Monday, September 12, 2011

Quick Ride: 2011 BMW F800R



I recently had the opportunity to log about 100 miles on the new for the US, 2011 BMW F800R.  BMW’s entry in the standard middleweight class features a water-cooled, double overhead cam parallel twin motor with 4 valves per cylinder.
When you first clime aboard the F800, you’ll notice that it is fairly easy to pick up off of the side stand.  At a claimed 439lbs ready to ride, it’s easy to maneuver around a parking lot too.  The riding position is fairly standard with a slight lean to the sporting side of things.  The handlebar is not overly wide but I noticed that the pegs were a bit high and to the rear.  The peg position is awesome for hard back-roads riding, but for around town jaunts and longer tours, an inch lower and to the front would make life more enjoyable.  The seat is shaped well being flat and wide at the rear but narrow enough up front to keep your legs in tight to the tank.  The saddle is comfortable for the first hour but longer than that, it suffers from being too soft and you start to sink in and become uncomfortable.  This is a common problem with OEM seats, which I don’t understand why manufacturers don’t put firmer seats on their bikes.

When you twist the throttle on the F800R you’re met with a very electric-like, linear powerband that is very user friendly.  This is a perfect power delivery for riders with limited experience.  You won’t get into any real trouble by a sudden twist of the throttle on this bike!  For more advanced users, a little bit of a power hit in the upper RPM range would make things more entertaining.  My carbureted Bonnie’s motor seems to be more awake, but with a claimed 87bhp @ the crank, it’s fast enough to stay out of most car’s way.  The transmission shifts smoothly with short throws combined with a decent feeling clutch. You can shift through the gears quickly and efficiently without missing a shift.  Final gearing is a bit on the short side.  This is great to give you good acceleration from a stop, but it makes the engine a bit busy a freeway speeds.  I understand BMW’s intent is to make this an ultimate urban bike, but in the wide-open spaces of Arizona (and much of the rest of the US), it makes for a buzzy ride at higher speeds ultimately putting your hands to sleep.
The suspension with non-adjustable fork and rear adjustable for preload and rebound only feels controlled and compliant.  Providing good feel, it’s soft enough to handle most roads around town and firm enough not to do anything funky while riding on a nice, twisty road.
The dash features oval analogue gauges for the speedometer and tach along with a square LCD screen with critical information such as fuel level, trip meters and gear position indicator.  I’m not a fan of the styling, preferring a more classic style dash, but at least it’s simple and tells you what you need to know. Handlebar switches are standard fare for a modern motorcycle.  I do have to commend BMW for the lighting it has been putting on motorcycles as of late!  Arizona at night can be quite dark and this BMW does an excellent job of lighting the road.  The low beam throws a nice wide ray of light while the high beam illuminates a good distance without taking away too much width.
Visually, the F800R is a thoroughly modern take on the naked standard bike theme.  I’ll have to say that it looks pretty good in the “M” racing white/blue/red paint scheme.  I’m starting to get used to the asymmetric headlight styling that BMW started about 10 years ago, but the trade off in looks isn’t worth the amount of lighting you’ll lose.  You just can’t get that quality of a beam out of a traditional, single 7” round headlight!
In closing, I enjoyed my time on the F800R.  This would be a great bike for a beginner looking to upgrade from their first bike or even as a first bike for one that’s a bit more affluent.  With the right combination of available BMW accessories, you can make the F800R be just about anything from a weekend sports tourer to a daily commuter.  For the more advanced rider looking for a relatively inexpensive bike to have fun on, check out a Ducati Monster 796 or a Triumph Street Triple R.  The motor is just too boring!
Special thanks go out to Steve Bitner at Go AZ Motorcycles of Scottsdale, AZ (BMW Motorcycles of Scottsdale) for providing the bike.


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