Test Ride / BMW F800GS

This is Benjamin (the man, not the bike), he's a friend of a friend who's nephew is essentially my brother, but more importantly he's our contact for Motorrad. Benjamin was very helpful in setting up the demo for both GS models, and for that we thank him.

The 800 that I tested was a 2012 demo with just over a hundred miles on it. It felt very new, was extremely smooth and quite comfortable.

Overall the 800 seems to fit right in between the KTM 990 and BMW GS 1200, not in engine size obviously, but in ability. On the road, the 990 feels like a very road capable dirt bike, whereas the 1200 feels like a off-roadable road touring bike. The 800 feels like it would more comfortably eat road miles than the 990, but be much more agile and capable off-road when compared to the 1200.

Head-to head, strictly off road, I'm sure the 990 would out-perform both the GS models, and I dont think the 990 or 800 could touch the road touring ability of the 1200. So I think that's why the 800 appears to be a good middle ground.

Often times when faced with difficult decisions, it is important to keep a clear head and evaluate all of your options carefully. The obvious option here is to go out and test ride more bikes. So on the next go'round is the Triumph 800XC dual sport, otherwise known as the "Triumph Tiger".