The F 900 GS is really good, but it has a BIG problem | F 900 GS Adventure Ride & Review
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The BMW F 900 GS is a turnout for the ages. The biggest turn around in a bike I've ever seen and something worth paying attention too. Is it my favourite bike? No. But it's objectively really good and that's all that matters.
In this review we compared the F 900 GS to the Tiger 900 RP, probably the most expected comparison in the market and the difference was startling. Not just in performance, but character, finish and experience.
Triumph and BMW once appeared to be chasing each other and now, they're playing different sports.
![[Live] : ONE 168 วันนี้!! "โจนาธาน vs ซุปเปอร์เล็ก"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0jIN65KgJsI/mqdefault.jpg)
It is because of reviews like this that I pay for internet and wait for every new review from you… For me… you are the best. Keep it coming pls
Wow, thanks! That's really kind word man!
Well written, presented and informative bike content as usual man. Thanks 👍
Thanks for watching!
@@BrakeMagazine One of the best reviews I have watched...well done
Thanks!
Informative review and great footage. Thanks for NOT being a bland, insipid journalist who references only the bylines and tech specs. Feeling that little something on a bike is exactly why we ride-subjectivity appreciated!
You’re welcome! I try!
The only thing I would worry about is that if it takes someone with your abilities to come to terms with the GS how would someone with more average skills cope. Even just dialing in suspension is beyond many of us. Nice review and fantasitc scenery.
Well don't be so sure of that.
Sometimes a bike does suit you from the beginning or it doesn't. I don't mean physically but in lots of ways.
I would dare say i'm a decent rider, not at @BrakeMagazine level, but i'm at the level that i would take any ADV bike to an MX track. And i do as many as possible.
But somehow the bikes that some really good riders love and are objectively better then others just don't fit me. For instance the Tenere 660 is a wonderfull bike. However it doesn't feel like my bike. I rode more confident on the Pegaso 650 wich is by any means a less capable bike.
It is well within possible you'll love this bike and just be awkward on a bike that suits @BrakeMagazine like a glove from the second he gets on it.
Edit: I did not ride the BMW F900GS nor do i have any BMW at the moment.
He's very fussy and is trying to find fault with it. It's basically his job. Youd be very happy with one
Guys, i have a kriega us20 and I'm a HUGE fan of their stuff! The design is simple yet complex where it needs to be, and I absolutely swear by them. Give my love to the kriega team
I will do. We’re really proud to be working with them!
16:22 the answer to all the questions I had about the GS 900 vs Tiger 900.
@@bsviky tiger all day hahahahaha
Spot on the bmw options! I got interested in this bike, started to think it could happen! I went to the website, started to “spec” it, and in just a few minutes I hit £16k+… no way… it isn’t happening at that price…
Cheapskate !
😂
If they didn't do the better version people would complain they don't do a better version. When they do it's to expensive. At least there is a choice.
@@chrishart8548 ok but I prefer the approach of most manufacturers where options are just options (say colour, seat, quickshift, …) not fundamental components that entirely change the nature of the machine (say suspension, …). These should be different models.
@@miro_s but don't KTM do that with the adventure R version. And yamaha with the SP version.
A really informative, balanced review and well edited. Great job.
It was good to meet you again briefly at the ABR event.
I'm already an extremely happy owner of a 21 T900RP, so the subject of the video doesnt interest me all that much (but I am a former GS and GSA owner so...). What I really enjoy is the quality of your presentations. Excellent product sir. Enjoyable, informative, typically fair, but you are not afraid to respectfully and artfully share your opinions. Thank you! We really have it good with so many choices of good machinery.
And as for Gorafe...wow...Europe's Utah =)
Well said on the bike but thanks for the kind words, it’s really nice of you to say!
Hi Llel. Awesome production. Great journalism and a fantastic, honest review! Not sure the 900 is necessarily for me (although a test ride would not go amiss), but man-oh-man is that scenery out of this world! Super-jealous about that. Keep up the amazing work. Greetings from Johannesburg.
