BMW F800 ST

[tercol58]

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.

A friend of mine who switched from Harleys to BMWs a few years ago bought his 1st from that dealer, then switched to Grassroots dealership in Cape Geurado and has been very happy with them

 

[ST13Fred]

I picked up my new F800 today with 11 miles on the clock and got it home with 21 showing. I'll do the break-in procedures after I get it officially tagged and street legal. For 2010 the engine is painted black.
I ordered the Workshop CD. The owners manual does not have a maintenance schedule, but states the bike needs to come in for the 'Running In' check between 300 and 750 miles. I'm sure the CD will give the details of when and what routine work is needed.
This is certainly no Honda, so I have a lot to learn about the care and maintenance of this fine machine.
Big Blue is safe for now.

 

[ST13Fred]

I've put 10 miles (riding home from the dealer) on my new bike in nearly 2 weeks of ownership. I am doing some upgrades to it first, before putting it on the road, but will do a modified 'motoman' break-in soon.

I'm adding risers http://www.roxspeedfx.com/ and a fully adjustable windshield http://www.madstad.com/s.nl/sc.1/.f.

I'm also putting black header wrap down to the first bend of the pipes. This 12-1 compression motor is angry and hot. I may wrap all the way to the 'cats', but am a little leery to do that.

I will put the pricey BMW bags and soft tail bag on, also.

Big Blue is getting worried.

 

[Bones]

I will put the pricey BMW bags and soft tail bag on, also.

Just my $.02, Fred, but have you looked at putting on Givi V35's with SWMotech mounts? They look way better, IMHO, have more room, and the SWMotech mounts are practically invisible when you leave the bags off. The ST I bid on in '08 was set up like that and seemed like a superior setup to the BMW accordion bags. In any event, enjoy the new toy.

 

[patiodadio]

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.

This guy is going out of business , he has had a reputation as being hard to deal with. Guess it caught up with him.

 

[TPadden]

I've put 10 miles (riding home from the dealer) on my new bike in nearly 2 weeks of ownership.

I've put 5K on my new 2010 ..... it's comfort and handling of both high winds and heavy humidity on the Big Bend trip surprised me.

 

[RP3]

11 miles is new, but 65-75 miles is not ok?????

To each his own, but even an engine with 0 miles has been run by the factory.

Nevertheless, the attitude of the dealer is definitely an important factor if you are planning on using them for parts or service, but for initial purchase from a dealer miles from home I would go with lowest $$$ to get the thing in my driveway as the primary criteria.

All that being said, these are great bikes and I would considerr one if I was not interested in having a passenger ever (or only for infrequent and short rides). I think the NT 700 is another great option in this category, as is the 650 Weestrom.

 

[ST13Fred]

I've put 5K on my new 2010 ..... it's comfort and handling of both high winds and heavy humidity on the Big Bend trip surprised me.

WOW!! That is quite a contrast to my situation. I'll post a pic when I get my upgrades done. This motor is what drew me to the ST, with it's super fuel mileage and still being a strong power plant. IMO, getting this type of performance and staying reliable says something for the engine design. Its' light weight is a big part of the good MPG, I feel.

What sort of fuel mileage did you get on your trip? How did the engine perform, and in general, how was the bikes' handling?.......and, when did you buy it? I still can't get over the miles you put on it so soon!

I must admit, I'm getting a little excited about getting my bike on the road.

 

[ST13Fred]

11 miles is new, but 65-75 miles is not ok?????

To each his own, but even an engine with 0 miles has been run by the factory.



Weestrom.

Yes, and run by factory technicians who know how to run a green motor.

A demo bike gets thrashed pretty hard by customers i.e.,pinning the throttle and loading the bearings by pinning said throttle in high gear. Thanks, but no thanks. Most may never get treated like that and it may not do any harm, but I won't take that chance, especially when I am paying full MSRP on the thing. As I've said, new is new; demo is used, IMO.

To each his own.

 

[FOG]

Yes, and run by factory technicians who know how to run a green motor.

A demo bike gets thrashed pretty hard by customers i.e.,pinning the throttle and loading the bearings by pinning said throttle in high gear. Thanks, but no thanks. Most may never get treated like that, but I won't take that chance, especially when I am paying full MSRP on the thing.

As far as factory technicians that know how?? It is a line worker that in many cases starts the engine and then revs it full throttle to red line several times, it does not happen in a very scientific way.

Not sure what pinning the throttle in high gear has to do with bearing loads. Hp is Hp, and at low rpm's, that come with high gear selection, that is a small number compared to max output.

Full or even minimal thottle at high RPM has much more strain on the bearings. It is plain physics, the biggest loads on con rods are when the piston is changing direction remember F=MA?? But with the modern machining techniques, break-in is NO WHERE as critical as it was 30-50 years ago. Many Manufacturers use synthetic oil from the factory, an indication that parts don't need to mate, and are good out of the box.

I would not hesitate to buy a demo at all. How it is run in the beginning 1000 miles is minuscule to how it is run for the next 50,000 IMHO

 

[veefore]

Very nice machine! These had me scratching my chin before I purchased my 1300. BIKE Magazine absolutely loved it when it came out - best of luck with it!

 

[tercol58]

How does this bmw compare to hondas new nt 700

 

[Firstpeke]

Not a fair comparison in a way, given the comparison earlier with the VFR..... which is probably mor appropriate.
The NT700V is much more tourer than sport, I think the Beemer is more sport than tourer...
The HP difference makes this a no contest.

Only my opinion though.....

 

[TPadden]

Yes, and run by factory technicians who know how to run a green motor.To each his own.

