2018 BMW F850GS Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2024
- 2018 BMW F850GS Review: As a fan and owner of the R1200GS I was very keen to ride this, BMW's new "middleweight" adventure bike. Stay tuned to see if I was disappointed!
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“A confidence inspiring machine” is exactly what it is. Ever since I own my 850gs I really had fun and enjoy riding again. This bike got me out of a depression and out of a time I almost quit riding... love the friendly characteristics and it has enough power to go if you want to. Ahh and did first time off-roading, thats just a lot of fun! Brilliant bike!
Good stuff!
I recently got a f800gs. Fitted a proper screen and comfort seat. I'll be riding it for years. Really like it.
Srgthe wish I could keep one for more than 2 years. They always make something newer that catches my eye. I've owned an FJR for exactly 2 years and even though it is perfect for what I need, I'm looking around. Then theirs my cb1000r...lol.
Yeah I like the 800. If I was going to get one of these here 850 dealios, it'll be a few years down the line when I can buy one used, to save on the price tag and not have to deal with the reliability issues of a first year model.😁
I wish BMW would go back to their roots and stick a shaft on one of their middleweights. It would be my next bike.
Mark Stewart have to agree with you Mark, I'm done oiling and adjusting chains.
andy smith I have the 1200GS. It’s simply brilliant but...if I could drop a weight class and retain the shaft drive I would. Shaft drive=less maintenance, cleaner and you just ride.
Some here, wake up bmw!
Mark Stewart I'd love that to :)
I had an F800ST. The engine was brilliant as the Kevlar belt was superb, however the only place to get a replacement belt was BMW which made them and they wanted to charge a lot of money to replace it at 24k miles. Also the drive teeth can break if stones and grit get in there so arguably a chain is better for a machine that might be used off road.
The pure comedy routine that is your relationship with your nemesis the "white van" is worth the subscription alone. All your valuable information is just icing on the cake. Thanks man.
I really don’t get why they bother putting that tiny screen on, after all it’s a tourer ?
Not only is the Tracer GT cheaper, but it comes with panniers, cruise control and heated grips, not to mention better wind protection. No contest. However I bought the Kawasaki Z1000sx.
I very recently bought a similar bike with the same spec. I agree with everything that's been said. However, the wind buffeting was a let down so I bought a touring screen, which made all the difference. To me it looks better with the bigger screen
Blimey you're up early. Nice to see a reasonably priced BMW. When you say you don't need more power, I still think the similar priced Tracer the better option because it has more power for easier overtakes. The Beemer does look good mind, like you say so many great bikes out there.
Banditmanuk if you gave the bmw an extra cylinder. 17" cast wheels suspension set up for more road based riding it would compete well with the tracer but be a very different bike.
Haha! White van man comes and the white van man goes! What a riot. I can't get over that. It's quite hilarious.
Great video as always, Flyer. I really like the color scheme on that 850. I'm sure any BMW is a treat. Hey! Before you know it you'll be over 100k subs! Cheers, Flyer!
The red It's the only colour that cost's no extra money, i would have that dark green metallic but i think it's £400 extra, the white with racing colours is a bit shouty for me.
Lovely bike as usual from BM, they make such quality bikes, really like them . All the best 👍😎
Nice bike , getting older and still touring out here when I get the chance on the tiger 955i I feel that a smaller 800 would be a great choice , a smaller 800 with shaft drive I think would be a good idea , I know it adds to weight but the benefits are worthwhile.
David Quinn also adds to the cost and efficiency, 2 x 90° bends of the output shaft looses a lot of power. That's why bmw boxer engines and moto guzzi work so well with a shaft.
K800 anyone?
domster200 i'm still hoping for a F850xr.
Watching this while on a tour around New Zealand on the exact bike! Got two of them on loan for 26 days and we are exactly halfway through. Wanted to see if our thoughts/impressions lined up with reviews on TH-cam. The main thing we have discovered is the screen is not good enough. You want to replace the small screen with something bigger as the buffeting we feel is horrendous at 60mph+. Like your head is being rattled off your body. Other than that - the bike is fantastic. With 3 laden boxes per bike, the weight is still manageable and they handle beautifully. Leave it in dynamic mode and it's brilliant on twisty roads. Just feels that BMW deliberately put a crap screen on it to protect the bigger brother bike / upsell...
