New Beemers 2008

[deanohit]

I'm liking the sound of these beter and better, so not as light as I would have hoped, but every thing else is sounding good.:

BMW's middleweight twin gets more Rotax clout
When BMW says GS it means GelandeStrasse (country/street) and it's not kidding. The GS range goes back to the R80 G/S of 1981 and has delivered some of the most competent adventure tourers on the market.

Now the Blue Propeller guys have come along with the F800 GS – far more than an F800 S in hiking boots - with which it hopes to continue the tradition.

The new GS certainly has all the right credentials: the Rotax-built, 798cc, parallel-twin engine (63kW at 7500rpm, 83 Nm at 5750rpm) is tilted forward only 8

The F800 GS is far more than an F800 S in hiking boots
.3 degrees in the frame rather than the street version's 15º, to make space for a bigger front wheel.

The frame itself is tubular steel rather than fabricated aluminium and uses the engine as a fully-stressed member. It has 42 degrees of steering lock of steering lock in either direction, making the F800 GS a lot more nimble, BMW says, than the street version.

The 45mm upside-down front forks have 230mm of travel, while the 21" front wheel runs a 90/90 tyre for maximum stability in rough conditions. At the rear a one-piece cast aluminium swing-arm guides the 150/70–17 knobbly through 215mm of travel.

The wheels have steel spokes and extruded alloy rims, with two 300mm disc brakes in front and a 265mm disc at the rear.

Final drive is by chain, which is seen as more robust under off-road conditions than the belt drive of the road models

The tubular-steel frame uses the engine as a fully-stressed member.

The battery and air filter are mounted behind the steering head rather than under a conventional fuel tank for ease of access and deeper wading ability; the 16-litre fuel tank is under the seat.

Seat height is adjustable from 880 to 850mm and the F800 GS weighs only 178kg dry; ABS is available at extra cost.

BMW quotes fuel consumption of 5.2 litres/100km at a steady 120km/h and claims a 0-100km/h sprint in 4.1sec and top speed of "over 200km/h".

[deanohit]

I'm confused as to why they made this one though:

Meet the F650 that's actually an F800

With two completely new enduro models, the F800 GS and F650 GS, BMW Motorrad has merely expanded its range of products but also created a worthy successor to the very successful, single-cylinder F650 GS.

The 650 GS, which has a parallel twin-cylinder engine like the bigger-framed 800, has a low seat height but is, BMW says, "an outstanding all-rounder that's easy to control, provides plenty of power with fuel economy, and is ideal for everyday use".

It's a new design; new frame and suspension and new features

This F650 GS is an improvement in every area over its single-cylinder predecessor. The previous model’s belt drive and single-strut swing arm have been replaced by a light chain drive with a six-speed gearbox and double-strut swing arm and the bike will still perform exceptionally off-road if necessary.

This F650 GS is an improvement in every area over its single-cylinder predecessor. Despite its model designation, it has the same 800cc, twin-cylinder engine as the F800 GS though less power (54kW/63kW) and its focus on torque and fuel economy.

The F650 GS is also eight kg lighter. Its cast metal wheels and lower ground clearance indicate that it prefers on-road use and it can also be recognised by its smooth-surfaced fairings, low windscreen and spring elements.

Both it and the bigger bike and can be fitted with anti-lock brakes that can be switched of for off-road work. There's also a fine range of BMW accessories

Both it and the bigger bike and can be fitted with anti-lock brakes.

Performance wise, the F650 GS comes close to the800cc – 0-100km/h in less than five seconds and a top speed of 185km/h. And that with a claimed fuel consumption of less than five litres/100km.

It copes with acceleration from 0–100 km/h in less than 5 seconds, and also reaches an impressive top speed of 185 km/h.

Both GS models have vibration-absorbing handlebars and the 16-litre tank under the seat has its filler cap at the side of the bike – no need to remove a tank bag every 400km or so on a long trip.

The F650 GS can be ordered in Azure Blue metallic, Flame Red or Iceberg Silver metallic and among its options are heatable grips, trip data computer, main stand, white indicators, anti-theft alarm and a whole range of lock-on luggage combinations.

[cooneyr]

.......The previous model’s belt drive and single-strut swing arm have been replaced by a light chain drive......

..... cast metal wheels and lower ground clearance indicate that it prefers on-road use

Sounds like it is suppose to supersede the CS rather than the GS.

Cheers R

[Alpha Solo]

Sounds like it is suppose to supersede the CS rather than the GS.

Cheers R

Indeed!

And what's wrong with singles Mr BMW?

Still the 800 sounds interesting eh!

[Zukin]

Looks good?
Hmm 690 Adv or F800GS

First is Lotto

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCeC2K_fBUg[/YOUTUBE]

[Zukin]

All the specs are now up on the offical site too

http://www.bmw-motorrad.com/com/en/index.html?content=

[warewolf]

Looks good?

Does indeed.

Seat must be pretty crappy, he doesn't sit on it once!

[NordieBoy]

Looks like a sweet sealed road biased adventurer.

[deanohit]

Video of it on the seal:
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxApqZGHtm0[/YOUTUBE]
Must say it sounds very muted, will be interesting to hear how much better it is with the Akropovic system on it.

[NordieBoy]

I think the parallel twin layout should be the sweet spot for a road biased adventure bike.
800cc also gives it the power for high speed cruising without the weight of a bigger engine.
Just needs to be a torque monster and not a revver