Price: £9,995 | Power: 87bhp | Weight: 227kg | Overall BikeSocial Rating: TBA
It might be the baby of BMW’s parallel twin adventure bike range but the F 750 GS that was introduced in 2020 has long been a favourite and the new F 800 GS also looks set to punch above its weight – not least because that ‘800’ in its name is a bit of BMW subterfuge.
Yep, despite the title the F 800 GS is actually nearly 900cc in size, just as the ‘F 750’ was actually an 850 and the ‘F 700’ that preceded it had an 800cc motor. The smaller numbers seen in the bike’s name (and in its power output) have been inserted to draw a distinction between it and the more expensive F 900 GS models. So it’s really a cut-price F 900, not an F 800 at all.
Pros & Cons
- Bigger engine means more real-world performance
- £2k less than an F 900 GS
- Road-biased suspension, lower seat, alloy wheels and street tyres more useful for most riders most of the time
- No visual upgrade over the old model
- Might be a stopgap model
Review – In Detail
Price & PCP
For and against
Engine & Performance
Handling & Suspension (inc. weight & brakes)
Comfort & Economy
Equipment
Rivals
Verdict
Owner Technical Reviews
Specification
At £9,995 the F 800 GS is exactly £1000 more than the outgoing F 750 GS it replaces and if you sat the bikes side-by-side you might be left wondering exactly where that additional bag of sand is going. They are, to most eyes, identical apart from their paint schemes.
The answer, of course, lies under the skin where the F 800 GS gets an extra 43cc, bringing it to 895cc and adding 10hp. Those are the same changes seen on the 2024 F 900 GS and F 900 GS Adventure engines, but the 800’s peak power is artificially constrained to draw a distinction between the bikes.
Three versions are being offered. That base price applies to the standard model in solid white paint. There’s also the option of a ‘Sport’ model in BMW’s blue, red and white scheme, or a murdered-out ‘Triple Black’ version.
One consideration is whether, having launched the restyled, lighter F 900 GS for 2024, BMW will carry over the same visual and weight improvements to the F 800 GS in the near future, making the 2024 model a stopgap machine.
Like the 2024 F 900 GS models, the F 800 GS gets a 10hp hike over its predecessor, but in percentage terms that’s actually a larger increase – taking it from 77hp for the old F 750 GS to 87hp for the F 800 GS.
You might think that, with 18hp less than the F 900 GS’s 105hp, the F 800 GS is missing some tricks from its engine, but the specs say different. There’s the same 895cc capacity, the same 86mm bore and 77mm stroke, the same 13.1:1 compression ratio. The power and torque graphs give a clear explanation of what’s happening – the F 800 GS’s power simply plateaus from 6750rpm (exactly where the torque peak is) and the red line on the far side of 900rpm. That points to an electronic restriction of the ride-by-wire throttles and the fuel injection rather than a mechanical limit to the engine’s potential.
The torque curve itself is all but identical to the F 900 GS’s, peaking at the same 6750rpm and hitting 67.1lb-ft, essentially close enough to the 68.6lb-ft of the F 900 GS to be indistinguishable.
The result, as a rider, is that the bike should offer virtually the same experience all the way from idle to the engine’s peak torque at 6750rpm, only losing out if you wring it out above that.
BMW’s stated performance figures bear that out. Top speed is down from the ‘over 124mph’ of the F 900 GS to only 118mph, but the difference in acceleration is small – the F 800 GS will go from 0 to 62mph in 4.2 seconds compared to 3.8 seconds for the new, lighter 2024 F 900 GS.
The engine might be substantially improved but the handling and ride of the F 800 GS promises to be much the same as the older F 750 GS. It shares exactly the same chassis, also used by the F 900 GS and made of welded sheet steel, and carries over the same suspension and brakes as the F 750 GS.
That means you get non-adjustable 41mm telescopic forks instead of the 900’s adjustable upside-down Showas, although there’s still scope to adjust the rear shock’s preload and rebound.
There’s much less suspension travel than the F 900 GS has on offer – 170mm at each end, compared to 230mm front/215mm rear – and the wheels are road-oriented alloys, 19-inches at the front, 17-inches at the rear, instead of the more expensive bike’s wire wheels and knobbly tyres.