Can you do reviews on white vans? I bought the Tracer GT over the BMW the engine is so smooth & it comes with more extras.
And that triple sounds so good.
Folks, I tried a Tracer and struggled with the gearbox. The up changes didn’t always catch the gear, didn’t engage. It was a problem all the way from 3rd up to 6th. Is that common or did I try a bad bike? I also didn’t like the position of the selector or back brake so might have been a fit problem, maybe adjustable. Just interested to hear your thoughts.
Great review as ever, agree you'd probably need to swap the screen for something a bit larger to get the extra protection. Nice you showed us a glimpse of the dealership at the start, cheers.
Heard this bike in person this weekend, it sounds like a Thruxton R with stock pipes, kinda cool actually.
Perfect timing for this review as I rode that very bike you tested and decided to order a GS 850 Sport ...
Does it seem odd that people complain about DCT motorcycles, but not about motorcycles that can shift up/down without using the clutch?
I have thought the same but after some serious pondering I think I prefer the one with the clutch and autoblipper/quickshifter combo.
I think it is the Aprilia they just announced an auto-clutch on their manual transmission, no manual clutch control... further blurring the lines between a "manual" and a DCT.
Got a source for that ? I always have my eyes out for news on the 2 wheeled world and have seen nothing of it.
I shouldn't quote from memory, I get it half right. It's from MV Augusta, with the long model name of Turismo Veloce Lusso SCS (MCN newspaper, July 18 edition). It still has a clutch lever, but you never have to use it...unless you feel a need to.. not sure why you would.
Garth Howe AAAHHH, Yes ! Now I remember, you're absolutely right. 👌👍, SHAME on me. 😁They are using a Recluse gizmo. Good call.
Good to see the dealership. They deserve a bit of publicity. Good bike, sounds good on the vid. Don’t think I could buy a beemer without a boxer.
Agreed. If only they made an 800cc boxer + shaft drive -- I'd get that in a heartbeat (the big GS is too heavy for day to day riding)
The older boxers were 800cc and shaft drive overtime everything seems to get bigger and heavier. The original bike was under 200kg. And had shaft drive and not to much vibration. It's the perfect adventure bike we all crave they made it over 30 years ago.
Spot on Chris, have owned an 80' 80 GS and an 88' GS100... both more agile, and to me considerably lighter too. Would dearly love another GS but, the latest incarnations are just too physically large and cumbersome for little ol' 5 foot 7 me..... Have to admit the new urban GS has got my interest piqued and am considering arranging a test ride.... not sure about the seat though..... Looks ok for short hops but doubt it will be 400 mile days comfortable?
Andy Turner the hp2 enduro was good but they didn't sell well. The f800gs can be better if all the unnecessary stuff is removed. The tea2wine (youtuber) bike looks like a true off road bike.
I have a feeling that we might see a new sub-800cc boxer-shaft when their 100th anniversary comes around
At 6.25 you were explaining about the tft and associated gizmos and while you were adjusting something a white car was creeping across from the right, had he not seen you and pulled across I’m not sure if you would have reacted as you where distracted by the 'gizmos'. It's hard enough staying alive on a bike but I really feel strongly that all these modes and gizmos which can distract you are making you / us even more vulnerable.
Mirror check, roll off, cover the brakes. Expect the unexpected. Assume it will pull out and be ready. Defensive riding.
Yes I never noticed that on first view good spot Harry. That car driver was at least aware there was a bike coming but the average car driver would have pulled out there and if as a bike rider your not six cars ahead then you would be knocked off. Take note TMF I think Harry has a good point about being distracted here.
you could of done a walk around of the white van as well :)
☺️☺️
Love the videos... but dunno which I like more; seeing the motorcycles or getting a nice tour of jolly ole England.
Great review as always MF.
15L seems quite small for an adventure bike fuel tank. That's around 150 miles (uk gal) range. Most others are around the 20L+ ...
Agreed, but I get 60+mpg out of mine which gets me 180-200 miles range, though on to the reserve...
Bobby Z it's probably a packaging thing with the tall parallel twin taking up the space where the fuel tank should be. They should be making a 650 boxer with a 20L+ fuel tank.
AMEN To that!! a 650 boxer. a small displacement boxer would be great and more on the affordable side, even a nice 500cc similar to a r12000r would be great.
i dont know if its just me or if its just like that but it looks comfortable as hell. tell me if i am wrong.