Thanks for the kind words and I love the scenery too! I’ll do my best to keep going!
Brilliant Llel - I rode the F900GS after the R1300GS two weekends ago and really didn't like it at first and the dynamic shift assist was flashing clutch messages at me. Then over the group demo it grew on me a little - hinting at something. Thanks for the confirmation of what I got hints of on my short demo.
Glad to hear it Al!
Your ability articulating your experience with the bike and all the fine points is top notch. Outstanding review and ride.
Thanks Paul, very kind words.
I loaned MAV my F800GS an handful of years ago when he came out to ride in the Reno, Nevada area. Proper mate and was a blast to hang out with. Keep up the great content!
Thank's for the good review. It's the most interesting and soulfull review I've seen about this bike and it is the best description of my experience with this bike last couple of months. Totally agree with most of your words but agree even more with the thing your mate said at the end of the video. I've bought it, struggled first weeks and felt completely in love with the bike after three days trip on TET in the Baltics and couple of weeks spent in the woods with it. By the way, I love seating position on tarmac,makes me feel like I'm driving some bad ass chopper. 😀
Great comment! Glad you're enjoying the bike!
awesome review! Honest and true. When your videos pop up i know it will be a good time! Keep doing it man! You are a friend that we speak about bikes for years!
I appreciate that!
A comparison between the Ducati DesertX and the brand new BMW F900GS would be very interesting I suppose.
It probably would be 👌
Besides the location of the air filter and general Italian maintenance crap, the desert x seems like a better package?
More characterful. The GS is objectively probably very comparable.
L, I’m guessing bmw took a good look at the desert x with the design of the f900
Maybe. I think it rides more like they benchmarked the 890 ADV R. It’s much more aggressive feeling than the Ducati.
Really enjoyed this. You mostly ride motorcycles I do not find very interesting, in ways that have no overlap with my own riding, but I always learn something from your videos. Well done.
Cheers man! That means a lot!
Good review mate and I really enjoyed your eloquent commentary...
Interesting for me to see this as I bought an F 850GS Trophy with all the bells and whistles on the stock run-out sale and am not sorry I did so, even after the release of the F900 GS. From your review of the F900 it seems to me like my bike is a good cross between the scalded cat F900GS you rode and the plusher Tiger 900. I find mine both comfortable for long rides and practical when I want to load it up with luggage. Sure adjustable forks might be nice but I had them on my previous s1000XR and never bothered to adjust them once set up. I wanted a more off-road worthy, tamer and less ankle burning bike than the S1000xr and feel like the F850 GS does what I wanted. The F900 sounds to me like BMW is making a less sophisticated version of the S1000XR that is longer on off-road capability but shorter on on-road chops. Mind you It looks like you are a better rider than me and in my mid 70's I'm not pushing it on the dirt like I used to.
Cheers from Australia!
Fantastic review! I impulse purchased a 1250 GSA and am seriously looking for something different. I was really leaning towards the 900 because of ease of transition for the operations etc. Your review made me realize I need to seriously look at my particular riding style amd how to purchase a bike for that. Thank you!
Great review, and its great to see you do it in my area. I recognize the landscape on every frame of the video. It would be great if you could share the track you followed. I'd love to do it, but by how the video is edited, I can't really conect different places you went in a logic order. You went to many more places than just the Gorafe Desert, and the are many more to see here. Keep coming every now and then. Maybe one day we´ll cross paths on the tracks. ✌
We did indeed. We rode Alhuerin El Grande to Baza using some sections of the TET.
From Baza we went cross country to join the TET to the both of Gorafe, did a loop there and the road south on the road toward the TET route again in Gorafe.
I saw a yellow one in the dealership today. Looks pretty good to me, not too massive (saying this as a 310GS owner). Read somewhere that it needs RON95 fuel. This is another thing to worry about, especially in combination with the smallish range.
Last weekend, At Cascade Moto in Portland OR., I had the pleasure of riding both bikes back to back,.. on the road of course, but that said I felt like the Tiger was the better bike, for me anyway. The Tiger had a better quick shifter, better seat, better ergos all around.
