Africa is a wild and wonderful place. The people and places are diverse, extreme and beautiful. I’ve only recently got the urge to see what’s out there for myself so when Bill asked if I wanted to test the F 800 GS Adventure I jumped at the opportunity. Would this bike be all I needed or does its big brother, the R 1200 GS Adventure, still hold all the trumps?
First impressions last and this bike makes a solid statement as far as looks are concerned. Looking at the F 800 GS Adventure in the flesh you’re struck by its big brother’s (R 1200 GS Adventure) genetics and therefore encoded GS DNA. While walking around the bike it’s plain to see this GS is designed to handle the rough and rugged. You notice little details that you know come from a vast pool of knowledge and Adventure experience, nice job BM.
So after a quick briefing from the BMW guy I was eager to hit the mean streets of Joburg’s highways to see if this F 800 GS Adventure is all it’s cracked up to be. Wow! This 85hp, 800cc parallel twin engine is smooth and quiet to boot. It’s so effortless you just cruise along without ever thinking; “I could do with some more power here.” I rode the long way home, cruising the highways, detouring onto dust roads and I even squeezed in a short technical section before the sun went down on me (pardon, are you Michael Jackson? – Bill). Where did the day go?
This motor is a pleasure. I rode everywhere I could for a week and I feel the claimed 4.3l per 100 kilometres is pretty accurate, this bike is frugal. As a side note, the Adventure has a larger 24-litre petrol tank for extra peace of mind. Note to self: This could come in very handy when riding in the middle of some hot desert, far from a petrol station.
So I like the engine but found the F 800 GS Adventure suspension is set on the soft side and I noticed that there was nothing for me to adjust on the front forks as far as compression or rebound is concerned, so I suggest you set the springs up for your weight before you leave. On the other hand the rear of the bike has a very convenient handle thingy that you can twist with your hand to make the rear softer or harder, depending on the weight of your luggage, passengers and anticipated riding conditions. The ride on the F 800 GS Adventure is so comfortable with its super plush seat that it isolates you from everything and it almost becomes a non-entity, just getting on with the job without any fuss. The downside of all this comfort is felt whilst braking hard, the front end (I felt) dives a little excessively but the good thing is you can ride all day and conserve your energy as the bike takes all the knocks for you.
The weight distribution and ergonomics is top notch, you can see BMW spends a lot of time in this department. When sitting the handlebars feel a touch too far from you, but stand up and the bike feels positively wispy and light. You’ll really appreciate the wide motocross style footpegs when transferring your weight around when off-road. When riding in the standing position you’ll instantly feel that the bike enjoys positive body language and responds to every input with ease. Great stuff!
The layout of the instrument panel is perfectly located high up and easy to view from both the seated and standing position. It sits nicely behind the tall screen that shields you from the wind and annoying kamikaze insects which are hell bent on face planting you. And all the electronic gadgetry that gets displayed on this superb instrument console like the ABS, ASC and ESA are just a thumb jab away.
If you want more there are a plethora of accessories for you to customise your bike for your big Adventure, like GPS, tank bags, panniers, LED auxiliary headlights, engine guards as well as tinted windscreens, you could go to town and back depending on your budget. You can even have a lower seat if you’re vertically challenged.
So the overall riding impression is one of supreme comfort and class. This is the travel companion you look for on a long journey; lightweight and effortlessly quick. The F 800 GS Adventure is definitely built with years of Adventure experience and is almost over-engineered with a touch of the obsessive, just what you’d expect from BMW. But let’s cut to the chase. Is there anything I don’t like about the F 800 GS Adventure I hear you ask? Well no, there isn’t anything I don’t like. I’m new to adventure riding and feel this is the perfect first date for me and anyone else entering this form of riding. You can pick it up when you fall (without a crane or tractor); you just plan a trip, hop on and ride, awesome!
After my week of testing it was an extremely sad day when I was forced to return the F 800 GS Adventure to BMW. Would I buy one with my own money, oh yes I would and I probably will and its Big Boxer brother is now well and truly challenged.