I feel BMW should have used their experience with boxer engines and produced a 800 - 900 cc ''Made in Germany'' boxer twin for this bike. Maybe with variable valve timing. That would have made it quite an interesting and premium product. A smaller engine with lesser weight (spread out low down w.r.t. CG) and a bigger fuel tank would have been really something.
I agree!
This would then make the r1200gs redundant. This f850gs is already starting to do this. A 19" front wheel option would have it in the bag.
Nolin Chitnis a 650 boxer with a 25L tank and 20kg less weight would make it a proper adventure tourer.
buncho888 Not sure what cc would be perfect but I guess any motor that produces around 100 hp and about the same torque would be sufficient for these category of bikes. And I feel with the advances in materials, processes, tolerances etc, producing 100 hp should be possible with around 800-900 cc. 650 might give somewhere around 75 hp.
Nolin Chitnis 75hp would be plenty, as long as they made the bike lighter overall to compensate.
So they have finally reached the US, test rode an 850GS today. Love the motor, very comfortable, great quickshifter, the electronic suspension works great, best TFT display ever, feels like it weighs about half what a 1200GS weighs, can't really find much fault in it. Though for me personally I'm not big into dirt riding, so am interested to see what the F850GT turns out like. The 850GS in the US is 17,700 USD, well into the price range of the R1200R and R1200RS, any F850R or GT will need to be a fair bit cheaper to not be in the equivalent R1200 model price range.
Geezo, it’s almost the same weight as my air cooled Thruxton!! Just shows you how tech is changing. Thanks for another video treat TMF.
Just rode the baby baby G310 GS yesterday... Such fun.
Excellent first impression as usual.. I am really foxed by the affinity those white band have for you 😂..
Maybe a White Van review is in order and that would be good riddance to them 😝
Hate this screen trend that's going on now, to me they make bikes look cheap and they all now look the same, otherwise it seems like a great machine. The review is top notch as always.
Juvenile 😂 why not, yet another great review. I have the 2009 F800gs, which I love, but do find the engine ‘vibey’ at 5000 rpm, how was this? I also noticed no hand guards 🤔 extra? Loved your Scotland trip, me and the old man are doing the west coast next week 👍
The handguards were never standard on the f800gs either
Glad to see the wheels transitioned to tubeless while retaining the spokes. Secondly, if you're not going to do any off-roading, the Tracer GT is probably a better choice. Less expensive and probably better durability.
Thanks! Been looking forward to your review on this one for a long time.
Hi Mr Flyer passed my full test yesterday clean sheet on mod 1 and only 2faults on the mod2 has a smile like the Cheshire Cat let’s go testride aload of bikes can’t wait ride safe mate
Congratulations!
850 - 900 cc is very much the sweet spot in the market. The Goldilocks zone. So many good choices but I am waiting to see the new Moto Guzzi V850 adventure bike. Air Cooled and shaft drive. So much easier to maintain and a much simpler design.
The engine for this bike is built by a Chinese company Loncin. Remains to be seen what this means in terms of long term reliability. There was a survey done a few years ago by Consumer Reports i guess which rated Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki at top 3 (in that order) and BMW scored way down. Although that survey is debated and said to be controversial.
Not to say other companies dont make components overseas. Like Triumph is said to make all its parts in Thailand and only assembly is done at Hinckley. But they are still made in a Triumph facility. Likewise Honda Yamaha have plants outside Japan where most of their products (except for the top end ones) are produced.
But I feel outsourcing an entire engine to a Chinese company is downright risky proposition. Because you can be sure in a few years time they start competing with BMW on value if not technology.
Nolin Chitnis they were pulled back because of engine problems already.
Remember the g650gs?
This new 850GS has a new engine with 270 degrees crank and the firing order is different from the previous 800GS, who had a 360 degrees crank, that’s why you get this lovely sound, same as MT-07, XSR700, bonnie range, hope BMW will use this engine in the F800R model. Lovely all around GS 👍🏼
I laughed out loud at your bring juvenile comment after you blipped the throttle in the tunnel, as I would have done the same thing! Ha ha. It is indeed a "great to be alive day" when you have a late lunch and get to watch another one of your well polished reviews with lots of great info. Thanks! (I think I'm going to have to watch the walk around again.)
I'm in the market for a "middle-weight touring/adventure" bike. Two questions: 1) Does it feel taller than a Honda African Twin Adventure Sport?