I definitely is better at those things.
Hi!
Very interesting review....I tried the desert X, toureg, 890r, tiger x and the f900gs and as a former f800gs owner and in your own words my inmediate subjective impresion on the f900gs where that (with some design issues such as the width of the tank, footpegs and no lugage pannier) this bike is amazing, super fun to ride, powerful engine, great suspension and very nimble.
For the last 2 months Im a current f900gs owner. 😊
*As always, great videos!
Very nice! Glad to hear you’re enjoying!
I tested many of the same bikes and ended up with the Desert X. What didn’t you like about it?
@@AVRides I found the desert X less nimble than the f900gs, felt kind of a "bigger bike" in general and heavier.
And even with the amount of options of adjustability it had I couldnt find a setting to make it a "smooth engine" for off road whilst the 900gs after touching here and there you can make it a smooth but powerful bike specially for offroading.
I guess it depends in style of riding, how are you phiscaly built and taste...desert x is a great bike anyway.
I agree with what you're saying though. The DX is a bigger bike for sure.
@@agus8080 I see what you’re saying. I think a lot of it has to do with the Desert X’s long wheelbase. It’s also a fairly high center of gravity compared to the KTM’s. The long wheelbase does seem more forgiving off-road though.
Love many things about this bike. Love the Showa enduro spec forks, over the wheels, and really love the styling. The range, knockoff rear shock, and the weak looking subframe are all things that that turned me off of it.
I get it, everyone wants a lightweight bike. For those people, theyre in luck. Manufacturers are now making bikes with thin walled tubing, tiny subframes, no frame cradles, and ridiculously small fuel tanks(for an adv bike)
Saving weight comes at a compromise, guys.
I think you make some good points. I'm not sure the subframe looks any weaker than other bikes and Sachs aren't a 'knock off' brand. They're pretty proven, they just don't care a ton about racing.
I Bought the the yellow passion model with all the packages and i just love it. I come from a dirt bike background and found the suspension so good with its adjustability and it just works. i love the dynamic mode on the road and fixed the seating position by buying some handlebar rear offset mounts from Ali express. the only downside was the seat height for me due to being short and coming off a gs750 but I fixed that with low seat and a few adjustment. I find if you don't over think it and just enjoy this fantastic machine
Every now and then I either watch a bmw review or get a ride on a bmw. Both of these continue to persuade me that my last bmw was, indeed, my last bmw.
Hey Llel! Had the chance to test ride this bike at the ABR. (I previously made a comment here on how expensive it becomes once you add the reasonable options, and I stick to it. Yet) I liked it very much on and off road, and believe it’s got a very good chance to take on the 890 (especially now that evidence of camshaft failures and the shameful ktm handling of it is hitting - I for one sold mine). Only thing I’d say is that I felt the riding triangle somewhat unnatural with the handlebars too far ahead.
But surprise surprise the real revelation of the weekend was the suzuki vstrom 800de that you know so well. Small, so docile and easy offroad and so fast and revvy in midrange on the road. I’m well impressed and will consider it further. Only concern is the front suspension: the fork felt too soft and I managed to bottom them out already on the manufacturer trail of the abr, which certainly is not a challenging one. Of course I don’t know how the suspension was set, probably default factory, and didn’t have time to play with it. Something for future investigation. What’s your view? Did you do suspension work on yours? Cheers and thanks for your time!
Good to see you and have the chat about the old f800gs at the ABR festival. I rode my 15 year old one home the 550 miles on Sunday, still a great bike!
Amen to that. Good to meat you too!
What a review , fanatastic . I am from Germany and did a test drive last week . I had excatly the same impressions about the seat position and the angle of my arms to the handle bar . i come from Enduro sport and not familiar to sit so deep in the motorcyle insteed on top , may be a higher Seat and a lower handle bar can be helpfull , because the engine and the playfull riding is outstanding , you do not fell the 220 kg . You did a great job tx
A very excellent review of the BMW. I wish I had your experience in setting up suspension. I'm riding a cf moto ibex 800T. I haven't had it much off-road, and I could never ride like you anymore at 71. Heck, not even like I could 5 years ago due to injuries.
