Bike Review: BMW F800S

The weather was miserable yesterday for the Ottawa Goodtime Centre's BMW Demo Day. Rain was pouring down as I pulled into the parking lot. All the Bimmers looked miserable cozied up under their respective tents and as I walked into OGTC, I was sure I was going to be told the test rides were off...

But of course, you know they weren't. Despite the driving rain, we geared up, got our briefing from the two BMW reps riding with us in group formation, chose our respective mounts, and were off.

The route itself was fairly straightforward and due to the rain there were no high speed maneuvers to be done unfortunately but I did get the chance to compare it with my SV. First thing I noticed were the tires, the SV wears Dunlop D220s as standard whereas the F800 has Continental Roadattacks - definitely more suited to high-performance riding. I mounted up and found the riding position to be much more upright; I had almost no weight on my wrists with only a teeny bit of forward lean and pressure on my lower back. With my left foot on the ground, the bike was canted every so slightly to that side. Both feet down meant I could touch with everything but my heels on the ground. I'm slightly vertically challenged but BMW has thought of that. They offer a lowered seat or a lowered seat and suspension combination. It should be noted though, that opting for the second option reduces some of the carrying capacity of the bike.

As I looked over the controls of the bike, everything was where it should be only... just a little off. For example, the Engine Kills switch, instead of a rocker as on the SV, was rotational. Not a big deal, just something to get used to. The turn signals on the other hand, were wonky! Each grip had it's respective turn signal with the cancel switch being where the starter button is on the SV.

On the left-hand grip there was one usual button, marked 'INFO'. This controls the on-board computer (Extra charge option). Pushing it cycled through the exterior temperature, average fuel economy, kilometers to empty, and back again. The display also contained a gear indicator - a handy-dandy feature for when you forget which one you're in!

On the right-hand grip, there was the control for the heated grips. During this ride, boy did they ever come in handy. There are three settings: off, low, and high. Even on low, my hands were toasty within a minute and when I tested the high setting, I had to turn it off after 30 seconds! Definitely an appreciated feature!

So I got settled and fired her up. Definitely quieter than the SV and very little drama once away in first. On the road, the ride was extremely composed and settled. Despite the weather, everything felt smooth - I could ride for hours on this thing! Coming up to a stop I notice my first concern, the brakes have almost no feeling to them! They're powerful but hard to modulate. Good thing we were going slow so the ABS had no need to kick on.

Rowing back up through the gears, I noticed a recurrent theme: smooth! The tranny was easy to shift but didn't particularly enjoy being rushed. Even if you missed a shift, the belt-drive took up most of the lash, resulting if very little kick - a nice change from the SV, which seemed high-strung by comparison.

In all, I liked my experience with the F800 and would consider it for a long-distance replacement to the SV. The only thing holding me back is the price. Starting at $11,000 before taxes and options, the F is like most Bimmers, beyond the means of most mere mortals.

Pros:
+ Smooth, smooth, smooth!
+ No chain maintenance

Cons:
- Brakes lack feeling
- Price

link: www.bmw-motorrad.ca

Experienced Rider Course (ERC)

So today I took the Ottawa Safety Council's Experienced Rider Course. Offered as frequently as the Gearing Up class, this one focuses on refining the emergency and slow-riding skills learnt from the beginner's course.

The course usually costs around $100 but OSC will offer a discount to groups. I signed up as part of the Ott-Motorcycle group and received a considerable discount so it may be worth your while to find a bunch of friends who ride in order to take advantage of this offer. Don't worry if you can't find twenty friends, OSC will fill the empty slots with other riders!

I arrived at the Mitel parking lot for 8:45 and there were already half a dozen riders waiting around for the instructors, who showed up a few minutes later and quickly began checking over the participant's bikes.

Afterwards, we started the morning off with slow circles around the parking lot to get the brakes and tires warmed up - good thing, it was chilly! From there, we moved into slow-speed maneuvers around cones in the parking lot. This was very challenging since you had to be on the clutch and brake at the same time while keeping the throttle constant - skills that were themes for the day!