Also, given that this is almost a naked bike. ;-) 2) This or the KTM 790 Duke? (Recently enjoyed watched your review of the 790 Duke too.)
Hope you had a great day riding today. :-)
Sounds like a great bike. Great review, and chances of doing a long term in the future? Does it have a center stand?
Another great review! Must have been hard to leave the airport parking lot and not go flying on such a brilliant day!
Great review as usual Mr Flyer :) quality of parts and assembly looks sublime. Very seriously tempted by it.
I'm riding the R1200GS and my son had an F800GS but recently sold it.. I was torn between selling my 1200GS and buying it from him, I absolutely love the 800GS so I can only imagine who much more I'd love this one.. Good idea going with the spoked tubed tyres (one of the deciding factors in me not having the older model was it was tubed). Are all GS screen's bad?.. I've had to buy a wind deflector for the 1200GS, and the older 800GS had a tiny screen too.. Great video of a great bike.
Interesting how people seem too be in love with quick shifters what is so hard about using a clutch or are people just becoming lazy just as they have in cars.
Chips Cooper Love mine, change gear normally if you want🙄
...and it's quicker! (and smoother than I can usually manage!)...
will M Those are all options. You can get a base model with standard suspension, no TFT or Bluetooth. It’s great that those of us who like the toys can option them if we choose, and the base model is still available for the purists.
Just another pointless Gizmo , that will shit itself sooner or later! Yes people are lazy and Gizmo obsessed.
Chips just sold a Cross Tourer with DCT and got to admit initially I liked it but it felt awkward doing u turns without a clutch lever. It didnt take long for the novelty to wear off and I am delighted to be back on a GS1200.
I have the 2019 model same screen and zero buffeting in fact there is no wind felt until you put your hand just above the helmet. I have more buffeting from larger screens on bikes I’ve had over the years. Buffeting to me is making your head move from side to side and the weird wind noise that comes with it. I use Shoei helmets now that might be the difference. Australian roads and freeways.
Doesn't the new Tiger come with a display too?
Unfortunately, I can see two downsides with the BMW. First, the seat on previous model was horrible (even the "comfort" one) on 1 hour and longer rides and, based on my short test, I do not have much faith in the new one. Tiger is much more comfortable, in fact anything but a true enduro is. Second, when fitted with the nice features, it is quite expensive. Sure, there are more expensive models (Honda AT, KTM Adventure) which may not even have all the features, but Multistrada, V-Strom or Tiger are not very expensive and come with quite a few features.
It seems to be a nice bike but I am having problems seeing a reason to buy that can outweigh their tendency to charge extra for every little feature which adds to quite a lot.
Metric load of censored the Tiger and the GS are very similar on price with the same features. The tiger gets dear in XCT trim with all the toys on top.
@Chris Hart, I see. Here in Czechia all the extra money for GS features adds up quickly. Very quickly.
Buy the Triumph, keep it British, The Tiger is a great bike, and the xc is all you need, funnky Gizmo's. ! More to go wrong.
Ray Morris the triumph has most of the funky gizzmo's the bmw has. If you don't want them just go with the base specs bikes and there both only a shade over £9k
Max Flight there is a higher enduro seat, apparently that's comfy compared to the standard seat. Don't know why the manufacturers go out of there way to make a hard seat know one likes
Don't go much on the lack of wind protection and 15 litre tank also belt drive would be better than chain. Or a smaller 850 boxer needed.
Lucky dog!
FTR, acceleration is all about power to weight. If it weighs 30% less than the big GS, then it'll get along the same with 30% less power. I mean power at the rpm band they are being compared, not just peak power. I recognize you likely know this, just putting it out there for others. There's a lot of confusion about this kinda thing.
In the US, "buffeting" takes on a different meaning. On cruisers with windshields, wind coming from above and below create a virtual tornado around your head that makes you feel like you're living in Floyd Mayweather's speed bag. I've never experienced anything like it on standard style bikes. It's a way different thing than simple wind blast. Seeing in quadruple is possible without drugs.
Another top vid mate. Been waiting for this one for a while. Looking to replace my 800GS. Two things you didn’t mention was the cruise control (filtering down to a few middleweights now) and that silly BMW power socket that’s not compatible with anything!