Don’t know if I’ve ever watched a video on this channel, but very interested in an f900.. this was a crazy good review. I’ll be checking out more! Thank you!
Ha, ha... not Adam Riemann style... good one! :)
😁
Exactly. I'm not feeling guilty about how I'm not out there doing it
Awesome video and review, well done Llel and brake magazine team! 👍👍
Thanks!
Yesterday I was riding my 1250 gs off-road and started thinking how much I love this bike, but then I remembered how initially when I first rented one I could not understand it and it felt weird. So how this bike did not fit me initially and now is so so good. And then it hit me what you said in this video, the first time you ride the telelever it feels weird but then you get used to it and love it. 😊
Glad it makes sense! Thanks for watching!
Llel it’s cool how you added a bit of adventure to this review video. Bike seems interesting. Keep up the good work bro 👊🏻
Thanks Ollie!
Lovely to see you around home. Really nice video mate, thanks
Man I love your content ! A real dude real rider. Just love the real world feedback from a really relatable fellow two wheeler. Keep it man your shit is spot on.
I was going to get this bike and specification but glad I didn't, it's two expensive with to many compromises and isn't forgiving for a average rider. Also a bike at that price with a Chinese built and supplied engine is quiet frankley taking the piss.
Had the same feeling after riding it...
chinese MANUFACTURED.
German built, and engineered.
Your production is getting better, and better. Crack on!
Among the wealth of info, I really like what you said about the 850 clutch feel!
Couldn’t live with it and lost a lot of $$$ selling it in less than 6k kms!
Between the Tiger GT Pro vs GS Enduro, which be your pick?
Thanks!
Great review, I have the 900GSA and it surprises me every day , in a good way. I just love it , great review 👏
That looks like an incredible place to ride! Epic video Llel👌
It really is! and thanks!
Amazing review man... would really appreciate if you can do a review on the showa shock adjustments for the enduro package... I'm struggling to find the right setting for my riding style but seems your riding style is very similar to what I aspire... looking fwd to the suspension adjustment review for the 900.... cheers from Pakistan!
Great review….consistently one of the best reviewers on the net.
I really enjoyed your review, I’ve been wanting to ride one of these since first seeing one at a recent BMW Rally in Oregon. They looks svelt and sporty, but I would really like to ride the GSA version because of the rack system that bike comes with.
Thank you for another great video and review. Once again I'm intrigued by how similar our impressions of some bikes are given the worlds of difference in experience. During my short ride of the F900 I also found the bars to be too far front and up which forced me into a weird seating position and a not-confidence-inspiring standing position. While I like the overall looks of the front end, the headlight seems like a complete oposide of a well thought out dash with a brilliant ui, barely a copy of an underwhelming Honda headlight. As for the rear end I can't for the life of me figure out why they forgot to design and mount the rest of the tail section 😂 Luckily, Perun Moto came out with a solution for the luggage. Those flimsy signal/stop light are a monthly subscription item I guess... Given that I also like the old F800 and think of it as a direct successor to the Africa Twins of old, I too share the opinion that this is the step in the right direction, to filling the currently empty spot in the market od an well rounded up big dualy that can take it all and still get you everywhere, smiling.
Well, sorry for the long post, can't wait to see what next you have for us, cheers!
Pretty cool to be on the same page!
It's just the headlight strait off the G310gs
@@chrishart8548 A poor choice really.
@@ortoacija I think it looks OK. No idea of it's performance
I'll be buying another tiger then!
I expected a comment about the just-okay headlight from the 310. Great review, as always. Thanks for sharing.
It’s just okay 😂
I'll keep my (second) 950 Super Enduro, thanks. No one's bested it yet. I had an '09 F800GS before that and it was kindergarten to the SE's PhD.
