Richmond Va chatter

[higworld]

Originally Posted by JHVA

I have Friday off so where is the RTE tomorrow?

[dljocky]

I took the kickstand off, and closed the gap where it attaches. I get on the DR like a horse, and I was told that can spread the gap open. It worked, I have a good little gap between the kickstand and the swingarm now. I also stopped by Redline and spoke to their welder, he said it was an easy fix. He also said I didn't need it fixed and not to worry about it.





Any thoughts?

[Eddy Alvarez]

I rode my F800GS for the first time today. It's a very nice bike and am looking forward to many more rides, but a couple of improvements need to be done sooner than later. Any previous/current 800 owners please chime in or PM to offer opinions/recommendations or fixes.

1. I hate to use the word junk when discussing BMW bikes, but the fork spings are really awful! They compress like a pogo stick! And this is on a relaxed, street only, commute to work! I can't wait to see how they behave on something like Big Levels. New springs are mandatory. Fortunately, this is a "cheap", easily fixable issue and I may be able to buy 1" shorter springs too.
2. $800 heated Sergeant seat is angled slightly forward, and it's smooth so I slide forward into the faux fuel tank. This may be due to the fact that the grips are too far away for my reach and I am leaning a forward a bit. ROX risers will go on to see if this may fix this issue before selling saddle and going custom made from Russell or Mayer.
3. I love the look of the Deisierto 3 fairing! I need to make some adjustments to get that nice pocket of still air. It is adjustable for height and angle. If I can't find a nice pocket of nirvana, I may need to eBay the ($900 new) windsheild and call Aeroflow for half the price!
4. Wow! What crazy throttle response! It's either off or on! It's very touchy! I spoke with Dan Farson (800GS rider who won East Coast GS Trophy Challenge) recommended a 15T front sprocket and a $150 booster plug to make the bike behave much better at 1-15 mph.

Don't get me wrong, I like the bike a lot but think that after these issues are fixed, I will like it much more. The low and mid punch is nice but the top end rush is very fun and peppy for an 800 twin! It feels at least as fast, or faster than the 1200. It could also be that it's 50-75 pounds lighter!

Sorry for the long rant...just looking for other 800 owners comments/experiences/fixes... thanks!

[skychs]

Hey Eddy,
I'm not sure about the 800GS but the 12GS has a front and rear level adjustment so you can angle the seat forward or backwards. Look under the seat and see if it has the same adjustments. Personally I like the front of the seat higher than the back. It allows me to settle into the seat better. Hopefully yours has the same settings so its an easy fix.

[Boon Booni]

Originally Posted by Eddy Alvarez

Sorry for the long rant...just looking for other 800 owners comments/experiences/fixes... thanks!

Not an owner, but something to look out for...



Link

...make sure your top shock bolt is torqued properly. Many folks who have used the bike offroad, and it seems even some folks who never go offroad have had this bolt bent to one degree or another. When it gets as bad as the one above, it also bends the frame. That fellow had his frame replaced by BMW.

When the bolt is torqued it resists bending because it's basically squeezing a 2-3 part tube together, but when it gets loose the the tube can bend at it's joints. The problem was originally thought to be because of an aftermarket shock, but as the thread grew folks with the stock shock were having the same issue. It's a poor design, IMHO, with the bolt spanning such a large distance but it's totally fixable.

There's a fellow who makes a hardened 1 piece jobbie that supports the top of the shock correctly (the "Indy Kit"), but the stock bushing needs to be pushed out and replaced with his unit.

It's something I'd look into.

[Guy Young]

Originally Posted by JHVA

I have Friday off so where is the RTE tomorrow?

I was curious about this too, but looks like I won't be able to make it anyway. Finally sold our old van and the folks are coming by tomorrow around 11:00 to pick it up.

Durn for the RTE, but hooray the van will be gone.

.

[ddlewis]

Originally Posted by dljocky

Any thoughts?

this is out of my league. Get some knowledgeable second opinions. Post these pics on DRRiders and get mxrob and gangs two cents and maybe thumper talk.

If everybody agrees it's ok don't worry about it. otherwise we'll find a spare. Looks like we could get one, put needle bearings/seals in it - and for a $100 or so and be good as new. Don't you have like 50k miles on that bike anyway?

[Eddy Alvarez]

Originally Posted by Boon Booni

Not an owner, but something to look out for...make sure your top shock bolt is torqued properly. Many folks who have used the bike offroad, and it seems even some folks who never go offroad have had this bolt bent to one degree or another. When it gets as bad as the one above, it also bends the frame. That fellow had his frame replaced by BMW.

Yikes, that's crazy...fortunately, it has two years of warranty left! I'll check...

[jgiacobbe]

Originally Posted by Eddy Alvarez

I rode my F800GS for the first time today. It's a very nice bike and am looking forward to many more rides, but a couple of improvements need to be done sooner than later. Any previous/current 800 owners please chime in or PM to offer opinions/recommendations or fixes.

