176465

We will be riding aproximatly 250km per day which will take aproximatly 8-9 hours to complete as the roads are small limiting our average speed to aprox 40kmph. However I can send you the route as a Google Map, Garmin .GDB or .GPX so you can’t get lost You can also choose your own speed and shorter routes for yourself and meet up for food an beers in the evening. However, if traveling to the West of Ireland I would recommend booking the accommodation very soon as the area will be busy and many of the hotels are already full during those dates. I will also be riding in the western Basque Pyrenees for a 4, maybe 5 days in early May, but I have not yet got exact dates for this as it will greatly depend on when the high passes are likely to open.

This years ininerary is:
Day 1 Check In 2nd Sept – http://www.booking.com/hotel/ie/the-old-imperial-youghal.html

Day 2 Check In 3rd Sept – http://www.booking.com/hotel/ie/glengarriff-park.html

Day 3 Check In 4th Sept – http://www.booking.com/hotel/ie/the-anvil-bar.html

Day 4 Check In 5th Sept – http://www.booking.com/hotel/ie/hylandsburrenhotel.html

Day 5 Check In 6th Sept – http://www.booking.com/hotel/ie/newport-newport.html

Day 6 Check In 7th Sept – The Beach Bar B&B Sligo http://www.thebeachbarsligo.com

Day 7 Check In 8th Sept – http://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/corr-s-corner.html (Optional)

All the best,
Denis

A dozen times eh? I did not realise my writing skills were that good – or so bad that you had to read it 6 times to understand it lol…

As to your questions, there is no getting around it except that there are pros and cons to everything…..

As for the 800GSA’s arse looking big, well I see that not as a design issue, but more of a functionality issue. You only really have 2 choices when it comes to bikes with long range tanks, either stick the tank under the seat like the 800GSA, or up and in front of the rider position as in the 1200GSA – or most bikes with 3rd party extended tank setups.

Personally I prefer the 800GSA’s set up as the more traditional set up usually makes a bike feel very top heavy which for me makes life difficult on an already tall bike. Obviously with the 800GSA’s under and behind the rider tank placement I get the extra fuel without the bike getting very top heavy, and it lowers the overall center of gravity – but the ass does become bigger. This really matters little until of course you slap a couple of metal side cases on her and all hope of filtering goes out the window..

Although from my point of view the 1200GS/A becomes the size of a family saloon car with hard panniers fitted too, the width now being the same as the 800GSA. Actually all adv bikes get fat arses with hard cases, even the road version of the Tiger 800 is as wide as the 800/1200GSA with hard panniers on it. It wont matter what you buy, all adv bikes loose filtering ability with hard panniers fitted. If you get out a measuring tape and measure the width of a R1200RT with it’s moulded and tidy panniers fitted the difference between that and the 800GSA is barely 2cm. The main reason the hard cases look so unusually big on the F800GS/A is because the bike is tall and skinny to begin with.

For shorter trips, or solo trips on surfaced roads I now use soft panniers, I chose to go for the Wolfman Expedition Dry Panniers, available in the UK from Adventure-Spec.com. I’ve been using them for a year and find them excellent, they’re 100% waterproof and can hold 38 liters which along with a top box is more than enough for a 4 week solo trip. Good quality soft panniers are usually the way to go as they keep your bikes ability to filter and maneuver on tight roads. They also stop you from packing the kitchen sink which many folks seem to think is necessary – even for a long weekend! Although if you’re camping that extra space comes in handy for carrying the beer..

Remember however, soft panniers have a downside. Firstly you can’t park your bike in the center of Milan and go for a walkabout and still expect your gear to be in your panniers on your return. And 2nd, if you intend to ride off road and you have a fall soft panniers are liable to rip open, nor will they protect you or your bike like metal panniers can. At the end of the day, its the type of roads and location that you intend to ride that will dictate a decision to go for hard or soft panniers. Pro’s and cons to everything.

Do I really think the 800GS Adventure is so much better than the standard GS? For me – yes but not necessarily for you.

There are only 2 real differences between the standard model and the Adv model. Firstly it’s slightly more comfortable, better and wider saddle and more wind protection, so for long distance days it’s a better option, a regular standard ride for me is 300km, a long day more likely to be 800-1000km. If your in that ball game then the 800GSA might be a better option. The 2nd big difference is the fat ass tank which will allow me to push 450-490km before a refill. Again for me this is a big bonus as I prefer to ride out into the middle of nowhere, well off the beaten track with few places to find fuel and here in Spain thats been an issue for me more than once.

However, if I was permanently living back in Ireland or the UK I’d never really be riding 800km + in a day, nor would I ever be more than 20km from the nearest petrol station, nor would said petrol station likely be closed for siesta when I need it most. If that were the case I’d as likely choose a standard 800GS.. For me the 800GSA is an “almost all terrain”, long distance tourer that 100% suits my needs, it’s a tool to do a job and I bought it using my head and not my heart. If I used my heart I’d buy a Ducati. The 800GSA is not a pretty bike by any means but it ticks all my functional boxes – except for good looks, but a Ducati it is not.

My mother once told me never to marry and overly beautiful woman. Great to have on your arm yes, but she will never cook, most likely be highly strung, will most definitely be high maintenance and every scumbag will try to steal her. A bit like a Ducati

Simplest way to put it is this, assuming it’s a BMW you’re after. If you seriously intend to do long distance touring on and off road then it’s the 1200GSA or 800GSA. If it’s mid range touring on and off road it’s the standard 800GS. If it’s mid or long range touring on paved roads in real comfort then it’s the 1200GS or RT. And if you can, test ride all of ‘em as they are all brilliant, you just need to pick the right tool for the job (riding) you intend to do. In this case it’s better to act like a teenager and ride as many as you can before you marry one, eh, sorry, I mean buy one…..