They’re great bikes, absolutely fine for a bit of mixed terrain riding. But if you’re not a highly skilled rider you’re not going to want to stray too far from the beaten track. As an average rider I have struggled in places on my 701 - places where I would have fallen apart completely if I were on a bigger bike. As a solo rider I have pulled my 701 out of bushes, deep mud, ditches, you name it - with a bigger bike I’d have been stuck more times than I could count.
Then you chose the right bike for the riding you want to do.
@@BrakeMagazine exactly. So the F900gs is a great bike for: 1. A skilled rider who wants to ride anywhere. 2. An average rider who wants a mix of road and light trails. 3. A beginner who wants to ride mainly on the road. They are undeniably great machines, but it’s horses for courses - or, more accurately, horses for riders.
Such a great review and video, thank you.
Thanks!
LOVE it! Thanks guys. All the best from Canada!
Our pleasure!
Hi. Can I ask you what app you were using in the video for setting sag? With thanks, Steve
Just finished the Colorado BDR with a mate who rode the new 900GS Trophy. Amazing bike, but the fuel range is atrocious, and fuel anxiety is real. The pros of this new bike are clear, but the cons that most don’t seem to talk about: the bike is very buzzy like a dirt bike (it’ll make your hands and crotch go numb), and the fuel range, as I mentioned, is not good.
I can imagine it was! The fuel situation caught us off guard in Spain too. I didn't notice the buzz however.
Good review mate!
The way you describe it i figure with some stiffer springs in the forks and the rear compression set at around 7 out, i could really hop this thing through the single track sand whoops
Great content and constantly getting better. Thanks!
Much appreciated!
So were you off road in the dynamic setting? I hope not.
Dynamic is a road setting.
Enduro Pro with adjusted settings.
No. I was off road in Enduro Pro. In each mode you can adjust the throttle response separately. You can see me showing this in the video ☺️
The Enduro Pro mode came with the throttle setting in The dynamic option and I preferred the throttle in the softest option.
This is an amazing review! You are the best! I watched it three times! I want to apply the suspension settings you used to my F900GS Enduro. Could you tell me what they are?
I looked at the F9GS and on paper it looked a winner but it needs a bigger fuel tank. 14lt is just too small.
I think the Tiger has it for me better as the GS might be.
Great video as always and very professional content. BRAVO ! the F900GS is a very good bike I tried and I can confirm it. But at the end I ride the Ducati Desert X Rally, try this bike and make video on that
I am riding one right now!
Great review!! Thanks Sr!!
But, now, T900rp or Gs900?
Great review! ..Again!
Thanks!
"Why did they do that?!" Every German/Austrian bike owner. Some design decisions make you go "a mechanic/rider designed this..." and other decisions make you curse the designer to eternal damnation. No middle ground.
😂
Great review man, keep it up. :)
For bags, I would think that a rackless system like the Mosko Moto Reckless 40L or 80L system would be a good solution. I think it's the same situation you find yourself in for the competitors bikes like the KTM 890R, right?
Not really. The problem with the 900 is it's going to need an accessory of some description to mount ANYTHING. We wouldn't have been able to fit anything else than a bag with straps.
I'm waiting for the Kriega OS Base for it now. They'll probably have a pretty nice fitting kit.
I'm tired of tearing down the bike doing valve inspections. So this is a no go. My next bike will be an r1250 GSA.
Fair enough
I really like both bikes, but I went with the Tiger 900 RP and love it.
Does sound more comfortable and forgiving. That's probably what most of us want really
A both bikes are a great choice
It's 50% more than a Tuareg.
Does it beat the Aprilia in any other aspect than sheer horsepower?
Mmm, road presence, looks. Power on the road. Otherwise probably not.
Looks better than the Tuareg, but it’s so much more expensive!
Paying for good looks and a good dealer network !
It's the best middle weight adventure bike they've ever offered but it's still not top of the class. Definitely a step in the right direction.
Exactly.
Kriega forever, my 30 lt.🥰
beautiful roads, the tiger 900 looked quite well rounded throughout the video
It is a nice bike!
Great review, your best yet.
Wow, thanks!
Some interesting names in your Patreon Crew. Good review.
Thank you kindly!