I can’t wait to hear how these sound with a louder pipe, too! 270° crank should sound much better than the 180° “sewing machine simulator” that is my 800.
Middle class Adv bike with a 21inch wheel: Africa Twin. Costs almost the same but feels bit more mature and it has a bit more power.
I tried an 800GS and 850GS back to back recently. The 800 feels like a 650 at best, the 850 has a much better engine, but still doesn't have the caracter of the Africa Twin. Don't get me wrong its not underpowered, just kind of boring. The suspensions also seem harsher on the 850. It simply feels way overpriced for what it is. If you go with a fully equipped 850GSA, it gets even more ridiculous $$$$$$ Might as well go straight to the 1200GS or 1250GS for the money. In that price range, I think you get way more with the Africa Twin. If you want an even better adventure touring machine than the 1200-1250GS would be hard to beat. And on a budget I think even a VStrom 650 will offer better bang for the buck.
I have one of these bikes,( 2019 ) and have had several bikes in my day, really like this bike but the motor really has A lot of chatter , sounds like it is going to fly apart. None of my other bikes had this noise. To me it really takes away from the nice exhaust note this bike has , hope not the reliability.
How would you say it compares to the outgoing f800gs? The 850gs loses the underseat tank, one of my favorite features on the bike. The 850 also gains a lot of weight while losing a litre of tank capacity. Unfortunate with KTM, Yamaha and Ducati breathing down their necks.
Miras Khakimzhan i bought a top spec f800gs new in 2014. I would have probably got a 950 multistrada looking back now.
Concur about the mts950 being a phenomenal machine. If I'm going to be selling my f800gs I'd probably buy an mts950 with the spokes.
Miras Khakimzhan mts950 looks cool with tck80 tyres on it was £11,295 when i checked the f800gs cost me £10,600 all in after adding stuff. It's a well speced bike but all adds up with bmw's. The 950 even gets a adjustable better screeen decent power tft dash good suspension
I had to buy an adjustable wunderlich screen on the f800gs, something that comes standard on the 950. Also the stock suspension on the f800gs is pretty sub par. Not something you would expect from a bike at that price, especially a BMW. I do like the analog dash on the 800. Decent protection can be had on the 950 for a pretty reasonable price with an enduro pack. I don't think the ducati comes with a TFT dash unless you're shelling out for an enduro or a 1260.
Max Flight i'm never getting rid of mine. Just fitted the tinted screen for the black edition tonight. Also on the side stand you can get the fuel topped right up.
After your Tracer GT test you spiked my interest so I took one for a test, Nice engine but I felt the bike was cramped for me and the suspension a bit of a compromise.You can see and feel where the money hasn't been spent. I don't see how it could possibly compete with the quality of the tiger 800 or the BMW . You pays your money and takes you choice......
Well the tracer is lighter more powerful and has 1 more cylinder than the bmw. I guess it has to have a down side
I love your review of this bike. Very helpful and informative. Just one thing when you give the price you are quoting the base model. When you add all the extras that the actual bike you are riding has it’s over £13500. Would be very helpful if you included that in your review. Anyway keep up the great reviews.
Yes usual BMW thing - sorry I didn't make that clear.....
“How annoying is that?” Laughed out loud there TMF - great video as Always!
Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching....
I did too! White vans for TMF is like the blue three wheeler (Robin, was it?) for mr Bean! They always shows up when you expect it the least! :-)
Great review as usual, interesting that you steered clear from any comparison with the Africa Twin. I think BMW made it very much like it, 270 deg crank, they even have it in tricolor with gold wheels. It's a good bike it seems... But I prefer my AT :D
Interesting what you say about other choices in that class. I reckon I'd still be for the Mutistrada 950, I and bet they will give that model the skyhook suspension soon. Still that BMW looks nice though and would fit my bill.
Versys 1000 for the value
Hmm, I was a long time F800GS owner and I am a bit disappointed with this new F850GS. I think it's too heavy and not enough power. I wish they would have stuck with the older one and refined it more. Not to mention, this new F850GS is very expensive compared to some of the others in the market (at least where I live). It's way above the other 700-1,000cc bike range and very close to 1200cc and above bikes. I'll pass and keep waiting on the KTM 790ADV to come out. That's going to be an absolute monster.
