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