@6:07 the inevitable local on a clapped out chinese moto sailing past the expensive heavy adv bikes on his way home. Especially common in asia and south america. 5hp, 2 wheels,1 milkcrate, seats 3 and shared among entire family.
100%
What a review 🎉❤ very well made. Really really good
Glad you liked it!
maaaaav! He's famous! :)
😂😂
Excellent video mate, masterpiece.
Thanks 🙏
Dear Lal, what do i need to know as a prospective buyer of the f800 gs? I love the way they look, for context i ride a 500 exc and i want to add an ADV and the BM seems to be the one calling to me - just don't want to make the wrong move when i can save 2k more and get an 2017 Africa Twin - loved this vid btw
The Africa twin is, in my opinion quite a different machine. If I were to buy an 800 GS I would upgrade the suspension.
Beware that the clutches need looking after and that’s it.
@@BrakeMagazine oh yeah totally different bikes, 2 good lookers is why I mention them, that and the AT us my childhood dream . It would be one or the other, cheers for info on clutch
Do you mean the old F800GS these are much cheaper than an Africa twin. 16 year old tech. Or do you mean the new one that's not even an off road bike at all. More like a 650 v strom
Llel, very interesting review. Any comparison thoughts vis a vis the Norden 901E?
Need to back to back then. The off road ability is probably similar, Borden a little better set up for travelling and the GS a little less so.
Well done video and storytelling! So the big question is… Tuareg or 900GS?
Thanks! Mmm, objectively it’s probably close but personally I really enjoyed the Tuareg.
@@BrakeMagazine I love the Tuareg as well, that’s why I bought one haha. Really appreciate all your tip videos as well.
Thanks for the review. What app are you using for the suspension tuning @BrakeMagazine?
It’s the Motool Slacker Assistant
@@BrakeMagazine Thanks! Mind sharing the settings you came to settle on?
Great real world perspective
Brilliant video!
Many thanks!
Im confused should i go for the gs or triumph lol
Missing 'That little bit of magic'?.... its called a KTM690
That’s not the magic I was thinking.
‼️ Really enjoyed that ‼️
Cheers!
Beautiful review of the BMW😢
Another great review 👏
Thanks 🙏
i didnt quite understand how you fixed the unbalanced feel of the suspension
Set the front preload to two/three turns from max. Set the rear sag to 20% static.
Or respiring the forks and set it to more normal settings.
Only thing I learned is that I need a Krieger bag.
Well, that’s better than learning nothing
@@BrakeMagazine Hahaha, I actually took a lot away from this one. When are you guys doing an HD Pan Am review?
Great review!
Glad you enjoyed it
Is Bmw mid weight bike engine are chinese made and modified by bmw?? Love from India 🇮🇳
Engine made and Designed by Loncin in China with BMW, for BMW.
How much range it gave you on full tank?
Not enough. 250/275 kn
9:44 hello. What is this app? Thanks
It’s the companion app to the Motool Slacker.
what is that app you showed in the video when setting the sag? Thank you
It's the companion app to the MoTool Slacker V4 or V5
@@BrakeMagazine Thank you, I use a tape measure :) but will give it a try
Did you find it awkward in the tight single track stuff? It's steering geometry is very very lazy.
A little yes. it's not dramatically bad, but the tiger did handle that stuff a little better.
Can you share the route you took? It looks incredible! Calimoto would be amazing if you have it.
I don't have Calimoto, but if you drop me an email I can help.
@@BrakeMagazineamazing. What’s your mail address?
@@BrakeMagazinewhat’s your address and I’ll drop you a line. Cheers
Use the contact form on Brake-magazine.com
Great review, if you ever get the chance, do a AJP PR7 review😃
I just did. Review coming soon
@@BrakeMagazine cool, im curious what you think of it 😄
It’s good
Do u think is worth to buy a f800 nowadays?
Yes. Put a better fork in it, add an exhaust and fuel controller and love it
There are luggage tie downs on the rear subframe, it’s the round silver bolts and you attach the mx straps or kriega rack loops
Ours didn’t have any from memory