Having a few days off but with no dealers anywhere around me, I drove 3.5 hours up to Mountain View to test ride the GS and also a 1050 Tiger. Sadly the Tiger was not a demo but a service department loaner that was loaned out when I got there so no real chance to test ride one. I'm not sure the F800GS and 1050 Tiger occupy the same category of bike except in my lust department but that's ok since it's also my money . Lets first mention what I'm rolling on at the moment, a Piaggio MP-3 250, yes a 250cc twist and go 3 wheel scooter that I've put 12,000 miles on in the last year and a half. Now I'm not new to the world of shifting since I've owned a 84 Honda Sabre and a 87 750 Ninja back in the day but it has been awhile since I've had a clutch to manage. I was worried on the way up to the dealer that I'd have trouble slinging a leg over either of the bikes but it turned out to be only mildly difficult on the GS but a bit more of an adventure on the Tiger they had in the showroom, probably due to the side cases on the Triumph. I had jumped on the GS while only wearing my shorts and tennis shoes and I felt the regular seat was managable but perhaps a touch too high for my comfort level so they put the low seat on the bike for me to try. Once I put on my Roadcrafter and boots the low seat allowed me to flat foot the bike with both feet at a stop and since I've been away from a motorcycle for a long time I liked the assurance the ability to get my feet down afforded me. The time had now come to take it out for a ride, right away I loved the instrument display, very clear and informative. Second thing I noticed was something I'm sure everyone notices, the turn signal switchgear, I'd spend the entire test ride trying to get accustomed to the difference from what I'm used to. Clutch lever seemed to required a bit of finesse (that I don't have) to get a smooth takeaway from stop and the throttle I would call grabby or touchy for the first 10 minutes of my ride. After that I adapted to it but never got super comfortable with the combination of slipping the clutch and applying the throttle to get smooth starts, I got a few but struggled at times. I loved the riding position the bike put me in, the handlebars seemed wide to me but I kinda liked that compared to my scoot. The stock windscreen let a lot of wind onto my body and helmet but it did not seem excessive or turbulent (I'm 5'11 btw). The mirrors are a vast improvement over my scoot ones, clear and vibration free up to 70 miles per hour. I felt the handling of the bike was superb, very easy to get a feel of where the bike was and what I needed to do to get it to go where I wanted it to go. Low speed, stop and go traffic did not present any real issues other than the previously mentioned clutch/throttle combination, leading to some jerky starts. The ride had a few curves thrown in (pretty low speed sweepers 45 mph tops) that had me grinning under the helmet and I could see how much fun this bike can be without a chaperon along. We got a couple of miles in on the highway with speeds up to 70 mph and there isn't much to report, very capable and cruising along in 6th gear was fine but I felt some vibrations in the handlebars and seat at those speeds, perhaps this might be an irritation on long freeway runs? Anyway after 20 minutes of riding around I felt very comfortable on the bike and enjoyed the test very much. Once we got back to the dealer I had them put the standard seat on the bike and I took it around the block, I actually preferred the low seat to the standard one. The low seat had a defined seating position that still allowed me room to move around and the standard seat seem a bit wider and firmer. I also didn't like the profile of the standard seat, a bit too flat for my taste, I can see how it allows for much more variation in seating position though. After trying out the GS they let me take a showroom Tiger around the block (like less than 1 mile I would say) and the only thing I can remember about it was the tank splayed my legs out farther than the GS, a real shame for me because I have heard so many good things about the triple engine and I never got to try it out today. So would I buy the F800GS? Maybe... there are some issues for me. 1) Price.. at over 14K out the door that is a significant price to pay for a bike. I can do it but I'm not yet convinced I want to. 2) Service... at least a 2-2.5 hour ride to the nearest dealer for routine service, I'm sure I can change the oil and such not but resetting the display and valve clearances would require more time. 3) Usage.... Do I need the off road capabilities of this bike? Not at this time, it would spend much of its time commuting to work and back. I would love to take it off road but need to be realistic, the bike I get will probably spend most of its life on the road. 4) Ummmmm.......... Still need to give the Tiger a test ride, I liked the way it looked (saw both the white and black colors) and need to see how the riding compares to the GS, still really disappointed I missed the chance to test them side by side. The dealer broke down the cost of service on the two bikes and it seemed the Tiger was quite a bit more expensive especially for the 12K service. Any savings buying the Tiger (12.5K out the door with luggage) would be eaten up in service costs in about 36K miles of riding. I'll end my incoherrent ramblings now but I just wanted to say the F800GS was a hoot to ride and may yet end up in the car hole.
Very good idea to keep service costs in mind. The F800 will probably get a little better gas mileage as well. Other than the valves the work on the 800s seems pretty easy.
Nice write-up Zinfan! I came to the F800GS after only a week of riding on a G650 Country and a weekend on each of an R1200GS and a 990 Adventure. For me it was a relatively demanding bike to ride smoothly at low speed unless you're very experienced but as I've got used to it (3000 miles now) my riding skills have improved. Good luck with whatever you choose.
Definitely try the Tiger before you decide. I've owned several of the boxer GS's and like them a lot. I spent a couple of hours on the F800GS (and owned an F800S for a year) and to be honest, I was very disappointed in the 800GS (YMMV - and this is no slight to current owners, just my feelings about the bike). Of course the Tiger is not much good if you plan to go off-road. I bought the 1050 Tiger (an '09) and couldn't be happier, I love the bike. It's like a cross between an 1150GS (one of my all time favorites) and a Yam FZ1. But it is a road bike.
I've never understood the clutch/throttle issue that people talk about on the F800GS. After not having a bike for 15 years and never owning a road capable bike I've never had a problem smoothly rolling away from a stop. The only thing I can think of is a bit of jerkyness when rolling at very very low speed with no clutch action. But that is no different than the same experience in my truck rolling in rush hour traffic when attempting the same almost stopped not engaging the clutch action.
If you're not concerned about off road, why not an F650GS ? Solves the price concern and from what I've read a fine road bike.