Visitors to the MV Agusta plant reported every motor was bench run at red line RPM for 30 minutes ....... and stressed again after assembly inthe bike ...... I take it easy on new bikes anyway.

For those that say break-in proccedures are "engineering" limits I say check out Kawasaki's. Last time I checked (2006) every bike they manufactured had the EXACT same break-in recommendations - KLR single, Vulcan Twin, and Ninja 4, with vastly different size, design, and red-line RPM's. Bean counter limits :bow1:......

 

[TPadden]

WOW!! That is quite a contrast to my situation. I'll post a pic when I get my upgrades done. This motor is what drew me to the ST, with it's super fuel mileage and still being a strong power plant. IMO, getting this type of performance and staying reliable says something for the engine design. Its' light weight is a big part of the good MPG, I feel.

What sort of fuel mileage did you get on your trip? How did the engine perform, and in general, how was the bikes' handling?.......and, when did you buy it? I still can't get over the miles you put on it so soon!

I must admit, I'm getting a little excited about getting my bike on the road.

Bought the bike in December. Engine was great but I'd downshift to pass. I averaged about 50 mpg running 75-80 mph and it seemed always with a head wind. In west Texas high head winds I saw as low as 40-42 - and traveling home as high as upper 50's; it was always at least 10 mpg higher than the other bikes. We were really getting blown around and it seemed the F800 was at least as stable and perhaps more than the heavier bikes. With temps in the low 40's and humidity by the buckets I found the protection surprising - overall I really like the entire package.

 

[Timmer]

While my BMW F650 is the ROTAX thumper, I really can't say enough good about the Rotax motor. My F650 even when geared down like mine now is will still cruise at highway speeds with no problem. There are many owners over on F650.com reporting over 100k on the motors and those motors are generally turning some serious RPM's.

If my '03 didn't have such low miles and was so much fun to ride, I'd probably consider an F800GS.

 

[ST13Fred]

As far as factory technicians that know how??

Not sure what pinning the throttle in high gear has to do with bearing loads.
Full or even minimal thottle at high RPM has much more strain on the bearings.

But with the modern machining techniques, break-in is NO WHERE as critical as it was 30-50 years ago.

I would not hesitate to buy a demo at all. How it is run in the beginning 1000 miles is minuscule to how it is run for the next 50,000 IMHO

All engines are run at some point during the factory assembly. If MV/Agusta runs their motors @ red line for 30 minutes, I'd say they are COMPLETELY broken in, right out of the box.

Pinning the throttle has EVERYTHING to do w/bearing loads if done at too low a MPH speed. A bike running at 3K in high gear is loading the bearings more than the same MPH in 3rd gear, for example.

I respectfully disagree when it has a green (bearings not seated) motor. The first 100 miles are more critical, IMO, that the next 49.9K miles.

All this talk is probably a mute point anyway, if manufactures are getting these engines out of their 'green' state by the time they head to warehouses and dealers. Happy motoring.

 

[FOG]

............
Pinning the throttle has EVERYTHING to do w/bearing loads if done at too low a MPH speed. A bike running at 3K in high gear is loading the bearings more than the same MPH in 3rd gear, for example. .............

Not trying to get into a pi$$ing match, just trying to educate.

Same speed requires the same Hp, regardless of the gear you are in (except for mechanical friction losses which increase with RPM) So drive train loading is essentially the same, this includes the final drive and tranny. However the loads on crankshaft and rod bearings are MUCH greater in lower gears, as the RPMs are higher. Again basic physics, I used F=MA, but to break it down lets use the equivalent F(orce)= M(***) x v(elocity) Squared. No matter how you cut it the force on the bearings at double the RPM (Velocity) is 4 times greater.

I know it seems like lugging an engine is stressful, it really isn't more so than revving.

Do a simple test, get a bowling ball and set it on a table at waist height, insert your fingers and grab it tight. Start with your elbow bent at 90 degrees and slowly push it away from you and pull it back. Next, again push it forward as fast as you can (don't let go), I would tell you to pull it back as fast as you could too, but you probably already dislocated your elbow (connecting rod) or shoulder (main bearings) and just got a painful lesson on physics Disclaimer: do not try this at home, it was just a practical example of Newton's laws applied to linear and rotational motion.

 

[ST13Fred]

Your talking about reciprocating loads and I acknowledge that point.

The real loads, however, are when fuel is applied in heavy doses. Yes, reciprocating loads increase with RPM, but the heavy loads AND temps increase significantly as hard throttle is dialed in.

I wacked the throttle hard on the F8 demo before buying a NEW 2010. . I didn't hurt it in any way because I'm sure the bearing temps did not get high enough to hurt the engine and the temps are what actually do the harm.

Anyway, the Daytona 200 is on Speed now and we've lectured each other long enough. Peace.

 

[Dinkie Diesel]

I made written request and signed a contract and waiver to ride Mr. Padden's 800ST. I did not get it on the highway but I could tell from the slow speed ride I took that it handles nicely doing parking lot maneuvers. It is extremely light if you're coming off an ST1300. Riding posture is pretty darned good. Not what your eyes lead you to believe looking at it. It is very skinny compared to my ST1300.

I most appreciated the engine. It sounds great! I mean to say it sounds right, if that makes any sense. I believe it is due to the high compression ratio. I can say from experience that a Big Block Chevy with 8.5:1 is an entirely different animal than one with 10.5/11:1. Lower compression engines seem/sound lazy to me, not snappy. I might be wrong.

The suspension was also very compliant. And without looking at any specs I'd bet it has longer travel than an ST1300. I'm sure it is a bunch of fun to thrash thru the twisites.

It may not be the do all/end all bike for me but if you already have 23 bikes in your stable and you're looking for something different it's a dang nice choice. Some people!!!!