BMW 800 GS pictures

OK. This bike is a lot of fun. No lack of power and very smooth. Only issue I see so far is that it is easy to get the front wheel light under power. Not really a problem when you are aware of it though. Barry

Front view.

And rear view. Not great pictures but I will try to get some more next week. Heading for Lake Chelan today and as usual a lot of things to finish so I can get out of here. I can't believe the sun is shining today. Must be a mistake.

Barry

gorgeous, barry
LOVE that rig

Very nice!!! I guess I should put the 800 back on my list of tug candidates.

:eek1 and i thought I had every farkle.... price?

Hi all,

Yesterday, we took delivery of the 800. I'll try to post some pictures and riding impressions. My wife and I are new to sidecars and anticipate a learning curve but what a bike to learn on. It is my wife's primary bike and we got it so we would be able to take trips with our daughter (11 months old).

The sidecar looks great. DMC did a great job.

We took it for a test spin and wobbled (low speed wobble) down the street. We will have to learn to handle the shake or be prepared to be pulled over a lot.

Best,

Sang

ah, i heard that JAY took your hack to your personally, in california
enjoy every moment
he's going back to enumclaw to get our GS-Adventures ready to ship back to Florida....

please post more pictures as soon as you can
good luck

probably shouldn't WOBBLE
not sure what that was all about

also....
i hope you aren't going to take your 11 month old in that tub...
right?
her fragile neck, etc really can't take that kind of "punishment" until she's a bit older....
sorry for my interjection....
i can't keep the pediatrician in me from coming out
take care

Yes both Jay and his wife came down to deliver the bike.

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <wunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <wontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->I think the low speed wobble will be cured when we have a bit more experience. We are going to give it a month or so of practice and if we can’t cope then a Scotts Steering Damper should sort it out.

Thanks for the advice. It is nice to know there is a pediatrician on the forum I can contact for free medical advice. I'll be able to buy more bike stuff . Don't worry it is going to be a while before we are comfortable even taking it off road.

anything i can do for you... just let me know
keep us informed about that WOBBLE.

the thing is... most folks are doing TRAIL REDUCTION front end modifications (i surely did) to make steering EASIER...
a steering damper ought NOT be necessary, i'd think

I think it is just a lack of familiarity with sidecars. We will work on expanding our skill set.

i must do the very same thing, as soon as she arrives
good luck

Actually there are two issues here. One is the barely noticeable handlebar shake at 15 - 20 mph that to an experienced sidecar rider is hardly noticeable and easily controlled with just the weight of the riders hands on the bars. Actually we rode it a couple of times and almost didn't feel it as we were accelerating through it at a faster pace. Because this is a new experience the rider is trying to get used to the sidecar by driving around slowly at almost the exact speed where the shake is worst wondering what is going on. I hesitate to suggest speeding up to ride through the shake like I would because I don't know if the operator will be okay with the steering method which is the opposite to two wheels.
The second issue that I am constantly concerned with is we have a new operator on the rig with no experience or training learning these things the hard way. While reading a book about riding with a sidecar will help some it is in no way the best learning tool. California actually believes you don't have to have any type of motorcycle license or training to operate a sidecar. In my opinion this is not right. Unfortunately, there is no way legal or otherwise to insist new sidecar operators get the proper training to help them stay safe while learning.
A damper will of course help with the minimal shake but this is still not going to solve the lack of proper training. Does anyone know if there is any training available in California?
Barry

Actually while trail reduction can help reduce the steering effort and also greatly assist with reducing shake it is not always possible to totally eliminate it. Many things effect steering shake. Loose bearings in wheels, swingarms and steering heads, loose or flexible mounting systems, worn tires or just poor alignment all have some input. With all these accounted for if there is any more than a very minimal shake at low speed when I test a rig I always install a damper. In this case I did not think it was an issue as I drove it several times (It is a fun bike.) and only barely felt it a couple of times. After a few adjustments it seemed to be mostly gone and not an issue.
The difference here is that even a very small shake on a sidecar can scare the daylights out of you if it had happened on a two wheeler. If all you have is two wheel experience then the first time it happens with a sidecar it can be an unnerving experience. I do not expect it to be an issue on your rigs.
B

I am glad to report the second and third and fourth ride went much better for both of us. By the third ride there was little to no wobble and on the fourth ride with passenger there was no wobble at all. What a difference a day makes. We will keep on practicing and take it easy. I don't think we are going to install the damper. We are considering a trip up to Washington to take a proper sidecar class though. I think our money would be better spent there. Plus I could go visit Evergreen College (1 year).

Barry I haven't seen any training down here but I haven't looked very hard.

She is awesome and I may need to start saving my pennies but I may be catching the sidecar mania.

thanks for the reply, barry.
i really appreciate the continued education
i am eagerly anticipating the learning process and promise to muster up every ounce of restaint i have as i learn this new method of travel.
this is going to be great fun, thanks to you and everyone at DMC

happy to hear that "time in the saddle" is making everything better
as for SIDECAR MANIA... i'm ALREADY thinking about what Jay and Barry can conjure up for me next
hmmmmm... i really hope that my wife isn't still reading my posts here... :eek1:eek1:eek1

Awesome. You might want to get in touch with Red Menace about training. He is in Hood River Ore. and a very good instructor.
Barry

Thanks for the recommendation. Will do.