Canadian F800GS's?

[Proton]

Originally Posted by beemerbum

Hi all, after what seems almost a year...oh, it was...OGC got two Magnesium Metrallic units, fully loaded, albeit with low seats, on Monday, 6 Oct. So one of them, mine, got prepped and I took delivery that Tuesday. Just need to get the standard seat exchanged, hopefully when the next units come in, later this fall?

Congratulations! Any idea what their current availability lineup is like at Ottawa Good Times? Damn! I should have thought of them - I'm in Ottawa all the time... (used to live there in fact - the bikes I've owned in the past were serviced there).

Enjoy the bike! Where do you ride around Ottawa?

Rick

[fyr]

Originally Posted by Proton

Congratulations! Any idea what their current availability lineup is like at Ottawa Good Times? Damn! I should have thought of them - I'm in Ottawa all the time... (used to live there in fact - the bikes I've owned in the past were serviced there).

Enjoy the bike! Where do you ride around Ottawa?

Rick

Hope you dont mind me sticking my nose in here. I was at OGC 2 days ago and took a hard look at the 800. It had the lower seat and looked slick. They're due to get a "bumblebee" GS in November. Sales guy said the wait time is 2 months from order. We'll see. I may start the ball rolling on one but only after Xmas. I'd only want delivery in mid march.

All that'll change if an old Airhead GS pops up!

As for riding, when I had my KLR and Wee I usually ended up in the dirt in PQ (Im from Mtl and have a cottage in the lower Laurentians).
Gatineau's are nice but I am not really tuned in to the dirt riding in this area. I heard of shitloads of trails west of Ottawa. If I pull the trigger on this GS, Well I guess Ill have to explore more of my backyard.

[RED CAT]

Blackfoot Calgary are having a feel and touch GS800 and 450X nite Oct 23rd 6-9pm with refreshments. Say they have deposites on 40 GS800s but I'm betting some guys won't come through now.

[beemerbum]

Proton, et al, we do most of our off-road riding up in the Highlands area, including Calabogie and all points around the compass - lots of good mild stuff and even more challenging ground (and water) within easy reach from 508 and 511, etc...

The TKC 80s are working well, good for the road, even in the colder temperatures, and very predictable on gravel and dirt...the 21 inch wheel and combination is more stable than I thought it would all be...but I still think a 19 inch front would have been a suitable compromise as well, c'est la vie.

Am I happy with the purchase - very much so...just have to remember that the 08 GSA needs exercise as well...transitioning from the 800GS to the GSA is not difficult per se, but the weight and handling differentials give the 800GS a (very) clear nod.

OGC has/had one more Metallic unit in...but I think that is the 'nailed to the floor' unit...they have just put a used 08 F650GS with luggage on the floor, don't think it will last long. The bumblebee that is supposed to arrive in Nov was my original order...but getting on a Metallic unit earlier was worth it...I'm having fun.

Just need to sort through the growing farkle list and get some essential stuff, especially a big (big) front and bottom bash plate, etc...have ordered the F800GS handguard kit (pieces back-ordered), so for now the GSA guards adopted for use will suffice.

For those of you waiting for an F800GS, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Bruce

[Proton]

Originally Posted by beemerbum

Proton, et al, we do most of our off-road riding up in the Highlands area, including Calabogie and all points around the compass - lots of good mild stuff and even more challenging ground (and water) within easy reach from 508 and 511, etc...

The TKC 80s are working well, good for the road, even in the colder temperatures, and very predictable on gravel and dirt...the 21 inch wheel and combination is more stable than I thought it would all be...but I still think a 19 inch front would have been a suitable compromise as well, c'est la vie.

Thanks for the trail and tire info - I'm looking forward to exploring the area around Ottawa next spring (still waiting for my 800GS to arrive - was bumped to the "October 28" batch, whatever that means).

As I understand it, the negative of the 21" wheel is the higher angular momentum making it harder to initiate a turn at speed. Any others? I have to say that, having initially considered a 1200GS, I'm very happy about the feedback I'm hearing on the 800. The 1200 would have been too much bike and money for the usage I'm realistically likely to have.

Best,

Rick

[Travlr]

Hello All, got mine Oct. 17th from Southwest Motorrad in Kelowna, rode home through Rogers Pass. Bike was great, even in the snow well the traction was a bit sketchy but the bike performed well for it's maiden voyage. Coldest temp was -0.5C warmest was 9C.

Took it out on some gravel roads in Kananaskis and again the bike performed as anticipated, battlewings not so great on loose gravel with tight turns so I am looking into a more dirt oriented set of rubber.

[Travlr]

Originally Posted by RED CAT

Blackfoot Calgary are having a feel and touch GS800 and 450X nite Oct 23rd 6-9pm with refreshments. Say they have deposites on 40 GS800s but I'm betting some guys won't come through now.

I tried to get my bikes through them, they said nothing until May, they wouldn't phone around and source bikes from other dealers so I did it myself. Thus the Oct. trip through the rockies to Kelowna. The last time I went into the shop was to buy some new riding gear, my stuff at the time was all leather, Jeff the "salesman" couldn't get off his ass to come over and ask if we needed help. We were taking jackets off the new display wall that is about 15ft high. Lazy b*tch. Their loss (two 800's, helmets, gear, accessories, any future service). Will never go there again.

