Just did a quick scan through everything and thought I'd give my opinion of the BMW F800S,
Took one out for a test ride a couple of weeks ago... very similar to the riding position of my old 99 CBR600, but with the engine being a twin, was quite narrow between the knees.
Power delivery with the belt is a bit more instant than the chain, but once you get used to it, not a major issue. The speed and midrange are nuts. I remember looking down at the speedo and wondering how I got to 90 without realising it. That fairing, even with the tiny screen is so much better than the Fazer 600. The midrange is fantastic, pulls from as little as 30 in top with no trouble. Not ridden anything bigger than my Fazer 600 or CBR600 so not sure how a thou would compare.
The handling is good, a forward bias, but again, once you get used to leaning forward your muscles will stop hurting and you'll take more weight through your legs as opposed to your wrists. It's got a steering damper as standard which takes a lot of the vibrations compared to a Fazer (so much so that I considered trying to find a cheap one for my bike) and the clip-ons aren't particularly close so you can still heave it around but countersteering and moving around on it make the manoeuvring at speed easier (similar to any sportier bike). That said, the seat isn't as rounded as a CBR so it feels a bit awkward trying to hang off properly.
If you were seriously considering it, I'd get an aftermarket can, as the stock one is rubbish. It's so quiet it makes you want to ride in a lower gear to raise the revs to hear what the engine's doing. It's a bit like the difference between a petrol and diesel car in that you don't really need to rev the nuts off it to get it going, it's good with fast A and B roads. Again, that said, get it up to about 6/7000 revs and it's really fun, very responsive and feels like a 600 sports bike.
You can get them with a host of BMW extras, but as it's a discontinued model you'll only really find bikes already fitted with them so shopping around is a must (didn't ask if they could be retro fitted). A centrestand isn't really a must as it's belt driven and doesn't need adjustment. The heated grips are excellent.... just excellent.
Putting the fuel into the tail doesn't feel as weird as I thought it would (was a very thorough test) though it does help to park on the correct side of the pump.
BAD POINTS
The speedo is tiny, I mean, REALLY tiny (google it) and the needle is maybe 3-4mm from the numbers, whereas the screen is massive and makes you focus on the gear indicator too much (read that online, and is actually true).
The front fairing plastic and plastic 'tank' (read airbox cover) are a bit cheap looking, especially for a not very cheap bike. The one I tested was in satin metallic silver and would have looked better in gloss. Just a personal opinion really.
By far the most annoying thing is the 3 button indicator set up. Left indicator on left bar, right on right bar, and separate cancel switch above the right indicator switch. Most people get used to it, so I've been told, but I ride with the heel of my hand pretty much on the bar end weight, did on the CBR and even though the fazer bars are wider, I still do on the that. The problem was that I had to move my hand in every time I wanted to indicate and while not a problem on the left, the right (especially going round a roundabout in town) meant that the throttle was surging all over the place.
This might be something you get used to and change your riding style for, but it put a real damper on an otherwise great hours test ride as it happened in the last 5 minutes being on the bike. The F800R has a standard 3way switch like most other bikes, so I'm waiting for the dealer to get one in so that I can give it a go.
And I returned 46MPG on a 40 mile jaunt, which is the lowest anyone who's taken it for a test ride got.
Hopefully that's everything, if I think of any more I can update you on it, but hope it helps.
Oh, and it looks much better with the fairing lowers on (£400-500 extra)
https://www.pyramid-plastics.co.uk/acces...W_F800.jpg
Simon
Took one out for a test ride a couple of weeks ago... very similar to the riding position of my old 99 CBR600, but with the engine being a twin, was quite narrow between the knees.
Power delivery with the belt is a bit more instant than the chain, but once you get used to it, not a major issue. The speed and midrange are nuts. I remember looking down at the speedo and wondering how I got to 90 without realising it. That fairing, even with the tiny screen is so much better than the Fazer 600. The midrange is fantastic, pulls from as little as 30 in top with no trouble. Not ridden anything bigger than my Fazer 600 or CBR600 so not sure how a thou would compare.
The handling is good, a forward bias, but again, once you get used to leaning forward your muscles will stop hurting and you'll take more weight through your legs as opposed to your wrists. It's got a steering damper as standard which takes a lot of the vibrations compared to a Fazer (so much so that I considered trying to find a cheap one for my bike) and the clip-ons aren't particularly close so you can still heave it around but countersteering and moving around on it make the manoeuvring at speed easier (similar to any sportier bike). That said, the seat isn't as rounded as a CBR so it feels a bit awkward trying to hang off properly.
If you were seriously considering it, I'd get an aftermarket can, as the stock one is rubbish. It's so quiet it makes you want to ride in a lower gear to raise the revs to hear what the engine's doing. It's a bit like the difference between a petrol and diesel car in that you don't really need to rev the nuts off it to get it going, it's good with fast A and B roads. Again, that said, get it up to about 6/7000 revs and it's really fun, very responsive and feels like a 600 sports bike.
You can get them with a host of BMW extras, but as it's a discontinued model you'll only really find bikes already fitted with them so shopping around is a must (didn't ask if they could be retro fitted). A centrestand isn't really a must as it's belt driven and doesn't need adjustment. The heated grips are excellent.... just excellent.
Putting the fuel into the tail doesn't feel as weird as I thought it would (was a very thorough test) though it does help to park on the correct side of the pump.
BAD POINTS
The speedo is tiny, I mean, REALLY tiny (google it) and the needle is maybe 3-4mm from the numbers, whereas the screen is massive and makes you focus on the gear indicator too much (read that online, and is actually true).
The front fairing plastic and plastic 'tank' (read airbox cover) are a bit cheap looking, especially for a not very cheap bike. The one I tested was in satin metallic silver and would have looked better in gloss. Just a personal opinion really.
By far the most annoying thing is the 3 button indicator set up. Left indicator on left bar, right on right bar, and separate cancel switch above the right indicator switch. Most people get used to it, so I've been told, but I ride with the heel of my hand pretty much on the bar end weight, did on the CBR and even though the fazer bars are wider, I still do on the that. The problem was that I had to move my hand in every time I wanted to indicate and while not a problem on the left, the right (especially going round a roundabout in town) meant that the throttle was surging all over the place.
This might be something you get used to and change your riding style for, but it put a real damper on an otherwise great hours test ride as it happened in the last 5 minutes being on the bike. The F800R has a standard 3way switch like most other bikes, so I'm waiting for the dealer to get one in so that I can give it a go.
And I returned 46MPG on a 40 mile jaunt, which is the lowest anyone who's taken it for a test ride got.
Hopefully that's everything, if I think of any more I can update you on it, but hope it helps.
Oh, and it looks much better with the fairing lowers on (£400-500 extra)
https://www.pyramid-plastics.co.uk/acces...W_F800.jpg
Simon