At 227kg the F 800 GS weighs exactly the same amount as the old F 750 GS – unsurprising, given the fact they share so many parts – and there’s no change to the brakes other than the welcome addition of BMW’s ABS Pro cornering anti-lock system.
As with the handling, the F 800 GS’s comfort isn’t likely to be significantly changed compared to the F 750 GS. There’s the same 815mm seat height – much lower than the 900 GS’s thanks to the smaller front wheel and shorter suspension – and no change to the rider triangle, so if you found the 750 comfortable there’s no reason to believe the 800 will be any different.
The larger engine does bring a slight dent in economy, dropping it from a claimed 67mpg to a fraction under 66mpg, but it’s barely different enough to be noticed. The tank is unchanged, with a 15-litre capacity to give a theoretical 216-mile range.
The big change here is the instrument panel. Until now the F 750 GS has made do with a rather dated design using an analogue rev counter and a greyscale LCD display for speed, gear and other functions. For 2024, the F 800 GS gets the same 6.5-inch colour TFT used by the F 900 GS models, including phone connectivity and, with the BMW app, turn-by-turn navigation.
Like the more expensive models, there are two riding modes as standard – Road and Rain – and you can add a further three with the Riding Modes Pro option pack, which also brings engine brake control to the mix.
Other standard kit includes heated grips, LED lights and hand guards, which were an option on the old F 750 GS.
The F 800 GS’s rivals include the likes of Triumph’s Tiger Sport, Yamaha’s Tenere 700 and Suzuki’s new V-Strom 800DE, but it could be Honda’s new Transalp that provides its toughest competition. Suzuki is expected to launch a cheaper, alloy-wheeled version of the V-Strom 800 for 2024 that could be even closer in spirit to the F 800 GS.
Honda XL750 Transalp | Price: £9499
Power/Torque: 90.5bhp/55.3lb-ft | Weight: 208kg
Triumph Tiger Sport 660 | Price: £8945
Power/Torque: 80bhp/47.2lb-ft | Weight: 206kg
Suzuki V-Strom 800DE | Price: £10,499
Power/Torque: 83bhp/57.5lb-ft | Weight: 230kg
We’ll give a verdict once we’ve ridden it.
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New price
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From £9995
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Capacity
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895cc
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Bore x Stroke
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86mm x 77mm
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Engine layout
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Parallel twin
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Engine details
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Water-cooled, 2-cylinder, four-stroke in-line engine with four valves per cylinder operated by cam followers, two overhead camshafts and dry sump lubrication
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Power
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87bhp (64kW) @ 6750rpm
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Torque
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67.1lb-ft (91Nm) @ 6750rpm
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Transmission
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6-speed, chain final drive, slipper clutch
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Average fuel consumption
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66mpg claimed
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Tank size
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15litres
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Max range to empty
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216 miles
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Rider aids
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Cornering ABS, Dynamic Traction Control Pro, two riding modes
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Frame
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Bridge-type steel frame, load bearing engine
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Front suspension
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41mm telescopic fork
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Front suspension adjustment
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None
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Rear suspension
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Direct link rear shock
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Rear suspension adjustment
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Adjustable rebound and preload, optional ESA
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Front brake
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Twin disc brake, floating brake discs, 305 mm, 2-piston floating calipers
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Rear brake
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Single disc brake, 265 mm, 1-piston floating caliper
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Front wheel / tyre
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2.50 x 19” cast alloy wheel, 110/80 R 19 tyre
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Rear wheel / tyre
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4.25 x 17” cast alloy wheel, 150/70 R 17 tyre
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Dimensions (LxW)
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2296mm x 910mm
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Wheelbase
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1556mm
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Seat height
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815mm
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Weight
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227kg (kerb)
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Warranty
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3 years
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Servicing
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6000 miles/12 months
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MCIA Secured Rating
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Not yet rated
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Website
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www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk
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What is MCIA Secured?
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MCIA Secured gives motorcycles a rating out of five stars (three stars for bikes of 125cc or less), based on the following being fitted to a new bike as standard:
- A steering lock that meets the UNECE 62 standard
- An ignition immobiliser system
- A vehicle marking system
- An alarm system
- A vehicle tracking system with subscription
The higher the star rating, the better the security, so always ask your dealer what rating your bike has and compare it to other machines on your shortlist.