1. I hate to use the work junk when discussing BMW bikes, but the fork spings are really awful! They compress like a pogo stick! And this is on a relaxed, street only, commute to work! I can't wait to see how they behave on something like Big Levels. New springs are mandatory. Fortunately, this is a "cheap", easily fixable issue and I may be able to buy 1" shorter springs too.
2. $800 heated Sergeant seat is angled slightly forward, and it's smooth so I slide forward into the faux fuel tank. This may be due to the fact that the grips are too far away for my reach and I am leaning a forward a bit. ROX risers will go on to see if this may fix this issue before selling saddle and going custom made from Russell or Mayer.
3. I love the look of the Deisierto 3 fairing! I need to make some adjustments to get that nice pocket of still air. It is adjustable for height and angle. If I can't find a nice pocket of nirvana, I may need to eBay the ($900 new) windsheild and call Aeroflow for half the price!
4. Wow! What crazy throttle response! It's either off or on! It's very touchy! I spoke with Dan Farson (800GS rider who won East Coast GS Trophy Challenge) recommended a 15T front sprocket and a $150 booster plug to make the bike behave much better at 1-15 mph.

Don't get me wrong, I like the bike a lot but think that after these issues are fixed, I will like it much more. The low and mid punch is nice but the top end rush is very fun and peppy for an 800 twin! It feels at least as fast, or faster than the 1200. It could also be that it's 50-75 pounds lighter!

Sorry for the long rant...just looking for other 800 owners comments/experiences/fixes... thanks!

1. Maybe you should ask over in GSpot. Not many 800GS owners locally.
2. I think you have farklitis, but the advanced form that also causes you to be a farkle snob. I'm not sure you would survive ever riding a stock bike again.
3. I realize the heated part might make a seat more expensive, but over 2x the price of a sargent seat for a DL?
4. Only 50-75 pounds lighter? I would like to think they would be sub 500lbs ready to roll.
5. Does it need valve emulators installed with the springs or are they cartridge type forks?

As always remember this post is worth what you paid for it. Since you feel this bike needs these improvements, are you still planning an overnighter with it this weekend?

[dljocky]

Naw, just 40K.........

Took it to Cycle City(Casey) in Newport News, the guy there said not to worry about it either, it was just cosmetic.

Originally Posted by ddlewis

this is out of my league. Get some knowledgeable second opinions. Post these pics on DRRiders and get mxrob and gangs two cents and maybe thumper talk.

If everybody agrees it's ok don't worry about it. otherwise we'll find a spare. Looks like we could get one, put needle bearings/seals in it - and for a $100 or so and be good as new. Don't you have like 50k miles on that bike anyway?

[Hack]

Originally Posted by dljocky

Any thoughts?

I would be a bit concerned with bending the kickstand depending on how much bending needs done do to possibly weaking it too much. I bet Mr. Young or Mr. Munn could bend a piece of metal that would attach to the bolts in the picture to stop anymore damage? Just a thought.

[Eddy Alvarez]

Originally Posted by jgiacobbe

1. Maybe you should ask over in GSpot...are you still planning an overnighter with it this weekend?

Just posted in "F-GS" forum. Yes, still thinking of going west on Sat. Want to go? And yes, riding heavily farkled bikes makes one jaded...LOL! Riding almost any stock bike sucks. I've come to the conclusion that you need to be ready to add 25-50% of the purchase price of a new bike to make it "great". They are all built to a price point by cost cutting by the corporate bean counters! When corporate lets the engineers tell the bean counters to "F" off, you get something like an HP4 or Panigale "R" for $30K.

[jgiacobbe]

Originally Posted by Eddy Alvarez

Just posted in "F-GS" forum. Yes, still thinking of going west on Sat. Want to go? And yes, riding heavily farkled bikes makes one jaded...LOL! Riding almost any stock bike sucks. I've come to the conclusion that you need to be ready to add 25-50% of the purchase price of a new bike to make it "great". They are all built to a price point by cost cutting by the corporate bean counters! When corporate lets the engineers tell the bean counters to "F" off, you get something like an HP4 or Panigale "R" for $30K.

I may be able to be convinced to take the wee out for the day. Too cold to ride the WR. I keep thinking there is something to do at the house, but I swear I got all the outside stuff done last weekend.

[dljocky]

Thanks.
Yeah, the kickstand was not a problem at all to bend back, it was just the gap that attaches to the frame. Two different dealers told me the "groove" is only cosmetic, I just want to make sure. thanks for all the input.

Originally Posted by Hack

I would be a bit concerned with bending the kickstand depending on how much bending needs done do to possibly weaking it too much. I bet Mr. Young or Mr. Munn could bend a piece of metal that would attach to the bolts in the picture to stop anymore damage? Just a thought.

[ddlewis]

Originally Posted by Eddy Alvarez

...Yes, still thinking of going west on Sat. Want to go?

Against my better judgement and in the face of crappy cold weather forecasts I am half considering going with. Probably do my Valentines duty Fri night so should be free. Sure you guys wouldn't rather wait for a better looking weekend? Aren't most of the roads you'd want to scout closed anyway? If you're determined, what if we meet up early, run the 5mi loop, go to cracker barrel and eat panckakes/sausage and then hit the road about 11.. by then it should be up to 37F.

Originally Posted by Eddy Alvarez

I've come to the conclusion that you need to be ready to add 25-50% of the purchase price of a new bike to make it "great"..

By my reckoning I have added 80% back to the bought-used price of my formerly bone stock DR. Suspension, guards, seat, pumper carb, intake-exhaust, luggage, tank, electrics, controls, etc.. All told, bike + stuff, still only have about 4.5k init. It's a completely different bike, wouldn't trade it for two brand new ones.