BMW F800 ST

I had a VFR800 with the bags and all the good stuff. Maintenace of the bike is a lot more expensive than the ST, it is powerful and more aggresive riding position it makes it a SPORT-turing bike while I think teh ST makes a more sport-TOURING bike. I put 12K on the VFR and loved every mile gave it up for the ST but I am not sorry. ST fits better my riding needs.

When the BMW F800 came out most magazine run a VFR vs F800 comparo and all concluded that the VFR is a better machine...
 
That's the one BMW I have seriously considered owning in recent years. Actually put in some bids on one in NH that was owned by a BMW rep, but bidding soon got ridiculous and it sold for more than a new one. Still can't figure that. One reason I bid on that one is it had Givi hard bags, not the BMW ones. To me, the BMW bags look ridiculous in both the narrow and opened up configurations. Can't fit a full face helmet inside. Interesting bike, let us know what you think.
 
whynot? said:
I had a VFR800 with the bags and all the good stuff. Maintenace of the bike is a lot more expensive than the ST, it is powerful and more aggresive riding position it makes it a SPORT-turing bike while I think teh ST makes a more sport-TOURING bike. I put 12K on the VFR and loved every mile gave it up for the ST but I am not sorry. ST fits better my riding needs.

When the BMW F800 came out most magazine run a VFR vs F800 comparo and all concluded that the VFR is a better machine...
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Not all did. The Bike comparo concluded otherwise. They did a follow up test last year with the same result.
 
I had the opportunity to ride a BMW F800 ST cross country about a year and 1/2 ago. The bike does get good gas mileage, but the gas tank is much smaller than the ST1300's. I coasted in to a rest area in West Texas on just gas fumes and had to "borrow" some gas from a nice fellow who carried a gas can in his pickup truck.

In the cold weather I was warm enough with the heated grips and with heated clothing. In the wet weather I really missed the superior windshield of the ST1300.

The BMW was a blast riding the canyons of Southern California. With the lighter weight it really handled great in the twisties.

My bike did not have the hard bags attached when I rode it, so I can't comment on the bags. The only thing that I did not like about the BMW was that it was "buzzy" around 62 mph. The bike would ride smoothly up to about 60 mph, but at 62 mph it fells like I was riding on a rough road. At about 65 mph the "buzziness" went away and it was smooth riding again. I went out to a BMW F800 ST Forum and found out that some F800 ST's had this issue.
 
The BMW F800 ST is a great bike. My wife Jan loves hers. It is a very nice little bike and anyone who was at Westoc last summer saw it.

She rode with me ,following my ST and had no problems at all. With 85 HP the 800 twin goes very well. We did over 4000 miles before we headed home.

Here's the thread to Jan's bike, there are pictures there of all the goodies I added to it for her.

And best of all it's the fastest color too. :D

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47437&highlight=update
 

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  • Jans Baby ST.jpg
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Harley just bought me one. Covering a short (HOG) for the fourth time yesterday paid for mine! :bow1: :D 2nd Pic is Mac at Stagecoach :)

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Bones said:
That's the one BMW I have seriously considered owning in recent years. Interesting bike, let us know what you think.
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I got a quick ride in on the bike today. The motor has a low, throaty, authoritative note. The 12:1 compression (all Beemer engines have the 12:1) is one reason why. It is not loud and I was really impressed in how smooth the engine is. I felt no vibration in the bars or pegs thru the revs I had the bike. Rotax seems to build very good motors.

Even with the BMW risers, there is a some weight on my arms. Also, I felt some sliding forward on the seat. It shifted well and has good power all along the rev band. The pegs felt a little high for me. The wind blast off the factory shield was right into my head. There is an aftermarket, so I would have a taller shield.

I've registered into the 'F800 owners' web page (ST8Fred) to get more acquainted with the model. Overall, the vast majority of owners are happy w/the bike. I believe its' been in production for 5 years or so (counting Europe) and has had relatively minor issues.

The bikes light weight, awesome fuel mileage, 'fun factor' and modern features, has me more interested after the demo ride. Global Imports may be getting another visit.

:04biker::)
 
ST13Fred said:
I got a quick ride in on the bike today. The motor has a low, throaty, authoritative note. The 12:1 compression (all Beemer engines have the 12:1) is one reason why.
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Among current models some BMW's are 10.8 to 1, some 11.5 to 1, some are 13 to 1. Some Beemers, notably 1200RTs and GSs sound to me like old people coughing. This is due to exhaust systems, not compression ratios. The 800ST is a nice motorcycle in many ways.
 
A friend bought one about a year ago, and I thought it looked nice. I especially liked the compact expanding saddlebags.
 
Hound said:
I especially liked the compact expanding saddlebags.
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Interesting...the bags were what I liked least about the whole bike. Didn't like how they looked, compressed or expanded, and they don't hold much.

To each his own, eh?
 
dduelin said:
Among current models some BMW's are 10.8 to 1, some 11.5 to 1, some are 13 to 1. Some Beemers, notably 1200RTs and GSs sound to me like old people coughing. This is due to exhaust systems, not compression ratios.
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You're right about the CR #'ers. My initial concern was with the high CR, reliability/longevity may suffer. Rotax also build aircraft engines and appear to be high end power plants.

I put my hand at the exhaust exit and knew there was some serious 'combusting' going on upstream. 12:1 is relatively high and even w/liquid cooling the Rotax engine may not go 150K before some engine refreshing is needed. Our ST13 has 10.8:1 and can probably go 150K before needing rework.

But the motor in this bike is what has caught my interest. I'll bet it would do well in our ST13 with a 6 speed tranny.

:04biker::)
 
fnmag said:
Completely agree. That Rotax engine seems to have proven it's reliability. Keep us posted when/if you purchase this little beauty. :)
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Actually the early ones had quite a few problems - mostly related to developing piston slap and or engine wear, some related to cylinder coating, many had exterior engine paint flaking. BMW replaced and still is replacing more than a few 06 and 07 motors. Problems seem to have disappeared; hopefully fixed :eek::
 
TPadden said:
Actually the early ones had quite a few problems - mostly related to developing piston slap and or engine wear, some related to cylinder coating BMW replaced and still is replacing more than a few 06 and 07 motors. Problems seem to have disappeared; hopefully fixed :eek::
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Thanks for the info.

BMW replacing the motors under warranty means they should have fixed the problem ASAP. I don't know how long the Type 804 power plant http://www.rotax.com/en/Engine/2004/Motorcycle/Engine.Models.htm has been around, but the bike has a nice character to it, with that exhaust note and feel on the road.

:04biker::)
 
tercol58 said:
So did you end up with one of these
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I ordered one from my local dealer Fri, the 12th, the day we had 3 " of snow.

I'm expecting a call, hopefully today to pick it up.

BMW is offering promotional incentives in Feb on different left over 09 models. The F800 package is lower financing, $800 cash, or $1000 toward accessories. I called 3 dealers who had one I wanted. But they all had been demo'd, with 65-75 miles each. I got into a real verbal w/ a dealer in Louisville, KY, who thought I was trying to get him into a bidding war w/the other dealers. I'm paying cash and only got confused when he told me his price ($300 less) included the incentive whereas the other dealer did not. And KY is a lot closer to home that Il. I called BMW corp lodging a complaint against him for his attitude. I would not buy from him now at any price.

So, I want a NEW, non demo bike and feel BMW is selling some bikes at the expense of customers by demoing a bike they still sell as new. I'm very particular in how a green motor gets it's first few new miles. New is new, demo is not.

:04biker::)
 
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