I’ve been given one of these for a few days while my f800GT is in with BMW. I must say that after all the reviews I have watched and read, I expected to be blown away by the GS and feel like it’s an upgrade to mine in every way.
compared to mine, the engine is wonderful and the one I have has the nice exhaust, the tft is great, but other than that I miss my bike to be completely honest. Still you have to try these things. I have short legs and the foot pegs are right where I want to put my feet down, something you would accommodate no doubt but unnerving on such a tall machine.
I’m sure this is a silly question, but what is the difference between this parallel twin and the boxer twin used in the bigger GS models and the boxer twin used in the R9T models. I’m wondering why this F850 GS and the F750 GS doesn’t use that classic boxer motor as well? Doesn’t seem to me that this F850GS is at all less powerful than the R9T bikes. I could be wrong though and that’s why I am searching for insight on these different BMW motors being used.
Hi Charlie - the two engines although both two cylinder are completely different architectures. The parallel Twin has its weight high up, the boxer is horizontally opposed and carries its weight low, the engines have a different character. BMW don’t currently make a smaller capacity boxer. I could go on, bmw and boxers are synonymous, some people hate boxers because of the sticky out cylinders, some people love their torque reaction.....I could go on!!
@@TheMissendenFlyerThanks TMF.! This was helpful!
I suppose if you ride these bikes in hot countries where they are probably designed to be used on tour, a bit of extra wind blast is greatly appreciated, especially when fully kitted!
I might buy an F750GS with the factory low suspension and lowest seat option. I might go down a gravel road occasionally, but it would be a street bike. I’m very short and have short arms and I want an upright seating position and great safety features.
Cheers for the vid TMF the BMW certainly seams a better buy than the tracer gt and definitely looks far better in build quality and looks much nicer than the tiger . I think it's gonna be a big winner for bmw and will be top of the pile .
I’ve just had a look on the bmw site and the bike you are riding is more like £12600
When I first started riding, 750cc was as big as it got - apart from the Norton Commando 850 or an imported Harley... Why, oh why would BMW use a chain drive, not their usual shaft??? Nice-looking bike, though.
Phil Buglass yes a boxer engine with a shaft drive would have been a more interesting choice.
If it was a boxer it would always have a shaft i believe they all do. Have any of the G or F bikes ever had a shaft ?
probably is because they need to make them more affordable....I think secretly they now that if they want to sell more they need to control prices. BMW's prices tend to be out of reach unfortunately.
It was too hot to think for the last two days; 37,5°C average.
I just read an article about this new bike in a Dutch motorcycle magazine. They liked it a lot, better than the previous one, especially with the electronic suspension. It's a shame BMW's are so expensive with the extra's that you off course want to buy.
I'll have to wait for a second hand one.
Good review. I do wish that reviewers would refrain from commenting on bikes having more than enough power, some going so far as to say that high power bikes have too much power. I feel that if the powers that be started taking notice of these videos they might take it upon themselves to make up even more rediculous rules to unleash upon us whilst saying, "well we've watched the videos and it seems your all asking for less power".
Just seen one of these in the flesh, wow it is nice i think the non tft screen on the sport is fine it looks compact the whole bike and feels light as a feather, if i did not already have a f800gs i would be ordering one right now.
the nicest TFT screen on a motorcycle so far. it's great also to see the implementation of low seat versions.
I agree (on both counts)...
But it costs another £580...
Steve Bolton the low chassis ? Or the rally model?
The TFT screen. It’s called TFT connectivity and costs an extra £595. build-my-bike.bmw-motorrad.co.uk/index_en_GB.html#/configurator/0B09/P0NA5,S06AB/EQUIPMENT
TMF, did I see cruise control on this bike? Not on the US website as of yet :(
Great review again. I take it you still have to run a separate GPS unit?
Nice bike, but I can't help but feel it's somewhat contradictory to offer lower suspension option on an adventure bike!
Cuz they made the damn thing too tall for anyone but the 6'2 giants.
860mm seat height... ridiculous. And as a result, they had to reduce the tank capacity to only 15l otherwise it would be too tall AND too top heavy. So on top of that, it's now impractical as well (as an adventure bike).
Great video TMF bike I would consider shame about the screen. You should start TMF stickering all the white vans that do that!
Good morning TMF, another super video and review. Thank you 😎👍🇬🇧.
Great review, as always.
I was really... really... excited for the F850GS to come out and it seems like a great bike for most riding styles and purposes.