From the cones we moved onto braking in a straight line and then we tried something new, deliberately trying to slide the front end. By putting the front wheel on a piece of plywood, the instructors coached us on how to make the front end slide in order to give us an idea on what a front-wheel lockup would/will feel like. The moral of the story with this exercise: if your front brake locks up, release it and reapply ASAP! After lunch, we did another new activity: going over an object in your path. The trick here is to stand up a bit on the pegs (so your legs can absorb the shock) and then gas it just before you get to the object. Of course, like most non-tarmac things - try to hit it perpendicular to your travel line!

When we finished the new stuff, we wrapped up with some old favourites: figure-eights, circles, u-turns, and finally, braking on a curve. Nothing really new here but the instructors gave us lots of practical feedback on improving our techniques and things to look out for/be aware of.

Since the course doesn't count towards licensing, everyone passed. Some insurance companies will take the certificate provided and give a discount for riders who are successful. Finally, they filled us on in on options/opinions for further training (dirt riding near Peterborough, FAST at Shannonville, Track Days... Mmmm... Can't wait!)

Definitely recommended!

Leather Repair & Alterations

Leather is a great material for protecting a rider during a fall or crash. Though more expensive than textile, they can often be repaired afterwards too.

Buying off-the-rack clothing for my first set of gear meant that stuff doesn't exactly fit perfectly. I'm not that tall (5'8") but fairly broad through the chest and shoulders yet narrow enough (34") through the waist.

All that said, here's a list of leather repair and alteration places that seem to cater to motorcyclists. Keep in mind, I haven't used any of them so I can't vouch for the quality of their work.

Leather Repair in & around Ottawa

Brebner Manufacturing and Repairs Inc.
613-729-8178
Peter (Owner)
http://brebnerottawa.ca
Ottawa

International Tailor
Carleton Place

Leather Loft
613-489-1511
Kars

Regional Shoe Repair
613-824-3325
Orleans

Bells Corners Shoe Repair
613-829-8394
Nepean

Kanata Shoe Repair
591-0832
Kanata

First Looks: Shark S-800 Motorcycle Helmet

Well, a professional reviewer I am not but I feel reasonably qualified to give my $0.02 here.

I was given S-800 as a gift from my then-girlfriend. She bought it from a local Motorcycle shop not long ago. As some may know this model has since been discontinued, replaced instead by the Shark S-650. Needless to say, I got a smokin' deal on it ($200 out the door).

Since there's still 2 feet of snow outside, I have yet to try it on the road. I will update this First Look into a full review at that time.

Compared to my old lid, this one seems to have a smaller shell. That's interesting because they're both similar sizes (my HJC was an XL and the Shark is a L).

The liner in the Shark is VERY comfortable. I would call it plush even. It fits snug all the way around my head with no pressure points. As a result of all the padding, it seems to be much quieter than the HJC however, that's in the house, not on the road. In addition,

For venting, there is a chin vent and a forehead vent. Both operate in the same way - push on the front of the vent to open it, push on the little button to close. Very simple and easy to use with gloves on - a major consideration at speed.

Weight-wise, I haven't measured the two lids but on my head they're both easy to manage. I would guess they're in the average range for helmets (see Web Bike World for articles on this).

The graphics on the Shark are very slick. It has a nice matte finish to it. I'm not big on crazy graphics but the paint scheme on this helmet matches my jacket so at least I'll be a colour coordinated Power Ranger!

Purchased from: Gearhead
Price paid: $194.25 (incl. taxes)

Pros:

+ Comfortable!
+ Good lookin!

Cons:

- Discontinued

Links n' stuff

Here are a few links I use regularly in my learnings on motorcycling:

Web Bike World

Great website full of candid reviews on just about anything motorcycling related.

Great Ontario Bikeroads

Extremely dated but full of good information. I'd like to take some local routes and update them for Google Maps.

Ott-Motorcycles

The defacto standard for my hometown. Generally well-populated with good information and links.

SV Rider

THE website for the Suzuki SV650. Lots of information on riding and modding. Definitely recommended if the SV floats your boat (and why wouldn't it???)