[zaner32]

Originally Posted by Travlr

Hello All, got mine Oct. 17th from Southwest Motorrad in Kelowna, rode home through Rogers Pass. Bike was great, even in the snow well the traction was a bit sketchy but the bike performed well for it's maiden voyage. Coldest temp was -0.5C warmest was 9C.

Took it out on some gravel roads in Kananaskis and again the bike performed as anticipated, battlewings not so great on loose gravel with tight turns so I am looking into a more dirt oriented set of rubber.

[Proton]

Originally Posted by Travlr

I tried to get my bikes through them, they said nothing until May, they wouldn't phone around and source bikes from other dealers so I did it myself. Thus the Oct. trip through the rockies to Kelowna. The last time I went into the shop was to buy some new riding gear, my stuff at the time was all leather, Jeff the "salesman" couldn't get off his ass to come over and ask if we needed help. We were taking jackets off the new display wall that is about 15ft high. Lazy b*tch. Their loss (two 800's, helmets, gear, accessories, any future service). Will never go there again.

Congratulations, man! Awesome picture - this is an inspiration as there's a good chance I'll be driving mine home through some snow if and when it comes...

It never ceases to amaze me how lackluster the service can be at some of these places, although on the whole my experiences have been good. One thing I found is that, once you buy a couple of things and they "know" you (or know that you're actually ready to spend serious money), the whole attitude changes. On the one hand, maybe they just see a lot of people who come in to fondle the motorcycle gear and leave (especially after seeing how much some of it costs). On the other hand, shouldn't they really be assuming that *every* customer might be the one who's going to make a big purchase? I'll bet they lose a lot of business from this incorrect sizing up BS, or maybe it is just laziness.

Enjoy the bike and thanks again for the picture!

Rick

[Toadride]

Been on the road for about a week now and I can't praise this bike enough. Stability, handling, power and comfort? It all works for me. Took a ride up island last weekend with saddlebags and gear and one thing that was bugging me a bit was the lean on the sidestand. Being shortlegged I have always used the footpeg to mount the bike with the sidestand down. Well, I guess the 800 sidestand couldn't handle mine and the bike's weight because it was slowly bending. Just had the 1000km check and they streightened it back even better than original and I will not be using my old mounting methods any more. Other than that, everything has been going flawlessly. For those looking for addons, I am including a pic of the BMW bashplate. Altho expensive (over 300Can), it is a work of art, looks good and covers all the necessary privates. The silver stood out a bit too much for my liking so I had it powdercoated to match the engine.

[beemerbum]

Still accumulating time and distance on the machine...TKC80s are doing their job and work (very) well on road, even with our Ottawa cooler temps in morning...have only managed to get them breaking loose once on the pavement and it was at a pretty severe lean and higher speed. I don't feel that the 21inch wheel is 'slow' per se, but there is some increased resistance felt when flipping it from side to side. But IMHO this is more than offset by the light weight and handling aspect of the whole front end.

Now running the engine up into upper range and the output is even more impressive, and still smooth, although some increased vibration is noticeable at 6 and above. I find the gearbox just about perfect, with 2nd and 3rd the gears of choice for most riding and 4th for moving along at an increased rate, on and off pavement. If current use remains minimal street and maximum dirt, then 5th and 6th won't see much use, but they are mighty smooth gears for high speed road cruising. Donking and plonking in the dirt is great fun in 1st and then up into 2nd, with reasonable torque for braking purposes...just don't forget to turn off the ABS (still recommended for off pavement stuff).

Fuel consumption getting better, first four tanks have averaged just under 60 miles per Imperial gallon (my F800ST used to get well over 60).

Got to get the BMW extended skid plate ordered...and order, or make some headlight shields and I think that will be that for this initial season...the winter farkle list is growing longer. I still haven't decided whether its better to dress it up for a mulititude of uses, or keep it bare bone, for the hard off pavement riding...and let the GSA become the prime touring machine.

On a related note, it seems that the Yellow unit might be arriving at OGC within a week or so...another one in the stable for my SO is on the longer term planning horizon, but probably not this fall. However, you can read between my lines and deduce that yes, I am very, very happy with mine.

Cheers, Bruce

[kojiro]

Last news from my dealer is that they got the bike in Toronto, and the dealer should get it either Monday or Tuesday, delivery the next day.

[Proton]

Originally Posted by kojiro

Last news from my dealer is that they got the bike in Toronto, and the dealer should get it either Monday or Tuesday, delivery the next day.

That's great news! What dealer are you working with, if that's not too personal? Hope we have good weather next week!

Rick

[zaner32]

I should be getting mine during the first week of November. I'm still ticked at BMW for waiting until the season's almost over to get delivery of these bikes.

Here's what I ran into yesterday:

[kojiro]

Originally Posted by Proton

That's great news! What dealer are you working with, if that's not too personal? Hope we have good weather next week!

Rick

Moto Vanier. Not the best dealer I've dealt with in my life, but then they're the only BMW dealer in my area...