But... the low fuel capacity and poor wind protection kinda poo poo'd my excitement level. In all honesty, if I were a totally solo rider it would be perfect in Rallye trim so I can't fault BMW for the bike.
Still, the AT/ATAS is at the top of my short list.
Loved the vid! ....is it significantly different from the 800GS. ...seems like minor adjustments and bigger price?
800cc boxer + shaft drive and 20-litre tank they would sell like hotcakes come on BMW.
Geeat video, thank you. Is there a means to mount BMW's OEM satellite navigation in the same manner as your 1200 GS? It looked a bit snug with the TFT screen option.
the sat nav mounts on top of the handlebar mounts - not as good as the 1200 for eye line viewing but still fine, might be tight with a tank bag tho...
Thank you!
So very many nice toys, so little time. 😊
Bloody van! I'd have moved bike straight away. Nice review tho Miss
Have you met Chris (BVG) ?
He's at Bahnstormer all the time
Another good review and quality video, blip blip....nothing wrong with doing that, stay young!
You really ought to get a sponsorship from Ford Vans.
Thanks for posting. I'd like to see you test ride the F750GS though. :)
If I was doing long distance with occasional off road stretches, then the Africa Twin. Maybe even with DCT. Otherwise the Tracer GT, good equipment, wonderful engine, and reputedly good long distance comfort (as has the AT). This F850GS, nice electronics, dash looks interesting, but otherwise meh. I'd consider a Tiger 800 - in XR guise - over this.
Fair enough....
Blimey ! You like the TFT screen then? You mentioned it no less than 10 time's. Could you find out from BMW Motorad how much it would cost to replace the TFT? As for the screen, I've personally found that at 6ft tall a taller screen on this style of bike , just beats up your Head. I've put a nice little screen on my Triumph Tiger xc , no TFT screen! It works for me, I'd rather have wind on my chest that dirty air on my Healmet, and I would not want a screen so high that I have to look through it. Personally it would have to be a lot lot better than the Triumph for me to buy one, and I doute it is,
Yes I agree on the screen - clean wind blast beats turbulent air anytime!
TMF, I enjoy what you do and have been a long term sub but can we have some more rigour in your critique of bikes? I mean, we all know bikes are great! but there are some obvious downsides to this bike and others you've test ridden that you're not mentioning. Again, love your style, but can we have some more balance in your reviews please?
it is a nice bike to consider with the 900 GT but what let me down is the tank capacity 😑, which if it was 21L at least! otherwise it is great bike, thanks for the great review mr.TMF keep going!
alyus Muse the f850gs adventure should solve that problem it should soon be here
Really cranking out the video's. Love it. (You in Norway right now?)
Yep sure am - early start today...
Could explain the soft suspension and nonsoft suspension? I really don't understand what you are talking about. I enjoyed this ride. That bike is nice looking. Stay safe.
Very nice, and personally favour these adventure touring bikes with the smaller and lighter 800 engines.
Another nice review. Have you seen Fort 9's latest vid? He explains the single bulb illuminating issue very well (as you often complain about it).
No not seen it yet...will check it out.
Looks like the spoked wheels are tubeless, like the big 1200GS. Some might like this, but off-roaders might not.
It's crazy how the prices vary between the countries! I recently bought a Tracer GT here in Denmark. I also looked at the F850 GS, but in the end it would cost me £8100 Extra, just to get the BMW with the options (like quickshift, cruise control, TFT dash etc). Weird that the extra options is so cheap in the UK!
sighheinrich the options soon add up. The base price on the old 800 when i bought was £8.8k. I just added extra's to the new one came to £16,500. I'm not sure i could live with paying that for the 850gs
As always a fantastic review.
I’d love to see a f 750 gs review as well for comparison!
Also, did they fix the engine problems on these?
What engine problem?
Another great review TMF - but my one complaint is that you keep adding to my list of possible next bikes rather infuriatingly, and there are just simply too many great bikes for my little garage. I'd like to have seen a shaft drive on this though - and then it would be practically perfect in every way.
1st world problems eh?
Shame they ditched the under seat tank, was useful having filler on side panel when loaded up with luggage.
I think I can hear some very high "clunk" when shifting gear? But since it is a new bike, then I suppose that this is how it is on these bikes?
I really enjoy your videos. You seem like a real decent chap.
Thank you!
Great review again, but a 15 Litre tank surely is a mistake & would put me off buying one.