Hope this helps, let me know what you eventually decide on..

Denis

+

Regards
Ian

Sorry for late reply, I was making my way to Spain so just catching up on things now.

Motorcycle tech certainly has come a long way since I first climbed onto a bike over 25 years ago, most of it in a good way. As for the Tiger, I really liked many things about my Tiger 800, mainly the engine and the build quality. But it was also one of the few bikes I did not regret selling as it just did not suit me. I found it to be top heavy and the computer really annoyed me in that the function buttons can not be safely used while riding, they really should be bar mounted. The Triumphs computer is actually better than BMW’s, but as it can only be used when you have stopped it’s essentially pointless.

The Tiger was also a thursty bike and would plow through a full tank too quickly for me to consider using it for regular touring. I was averging only 44mpg, but on a spirited run it was more like 36mpg or less which buts the bike into the “weekend fun run” catagory for me and not the everyday and touring mile muncher.

I also tried the XC version, essentially it’s the same bike except that XC is a bit better on dirt tracks and the road version is unsurprisingly a little better at cornering. Compairing the Tiger XC against the 800GS on dirt tracks the GS wins out for me. I found the Tiger about as friendly as a rabid dog and far too top heavy in the dirt. For me at least the Tiger XC is strictly a road bike dressed up to look like a GS. There is nothing wrong with that and it suits many people. If you enjoy really spirited runs on surfaced roads and don’t have a problem with it’s fuel economy the Tigers make for a better road bike than the 800GS.

As for my 800GSA the engine is admittidly not as as exciting as the Tigers, but it’s plenty fast enough to be fun and gives me an average of 68-72mpg at motorway speeds and a range of almost 500km if i ride carefully. The 800GS/A has none of the other issues that annoyed me on the Tiger either, but everyones priorities are different.

It would be a good idea to try the 800GSA as it’s a brilliant bike, it’s cheap to run, easy to maintain and makes a first class long distance touring platform. If you get a test ride on one take it out for a good long 200km ride on as many different types of road as you can to give it a chance to impress. The secret to the 800GS’a usefulness is it’s ability to take on almost almost every type of road or dirt track. The only thing that really limits the bike is the rider or the tyres fitted. Let us know what you think of it yourself after the test ride.

Safe riding mate..

Denis

Excellent review, very interesting and timely.

I`m from Australia and in my late 50`s. I`m currently returning back to riding after mainly doing the usual “off-road” stuff during my 20`s and 30`s on various bikes which progressed to a KTM500 and Maico490, but then had to give it away before I killed myself.

Boy, hasn`t motorcycle technology changed since then! But unfortunately my skill level, fitness and rebound from regular injuries is not what it used to be. So in my return to riding these days, I have decided to mainly do black-top riding, but I still have that urge to get into some occasional off-road stuff at a safer pace.

I`m currently looking at a few new bike options, so I test rode a new Tiger 800 XC a couple of days ago on local suburban roads. What a hoot and how silky smooth is that tripple! WOW!! I nearly committed to one on the spot, except old age and common sense told me to do more research, which I have and now I`m definitely undecided.

Since reading your excellent review on the BMW F 800 GSA and the opinion on your more street oriented Tiger, I will definitely need to take a GSA for test ride first.

Have you ever ridden the XC version of the Tiger or would most of its shortcomings still be similar to yours?

I welcome all comments and advice. Cheers!

Kind regards, Paul

I’ve had to put a few upgrades to it though. The engine bars and bash plate that come with the 800GSA are shall we say “limited” in their value. I’ve replaced these in favour for the Adventure-Spec set-up which are excellent and great value for money. The Adv-Spec bash plate is absolutely bomb proof and covers the prone oil filter, a major weak point for an off-roading F800GS/A. And I can also confirm the Adv-Spec engine bars which come up over the front fairing do a great job for low speed and standing drops – I’ve no intention of testing ‘em for a high speed drop

http://www.adventure-spec.com/default/catalogsearch/result/?q=F800GS+Adventure

I’ll probably end up replacing the hand guards too as they are not particularly solid, fine for keeping the winter wind off my paws, but that’s about it. As most will keep their F800GSA on the tar 98% of the time the hand guards that come with the bike are fine.

For each of these 3 upgrades it’s only if you know there is a high chance of dropping the bike, i.e. riding off the tar that you’d seriously consider these upgrades. If you only do road touring you only need these upgrades if you want to look the part and increase your chances of getting girls lol………. I love getting off the road, but have little skill in the dirt so I’m bound to drop it from time to time, hence the extra expense.

One last little upgrade to my 800GSA..
I’ve also fitted a Scottoiler, in my book it’s an essential item for any chain driven touring bike. On a pannier loaded F800GS I can easily get 6,000km on normal roads without needing to adjust/tighten the chain, even more depending on my riding. So for a mid range (1-2 week) tour I can leave some heavy duty tools at home as well as getting a longer chain/sprocket life.

From time to time (e.g. mid-tour or when I’ve been playing in the mud) I’ll temporarily increase the oil flow which effectively washes the chain. If on a really long tour and I run out of the Scottoil blue lube I’ll just add any clean engine oil to the Scottoiler dispenser and adjust the flow to suit the oil viscosity. They are expensive for their size, but definitely well worth the money for anyone riding long distances on a chain drive.
http://www.scottoiler.com

Safe riding,,

Denis